[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17688-17689]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING FORMER CONGRESSMAN MEL HANCOCK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Long) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, there once was a man named Mel, and when he 
stepped to this microphone, he'd give 'em Mel.
  I rise today to recognize a former Member of this body and a friend 
and mentor, Congressman Mel Hancock. He would sign all of his letters 
or emails, whatever he'd sign, with the same thing: ``Yours for better 
but less government.'' That's what Mel believed.
  When Senator Jim Talent first came to this body, he asked Mel to help 
him vote. He said: Mel, can you show me how to use the voting machine 
here?
  Mel said: Sure, Jim, come over here. You see, if you want to vote 
``no,'' you push the red button. And if you have a

[[Page 17689]]

conflict, you can't vote on an issue, you push the yellow button for 
``P'' for ``present.'' And he turned and walked off.
  Senator Talent said: Hey, Mel, what's the green button?
  Mel turned around and said: I don't know, never used it.
  Mel died peacefully in his home in his sleep on November 6 in 
Springfield, Missouri. Mel was a champion of limited government. Mel 
knew that our Founding Fathers understood the corrupting influence of 
power on the human character, which is why they championed personal 
freedom, the idea that a government by the people and for the people 
should preserve liberty for future generations. Like our Founders, Mel 
was a wise man, a good man, who worked tirelessly to defend people's 
liberty. Mel was a true Ozarkian.
  He was born in Cape Fair, Missouri, in 1936. He graduated from 
college and enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 where he would serve in 
active duty until 1953. Following active duty, Mel stayed in the Air 
Force Reserves until 1965 where he attained the rank of first 
lieutenant.
  After military service, Mel went into business, co-founding a 
security system equipment leasing company. However, Mel's dedication to 
his country did not end with his military service. As a businessman and 
a voter, Mel was upset with the way things were being done in the State 
of Missouri and Washington, DC. In 1977, Mel founded the Taxpayer 
Survival Association--I can still see the bumper sticker today with a 
lifesaver on it, like you'd throw off of a boat or a ship--a not-for-
profit organization dedicated to advancing a constitutional amendment 
to limit taxes. He was a one-man show. He would go around Missouri 
getting signatures. You might see him up in Kansas City standing in a 
parking lot in front of a mall in a rainstorm getting people to sign 
his tax-and-spending amendment petition to put on the ballot.
  Through his hard work, the ``Hancock amendment'' was added to the 
Missouri Constitution in 1980. Mel used its passage to continue his 
advocacy for responsible government and for the rights of individuals 
to be free from overburdensome government.
  Mel's convictions took him to Congress in 1988 where he represented 
southwest Missouri for 8 years. I always called Mel the reluctant 
Congressman. He didn't want to be a Congressman; he didn't want to come 
to Washington, DC, but he was just pulled in that direction by people 
who said: Mel, you've got to go. You've got to do it.

                              {time}  1010

  I am honored to now occupy that same Congressional seat, Missouri 7.
  During his time in Congress, from 1988 to 1996, Mel worked at the 
House Ways and Means Committee to advance the cause of liberty. He also 
championed a balanced budget amendment, his signature issue, and I'm 
proud to say we're going to vote on a balanced budget amendment this 
week.
  Mel retired from Congress in 1996. He didn't retire because he 
couldn't win another election, but because he had promised the people 
of southwest Missouri that he would not serve more than four terms in 
office. With Mel, a promise made was a promise kept, something that 
Washington would do well to learn today. And I am honored to now occupy 
that same congressional seat, Missouri 7.
  Now, over 30 years since the passage of the Hancock amendment, our 
current budget problems reveal just how right Mel was. We would not 
have a $15 trillion debt or massive runaway government spending if we 
had a Hancock amendment on a national level.
  Mel was much beloved by his many neighbors, friends, and family in 
Missouri's Seventh District and was one of my mentors. Our thoughts and 
prayers are with his wife, Sug, whom Mel always referred to as the 
Boss, his sons, Lee and Kim, and his daughter, Lu Ann, and their 
families.
  Mel will be missed, but the legacy that he has created and the ideas 
that he championed will continue. His legacy will forever be a part of 
Missouri through the Hancock amendment and his service to his 
constituents. Mel meant the world to me, and I will continue to 
champion the ideas that he dedicated his life fighting for.

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