[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10951-10962]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  Dr. Alan Kieran, Office of the Senate Chaplain, offered the following 
prayer:
  Lord God Almighty, author of life and creator of the universe, we 
come today seeking Your divine wisdom, peace, and protection.
  In these complex times, inspire our Nation's leaders to pray with the 
certainty that You hear them and respond to their petitions. Anoint our 
leaders with Your spirit and grant them Your favor.
  Father, we also know that Your divine protection is everlasting. We 
are not naive, though, in thinking that all will always be well. But in 
tough

[[Page 10952]]

times, we are assured that You, King of Heaven's armies, will be 
watching over us and guiding us.
  Finally, Lord, be with those in harm's way and their families. I pray 
in Your mighty name, Amen.


                          Pledge of Allegiance

  The Hon. Barbara Kennelly led the Pledge of Allegiance as follows:

       I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of 
     America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation 
     under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

  Ms. KENNELLY. The Chair now calls on the Honorable Connie Morella, 
president of the association, and a wonderful president, to take the 
chair.
  Ms. MORELLA. Thank you. Thank you, Barbara.
  It's always a very distinct privilege to be back in this revered 
Chamber, and we appreciate the opportunity today to have the 42nd 
annual report of the United States Association of Former Members of 
Congress.
  I'm going to be joined by a number of our colleagues in reporting on 
the activities and the projects of our organization.
  And so first of all, I'd like to ask the Clerk to call the roll.
  The Clerk called the roll of the former Members of Congress, as 
follows:

       Mr. Alexander of Arkansas
       Mr. Blanchard of Michigan
       Mr. Bonker of Washington
       Mr. Buechner of Missouri
       Ms. Byron of Maryland
       Mr. Carr of Michigan
       Mr. Clement of Tennessee
       Mr. Coyne of Pennsylvania
       Mr. Davis of Virginia
       Mr. DioGuardi of New York
       Mr. Garcia of New York
       Mr. Green of Wisconsin
       Mr. Glickman of Kansas
       Mr. Hertel of Michigan
       Mr. Hochbrueckner of New York
       Mr. Kennedy of Minnesota
       Ms. Kennelly of Connecticut
       Mr. Kolbe of Arizona
       Mr. Konnyu of California
       Mr. Kramer of Colorado
       Mr. Lancaster of North Carolina
       Mr. LaRocco of Idaho
       Mr. McHugh of New York
       Mr. McMillen of Maryland
       Mr. Michel of Illinois
       Mr. McNulty of New York
       Ms. Morella of Maryland
       Mr. Pressler of South Dakota
       Mr. Sarasin of Connecticut
       Mr. Skelton of Missouri
       Mr. Symington of Missouri
       Mr. Walsh of New York
       Mr. Zeliff of New York

