[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 27067]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       WELCOMING THE HONORABLE WILLIAM L. OWENS TO THE HOUSE OF 
                            REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentleman from New York is 
recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker and my colleagues, on behalf of the 
delegation of the great State of New York, I have the honor to present 
to you this outstanding member of New York, this outstanding member of 
our great country.
  Bill Owens was born in Brooklyn, raised in Long Island, and conducted 
his business life and service to this great country in upstate New 
York. As a retired United States Air Force captain, he has a beautiful 
wife, who is with him today. He has three children and two superstar 
grandchildren, and it's my understanding that another addition will be 
added to this group.
  Bill is a hardworking lawyer and a businessman from upstate New York. 
He is a job creator. At the former Air Force base in Plattsburgh, he 
was able to bring some creative activity, bring together businesses, 
and as a result of that, was able to bring 2,000 jobs to the great 
State of New York, most of them from Canada.
  He comes here today as a supporter of education, as a supporter, 
naturally, of jobs, as a supporter of making this country all that she 
can be, and certainly as someone who would like to see all American 
citizens have access to health care, as most of you, I know, do.
  So, Bill, we will be working with you and working for you. 
Congratulations. Our heartbeat is heavy for your victory, which we know 
is the Congress' victory and our Nation's victory.
  Mr. KING of New York. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. RANGEL. I yield to my friend, the minority leader of the State of 
New York, and welcome him joining in with us, Congressman Peter King.
  Mr. KING of New York. I thank Chairman Rangel for yielding.
  Speaking on behalf of myself and on behalf of the entire New York 
Republican delegation of myself and Congressman Lee--a very powerful 
two-man delegation against 27--seriously, Congressman Owens, it is a 
privilege to welcome you to the House of Representatives.
  Thank you for your years of service to your country. We look forward 
to working with you. You will find, whether it's 27-2 or 18-13--or 
whatever it was a few years ago--we in the New York delegation do work 
across the aisle and work with each other, and I wish you the very 
best.
  Mr. RANGEL. My colleagues, Congressman Bill Owens.
  Mr. OWENS. Thank you. Like all of my speeches, it will be brief.
  Madam Speaker, I am honored to be here with you all today and to join 
in continuing our effort to build a better, stronger America.
  This is a proud day for me and my family, but it is also a sad day 
for our country. The shooting at Fort Hood last night that claimed the 
lives of 13 fine Americans is a stunning reminder of how quickly the 
peace we enjoy here at home can turn to violence and how much we rely 
on our brave men and women to keep us free from harm. My thoughts and 
prayers are with the families of the victims and with our soldiers to 
whom we owe our safety and our freedom.
  I would like to thank my family for being with me and for standing 
behind me every step of the way.
  To my wife, Jane; my three children, Tara, Jenna, and Brendan, and 
their spouses; and my three grandchildren, Caroline, Tommy, and Tess, I 
know that I would never have made it without you, and I am grateful for 
your support and for all the laughs we had along the way.
  I most especially want to thank the people of New York's 23rd 
Congressional District, whose work I begin today. Conscious of the 
challenges that face us, I am eager to join my colleagues in finding 
bipartisan solutions to health care, energy, our farm crisis, and 
getting our economy back up and running.
  My family and I came to Plattsburgh when I was transferred to 
Plattsburgh Air Force Base. When I left the Air Force, we decided to 
stay and make it our home, which we've done, but I remain committed to 
serving my country and my community. That's why I have tried throughout 
my life in upstate New York to do the right thing by my community, and 
it is the reason that I ran for Congress.

                              {time}  1315

  I am proud to begin a new chapter of service to my country and remain 
hopeful that if we can continue seeking bipartisan solutions to the 
problems that face us, we can build a brighter future for our children 
and grandchildren. I pledge to work hard every day, and I am honored to 
serve each of my constituents and to move the country and my district 
forward.

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