[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15788-15791]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         THANK YOU, NOT GOODBYE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Poe of Texas). Under the Speaker's 
announced policy of January 5, 2011, the gentlewoman from Illinois 
(Mrs. Biggert) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the 
majority leader.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  I begin this Special Order for those Members on this side of the 
aisle who are retiring or who are leaving at the end of 2012, so I rise 
today not to say goodbye, but to say thank you.
  After 14 wonderful and productive years, I will be stepping away from 
this podium for the last time at the end of the 112th Congress. 
Representing the people of the 13th District of Illinois has been the 
great honor of my lifetime. Words cannot express the depth of gratitude 
I feel to my friends, colleagues, supporters, and staff who have made 
this time in Washington so cheerful and fulfilling. I can recall the 
first time that I stepped out onto the House floor as a Member of this 
great body and said to myself, How did I end up in the U.S. Congress, 
surrounded by the legacies of so many great leaders?
  Growing up on the south side of Chicago, I never expected to become a 
lawyer or a school board president, much less a Member of Congress. At 
the time, few women went to college, let alone law school. Today, I 
know the path here was often the same for all who have walked these 
Halls. We are just Americans who love our communities and our country 
and who found ourselves pursuing that love through service to others. 
Even among those who rarely see eye to eye, I know that we share a 
passion for creating a better future for the next generation and that 
there has always been enough to bridge any gap that divides us. Maybe 
that's why I've always been known as a moderate. I like to assume the 
best about people with whom I disagree, at least until they prove me 
wrong. Thankfully, I can say without question that I've rarely been 
wrong, which is why my faith in this country and its future has never 
been stronger.
  But listening is the key. Lawmakers must listen to those around them 
as one American to another, as neighbors with shared values and without 
assuming that any difference of opinion is evidence of greed, 
ignorance, or malice. I was fortunate. I learned that lesson early. 
Maybe it was because I was the only female Republican in my freshman 
class here. All of my colleagues, chairmen and ranking members seemed 
eager to come and say hello, to welcome me with a smile and sage 
advice. Their advice served me well, and, in turn, it allowed me to 
serve my constituents better. My hope is that our incoming class of 
lawmakers follows a similar path and that they come to Washington ready 
to learn from those around them and to benefit from the diversity of 
backgrounds and experiences that can be found here in the Capitol.
  Because we face great challenges--the economy, immigration, the debt, 
Social Security, and Medicare--on these items and more we must find the 
answers soon if we hope to keep our country on a path to prosperity. 
Those solutions will only materialize if the Members of Congress take a 
chance, work together, and care more about results than sound bites or 
the next election. Equally important, they must be willing to take a 
walk a few hundred feet to the other side of the rotunda.
  The House and the Senate are two sides of the same coin, and yet they 
have never seemed further apart. My proudest moments as a Member of 
Congress have all been as the result of collaboration. My work to keep 
homeless kids in school, to bar genetic discrimination, or to reform 
the Nation's Flood Insurance Program were all signed into law after 
extensive personal conversations with Members of the upper Chamber. We 
have great leaders here in the House, but they alone cannot maintain 
communications between the two greatest deliberative bodies in the 
world. It's up to all of us, and it will be to all of you.
  So, Mr. Speaker, my advice is to work together across the aisle and 
across the Capitol. I urge my colleagues to stay close to their voters 
and true to their principles, but to never let ``compromise'' become a 
dirty word. That's what our constituents want; that's what America 
needs; and that's what has made these last 14 years the source of great 
joy in my life, none of which, I should add, would have been possible 
without my wonderful staff.
  Before I close, I must give thanks to these individuals who have been 
with

[[Page 15789]]

me for months or years and who have never let up in their service to 
the residents of the 13th Congressional District of Illinois. From 
casework, to flag requests, to building roads or to passing laws, my 
staff has taken every challenge in stride, has brought out the best in 
me, and has done it all without ever seeking recognition, praise, or a 
raise.
  I also want to thank the great committee staff with Financial 
Services, with Education and the Workforce, and with Science, Space, 
and Technology, as well as the team at Ethics, with whom I worked for 
several years. Also, thank you to the unappreciated staff here on the 
House floor, who always keeps the debate moving forward.
  Most of all, I would like to thank Kathy Lyndon, the best chief of 
staff and friend that a Member of Congress ever asked for. Without her, 
I would not be here; and without her, I would not have been able to 
assemble one of the smartest and most capable staffs in Washington.