  Ms. MORELLA. Fellow association members, I'm very pleased again to 
welcome you to our 42nd annual meeting. And I'd like to tell you 
something about the association.
  It is bipartisan, as you know. It was chartered by Congress in 1983. 
The purpose of the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress is to 
promote public service and strengthen democracy, both abroad and in the 
United States.
  About 600 former Senators and Representatives belong to the 
association. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents are united in 
this organization in their desire to teach about Congress and the 
importance of representative democracy.
  We're proud to have been chartered by Congress, and we receive no 
funding from Congress. All the activities which we're about to describe 
are financed via membership dues, program-specific grants, and 
sponsors, or via our fund-raising dinner. Our finances are sound, our 
projects are fully funded, and our 2011 audit by an outside accountant 
came back with a clean bill of financial health.
  It's been a very successful, active, and rewarding year. We have 
continued our work serving as a liaison between the current Congress 
and legislatures overseas. We have created partnerships with highly 
respected institutions in the area of democracy building and election 
monitoring.
  We have developed new projects, we're expanding others, and we again 
have sent dozens of bipartisan teams of former Members of Congress to 
teach about public service and representative democracy at universities 
and high schools, both in the United States as well as abroad.
  When this organization was created over 40 years ago, the former 
Members who founded our association envisioned the organization taking 
the lead in teaching about Congress and encouraging public service. 
They were hoping that former Members could inspire the next generation 
of America's leaders. And over the years, we have created a number of 
programs, most importantly, the Congress to Campus program, to do just 
that.
  We continue to work with our great partner, the Stennis Center for 
Public Service. We thank them for their invaluable assistance in 
administering the Congress to Campus program.
  It now gives me great pleasure to yield to a former president of our 
association, a good friend, Matt McHugh of New York, who, along with 
Jack Buechner, another former president from Missouri, cochairs this 
great program. Thank you, Matt.
  Mr. McHUGH. Thank you very much, Connie, and congratulations to you 
on assuming the leadership of the association. We know you will do a 
wonderful job.
  As you all know, the Congress to Campus program is the association's 
flagship domestic program and the one that most engages Members from 
all across the country of the association. Congress to Campus sends, as 
Connie said, bipartisan teams of former Members to colleges, 
universities, and high schools across the country and around the world. 
We educate the next generation of leaders about the value of public 
service. Students benefit from the personal interaction with our 
association members, whose knowledge, experience, and accessibility are 
unique teaching tools.
  During each visit, our bipartisan teams lead classes, meet one-on-one 
with students and faculty, speak to campus media, participate in campus 
and community forums, and interact with local citizens. Institutions 
are encouraged to market the visit to the entire campus community and 
not just to those students majoring in political science, history, or 
government. Over the course of 2\1/2\ days, hundreds of students are 
exposed to the former Members' message of public service and civility.
  The Congress to Campus program reached an exciting new audience this 
June at the 2012 American Democracy Project annual meeting in San 
Antonio, Texas. Former Members Dan Miller of Florida and Jerry 
Patterson of California, as well as our staff member, Liz Ardagna, 
traveled to Texas to promote the program to nearly 500 university 
students, administrators, and professors who are actively engaged in 
civic education.
  During the conference, our former Members hosted a town hall meeting, 
a breakout session on the Congress to Campus program, and passed out 
brochures and spoke with teachers at the Campus & Friends tabling fair. 
Our people not only got the word out about our program, but also 
energized and reinvigorated hundreds of teachers who instruct our 
Nation's youth about the importance of civic engagement.
  The program also made a number of international visits this academic 
year, including two visits to the United Kingdom and one to Turkey. 
Domestically, the Congress to Campus program more than doubled its 
visits from the fall of 2011 to the spring of 2012 and already has 13 
visits booked for the fall of 2012.
  The 2011-2012 academic year included visits to the United States 
Naval Academy, Dartmouth College, and the Coast Community College 
System in California. This fall we will be visiting Boston University, 
Penn State, and the McGovern Center for Public Service at the 
University of South Dakota, among others.
  More than 25 former Members participated this academic year, and I 
want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who participated and 
donated your time and energy. I also want to make a special note of 
thanking Jack Buechner, who cochairs this program with me and who has 
done a magnificent job.
  I also want to encourage those who have not yet had the opportunity 
to do so and to encourage a friend from across the aisle to join you. 
It is an excellent opportunity to continue your public service after 
Congress. Our staff has the fall 2012 Congress to Campus

[[Page 10953]]

