[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 1718-1724]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        TONY HALL FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 548) to designate the Federal building and United States 
courthouse located at 200 West 2nd Street in Dayton, Ohio, as the 
``Tony Hall Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 548

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The Federal building and United States courthouse located 
     at 200 West 2nd Street in Dayton, Ohio, shall be known and 
     designated as the ``Tony Hall Federal Building and United 
     States Courthouse''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     and United States courthouse referred to in section 1 shall 
     be deemed to be a reference to the ``Tony Hall Federal 
     Building and United States Courthouse''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. 
Corrine Brown) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring before the House H.R. 548, 
introduced by my colleague, the gentleman from Springfield, Ohio (Mr. 
Hobson), which designates the Federal building and United States 
courthouse at 200 West 2nd Street in Dayton, Ohio, as the ``Tony Hall 
Federal Building and United States Courthouse.''
  Tony Hall's record of service to the United States and the world is 
well documented. He has served as a teacher of English in Southeast 
Asia, a member of the Ohio State legislature, a member of the House of 
Representatives and, now, as an official with the United Nations.
  During each of these endeavors, Tony Hall worked to make life better 
for those less fortunate, whether it was educating a single child who 
may not

[[Page 1719]]

otherwise have attended school, or as an administrator of an 
international organization bringing food to the hungry worldwide.
  This is an appropriate honor that has the support of the entire Ohio 
delegation. Unfortunately, this is the third time that this matter has 
come to the Floor. During the 107th and 108th Congresses, my 
predecessor, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette), brought this 
matter before the House and each time it passed by voice vote, but was 
never considered by the Senate.
  As a new subcommittee chairman, it is my pleasure to continue his 
efforts to get this bill enacted into law. I hope the results of our 
consideration this year will be more positive.
  I support this legislation and encourage my colleagues to do the 
same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1500

  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume. H.R. 548 is a bill to designate the Federal building 
and courthouse in Dayton, Ohio, as the Tony Hall Federal building and 
United States courthouse in honor of our former colleague from Ohio, 
Tony Hall. This bill has strong bipartisan support.
  Tony Hall is a true son of Ohio. He was born in Dayton in 1942. After 
attending local schools, he graduated from Denison University in 1964. 
He was accepted into the Peace Corps and served as a volunteer in 
Thailand from 1966 until 1968. Upon his return, he was elected to the 
Ohio house of representatives and in 1972 was elected to the Ohio 
senate. In 1978 he was elected to the House of Representatives where he 
served for 11 terms.
  Tony Hall currently serves as the United States Ambassador to the 
United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture.
  Tony Hall was founder and cochair of the Congressional Hunger Center, 
a nonprofit organization created to bring awareness to the growing and 
persistent problems of world hunger. He also served as chairman of the 
House Select Committee on hunger from 1989 until 1993. Congressman Hall 
sponsored legislation to help immunize the world's children against 
major diseases and to increase U.S. funding for distribution of 
vitamins A and C.
  His passion for protecting and ensuring human rights and combating 
hunger brought Congressman Hall to such places as North Korea, Peru, 
Sudan, Haiti, just to name a few. In 1994 he helped nominate Bishop 
Carlos Belo for the Nobel Peace Prize for the bishop's role in 
protecting civilians during armed conflict.
  Congressman Hall was an exemplar for his unswerving commitment and 
sustaining contribution to promoting humanity and peace in a world 
stricken with poverty and torn by war. This designation is a fitting 
tribute to his exceptional public service, and I urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 548.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hobson).
  Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, the legislation now under consideration by 
the House would permanently name the Dayton Ohio Federal building in 
honor of our good friend and former colleague, Tony Hall. This 
legislation which, as I introduced, as you have heard, has been 
cosponsored by every member on both sides of the aisle of the Ohio 
delegation. For nearly 24 years Tony Hall represented Ohio's Third 
Congressional District with honor and distinction. And he currently 
serves as United States ambassador to the United Nations food and 
agriculture agencies in Rome. There he has been a tireless advocate on 
behalf of those who face the hardships of hunger around the world.
  In Congress, Tony was always guided by his faith and family. He spent 
21 years on the House Rules Committee, was a founding member of the 
select committee on hunger, and a founder and chairman of the 
congressional hunger center.
  As colleagues, Tony and I worked together in a partnership for the 
benefit of citizens of the Miami Valley on numerous projects and 
initiatives, including those involving Wright Patterson Air Force Base 
and the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park, which is the 
first bill that I passed in this legislature.
  A leading humanitarian, Tony has been nominated three times for the 
Nobel Peace Prize for his work with hunger, relief aid programs, and 
improving international human rights conditions.
  Tony was a football star, a little All American at Denison, a Peace 
Corps volunteer, a noted world traveler, and a devoted husband and 
father and a dedicated public servant.
  We are all better people today because Tony Hall was in Congress. The 
example he set in working to improve the lives of others is something 
that all of us can learn from.
  This legislation is a lasting way to pay tribute to Tony's efforts 
over the years, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill. 
And I hope we will meet with better success this year in the other body 
than we did in the two previous years. And I urge all my colleagues to 
support this legislation.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he 
may consume to the gentleman from Chicago, Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman 
from Florida for yielding time. I was thinking last Thursday as I 
listened to Tony Hall as the keynote speaker for the national prayer 
breakfast, and as I was rooted to my seat, that I had never heard a 
more eloquent rendition of a speech. I had never heard a more 
passionate speech. I had never heard a more meaningful speech. So I 
simply rise in support of the naming of this courthouse.
  Tony Hall is one of the most distinguished and nonpartisan Members 
this body has ever experienced: protecting human rights, working on 
behalf of the poor, seeking peace. All of those have been his 
trademarks.
  All of us who have had the opportunity to know and work with him; our 
individual as well as collective lives have been enriched. And so I 
urge strong support of the naming of this courthouse for Tony Hall and 
could think of no better name that it could have.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Bachus).
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. 
I associate myself with the remarks of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Hobson) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) mentioned that Tony Hall was 
a friend to every Democrat and every Republican in this body. He and 
the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) reached across the aisle united 
in a goal to alleviate hunger throughout the world, to be a friend to 
those who were sick and in need of hope. He is not only our friend but 
every sick child in every poor country of the world has a friend in 
Tony Hall. Anyone who goes to bed hungry in those countries tonight has 
an advocate in Tony Hall. And those that do not have a job in these 
poor countries that only wish to work and help bring up their children 
and educate them, they all have a tireless supporter in Tony Hall.
  If anyone has done what we might say is the work of the Lord or of 
our God throughout this world it is Tony Hall.
  The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hobson) last year on the floor of this 
House described our colleague, former colleague, as the ``real deal,'' 
and he is the real deal. He was the same back in his district and here 
in Washington as when he goes to emerging third world countries. Back 
in his district, where he served for 24 years, the longest-serving 
Member from Dayton, Ohio, in the history of this Congress, he organized 
programs to take surplus and leftover food down to the shelters in his 
district, homeless shelters. And through those programs today on the 
streets of Dayton and other cities in Ohio, people will go to bed 
tonight with food in their stomachs because of his efforts in their own 
hometown.