                              {time}  1400

  So, thank you. Thank you to my colleagues, my staff, my friends, my 
family, my supporters, and even my critics who have helped me to grow, 
to learn, and to serve the people of Illinois. I have always viewed 
public service as a privilege, not a career, and you have all made this 
the fondest privilege of my life.
  Mr. HOYER. Will the gentlelady yield?
  Mrs. BIGGERT. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
  I was in the cloakroom having some lunch, and I heard the 
gentlelady's comments. Most of us--a lot of us--went around this 
country listening to people as well as speaking on behalf of our 
respective candidacies and parties. What I heard around America was 
that they want people who will sit down together and try to solve the 
problems that confront America's families and America's workers.
  I want to say to the gentlelady from Illinois, my experience with 
her, throughout her career, has been that she is one of those types of 
people. And I want to thank her. I want to thank her for her decency. I 
want to thank her for her hard work. I want to thank her for her 
commitment to country first. It's been a privilege to serve with you, 
Judy, and I look forward to being your friend for many years to come. I 
wish you great success in the future.
  I wanted to say that because too often the public sees us confronting 
one another and sometimes being angry with one another, but you and I 
have had the opportunity to work together and I know the good heart 
that you have and the openness that you have displayed, and I thank you 
for that.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. And I thank you, the minority whip, so much for those 
comments. That really is very kind of you, and I appreciate it.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentlelady.
  Mr. PERLMUTTER. Would the gentlelady yield for one more comment?
  Mrs. BIGGERT. I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. 
Perlmutter).
  Mr. PERLMUTTER. I just wanted to echo Mr. Hoyer's comments. You and I 
have served together on the Financial Services Committee. We have 
worked together on legislation that I was proposing and that you were 
proposing, and working with you was always a pleasure and an honor. I 
always appreciated the knowledge you would bring to all of these 
different discussions; and the fact that you were willing to work with 
me in such a fashion, that helped bring me along as a Member of 
Congress. I think you definitely brought legislation to the country 
that was of value, and I just want to thank the gentlelady from 
Illinois.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. I thank the gentleman. I will always think of you as 
the green man from Colorado.
  Now I would like to yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. 
Todd Platts, who is also retiring.
  Mr. PLATTS. I thank the gentlelady.
  Before commenting on my own retirement, I want to echo the gentlemen 
from Colorado and Maryland, Mr. Perlmutter and Mr. Hoyer, and their 
right-on-point remarks, Judy, about you and your service.
  We have sat together for the last 12 years on the Ed Committee 
working on education issues and children's issues. You've been such a 
great leader on the issue of homeless children and the importance of us 
doing right by them in the education arena even though they were 
homeless--and maybe all the more important that we do right by them.
  When we hear the terms ``statesman'' or ``public servant,'' you 
epitomize both. Judy, it has been a great privilege to work with you.
  As I think back to arriving 12 years ago, one, it is hard to believe 
it has been 12 years since first coming here. My decision about a year 
ago, January of this year, to step down was not an easy one, but it's 
one that I felt was the right decision for me. I've always been one who 
believed in 12-year term limits and thought I've got to live what I 
preach as a servant, as a public official, but maybe most importantly 
as a dad, that I needed to set a good example to my sons, Tom and TJ, 
that they saw me living up to my word and that my actions backed up my 
words. So while it wasn't an easy decision to decide to leave this 
great Chamber, I believe it was the right one.
  But it has been such a privilege to represent the people of 
Pennsylvania's 19th Congressional District--Adams, Cumberland, and York 
counties; Gettysburg, Carlisle, and York, the county seats in the three 
counties in my district--and the fact that 12 years ago the citizens of 
this district said, Todd, we trust you to represent our interests in 
Washington. And to allow me to return for five more terms after that 
first one has been pretty remarkable.
  And it speaks volumes to me about what truly a land of opportunity we 
are. As a kid growing up, that I would be given this opportunity, it 
only happens in America. I'm one who's known that I wanted to do this 
since I was 14. I've often been asked, What made you want to serve in 
Congress at such an early age?
  I point first to my mom and dad, Babs and Dutch Platts, just average 
citizens, middle class family. Dad was a mechanical engineer; Mom was a 
stay-at-home mom, park director, a lot of odd jobs that were part time 
to make sure that she could be hands on with all five of us kids. They 
were not active politically other than always voting and taking us with 
them to vote when they would go, but they were so active in the 
community. They were community servants, teaching Sunday school, 
coaching Little League baseball. In fact, I had the privilege to coach 
my sons for about 10 years on the same fields that my dad coached three 
of us Platts sons way back when; Mom running the school candy sales. 
They gave all five of us children--I'm the fourth of the five--a 
wonderful example to follow, that if you want to live in a great Nation 
and a great community, you need to do your part. You need to be engaged 
and be involved. So they gave me the example of service, and then it 
was my eighth grade social studies teacher by the name of Earl Lucius, 
who passed away just shy of 2 years ago, who encouraged taking that 
community service example of my parents and to make it a public service 
career.
  So as I left eighth grade and Mr. Lucius' class and got ready to 
enter high school, I joined the Teenage Republicans as a ninth grader 
and volunteered on my first campaign. It was Jerry Ford running for 
reelection for President, John Heinz for the United States Senate, and 
Bill Goodling for his first reelection to represent the 19th 
Congressional District of Pennsylvania. Pretty eerie, 24 years later, 
after volunteering for Mr. Goodling as a ninth grader, that's who I 
succeeded. When he retired after 26 years here in the people's House, I 
had the privilege to succeed him. But I have known ever since then that 
this is what I wanted to do.
  So first, I thank the citizens of the district for allowing me this 
privilege and for giving me their trust. Certainly I could not have 
served the citizens back home without a tremendous staff in the 
district, as well as here in Washington. I have been blessed with just

