[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 24]
[House]
[Page 32525]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             RESIGNATION FROM THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following 
resignation from the House of Representatives:


                                Congress of the United States,

                                                December 16, 2009.
     Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
     Speaker of the House of Representatives, H-232, U.S. Capitol, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Speaker Pelosi: This letter is to formally notify you 
     that on October 26, 2009 I sent a letter to Governor Charlie 
     Crist of Florida stating that I will be resigning as the 
     United States Representative from the 19th Congressional 
     District of Florida at the end of the day on January 3, 2010.
       I have been honored to serve in the United States House of 
     Representatives for the past 13 years, and I will be 
     eternally grateful to the residents of Florida's 19th 
     Congressional District for giving me the opportunity to be 
     their representative in Washington. When I leave Congress 
     this January, I will serve as the president of the Center for 
     Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, where I will take 
     on the critical challenges facing the Middle East. In the 
     coming years, Israeli, Palestinian, and Arab leaders will be 
     faced with monumental decisions that will dramatically affect 
     the region and the entire world for decades. I am confident 
     that now is the best time for me to dedicate myself fully to 
     these significant issues.
       While I am deeply saddened to leave this august body, I am 
     looking forward to continuing much of my work in Congress in 
     a different capacity in my new role with the Center for 
     Middle East Peace. I especially want to thank you personally, 
     Speaker Pelosi, for your extraordinary leadership during 
     these difficult times for our nation as well as the kindness 
     and courtesy you have always extended to me. I have 
     particularly admired the dignified manner and deep sense of 
     conviction that you display as Speaker of the House. The 
     opportunity to work with you and all our colleagues in the 
     House has been a great privilege indeed, and I hope to 
     continue these friendships for many years to come.
           With warm regards,
     Robert Wexler.

                          ____________________