[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8756]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 WELCOMING THE HONORABLE MARK S. CRITZ TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kanjorski) is 
recognized for 1 minute.
  Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, it is my honor to introduce to you and 
to our colleagues today our newest member of the Pennsylvania 
delegation, Mark Critz. Congressman Critz is a dedicated public servant 
to the people of western Pennsylvania. For more than a decade, Mark has 
served in many roles for the late Jack Murtha, including as his 
district director. As I am sure many of you know, a Member's district 
director knows the ins and outs of a Member's congressional district, 
and Mark was an integral part of the communities for which he served 
and a strong advocate for them. He deeply understands the needs of 
western Pennsylvanians and comprehends what needs to be done to help 
them. Mark is a proven problem solver, and residents of western 
Pennsylvania can clearly see the results of his and Jack's efforts 
throughout their district. These experiences have prepared him well for 
his job as a Member of Congress.
  This is a bittersweet moment for me. Jack passed away too soon. I 
recently said that Jack was always there when Pennsylvania needed him, 
and that he was emblematic of the hardworking Pennsylvanians that he 
represented for so many years. During many of his years in Congress 
working right next to him and helping Jack get the job done was Mark. I 
could think of no better person to take over his seat and continue 
Jack's efforts than Mark. It is a true honor to introduce him as the 
newest Congressman from Pennsylvania.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to a Member of Congress from Pennsylvania, Joe 
Pitts.

                              {time}  1400

  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, the Pennsylvania Republican delegation is 
also proud to welcome Representative Critz to the House. Mark, I am 
sure that you will try to emulate your old boss' record of service to 
the people of the 12th Congressional District. He is missed by the 
delegation, but we're glad to have a good friend of his representing 
Pennsylvania in this House. I'm certain that your prior service to the 
12th District will be invaluable as you serve here in Washington. On 
behalf of the Republican delegation, please do not hesitate to contact 
any of us if we can be of help as you begin your service to the people 
of Pennsylvania.
  Again, welcome to the House of Representatives.
  The SPEAKER. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. CRITZ. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
  I also would like to thank my wife, Nancy, my two beautiful children, 
Sadie and Joe, my entire family and Mrs. Murtha for their support. I 
also want to thank the people of Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional 
District, who I am honored to represent. Today I begin your work.
  This moment is bittersweet for me because I wouldn't be here right 
now if Jack Murtha hadn't left us too soon. I have thought about the 
many lessons Congressman Murtha taught me. He always said to me, ``It's 
always about the work.'' It is. And I'm going to work tirelessly every 
day in Congress for the families of western Pennsylvania. The people of 
western Pennsylvania, just like so many across the country, are 
struggling right now. The challenges we are facing are unprecedented. 
My priority is to put western Pennsylvanians and families across the 
country back to work, and I am going to fight every day, moving forward 
to do my part to help create good-paying American jobs. I know all of 
us share this commitment to getting our country back to work, and I'm 
optimistic that we can all come together to make this a reality on 
behalf of all of our constituents.
  Jack Murtha spent his life working to bring jobs and opportunity to 
our communities. That was his fight for 36 years, and our communities 
are far better because of it. While nobody can fill his shoes, I now 
have the extraordinary honor of continuing his fight for jobs and 
following in his footsteps to Congress. I am honored to be here, and I 
pledge to my constituents that no one will work harder for them than I 
will. Thank you very much.

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