[[Page 15790]]

true public servants. When we would hire, I never asked what their 
party registration was or anything about their politics other than, Why 
do you want to serve, and why do you want to serve in the 19th District 
in particular? So, thanks to all of my staff, to my personal staff in 
the district and down here, and to the committee staff. I've had the 
privilege to chair a subcommittee on Oversight and Government Reform 
for many years, and have been blessed in the past and present with a 
great staff there as well.
  But the one thing I would emphasize is we call this the people's 
House, and I look at it that way for a number of reasons. One in 
particular is the only way you get here is if you're elected. You can 
be a Senator, you can be Vice President, you can be President and never 
be elected to those positions. Jerry Ford, never elected Vice President 
and President, served in both Houses. You can serve in the Senate, but 
here, if there's a vacancy, you have to wait until the people decide. 
So we're the people's House. But also because we're a great 
representation of the people of this great country.
  The approach and how I got here, it was because of the people of the 
19th District. When I leave, it's my understanding that I'm the last 
Member of the House or Senate, other than a couple of self-funders, who 
rely solely on individual contributions--no special interest money, no 
PAC contributions. I've never had a paid television commercial in any 
campaign. I've never had a paid pollster in any campaign. It's been 
about volunteers going door to door with me spreading the word.
  I think back to that first campaign 12 years ago when over 500 
volunteers came out in 1 day and stuffed a 115,000-piece mailing for 
me. And not only did they come and volunteer and spend about 10 hours 
that day doing that work for us, but they also brought their own food 
and fed themselves because we were a low-budget campaign, then and now.