schedule here this morning and you can volunteer today to participate 
in these exciting visits. You could also connect us with a host 
school--for example, your alma mater, a college in your old district, 
or the university your grandchild attends. Our staff will then follow 
up with you to make the arrangements. Liz Ardagna runs the program for 
us and has all the information you need.
  Perhaps Liz would just stand up for a moment so everyone knows who 
she is, if they haven't met her yet. She does a great job for us in 
coordinating this program.
  As was mentioned earlier, we have continued our excellent partnership 
with the Stennis Center For Public Service in the administration of the 
program. We owe a special debt of gratitude to Liz, but also to Brother 
Rogers of the Stennis Center for their fine work. Brother Rogers has 
worked with us for many years now and is located at the Mississippi 
State University, and has done a wonderful job as well.
  The Civics Connection, a Webcast series that is broadcast to high 
school civics classes across the country, has become an extension of 
the Congress to Campus program. It is a partnership with the Lou Frey 
Institute of Politics and Government at the University of Central 
Florida. I am pleased to announce that since our last annual meeting 
these Webcasts have officially been added to the advanced placement 
government and politics syllabus for high schools nationwide. Now a 
high school student participating in the AP civics program at the 
school will benefit from the experience of our former Members since our 
Webcasts are incorporated into the AP civics curriculum. This is a 
great achievement of which we are very proud.
  Since our last annual meeting, we have also continued our 
relationship with the People to People Program, an organization that 
provides hands-on learning opportunities for elementary school, middle 
school, and high school students visiting Washington, D.C. On each 
visit, former Members meet and speak with students about the experience 
of public service, their personal experiences in Congress, and the 
value of character and leadership.
  In the spring of 2012, these speaking engagements took on a new 
congressional panel format. The events take place on Capitol Hill and 
not only feature a former Member as speaker, but also several Hill 
staffers and interns. This gives students the opportunity to learn what 
it is really like to work in the U.S. Congress. People to People visits 
are often in the middle of the business day, and again we are grateful 
to those former Members who take the time out of their busy schedules 
to connect with students touring our Nation's Capital.
  Finally, I want to say again how grateful we are to all of those who 
have made Congress to Campus such a success in the 35 years that we 
have had it and to strongly encourage all of my friends and colleagues 
to participate in the program, either by making a visit to a school or 
by recommending a school to host the program. As you know, a democracy 
can prosper only if its citizens are both informed and engaged, and as 
former legislators we have a particular opportunity and responsibility 
to encourage such involvement. This program gives us the opportunity to 
do so, particularly with our young people.
  Again, thank you all very much for participating and for paying 
attention this morning.
  Thank you, Connie.
  Ms. MORELLA. Thank you, Matt, for your leadership in this program and 
the report that you have given, the great work. Again, I also give a 
tip of the hat and congratulations to Jack Buechner, working in 
partnership with you.
  As you may recall from our last report to Congress, the association 
has put some energy and focus into the question of bipartisanship and 
civility in our political dialogue. Last year we announced the creation 
of a new undertaking for our association, the Common Ground Project. 
The purpose of the Common Ground Project is to involve citizens in a 
dialogue about the issues of the day, to have a vigorous debate that is 
both partisan and productive, and to benefit from the experience of 
respecting a different point of view. Some of our existing undertakings 
already fit into that category very nicely, with that objective, for 
example, the Congress to Campus program that you just heard about.
  To give you more background about this Common Ground Project, I 
invite my colleague from Michigan, former Member Bob Carr, to share a 
report. Thank you, Bob. We did a Congress to Campus program together a 
few years ago.
  Ms. KENNELLY. The Chair wishes to recognize that our president is 
here, Dennis Hertel, and one of the finest Members that we have had for 
years, Bill Hughes is also here. We are delighted to have both of you. 
Of course, Dennis has given us yeoman's service.
  Bob.
  Mr. CARR. Thank you, Barbara, and thank you, Connie, so much.
  I just want to rise for a second to talk about the Common Ground 
Project. Of course, we are a bipartisan organization and everything we 
do is bipartisan. We have bipartisan leadership, and our programs, our 
Congress to Campus program, everything we do is in a bipartisan way. We 
are also mindful that sitting Members of Congress and the Congress 
itself faces much different pressures than we do. But yet this 
organization is in a unique position because we have both been inside 
and outside of the Congress, and because we are supporters of the 
Congress, the institution of the Congress, and hence its Members, we 
think that we are in a unique situation to maybe bridge that gap 
between the divisiveness and the lack of civility and the discourse 
that we are seeing today and hope to improve that.
  That is what the Common Ground Project is really all about. It seeks 
to organize our efforts and focus them more deliberately on this issue 
of the discourse in this country. Now, you can't just focus on Members 
of Congress. You have to focus on the country itself, so that is what 
some of our programs are all about.
  For example, just recently at George Washington University, in 
cooperation with their Graduate School of Political Management and the 
Concord Coalition, we held a one-day event where we brought students 
together to work on a budget simulation so that people of a variety of 
points of view, different philosophies and different partisan 
backgrounds, could work together through the numbers and on the 
tradeoffs of a budget. At the end of the day we all didn't agree on 
everything, but we managed to come to some conclusions, and we weren't 
throwing dishes and napkins at one another over the process. Just 
through that kind of pilot learning project we were able to, I think, 
demonstrate to some graduate students at George Washington University 
how the process can be done in a productive way.
  Also the Common Ground Project is partnering with some like-minded 
organizations around the country. One is the National Institute of 
Civil Discourse in Arizona. Our organization and theirs brought 
together a group of bipartisan former Members and current Members to 
have a discourse on what kinds of things we might do to lower the 
temperature, tone down the anger, and get to a more productive civil 
discourse. It was a good discussion, and our goal in this Common Ground 
Project is to continue to expand our activities and expand our 
cooperation with other like-minded organizations and not just speak to 
more Members of Congress, but to speak to the American public.
  Thank you, Connie.
  Ms. MORELLA. Thank you, Bob. We appreciate your efforts, Bob, on 
behalf of this important undertaking as we expand it and hope it will 
make a difference beyond our association.
  A great example of how powerful and productive bipartisanship can be 
is our Annual Congressional Golf Tournament. Leave it to a sport to 
bring us together. It is chaired by our immediate past president, 
Dennis Hertel, and by former board member Ken Kramer of Colorado. I 
would now like to yield to Ken to give us a brief report about this 
charitable golf tournament.

