[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17619]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  TOM KONGSGAARD POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6237) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 1351 2nd Street in Napa, California, as the ``Tom 
Kongsgaard Post Office Building,'' as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6237

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

     SECTION 1. TOM KONGSGAARD POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 1351 2nd Street in Napa, California, shall 
     be known and designated as the ``Tom Kongsgaard Post Office 
     Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Tom Kongsgaard Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Bilbray) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.


                             General Leave

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. NORTON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  On behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am 
pleased to present H.R. 6237 for consideration. This legislation will 
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 
1351 2nd Street in Napa, California, as the Tom Kongsgaard Post Office 
Building. Introduced by our colleague Representative Mike Thompson of 
California on September 28, 2010, H.R. 6237 enjoys the support of the 
entire California House delegation.
  Born on June 3, 1921, in Everett, Washington, a son of Norweigian 
immigrants, Judge Thomas Kongsgaard began his longstanding commitment 
to public service by enlisting in the U.S. Navy during World War II. 
Fighting in the war, Judge Kongsgaard was severely injured, leaving him 
with a replacement leg. He served in the Pacific theater and at the end 
of the war was stationed at Mare Island Naval Shipyard.
  Judge Kongsgaard began his judicial career as a Napa Superior Court 
judge, 9 years after receiving his law degree from Stanford University. 
He served from 1958 to 1984, missing just 1 day of work in his 26 
years. Reflecting on his immigrant roots, he was always especially 
proud to preside at naturalization ceremonies.
  Being an avid student of political history and American culture, 
Judge Kongsgaard organized the Halls of History project inside the 
courthouse that recounts Napa County's history in words and 
photographs.
  That courthouse was dubbed ``Kongsgaard Square'' by the Board of 
Supervisors in 1984. A bronze plaque cemented to a basalt boulder that 
sits in a rose garden on the south side of the courthouse takes note of 
the jurist's distinguished career. It reads: ``The Board of Supervisors 
names this block Kongsgaard Square as a token of esteem for his noble 
services to the citizens of Napa County.''
  After retiring, Judge Kongsgaard continued his judicial career as a 
visiting judge. In 1991, he was appointed by the California Supreme 
Court to be one of three special masters who recommended a 
reapportionment plan for the legislature and California Representatives 
to Congress after the 1990 census.
  Although retired, he worked with Judicial Arbitration Mediation 
Services until the day before he was hospitalized with complications 
from treatment of leukemia. Regrettably, Judge Kongsgaard died on June 
25, 2001, at the age of 80. He is survived by his daughters, Mary and 
Martha; son, John; and seven grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, let us honor Judge Thomas Kongsgaard for serving both 
his country and his community through the passage of this bill to 
designate the 2nd Street post office in Napa in his honor. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 6237.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6237, which is 
appropriate, seeing I am one of the 52 original cosponsors to the item, 
and I strongly urge support for the resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting H.R. 6237, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
H.R. 6237, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 1351 2nd Street in Napa, California, as the ``Tom 
Kongsgaard Post Office Building''.
  Tom Kongsgaard was a Napa County Superior Court Judge from 1958 to 
1984. As a judge, he missed only one day of work throughout his entire 
career. He served two terms on the California Judicial Council, was a 
member and chairman of the Judicial Performance Commission, and was a 
member of the Board of Directors of the California Judges' Association.
  Tom attended Georgetown University before enlisting in the Navy 
during World War II. He was a Naval officer in the Pacific Theater, and 
was stationed at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo by the end of 
the conflict. He returned to school and studied at U.C. Berkeley, then 
received a law degree from Stanford. Tom had a passion for public 
service and justice.
  He is survived by his two daughters, Mary Williams and Martha 
Goldman; his son, John; seven grandchildren and one great-
granddaughter.
  A retired Napa district judge said of Tom, ``He was a prince of a man 
and a towering leader in this community, both on the bench and off. He 
was a role model for all.''
  I am honored to bring this bill to the floor and hope that Tom 
Kongsgaard's legacy will live on, encouraging others to serve their 
community to the best of their ability.
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentlelady from the District supporting 
the bill.
  Let me just point out as an interesting procedural note, for Mr. 
Thompson to bring this before us he had to get 52 cosponsors. The House 
rules require that everyone in the State sign on. So where Delaware may 
only need one or Nevada may need only three Members, those of us in 
California have a very high threshold we have to fulfill to be able to 
take this, and Mr. Thompson took this action.
  It is something that we should all consider in the future: Should 
this judge be required to have 52 Members of the House cosponsor a bill 
when someone from another State may need only two or three or four or 
five? So it is an interesting part of our process here. Some people may 
say that it is unfair, but it happens to be the House rules, and the 
Congressmen have to live within those rules.
  I strongly support the passage of this bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6237, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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