[[Page 1720]]

  When he was in Washington, he was a tireless advocate. You may recall 
in 1993 as chairman of the House Select Committee on Hunger that that 
committee was abolished. Tony Hall went on a hunger strike not for one 
day, not for 5 days, not for 10 days, but for 22 days. He fasted and 
went without food. Now that is commitment. That is a ministry.
  Now today he is doing the same thing as our ambassador to the U.N. 
agency in Rome. He is not riding a desk. He is not sitting back and 
have others report to him. He is going out. And his average day is not 
spent in Rome, but it is spent traveling throughout the world, seeing 
firsthand, witnessing these different programs, finding out those that 
work and improving them, finding out those that do not work and are 
failing. And even today, he is doing what he did here. Poor children, 
those that are sick, those that are without hope, Tony Hall today in 
his travels throughout the world is making a better life for them and 
for us.
  Let me close by simply discussing two things. One is a 3-page resume, 
but it is really a witness to a life well served, a life of commitment 
and devotion, a ministry and a passion that Tony Hall has to the poor 
and the hungry and the hopeless of this world. UNICEF awards, Oxfam 
awards, Bread for the World Award, numbers of awards. But Tony Hall 
would say, Do not recognize me for that. Recognize me for the hope that 
I have brought to the world, to the poor and the sick and the hopeless.
  I also would like to introduce this 3-page document, a life well 
lived, a life really which ought to be honored, and a courthouse is the 
least thing we should do for him, but also a tribute that the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Hobson) gave to this great American, this great 
individual, Tony Hall. And to him and his wife, Janet, I give my 
sincere and utmost thanks for everything they have done to make this a 
better world for all of us.

