[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 10296-10297]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            PRESIDENT RONALD W. REAGAN POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 5278) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 405 West Second Street in Dixon, Illinois, as the 
``President Ronald W. Reagan Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5278

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

     SECTION 1. PRESIDENT RONALD W. REAGAN POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 405 West Second Street in Dixon, Illinois, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``President Ronald W. 
     Reagan 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 ``President Ronald W. Reagan Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Chu) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I now yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, it is my great privilege as a member of the 
California delegation to rise in support of H.R. 5278. This measure 
designates the United States postal building located at 405 West Second 
Street in Dixon, Illinois, as the ``President Ronald W. Reagan Post 
Office Building.''
  President Reagan hardly needs an introduction on this floor. Many of 
those who knew President Reagan referred to him as ``the Great 
Communicator.'' Thus, it is very fitting that we commemorate his legacy 
through the naming of this post office.
  The son of a shoe salesman, Ronald Reagan was born in Illinois in 
1911. He was a construction worker, a lifeguard, radio announcer, and 
actor. After serving in the Air Force, he returned to acting before 
successfully running for California Governor, despite never having held 
public office before.
  President Reagan successfully obtained legislation to stimulate 
economic growth, curb inflation, and increase employment. His 
contributions on behalf of freedom around the world are unparalleled 
since the end of World War II. There is no more Cold War. There is no 
more Berlin Wall, and it was because of the leadership of President 
Ronald Reagan. He was instrumental in bringing the breath of freedom to 
millions of people around the world who had spent decades under the 
yoke of tyranny. President Reagan left a lasting imprint on American 
politics, diplomacy, culture, and economics.
  As a California resident, I am honored to support H.R. 5278. It was 
introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from Illinois, 
Representative Bill Foster, on May 12, 2010. The measure was referred 
to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which ordered it 
reported by unanimous consent on May 6, 2010. The measure has the 
support of the entire Illinois delegation.
  I thank the gentleman from Illinois for introducing this measure, and 
I would also like to thank Chairman Towns and Ranking Member Issa for 
their support for the bill.
  I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 5278, to designate the facility of 
the United States Postal Service located at 405 West Second Street in 
Dixon, Illinois, as the ``President Ronald W. Reagan Post Office 
Building.''
  Ronald Reagan was born in Illinois in 1911. He attended high school 
in Dixon, Illinois, after which he worked his way through Eureka 
College. While at Eureka College, Mr. Reagan began acting in school 
plays, along with his studies of economics and sociology.
  After graduating college, he had a life led with achievements. He was 
a sports radio announcer, a noted actor appearing in 53 films, two-time 
president of the Screen Actors Guild, and host of a long-running 
television series.
  As a self-described citizen politician in 1966, he was elected as the 
33rd Governor of California by over a million votes. He was then 
reelected Governor in 1970. His many successes while Governor in 
California made him into a national political figure as he became a 
standard bearer within the Republican Party.
  After a failed attempt to receive the Republican nomination in 1976, 
he was selected by his party and was elected by the American people to 
President in 1980. Shortly after taking office as President of the 
United States in 1981, he was shot and wounded by a would-be assassin 
but soon recovered and returned to work showing his trademark of grace 
under fire.
  During Ronald Reagan's Presidential terms from 1981 to 1988, he dealt 
successfully with a number of momentous economic, political, and 
foreign affairs challenges. Even as he was faced with

[[Page 10297]]

matters involving the global interests of the United States in various 
areas of the world, he did not neglect serious problems in the Western 
Hemisphere. His style of seeking peace through strength while in office 
proved to be a tactic that was highly successful and very popular with 
the American people.
  Ronald Reagan remains one of our most popular and beloved Presidents. 
His two terms as President were marked with many achievements, none 
greater than being a catalyst for the end of the Cold War. One of 
Ronald Reagan's most memorable sayings, ``Trust, but verify,'' remains 
appropriate for us today.
  His life was a truly unique American story as he rose from humble 
beginnings, persevered through hardships, and enjoyed the bounty of 
dedication and hard work, which was indeed a movie script story that 
became reality.
  Madam Speaker, Ronald Reagan embodied the American spirit, the 
American Dream. And as he said in his farewell address to the Nation in 
January of 1989, he spoke of the determination to rediscover our values 
and our common sense. Ronald Reagan trusted and believed in ``We, the 
people,'' and I believe he was one of America's greatest Presidents.
  And today his statue, which was placed in the Capitol dome, includes 
pieces of the Berlin Wall which he called to be torn down, ending the 
grip of communism in Europe.
  I ask all Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of 
my time.

                              {time}  1200

  Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the author of this 
resolution, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster).
  Mr. FOSTER. Madam Speaker, 6 years ago today, President Ronald Reagan 
lay in State in the Capitol Rotunda, a high and fitting honor for this 
consequential President and native son of my congressional district. 
Today, I bring to the floor a far more modest tribute, a bill that 
would designate the post office in his boyhood hometown of Dixon, 
Illinois, the President Ronald W. Reagan Post Office Building.
  Born in Tampico, Illinois, in 1911 and raised in Dixon, President 
Reagan spent his life upholding the strong values of small-town 
America, but it is easy to overlook the humble Midwestern origins of a 
man whose career took him from Hollywood to the White House. In his 
autobiography, President Reagan said of Dixon, ``It was a small 
universe where I learned the standards and values that would guide me 
the rest of my life.''
  While living in Dixon, President Reagan attended grade school and 
high school. Decades before standing at the Brandenburg Gate, he stood 
guard at the beach in Lowell Park where, according to local lore, he 
saved the lives of 77 swimmers on the Rock River.
  For the centennial of President Reagan's birth next year, the 
communities of Tampico and Dixon are planning numerous commemorative 
activities to honor this local hero and American icon. There will be a 
gala event in Tampico in February, followed later that month by the 
premiere of the ``Reagan Suite,'' an arrangement commissioned by the 
Dixon Municipal Band and Reagan Centennial Commission. Later in the 
year, Dixon will host an Alzheimer's Walk and education workshop in 
honor of the late President.
  With the help of my colleagues in the House, we can contribute in a 
small way to the outstanding efforts of many committed local officials 
who will make Dixon and Tampico true focal points of the Reagan 
centennial in 2011.
  This is a truly bipartisan bill, with 41 Democratic and Republican 
cosponsors representing congressional districts from across the 
country. I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. TURNER. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. McCollum). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5278.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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