[[Page 10954]]


  Mr. KRAMER. Thank you very much.
  Connie, congratulations on your ascension to the presidency. I look 
forward very much, as I know others do, to working with you. You are 
going to do a great job. And to my fellow cochair of the golf 
tournament, Dennis Hertel, I want to thank him for his efforts. He is 
now retired, and we are on somewhat of a more equal status than we were 
before, so I look forward to working with him for many, many years.
  Five years ago we took what was a 35-year-old tradition, which is our 
annual golf tournament, which as many of you know pits Republicans 
against Democrats, and we gave it a bigger mission. We converted it 
into a charitable golf tournament to aid severely wounded veterans 
returning from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.
  Our beneficiaries, Warfighter Sports, a program of Disabled Sports 
USA, and Project Hope, which is a program of the Professional Golfers 
Association of America, used golf and other sports to help our wounded 
veterans readjust to life after sustaining such severe injuries. They 
involve the entire family in the sport and they provide equipment and 
training. Our fifth charitable golf tournament will be held on July 23 
at Army Navy Country Club, and if you add up the revenues from our five 
tournaments, we will have raised over one quarter of a million dollars 
now for these outstanding programs that I mentioned.
  During each of our past tournaments, we have had literally dozens of 
current and former Members come out from both sides of the aisle to 
support our wounded troops. They in turn have met with dozens of 
wounded warriors, many of whom provide us with golf demonstrations and 
play in our foursomes. I might add that there have been some double 
amputees included in their numbers who hit further and straighter than 
a lot of our members. It is an incredibly humbling, rewarding, and 
memorable experience to spend a day in the presence of these inspiring 
men and women.
  We have two outstanding current Member honorary chairs, Joe Baca of 
California and Andrew Crenshaw of Florida, and I want to thank them, as 
well as Dennis, for all that they have done to make our tournament such 
a success. I also want to thank all of our sponsors for their generous 
contributions, with particular thanks to Disabled Sports USA and the 
PGA for being such steadfast and invaluable partners. It really is an 
honor to help our Nation's heroes in this very small way.
  Again, the next tournament is July 23. Let us know, if you haven't 
done so yet, of your interest in either playing or becoming involved 
with helping with sponsorship.
  Thank you so much for your time.
  Ms. KENNELLY. The Chair would like to mention that the first time I 
played in the golf tournament I said, Where are the good golfers? And 
they said, What do you think? As a Congressperson, you have to work 
down here, and on weekends you have to work at home. There are only 
about two good golfers, so anybody who hesitates because they think 
they are not good enough, feel free.
  Ms. MORELLA. We appreciate Ken's report and his leadership in helping 
our wounded warriors. We are so honored that we can play a small role 
in the rehabilitation of these amazing young men and women.
  Now it is my distinct honor, truly an honor and a privilege, to 
present our 2012 Distinguished Service Award to Representative 
Gabrielle Giffords of the great State of Arizona. Bestowing our 
association's highest award on Gabby Giffords was an easy decision. In 
all her endeavors in public service, she has led by example and 
commendable distinction in courage. I have seen her as a unifying force 
here on the House floor as well as in the Nation.
  As you well know, her challenging schedule, which includes focusing 
on getting well and still working on those issues that are so dear to 
her, absorbs her time. Therefore, we didn't want to impose any further 
on her schedule. But we are thrilled that on her behalf one of her very 
best friends in the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Debbie 
Wasserman Schultz, will accept the award on Gabby's behalf.
  But before we invite her to come up and make comments, another friend 
of Gabby's, our former Member Jim Kolbe of Arizona, I would like to 
invite him to make a few comments.
  Mr. KOLBE. Madam Speaker, the gentlelady from Maryland--Connie--thank 
you very much for yielding to me. It is a wonderful privilege to be 
back with my colleagues, former Members, here today on the floor of the 
House of Representatives and especially for me to be able to 
participate in this award.
  I had the privilege of serving for 22 years in the House of 
Representatives representing District 5 and then District 8 in the 
House of Representatives--Districts 5 and 8 from the State of Arizona. 
I retired in 2007 and was succeeded by Representative Gabrielle, or as 
we all know and love her, Gabby Giffords.
  But my association with Gabby runs back much further than that. When 
I was in Tucson, even before I became a member of the Arizona State 
legislature, I knew Gabby Giffords and her family, who were a very 
prominent business family in Tucson, and she was deeply involved in the 
community even then as a very young woman.
  I had the privilege of not serving with her but serving alongside 
her, serving from here while she was in the Arizona State Legislature, 
and she had a very distinguished career in the legislature, as she did 
here, reaching across the aisle, accomplishing legislation because she 
was able to talk to people and compromise and reach those kinds of 
decisions that needed to be made. She has been involved for years with 
the education of young people in our community. She is loved by 
virtually everybody in Arizona and certainly in Tucson.
  When I announced my retirement shortly before 2006, Gabby Giffords 
quickly jumped into the race as a sitting member of the Arizona State 
Legislature. She didn't hesitate. She left the legislature to campaign 
full-time. She threw herself, as she did with everything, body and 
soul, into her campaign to serve here in Congress. Even though I had 
represented the district as a Republican for 22 years, she won quite 
easily in 2006 as a Democrat. And then, of course, was reelected in 
2008 and reelected again in 2010 in a district that was at least 
marginally Republican in its registration, an indication, I think, of 
how Gabby Giffords was able, and continues to be able, to reach across 
the aisle.
  After she was elected to the Congress, I got to know both Gabby and 
her then later husband, Mark Kelly, a lot better. And it was a 
wonderful relationship that they had together, and a wonderful 
relationship I had with them and the relationship they had with our 
community, again, loved by everyone.
  Gabby was successful, I think, because she did reach across the 
aisle, because she didn't worry about partisan labels, because she 
thought about how she could accomplish things. And it is in that spirit 
that, following the tragic accident, we have formed the National 
Institute of Civil Discourse, which has been mentioned here. And our 
new executive director, Dr. Carolyn Lukensmeyer, is with us here today.
  I think it is a real tribute to Gabby and a real tribute to all of us 
who care about bipartisanship and about achieving things in this House 
of Representatives that this organization came about in her spirit. I 
think Gabby is the definition of an eternal optimist. No matter what 
kind of trouble she faces, no matter what travails she has, she is 
always cheerful, always looking forward, always looking up, and always 
thinking about what is the very best thing that is happening in our 
community, in our State, and how she can make things better for all of 
us.
  So it is a great pleasure, I think, for our association to make this 
award to somebody that I think has made a real contribution to 
bipartisanship in the House of Representatives.
  I now would ask Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz to come 
forward and accept this award on behalf of Congresswoman Gabby 
Giffords.