                        Ambassador Tony P. Hall

       Three times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, Ambassador 
     Tony P. Hall is a leading advocate for hunger relief programs 
     and improving human rights conditions in the world. In 
     February 2002, President George W. Bush asked him to serve as 
     the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies 
     for Food and Agriculture. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate 
     and was sworn in by Secretary of State Colin Powell in 
     September 2002.
       Prior to entering the diplomatic corps the Dayton, Ohio 
     native represented the Third District of Ohio in the U.S. 
     House of Representatives for almost twenty-four years, their 
     longest serving representative in history. During his tenure, 
     he was chairman of the House Select Committee on Hunger and 
     the Democratic Caucus Task Force on Hunger. He founded and 
     was one of two House members on the steering committee of the 
     Congressional Friends of Human Rights Monitors. He authored 
     legislation that supported food aid, child survival, basic 
     education, primary health care, micro-enterprise, and 
     development assistance in the world's poorest countries. 
     Ambassador Hall also founded and chaired the Congressional 
     Hunger Center, a non-governmental organization committed to 
     ending hunger through training and educational programs for 
     emerging leaders.
       A founding member of the Select Committee on Hunger, Mr. 
     Hall served as its chairman from 1989 to 1993. During this 
     time, he initiated legislation enacted into law to fight 
     hunger-related diseases in developing nations. He sponsored a 
     successful 1990 emergency measure to assist state-run Women, 
     Infants and Children (WIC) programs. Mr. Hall helped to 
     establish a clearinghouse that provided food through 
     gleaning, a process of gathering grains and produce left on 
     the ground after harvesting. Mr. Hall has worked to promote 
     micro-enterprise to reduce joblessness. In response to the 
     abolishment of the Hunger Committee in April 1993, he fasted 
     for 22 days to draw attention to the needs of hungry people 
     in the United States and around the world.
       In his efforts to witness the plight of the poor and hungry 
     first-hand, he has visited poverty-stricken and war-torn 
     regions in more than 100 countries. He was the first Member 
     of Congress to visit Ethiopia during the great famine of 
     1984-5. He has visited North Korea six times since 1995, and 
     was one of the first Western officials to see the famine 
     outside of the capital, Pyongyang. In 2000, he became the 
     first Member of Congress to visit Iraq to investigate the 
     humanitarian situation. During his second week as Ambassador, 
     he traveled to Zimbabwe and Malawi to see the food deficit 
     crisis in southern Africa.
       Mr. Hall has worked actively to improve human rights 
     conditions around the world, especially in the Philippines, 
     East Timor, Paraguay, South Korea, Romania, and the former 
     Soviet Union. In 2000, he introduced legislation to end the 
     importation of conflict diamonds mined in regions of Sierra 
     Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 1983 
     he founded the Congressional Friends of Human Rights 
     Monitors. In 1999, he was a leader in Congress calling for 
     the United States to pay its back dues to the United Nations. 
     In 1997 and 2000, Mr. Hall introduced legislation calling on 
     Congress to apologize for slavery. He also has worked at 
     promoting reconciliation among diverse peoples through a 
     number of private initiatives.
       In 1964 Mr. Hall graduated from Denison University in 
     Granville, Ohio where he was a Little All-American football 
     player. During 1966 and 1967, Mr. Hall taught English in 
     Thailand as a Peace Corps Volunteer. He returned to Dayton to 
     work as a realtor and he was a small businessman for several 
     years. Mr. Hall and his wife Janet raised two children.
       Mr. Hall served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 
     1969 to 1972, and in the Ohio Senate from 1973 to 1978. On 
     November 7, 1978, Mr. Hall was selected to the 96th Congress. 
     He served on the Foreign Affairs and Small Business 
     Committees before being appointed to the Rules Committee at 
     the beginning of the 97th Congress.
       Ambassador Hall was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for 
     1998, 1999 and 2001 for his humanitarian and hunger-related 
     work. For his hunger legislation and for his proposal for a 
     Humanitarian Summit in the Horn of Africa, Mr. Hall and the 
     Hunger Committee received the 1992 Silver World Food Day 
     Medal from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Mr. Hall 
     is a recipient of the United States Committee for UNICEF 1995 
     Children's Legislative Advocate Award, U.S. AID Presidential 
     End Hunger Award, 1992 Oxfam America Partners Award, Bread 
     for the World Distinguished Service Against Hunger Award, and 
     NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. He received honorary Doctor of 
     Laws degrees from Asbury College, Antioch College and Eastern 
     College and a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Loyola 
     College in Baltimore. In 1994, President Clinton nominated 
     Mr. Hall for the position of UNICEF Executive Director.

  Mr. HOBSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my fellow 
Ohioan and good friend, Tony Hall.
  For years, Tony and I have worked together for the benefit of the 
citizens of the Miami Valley on numerous projects and initiatives. I am 
very happy that he has this new opportunity to work directly on hunger 
issues at the United Nations, but it is still very said to see him 
leave the House of Representatives.
  Tony is now at the end of a nearly 24-year career representing the 
people of Montgomery County on Capitol Hill and is taking his crusade 
against hunger to a global stage.
  The youngest son of one of Dayton's most beloved mayors, Tony has 
been a football star, a Peace Corps volunteer, a noted world traveler, 
a devoted husband and father, and a dedicated public servant. Tony has 
become the area's longest-serving Congressman and a three-time Nobel 
nominee known worldwide for his work against hunger.
  In Congress, Hall has been guided by faith and family and never 
chosen Capitol Hill events over the importance of being home with his 
wife and children. He has spent 21 years on the House Rules Committee, 
and I have been pleased to work with Tony on numerous local projects 
for the Miami Valley: from supporting the National Composites Center, 
to saving the Air Force Institute of Technology.
  Ten years ago, Tony and I worked to establish the Dayton Aviation 
Heritage National Historical Park and we just recently embarked upon a 
new effort to create the National Aviation Heritage area to preserve 
Ohio's aviation heritage for the future.
  When I first came to Congress, Tony was one of the first Members of 
Congress to reach out to me, and show me the ropes. He didn't have to 
do that, and I have always appreciated his willingness to make me feel 
comfortable in this new environment.
  Nobody goes around Capitol Hill grumbling about Tony Hall. He is the 
genuine article, he works hard for his constituents and he is a man of 
principle, and of his world.
  Tony has managed to be a positive force, despite the difficult 
challenges he has faced in his personal life. We are all better people 
because Tony Hall has been here.
  As Ohio's Seventh District Representative to the Congress of the 
United States, I take this opportunity to join with members of the Ohio 
delegation to honor the efforts and the many outstanding achievements 
of Rep. Tony Hall. His many contributions as a member of the House of 
Representatives and leadership will be remembered.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional 
requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page 1721]]