                              {time}  1410

  We didn't have money to buy them food, so it was kind of like a 
church supper where everybody brings a dish and we'll have food, we'll 
get some good work done. But the people of the 19th district is what 
allowed me to come here. That first campaign I was outspent 5-1, 3-1, 
2-1, and because of the people, I've been allowed to serve here for the 
last 12 years, and I will be forever grateful for that.
  Before I wrap up, I'd be very remiss if I didn't recognize my family. 
My wife, Leslie, well, we celebrated 22 years of marriage this past 
July. I've been in office for 20 of those, 8 in the State House, 12 
here. And so this is our first election year in 22 years where we 
weren't campaigning, going door to door. And I certainly would not be 
standing here as a Member of the United States House of Representatives 
but for her great love and support over all these years, along with our 
sons, T.J. and Tom, and my extended family.
  Mom and Dad. Dad passed away my first year here in Congress, but Babs 
and Dutch Platts; my brothers, Mark and Craig; and sisters, Pam and 
Jill; and my sons, Tom and T.J., who have made so many sacrifices while 
I've been allowed to serve in this position from a time standpoint of 
being away and missing ball games here or there. But because of their 
support, and that love and support of my family, and the support and 
trust of my constituents, I've been allowed this great privilege.
  I'll leave here with a heavy heart, because I'm still pretty 
passionate about what we do. I'll leave here with great friends on both 
sides of the aisle, Republican, Democrats, from all corners of this 
great country. It's been such a privilege to serve with these true 
public servants.
  I'm going to share one final story that kind of captures what I think 
is great about our country and the fact that I've been allowed to serve 
here. When my dad passed away my first year in Congress, June 25, 2001, 
I had just, about a month earlier, had the privilege of introducing my 
parents to President Bush for the first time. In fact, the last picture 
of my dad before his passing is a picture of my mom and dad with me and 
President Bush taken up on the edge of my district in Pennsylvania.
  Dad passes away. I get a note from the President expressing his 
sympathies, having just met my dad. But about a week after his funeral, 
President Bush was here in the Capitol with us in caucus and meeting 
with all the House Republicans. And when it was over, we all scattered 
and went back to our offices, wherever it may be.
  As I'm leaving the Capitol Building to go back to Longworth House 
Office Building, I hear applause up here in the rotunda. And I come up, 
and this was pre-9/11, and the President's just going down a rope line, 
shaking hands with all the visitors to the Capitol that day. So moms 
and dads and kids are just getting to meet the President of the United 
States by good timing of being in the Capitol.
  I'm standing at the House side of the rotunda with Bill Livingood, 
our then-Sergeant at Arms, and the President stopped and said hello to 
Bill, said hello to me, and invited me to walk out to the motorcade 
with him. And the subject of our conversation was the passing of my dad 
and how he dreads the thought of some day losing his dad. And, 
thankfully, President Bush 41, 88 and I know in the hospital right now, 
but hopefully still going strong.
  But it was an amazing conversation, one, President Bush, a new 
President showing concern for a freshman House Member and my family and 
how my mom and I were doing with the loss of my dad and my mom's 
husband. But it also spoke volumes about what an amazing country in 
which we live.
  My dad was one of nine kids who grew up in a row house in the city of 
York during the Depression. Five boys, four girls. Five boys in one 
bedroom, four girls in the second, Grandma and Grandpa, his mom and 
dad, in the third.
  The fact that his passing was the subject of a conversation between 
the President of the United States and a Congressman who happened to be 
his son speaks volumes about us being truly a land of opportunity. That 
this kid from a typical middle class family has been allowed to serve 
here for 12 years, it's just amazing about what we stand for, that if 
you are willing to work hard and follow your dreams, they can come 
true.
  So to the people of the 19th District of Pennsylvania, I say thank 
you for allowing this now 50-year-old's dreams to come true many years 
ago as a State representative and then ultimately as a United States 
Congressman. I will be forever grateful and would tell you that while 
I'm a proud Republican, most importantly, every time I entered the 
Chamber, I came into this Chamber, as our men and women in uniform do 
every day on the front lines of democracy, as a proud American, first 
and foremost.
  I think they give us the example, and that's my final comment is to 
all those out there who are defending the freedoms we have and the 
blessings we have, such as Todd Platts, me, being allowed to serve in 
Congress, I say thank you to those courageous men and women and to 
their families.
  Godspeed as they continue to defend us and all that's great about 
this great Nation.
  I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. You know, I just would like to say how we have worked 
together, and I really appreciate all that you have done. And what's 
different is that you had this family. And that is the hardest thing to 
have, you know, the kids and a wife, but to have the kids that you're 
always worried about. You always want to be to their games. I know you 
were always rushing around to do that and driving home, and I 
appreciate that.
  I have four children and a husband. Actually, we just celebrated our 
49th wedding anniversary, which I can't believe, as time flies when 
you're having fun.
  Mr. PLATTS. Congratulations.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. But my children, we raised them, I think, well, and we 
raised them to be independent. We didn't think that they would be so 
independent. One lives in London with her husband and three children, 
one lives in Los Angeles with her husband

[[Page 15791]]