[[Page 10955]]

I hope you will let Gabby know how much we miss her and appreciate her 
good work and how honored we are that she is receiving this award.
  We have also invited Members to send a personal note, which we have 
collected in a book which I'm going to hand to you in just a moment. 
It's a great pleasure and honor for me to present our 2012 
Distinguished Service Award to Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona.
  Ms. MORELLA. Mr. Kolbe, if I may read it. It is very small print.
  The plaque is inscribed as follows:

       The 2012 Distinguished Service Award is presented by the 
     U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress to 
     Congresswoman Gabrielle ``Gabby'' Giffords for her 
     exceptional public service and bravery in the face of 
     adversity. Through her efforts on the House Armed Services 
     Committee; the House Science, Space and Technology Committee; 
     the Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces; the Subcommittee on 
     Readiness; the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation; and 
     as Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, 
     Congresswoman Giffords worked tirelessly to represent not 
     only Arizonans, military families, and veterans, but all 
     Americans. Congresswoman Giffords served her country with 
     honor, reaching across party lines to forge bipartisan 
     solutions to our nation's problems. Even after the tragic 
     events of January 8, 2011, Congresswoman Giffords continues 
     to inspire all Americans with her incredible strength, 
     courage, and perseverance. Congresswoman Giffords is an 
     example to us all, and her former colleagues from both sides 
     of the aisle salute her.
       Washington, D.C., July 10, 2012.