  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hobson) for 
bringing this resolution to the floor once again. The gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Hobson) and I and Tony Hall all worked in the Miami Valley 
area, Greater Dayton area together. And when you think about Tony Hall, 
there is only one word that comes to mind and that is humanitarian.
  When you read the description of humanitarian in the dictionary, it 
ought to just have Tony Hall's name there. Of all the people I have 
worked with in the Congress during what is now 15 years, I am not sure 
that I have worked with someone so dedicated and so focused on trying 
to help the poor and the needy, not only in his district and around the 
country but around the world. He is a tireless advocate on behalf of 
those who are hungry.
  The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hobson) had a CODEL group of us over in 
Rome. We met with Tony Hall. Tony took us to the U.N. Food Program, and 
we had long conversations about the needs in various places around the 
world. And if it was not in Rome, it used to be right here in the back 
of the Chamber when Tony would stop any one of us to help describe the 
problems that people were having around the world and here in our 
country and the need for better nutrition programs and better food 
distribution programs. So I cannot think of anyone who we should honor 
in naming this courthouse in Dayton, Ohio, but my good friend and our 
former colleague, Tony Hall.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Wolf).
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Hobson) for doing this. It is a tremendous symbol of bipartisanship, 
Republicans and Democrats coming together, nothing to gain. Mr. Hall is 
gone. And yet the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hobson) does this. I want to 
thank him. Also it is interesting that we have Members from both sides, 
Republican and Democrat, who have come together to agree on the impact 
that Congressman Hall has had not only on this institution, but also 
the poor and the hungry of the world.
  Tony has said many times that when you give to the poor, and it is 
from Proverbs, you really lend to God. And no one that I know has taken 
their faith into the world and into the community, if you will, and had 
a greater impact on the lives of the poor and the hungry and the naked. 
His life was almost a kind of symbol of the Matthew 25 where Jesus 
talks about the poor, the hungry, the naked, and those in prison. Tony 
has taken that.
  He has also had an impact on the lives of a lot of Members in this 
body. There is a statement by Francis of Assisi that, I would rather 
see a sermon than hear a sermon. And by watching Tony Hall, and not 
listening but watching it, we have seen the sermon whereby he has taken 
his life, as the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) has said.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Tony and his wife, Janet, and 
their daughter Jill for the life here, but the life is just kind of 
beginning.