and three children, one lives in Bethesda with her three children, and 
our son lives in New York City.
  They're great places to visit, but you don't really have time, I 
think, when you're here as much as it was.
  But to have the family that's there all the time I think it's 
wonderful, but it has also been really difficult.
  Mr. PLATTS. It's one of the blessings, Judy, that I've been allowed, 
because of my district, about 100 miles each way, in my 12 years 
serving here, while I've been honored to work here, I've been blessed 
to live at home all but 12 nights, or maybe 13 nights that I couldn't 
go back home. But being able to go back to my wife and children, to 
start every day and end every day with them kept me grounded. And it's 
one of the sacrifices that, as you know, and our colleagues, the 
families of Members make a tremendous sacrifice, because I'm the 
exception. I'm the only Pennsylvanian. There's a couple of Maryland and 
Virginias, but most Members have to be away all week or relocate their 
families here, so it is a tremendous family commitment.
  But you're right. As I say, my kids, when I walk in the door, they 
don't care if I was meeting with the President of the United States or 
working whatever issue. Dad, get rid of the coat and tie. We're late 
for practice. Let's go. Kids do a good job of keeping our priorities 
straight.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. I also thank you for the experiences we've had working 
together on the Education Committee and being the Bermuda Triangle that 
we always laughed about, sitting on our side with Tom Osborne. We made 
a nice triangle to put things like vouchers in there. They go away, but 
they wouldn't come back.
  Mr. PLATTS. And public education, and one of our colleagues who we 
both had the privilege to serve under when he was chair of our 
committee as well.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. So thank you.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Yes, I will yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I want to thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Illinois, Judy, and Todd 
from Pennsylvania. Thank you so much for your service in the Congress. 
I've known you as members of the Education and Labor Committee, and I 
can't thank you enough. I've known you when I was in the minority, I 
knew you when I was chairman, I've known you when I was ranking 
minority member.
  But you've always been willing to discuss the issues with us. You've 
always been willing to make suggestions. We haven't always agreed. 
We've agreed a lot on these issues of child nutrition and school reform 
and out-of-home children and where do they go to find the schooling and 
the support systems they need to be successful in our education 
systems. And I just can't tell you how much I appreciate your service. 
Thank you. I thank you for that.
  And Todd reminds us--I'm listening to you talk about your family. 
Somebody once said, there's no great way to do this job with a family 
because the family sort of is the shock absorber for our schedules and 
everything else. But you obviously have done it pretty darn well.
  I just want to thank you for your service to the Congress, to the 
country, and to obviously the people that you've represented so 
terribly well. Thank you.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. I really appreciate that. Thank you. You were great as 
chairman, great as ranking member, and I think education is where it 
all starts in this most important committee. Thank you.
  Mr. PERLMUTTER. If the gentlelady would yield to me one more time, as 
to Mr. Platts and to yourself, I mean, the word that has come to me as 
I'm sitting here and always has struck me is ``respect.'' You both have 
respect on both sides of the aisle. You listen, you work, you have 
energy, you want to make this country a better place for all of us. And 
I just want to thank you for the service to the Nation. It's been an 
honor to serve with both of you.
  And I would say to my friend, Mr. Platts, he introduced me to about a 
half a dozen military installations in the Far East on the fastest 
moving trip I have ever been on; and that was a year and a half ago and 
I'm still tired from how quickly and how much energy he put into this 
trip to expose me to the needs of our troops throughout the Far East.

                              {time}  1420

  Again, your respect on both sides of the aisle is well known. Your 
energy is well known. And thank you for your service.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. I appreciate that. Thank you.
  Mr. PLATTS. If the gentlelady will yield, I would add it's been a 
great privilege to serve with you here and to travel. You'll enjoy a 
story from that trip when we were visiting the Special Forces in the 
Philippine Islands. This past September, I was at my local fair in 
York, Pennsylvania, and I ran into one of those Special Forces members 
that's from my district that we had met and had just left the military 
and was getting ready to go back to school. But we were reminiscing 
about our trip to visit him and his fellow special operators on that 
trip.
  It was great to travel and to serve with you, and I wish you great 
success as you continue to serve the State of Colorado with great 
fashion.
  Mr. PERLMUTTER. Thank you.
  Mr. PLATTS. I thank the gentlelady again for the time she's allowed 
me here today.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Thank you.
  I yield 1 minute to Mr. Yoder.


           Congratulating Kansas House Speaker Michael O'Neal

  Mr. YODER. I thank the gentlelady from Illinois for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute the legacy of service and 
dedication of my friend, Kansas Speaker of the House Michael O'Neal. 
After 28 years, Mike has decided to retire from public service to the 
people of Kansas. He leaves behind a history of courageous leadership 
in making smart public policy on behalf of all Kansans.
  Mike spent his career in the Kansas House notably chairing the 
Judiciary Committee and the Education Committee before eventually being 
elected by his colleagues twice as Kansas speaker of the house. While 
Mike's career in the people's house in Kansas will be remembered for 
his many notable legislative achievements, his most prominent legacy 
may be the wonderful friendships and relationships he built along the 
way. Many of us consider Mike a mentor and true friend, someone you can 
always count on--a rare quality in politics today.
  So as the gavel falls for the last time and Kansas Speaker of the 
House Mike O'Neal closes this chapter of service on behalf of so many 
appreciative Kansans, I would like to thank him for his 28 years of 
tireless service to make Kansas the best State in the Nation.
  Rock Chalk, Mr. Speaker.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. We have no other Members that are here so I would just 
like to say, again, thanks so much to my colleagues, and particularly 
my family. Some have been with me these entire 14 years and some have 
arrived after the start of the 14 years. To my friends and my 
supporters who have helped me really to grow and to learn and to serve 
the people of Illinois, it's been a real honor and a privilege. Public 
service is something that is such a privilege and honor, and I think 
that this has been the greatest privilege of my life, to have been a 
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________