[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 21832]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  SENATOR WILLIAM V. ROTH, JR. BRIDGE

  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 1140) to designate the State Route 1 Bridge in the 
State of Delaware as the ``Senator William V. Roth, Jr. Bridge''.
  The Clerk read as follows

                                S. 1140

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF SENATOR WILLIAM V. ROTH, JR. 
                   BRIDGE.

       The State Route 1 Bridge over the Chesapeake and Delaware 
     Canal in the State of Delaware is designated as the ``Senator 
     William V. Roth, Jr. Bridge''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law (including regulations), map, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     bridge described in section 1 shall be considered to be a 
     reference to the Senator William V. Roth, Jr. Bridge.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  This bill will designate the State Route 1 bridge in the State of 
Delaware as the Senator William V. Roth, Jr. Bridge.
  Senator Roth began his public service when he was elected to the 
House in 1966. He served two terms in the House before being elected to 
the Senate in 1970, where he served for 30 years. During that time, 
Bill Roth rose to the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on 
Governmental Affairs and the Senate Finance Committee. Senator Roth was 
a well-known fiscal conservative who is probably best known outside his 
home State of Delaware as the creator of the individual retirement 
account that bears his name, the Roth IRA.
  I would note that the Senate passed this bill by unanimous consent 
last year, and our colleague, Representative Mike Castle, has 
introduced an identical bill here in the House. Mr. Speaker, I urge my 
colleagues to support S. 1140. Naming this bridge after Senator Roth is 
a fitting tribute to his many years of public service.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume, and I too rise in support of S. 1140.
  I appreciate the clear analysis from my friend from Wisconsin. I 
would have just one other element to add, and that is that I think it 
is particularly fitting and appropriate for our committee to advance 
this and to commemorate Senator Roth. He was keenly interested in 
environmental protection in the course of his career and was one of the 
most aggressive and active supporters of Amtrak, at a time when, as my 
colleague and friend mentioned, Senator Roth was a fiscal conservative 
to the bone.

                              {time}  1445

  But he was very clear that investment in a national rail passenger 
service, Amtrak, was good sound fiscal investment. It was good for the 
environment. It was good for transportation. I am only sorry that it is 
not a railroad bridge that we are naming after Senator Roth, but I am 
proud to support this legislation.
  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 1140, 
legislation to name the State Route 1 Bridge over the Chesapeake and 
Delaware Canal in Delaware after the late Senator William V. Roth, Jr.
  S. 1140 passed the Senate unanimously in June 2005, and as the 
sponsor of the House companion, H.R. 2800, I am pleased to join 
Senators Carper and Biden in offering my full support for S. 1140 and 
to encourage its adoption by the House today.
  A leader and dedicated public servant, Senator Roth served honorably 
during his years in Congress and set a tremendous example for future 
generations of Americans. Best known for creating the successful ``Roth 
IRA,'' Senator Roth also fought hard in Congress to improve the quality 
of transportation in the State of Delaware. In the early 1990s, Senator 
Roth played an important role in helping to build the State Route 1 
Bridge in New Castle County, Delaware.
  Senator Roth was first elected to the House in 1966, serving two 
terms, before being elected to the Senate, where he served for 30 
years. He also won the Bronze Star for his service in the U.S. Army 
during World War II. He died in 2003 at the age of 82.
  Nothing in my mind would serve as a better tribute to Senator Roth's 
many years of dedicated public service than to rename this bridge, a 
true architectural gem in Delaware, in his honor.
  I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 1140.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PETRI. I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 1140.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds of those voting having 
responded in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the Senate 
bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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