                              {time}  1515

  Tony has now left this institution and is in Rome and doing as much 
there, and we are going to hear a lot more about Tony Hall. This is not 
like we get some bills whereby somebody has come to the end and is 
moving back to their district, they are buying a retirement home down 
in wherever they are. This guy is just kind of moving out. He is a 
young man, just beginning, and we will see a lot from Tony.
  Lastly, I want to personally thank Tony Hall. He asked me to go to 
Ethiopia in 1984 and took me to Romania in 1985, which literally 
changed the direction of my life in this institution. So on behalf of 
all the Members on both sides of the aisle, we thank Tony for the 
impact he has had on this institution and on our lives, and 
particularly for taking care of the poor and hungry around the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 548, to designate the Federal 
Building and United States courthouse at West 2nd Street in Dayton, 
Ohio, as the ``Tony Hall Federal Building and United States 
Courthouse.''
  Our former colleague Tony Hall, the representative of the 3rd 
District of Ohio for nearly 24 years, continues to serve as the United 
States Ambassador to the United Nations food and agriculture agencies 
located in Rome, Italy, since his appointment by President Bush in 
2002. As you may recall, Tony resigned his House seat to take up the 
ambassadorial post in Rome, where he is continuing his passionate work 
as a leading advocate for ending hunger and promoting food security 
around the world.
  I want to thank Congressman David Hobson of Ohio for introducing H.R. 
548 to honor Tony in his hometown of Dayton by attaching his name to 
the Federal building and courthouse there. It is an appropriate 
recognition for the nearly 24 years of service in the House and the 10 
years of service in the Ohio General Assembly that Tony Hall provided 
to the people of Dayton and surrounding areas.
  I miss my dear friend Tony very much as our colleague in the House, 
but I know that he is absolutely the right person to be serving as the 
United States Representative to the World Food Programme, the Food and 
Agriculture Organization, and International Fund for Agricultural 
Development, all agencies of the United Nations which assist 
international hunger-relief efforts.
  Tony Hall's name is synonymous with the cause of alleviating hunger 
both domestically and worldwide. He believes that food is the most 
basic of human needs, the most basic of human rights.
  He passionately worked to convince others that the cause of hunger, 
which often gets lost in the legislative shuffle and pushed aside by 
more visible issues, deserved a prominent share of attention and 
resources to assist people who are the most at risk and too often the 
least defended.
  He also worked as a tireless advocate for the cause of human rights 
around the world and focused his attention on the illicit diamond trade 
in Sierra Leone. He convinced me to travel with him to Sierra Leone in 
late 1999 to see how the machete-wielding rebels there intimidated men, 
women and children by hacking off arms, legs, and ears. He led the 
effort in bringing to the attention of Congress the conflict diamond 
trade and authoring legislation to certify that the diamonds Americans 
buy are not tainted with the blood of the people of Sierra Leone and 
other African nations.
  We also traveled together in January 2002 to Afghanistan with 
Congressman Joe Pitts as the first congressional delegation to that 
country after the launch of the war on terrorism. We visited hospitals, 
an orphanage, schools, and refugee camps. We met with U.S. diplomats 
and soldiers; with local leaders and officials with direct 
responsibility for humanitarian problems and refugees; with 
representatives of the United Nations and private relief organizations; 
and in Pakistan with refugees and members of religious minority groups.
  Tony is never deterred in his effort to help make a positive 
difference in the lives of suffering people. In his years in Congress, 
he traveled to wherever the need arose and met with whomever he could 
to effect change, taking risks few would take, with his own comfort and 
safety never entering his mind.
  I believe Tony's life destiny is to be a servant. During 1966 and 
1967, he taught English in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer.
  He returned to Dayton to work as a realtor and small businessman for 
several years, but before long, he was elected to the Ohio House of 
Representatives where he served from 1969 to 1972, and then to the Ohio 
Senate, serving from 1973 to 1978. On November 7, 1978, Tony was 
elected to the House of Representatives from the 3rd District of Ohio 
and served with distinction for over two decades.
  Tony Hall is an inspiration to everyone fortunate enough to know him. 
He has a wonderful combination of compassion and passion filled with 
spiritual purpose--compassion to see the suffering in the less 
fortunate in the world and the passion to work to do something about 
it.
  I urge a unanimous vote in support of H.R. 548, to recognize the 
dedicated public service of Tony Hall by naming the Federal building 
and courthouse in Dayton, OH, in his honor.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Regula).
  Mr. REGULA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the 
time.

[[Page 1722]]