  And all of that is on this plaque which I hand to you, along with the 
portfolio of letters of congratulations.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you very much.
  Mr. KOLBE. Thank you.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much, Madam president, Madam 
Chair. Wow, all on one plaque. That's impressive.
  I also, Madam President, have additional letters that were sent to my 
office for the book. So I'm the repository going forward, and so I will 
make sure that we add to this for Gabby.
  Good morning, and thank you, Congressman Kolbe, for that warm 
introduction and for all of you for being here. It really is a 
privilege to address such a distinguished group, one that I hope to not 
join for quite a while, but that I'm really glad exists and exists in a 
bipartisan way, because it is important to note, especially given the 
struggles that we're going through right now to come together and work 
together, that there isn't a Republican Former Members of Congress 
Association or a Democratic Former Members of Congress Association. 
There is one united association. We are all Americans, and we should 
all work hard to work together.
  I also want to acknowledge the presence of Gabby's former chairman of 
the Armed Services Committee, my former colleague, Ike Skelton from 
Missouri. It is wonderful to be with you.
  There really is no one more suited to receive your association's 
highest award, the Distinguished Service Award, than my dear friend, 
Gabby Giffords.
  Gabby, as has already been said, but can't be too oft repeated, has 
always led by example, as an incredible public servant, woman, and 
friend. Gabby was the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to 
serve in the U.S. House. Gabby worked tirelessly over the years to 
represent not only Arizonans, military families, and veterans, but all 
Americans. Here in Congress, we all came to recognize that bright smile 
of Gabby's which people so often refer to when they're talking about 
her, as she reached across party lines to forge bipartisan solutions to 
our Nation's problems. In doing so, she has inspired so many people 
with her strength in the wake of unimaginable tragedy and heartbreak.
  For more than a year, she's been working hard every day to get back 
to full strength. And Gabby never does anything halfway, and her 
service in Congress, as well as her recovery, is no exception. I'm so 
proud of my friend for her commitment to her constituents, to her work 
ethic and her perseverance.
  It will always be one of the great treasures of my life to have met 
Gabby Giffords, to have served with her in Congress, but especially to 
share our special friendship. She has always been an inspiration to me, 
and seeing her become an inspiration to the entire world warms my 
heart, I'm sure, as much as it warms yours.
  I know that you all believe, as Gabby does, that our country must be 
strong enough to come together to solve the challenges before us. 
Compared to the obstacles that Gabby has overcome in the past year, 
surely this is an attainable goal. We must recommit ourselves to 
working together to fulfill the promises of our democracy and a 
commitment to making America stronger so that everyone can fulfill 
their American Dream. And this association really is the epitome, the 
example. You could lead by example and be the catalyst and help us 
forge the way toward compromise, toward working together.
  So many of you, looking across the Chamber, have served in the time 
when relationships were much tighter, when the fabric interwoven 
between the two parties was really thicker, and we could learn from 
your experience. I would urge you and encourage you to reach out to the 
leadership of both parties in the Congress and try to help us because 
we are going to have a better Nation if we work together. I know it is 
possible. Even from the political position that I hold in addition to 
my service in Congress, I know that it is possible. I know there are 
committed Members on both sides of the aisle because I work with them 
every day. So I would urge you to extend your involvement in the 
political and public policy process and help us make things work and 
get things done.
  So on behalf of Gabby and her husband Mark Kelly, thank you for 
recognizing her today. I know it means a great deal to both of them. 
Thank you so much.
  Ms. MORELLA. Thank you, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, for 
accepting the award, but also for your very inspiring words. And that 
is true; that is what we are all about. Thank you.
  You know, I'm not in the habit of giving plaques, but I do have 
another commendation that I would like to share with you, and this is 
to our immediate past president, Dennis Hertel of Michigan. I would 
like to ask him to join me at the dais.
  Dennis, we wanted to make sure that we gave you something to indicate 
your wonderful 2 years as president of the U.S. Association of Former 
Members of Congress. You have worked tirelessly. You've made the 
organization the very best and the most active that it has ever been, 
and I inherit from you an outstanding example of what a little 
nonprofit can accomplish if people who are committed lend their energy 
and their expertise. I'm going to try to follow your lead. It won't be 
easy. I think your shoe size is much larger than mine, but I'll try. 
But you don't have heels; therefore, it makes it a little more 
difficult for women, but we can do it.
  So on behalf of the association, I have a plaque here which is 
inscribed as follows:

