[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21149]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       THE LOSS OF JEANNE MALCHON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 8, 2009

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the death 
of former Florida State Senator Jeanne Malchon. The state of Florida 
suffered a great loss on August 23, 2009, when she passed away.
  In 1982, she successfully ran for the Florida Senate. My mother, 
Betty Castor, was serving also in the Senate at that time and remarked 
on the dedication and fervor she had for bettering the lives of 
Floridians. Senator Malchon pledged to strengthen social services for 
the elderly and poor and promoted concern for environmental causes. She 
sponsored the 1985 Florida Clean Indoor Air Act, which prevented 
smoking in shared public areas. Senator Malchon also successfully 
raised the penalties for driving under the influence, increased funding 
for teen runaway shelters, and raised standards which required 
employers to report toxic chemicals that were used in the work place.
  Senator Malchon's was known amongst her peers in the Florida Senate 
as a smart and candid legislator who got things done. She was said to 
be so effective because she didn't play political games or allow 
partisan politics to get in her way. She has been called ``a steady 
hand in a perilous time.'' Those that knew her can agree that she was 
an extremely knowledgeable and determined woman.
  Jeanne Malchon was a very dedicated individual who helped others even 
before she became involved with politics. Born in Newark, New Jersey, 
she was trained to make mechanical drawings as a draftsman. When her 
country called during World War II, Senator Malchon became a civilian 
employee for the Army even though it required her to leave home for 
Hawaii. In 1952, Senator Malchon and her family moved to St. Petersburg 
where her political interest and involvement started when she became a 
lobbyist for the League of Women Voters. She was appointed to a seat on 
the Pinellas County Commission in 1975.
  Madam Speaker, Senator Jeanne Malchon will be greatly missed by the 
state of Florida. My thoughts are with her family in this time of loss.

                          ____________________