  A United States courthouse and Federal building is a symbol of 
liberty and justice for all. Tony Hall's career has been marked with a 
lifetime of working for the goals of justice and liberty for all 
people. A courthouse named after Tony Hall is a fitting tribute to a 
life well lived. All of us in Ohio take special pride in the 
accomplishments of our friend and colleague, Tony Hall.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this 
resolution to name the Federal building in Dayton, Ohio after my friend 
and former colleague, Tony Hall.
  Tony Hall took great pride in representing his hometown of Dayton in 
Congress for nearly 24 years. His father had served as Mayor of Dayton, 
and the strong values he learned growing up in that community were 
reflected in everything that he did. Tony fought hard for the people of 
Dayton.
  But Tony Hall is also a citizen of the world. His first job out of 
college was as Peace Corps volunteer, teaching English in Thailand from 
1966 to 1968. He has visited more than 100 countries in his effort to 
see, understand, and improve the lives of the world's least fortunate. 
He has fought to end the importation of conflict-diamonds from Africa. 
And he was a leader in Congress in asking that the U.S. pay its dues to 
the United Nations.
  Perhaps the issue we most associate with Tony Hall is his heroic and 
tireless work to end hunger. Tony understands that it is by virtue of 
our humanity--not our citizenship in one country or another--that we 
have certain inalienable rights. And Tony knows in his heart that it is 
wrong, in this age of abundance, to let anyone go hungry--whether they 
live across town in Dayton or across the world in North Korea. In 1993, 
when the Select Committee on Hunger, which he chaired, was eliminated, 
Tony fasted for 22 days in protest.
  I was honored to work with Tony Hall on a number of human rights 
issues in Congress, particularly on issues involving the repressive 
regime in China. He brought to these causes a seriousness of purpose 
and a generosity of spirit that were a constant source of inspiration, 
on issues where inspiration is in short supply.
  Since he left the Congress, we have followed his work with pride as 
he has served with distinction as the U.S. Ambassador to the United 
Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture.
  Throughout his career, Tony has never shied away from suffering, but 
he has refused to accept it as inevitable. As Tony says over and over: 
``Hunger has a cure.'' As a member of Congress, and now as an 
Ambassador, Tony Hall has always been part of that cure.
  I urge my colleagues to support this fitting tribute to a good and 
great man who has lifted the lives of so many here and around the 
world.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 548, a bill to 
honor our former colleague Tony Hall by designating the federal 
building located at 200 West 2nd Street in Dayton, Ohio as the ``Tony 
Hall Federal Building and United States Courthouse.'' The House 
introduced and passed two similar bills with strong bipartisan support 
in the 107th and 108th Congresses. Unfortunately, the other body did 
not vote on either bill. We reintroduced this legislation early in this 
session and are considering it today to ensure that Congress has the 
opportunity to complete action on it in the 109th Congress.
  Tony Hall was elected to his first term in Congress in 1978. He went 
on to serve 11 consecutive terms. Congressman Hall spent 21 years on 
the House Rules Committee and was chairman of the House Democratic 
Caucus Task Force on Hunger. Congressman Hall's long career in public 
service is distinguished by his unwavering commitment to humanitarian 
causes, in particular to combating hunger issues not only in this 
country, but also among the world population. His early commitment to 
helping others and serving this Nation began in the Peace Corps, which 
he joined in 1966 after graduating from Denison University in Ohio.
  I witnessed this commitment first hand in 1983 when I traveled with 
Congressman Hall and two other colleagues to Kansas City. At a time of 
high unemployment in our country, the Federal Government was storing 
surplus milk, butter and cheese in Kansas City. Congressman Hall was 
determined to focus national attention on this issue and press for the 
release of this surplus food into general distribution. He even 
personally went on a hunger strike to compel the government to release 
the stored food. As a result of these efforts, the stored food was 
eventually distributed to homeless shelters and the general public.
  Throughout his career, Congressman Hall focused on helping those in 
need. He promoted economic development that created jobs, championed 
efforts to ease food-stamp reductions, and in 1997, spearheaded the 
``Hunger Has A Cure'' campaign.
  In the international arena, Congressman Hall visited numerous 
countries around the world in an effort to focus attention on the 
problems of world hunger and to promote international aid. He took part 
in one of the first Congressional delegation trips to Ethiopia in the 
99th Congress, and he traveled to Bangladesh to observe disaster relief 
programs in the 100th Congress. Congressman Hall also helped create the 
Select Committee on Hunger, which focused on the problem of hunger both 
domestically and internationally. He served as Chairman of that Select 
Committee from 1988 until its elimination in 1993. He was also founder 
and co-chair of the Congressional Hunger Center, a nonprofit 
organization created to bring awareness to world hunger concerns. Tony 
Hall made numerous other trips across the world to serve as an advocate 
for human rights, including a trip to draw attention to the illicit 
diamond trade in Sierra Leone.
  Congressman Hall continues to work to banish world hunger and promote 
developmental assistance. In 2002, President Bush appointed him 
Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. He 
was once aptly described by former colleague Eva Clayton as ``the moral 
conscience of Congress on issues of hunger and poverty.'' This bill to 
designate the ``Tony Hall Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse'' is a 
fitting tribute to the compassion and humanity with which Ambassador 
Hall conducts his public service.
  I urge all of my colleagues to honor Tony Hall and to support H.R. 
548.
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 548, to designate 
the Federal Building and United States courthouse at West 2nd Street in 
Dayton, Ohio, as the ``Tony Hall Federal Building and United States 
Courthouse.''
  Our former colleague Tony Hall, the representative of the 3rd 
District of Ohio for nearly 24 years, continues to serve as the United 
States ambassador to the United Nations food and agriculture agencies 
located in Rome, Italy, since his appointment by President Bush in 
2002. As you may recall, Tony resigned his House seat to take up the 
ambassadorial post in Rome, where he is continuing his passionate work 
as a leading advocate for ending hunger and promoting food security 
around the world.
  I want to thank Congressman David Hobson of Ohio for introducing H.R. 
548 to honor Tony in his hometown of Dayton by attaching his name to 
the Federal building and courthouse there. It is an appropriate 
recognition for the nearly 24 years of service in the House and the 10 
years of service in the Ohio General Assembly that Tony Hall provided 
to the people of Dayton and surrounding areas.
  I miss my dear friend Tony very much as our colleague in the House, 
but I know that he is absolutely the right person to be serving as the 
United States representative to the World Food Programme, the Food and 
Agriculture Organization, and International Fund for Agricultural 
Development, all agencies of the United Nations which assist 
international hunger-relief efforts.
  Tony Hall's name is synonymous with the cause of alleviating hunger 
both domestically and worldwide. He believes that food is the most 
basic of human needs, the most basic of human rights.
  He passionately worked to convince others that the cause of hunger, 
which often gets lost in the legislative shuffle and pushed aside by 
more visible issues, deserved a prominent share of attention and 
resources to assist people who are the most at risk and too often the 
least defended.
  He also worked as a tireless advocate for the cause of human rights 
around the world and focused his attention on the illicit diamond trade 
in Sierra Leone. He convinced me to travel with him to Sierra Leone in 
late 1999 to see how the machete-wielding rebels there intimidated men, 
women and children by hacking off arms, legs, and ears. He led the 
effort in bringing to the attention of Congress the conflict, diamond 
trade and authoring legislation to certify that the diamonds Americans 
buy are not tainted with the blood of the people of Sierra Leone and 
other African nations.
  We also traveled together in January 2002 to Afghanistan with 
Congressman Joe Pitts as the first congressional delegation to that 
country after the launch of the war on terrorism. We visited hospitals, 
an orphanage, schools, and refugee camps. We met with U.S. diplomats 
and soldiers; with local leaders and officials with direct 
responsibility for humanitarian problems and refugees; with 
representatives of United Nations and private relief organizations; and 
in Pakistan with refugees and members of religious minority groups.
  Tony is never deterred in his effort to help make a positive 
difference in the lives of suffering people. In his years in Congress, 
he

[[Page 1723]]

traveled to wherever the need arose and met with whomever he could to 
effect change, taking risks few would take, with his own comfort and 
safety never entering his mind.
  I believe Tony's life destiny is to be a servant. During 1966 and 
1967, he taught English in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer.
  He returned to Dayton to work as a realtor and small businessman for 
several years, but before long, he was elected to the Ohio House of 
Representatives where he served from 1969 to 1972, and then to the Ohio 
Senate, serving from 1973 to 1978. On November 7, 1978, Tony was 
elected to the House of Representatives from the 3rd District of Ohio 
and served with distinction for over two decades.
  Tony Hall is an inspiration to everyone fortunate enough to know him. 
He has a wonderful combination of compassion and passion filled with 
spiritual purpose--compassion to see the suffering in the less 
fortunate in the world and the passion to work to do something about 
it.
  I urge a unanimous vote in support of H.R. 548, to recognize the 
dedicated public service of Tony Hall by naming the Federal building 
and courthouse in Dayton, Ohio, in his honor.
  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4232 
to designate the United States courthouse at 200 West 2nd Street, 
Dayton, Ohio, as the ``Tony Hall Federal Building and United States 
Courthouse.''
  Ambassador Tony Hall served in Congress for 26 years before accepting 
an appointment to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture 
in Rome, Italy, where he oversees the World Food Program, the Food and 
Agriculture Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural 
Development.
  During his time as Member of Congress, in his pursuit to eliminate 
hunger worldwide, Ambassador Hall chaired the House Select Committee on 
Hunger and founded the Congressional Hunger Center. Ambassador Hall has 
been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times for his 
humanitarian efforts and his work to prevent hunger worldwide. Today we 
honor the compassion, faith, and commitment of the man who once raised 
public awareness and attention on hunger issues by fasting for over 
three weeks.
  I came to know of Ambassador Hall's work through my role as Chair of 
the Ethiopian Caucus. He was the first Member of Congress to visit 
Ethiopia during the great famine of 1984. Since then his commitment to 
Ethiopia has remained steadfast and he has succeeded in directing 
international aid and awareness to the dire hunger situation that the 
region faces. Much of the Caucus' work is predicated on the foundation 
that he built and Ethiopians and the Ethiopian Caucus are indebted to 
him for his contributions to the region.
  Ambassador Hall possesses conviction and compassion befitting a 
public servant and we are fortunate that he represents the United 
States abroad.
  Mr. OXLEY. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to join my colleagues from Ohio in 
cosponsoring H.R. 548, which will designate the Tony Hall Federal 
Building and United States Courthouse in his hometown of Dayton. I 
thank the gentleman from Springfield, Mr. Hobson, for introducing this 
legislation to honor our exemplary former colleague.
  Tony Hall continues to be a tireless advocate for human rights around 
the world. His dedication to combating world hunger and helping the 
poor and needy made him the ideal choice to oversee the United Nations 
Agencies for Food and Agriculture, a job for which he was tapped in 
2002. While we miss his leadership and friendship here in the House, we 
know that President Bush could not have picked a greater humanitarian 
or man of faith for this vital role.
  I was honored to serve with Tony for more than two decades, and was 
grateful for the leading role he played and the stellar example he 
provided to all of us. In 2000, when Ohio's official State motto--
``With God All things Are Possible''--was struck down by the courts, I 
was proud to join with Tony in a House resolution supporting our 
State's expression of optimism and faith.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a fitting tribute to a true public 
servant and Nobel Peace Prize nominee who has committed his life's work 
to helping those in need. I urge all my colleagues to support this bill 
to honor our good friend and former colleague whose service to others 
is an example for us all.
  Ms. PRYCE of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise 
today in support of H.R. 548, a bill to designate the Federal building 
and courthouse in Dayton, Ohio, as the ``Tony Hall Federal Building and 
United States Courthouse.''
  Since his graduation from Denison University, Tony Hall has been 
working as a public servant, beginning a career that would affect not 
only the residents of the 3rd district in Ohio, but the world as well. 
He returned from the Peace Corps in 1968, after which he honorably 
served in both the Ohio statehouse and senate before being elected to 
the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978.
  In his 12 terms in the House, Mr. Hall was a devout advocate for the 
eradication of poverty and the improvement of human rights conditions 
around the world. While Mr. Hall was a trusted colleague of the House 
Rules Committee and tireless worker for the people of Ohio, he is best 
known for his unwavering commitment to alleviating the crisis of 
worldwide hunger. In addition to being the founder and chairman of the 
Congressional Hunger Caucus, Mr. Hall was nominated three times for the 
Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work and dedication to hunger 
relief issues. He resigned from Congress in 2002 to accept a much 
deserved appointment as the United States Ambassador to the United 
Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. As the leader of the United 
Nations World Food Program, Ambassador Hall has been at the forefront 
in confronting the extraordinary challenge of providing food and 
supplies to the millions devastated by the tsunami disaster in South 
Asia.
  Tony Hall truly exemplifies what it means to be a public servant. His 
faith and dedication to the welfare of others provides an excellent 
example of how one person can positively affect the lives of so many. I 
am honored to have served with him in Congress and call him a friend.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from Ohio for introducing this 
legislation and I call on my colleagues for their support on this 
resolution.
  Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 548, 
the Tony Hall Federal Building and United States Courthouse Designation 
Act, introduced by my good friend and colleague, Dave Hobson.
  Tony Hall has a long and distinguished history of service to the 
people of Ohio, our nation, and the world. He served in the Ohio 
General Assembly and the Ohio Senate. Tony Hall then served 12 terms in 
the U.S. House of Representatives where he worked tirelessly for the 
interests of the residents of the third district of Ohio, the district 
I now have the honor to represent. Not only did he ably represent his 
constituents, Tony Hall was also concerned about the well-being of 
those who lived beyond the boundaries of his congressional district, 
and his work on hunger and human rights issues throughout the world 
have benefited the lives of many. His work for the less fortunate 
around the world is held in such high regard that he has been nominated 
for the Nobel Peace Prize three times.
  Today, Tony Hall serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations 
Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome. On a personal level, my wife 
and I had the honor to be Tony Hall's guest for dinner last Christmas 
in Rome. His hospitality and graciousness helped make this holiday very 
special, and is a typical example of how he treats people with openness 
and warmth.
  We also share a unique connection: Tony Hall's father was once the 
mayor of Dayton, a position which I also held. As mayor, I was always 
conscious of the extraordinary reputation his father had earned in that 
office. Clearly, a sense of public duty, a commitment to high 
standards, and a passion for improving the lives of others was handed 
down from father to son.
  The legislation we consider today properly honors a man whose 
accomplishments demonstrate how one man can make a positive difference 
in the lives of his countrymen and his fellow man throughout the world. 
I strongly urge the passage of this legislation.
  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend, fellow 
Ohioan, and former colleague, Ambassador Tony Hall, upon overwhelming 
House passage of legislation to designate the building located at 200 
West Second Street in Dayton, Ohio as the ``Tony Hall Federal Building 
and Courthouse.''
  Currently United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for 
Food and Agriculture, Mr. Hall is well known to those of us from Ohio 
and in the House. But for those who are not familiar with his 
distinguished career, permit me to relate just a few of his many 
accomplishments.
  Prior to serving as Ambassador, Mr. Hall represented the people of 
the Third Congressional District of Ohio for nearly 24 years. During 
his service in Congress, he was a founding member and Chairman of the 
House Select Committee on Hunger and Chairman of the Democratic Caucus 
on Hunger. Ambassador Hall also founded and served as a steering 
committee member for the Congressional Friends of Human Rights 
Monitors.
  In Congress, Ambassador Hall wrote significant legislation supporting 
food aid, child survival, basic education, primary health care, 
microenterprise and development assistance

[[Page 1724]]

programs for the world's poorest nations. He has made over one hundred 
trips to poverty stricken and war torn nations in his efforts to 
observe first hand the important work of these programs.
  His tireless advocacy for hunger relief and humanitarian programs 
around the world resulted in his being nominated for the Nobel Peace 
Prize three times. He has also received the UNICEF 1995 Children's 
Legislative Advocate Award; the U.S. AID Presidential End Hunger Award; 
the 1993 Oxfam America Partners Award; and the NCAA Silver Anniversary 
Award.
  A graduate of Denison University, Ambassador Hall was a Peace Corps 
volunteer in Thailand. He and his wife, Janet, have two children.
  The naming of the federal building and courthouse in Dayton is a 
fitting tribute to Ambassador Hall's work for the people of Ohio and 
around the world. I join my colleagues in congratulating him on 
receiving this important honor.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, we have no more speakers at this time. 
Again, Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to support H.R. 548 in 
honor of Tony Hall and for what he has done for this Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bishop of Utah). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) that 
the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 548.
  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. SHUSTER. Mr. 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.

                          ____________________