       Presented to the Honorable Dennis M. Hertel in recognition 
     and appreciation of his strong leadership as president of the 
     U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress. His 
     tremendous enthusiasm and effectiveness will always be 
     remembered by his grateful colleagues.
       Washington, D.C., July 10, 2012

  It's heavy, but it is also heavy in terms of its importance and 
significance to us of the work that you have done. Thank you, Dennis.
  Mr. HERTEL. Well, that's a very big surprise, and I thank you very 
much. It's a great honor. It is especially an honor because of the 
people I was able to work with these past 2 years, and all of the time 
all of us have worked with the association.
  We did our retirement day for the Members last time, and these 
honored people like Ike Skelton and Dave Obey and Jim Oberstar, people 
I looked to all my life, I look at my governor today, all of the people 
I get to serve with on a regular basis, that we all do, it is such an 
honor. We have never had more people participate. We've never had a 
greater board for the association and all of the officers than ever 
before, but especially the staff that we all look to. We haven't been 
able to even give them a raise because economic times are tough for 
everybody, and yet we

[[Page 10956]]

have the same enthusiasm, and they do more and more all the time. So I 
can't say enough about Liz and Dava and Sabine and Peter, who make this 
association what it is. And it keeps growing and getting better all the 
time. It is surprising, I think all of us, as to the capacity that the 
staff has to help us channel our experience and ideals into a way of 
continuing to serve citizens and our country.
  Connie, I always tell the school kids that come that the biggest 
change in Congress is the number of women serving and the leadership 
roles that they take. And so now you'll be the president, only the 
second woman since the legendary Lindy Boggs, whom we all loved so 
much. I can't think of a better person. I know when I asked you to do 
this, I thought we needed some class in our organization; and if there 
is any person who gives it, it is Connie. Her leadership here in the 
Congress, her bipartisan leadership overall, and her experience in the 
international field and her ability to energize all of us and her 
enthusiasm, and the fact that she is the most gracious person I know, 
really, I think, serves all of us. We are so fortunate to have her 
leadership going forward.
  I want to talk about some of the international programs we have been 
fortunate to have.
  Our former Members project with China is about 2 years old. In 2010, 
I was privileged to participate in a bipartisan former Member 
delegation to Beijing as well as Shanghai. The purpose of the trip was 
to learn about China firsthand, engage Chinese officials in a frank 
dialogue, shed some light on current U.S. politics and foreign policy, 
and gain knowledge about U.S.-Chinese trade relations from U.S. 
corporate representatives in China and Asia.
  One thing that we found in that first trip, and it has gone on since 
in our delegations, they want to find out about our political system 
and about how we, as Congressmen and -women, think. They get to meet 
with delegations that are coming from the active Members, but it is 
always in and out, as we know. But for them to meet with us for several 
days and hear us out, hour after hour, about our vast concerns about 
human rights and freedom and trade and what it's going to mean in 
foreign policy and defense and all the rest, I think, serves it so well 
that what we've seen now is that we've had five delegations go, and we 
have had delegations go of former Senators and former House Members, 
two a year.
  This fall we are going to be sending our sixth delegation. We've been 
meeting with the highest ranking people. We've met with their speaker. 
We've met with their foreign policy secretary, their commerce 
secretary, the highest people, and we have also made sure that we've 
met with the NGOs, and we've been meeting with corporate America doing 
business in China about their issues and problems.
  We always make sure that we meet with several university groups of 
students. And those are, I think, the most encouraging and give us the 
most enthusiasm of all, the visits that we have, because we see in them 
the future that we see in our own students. And we see that they are 
bridging that gap of freedom and communication with us in this new age 
that we live in.
  We have now begun to incorporate a D.C. component also to the 
project. We have good meetings with current Members involved in the 
U.S.-Chinese relationship. We are bringing them in more, and we've 
hosted more Chinese visitors here on the Hill. We are the perfect 
conduit to do that in all respects, not only for China, but all the 
other study groups that we have. These former Member delegations to 
China and the events here in D.C. are very productive and a great way 
of showing the important contribution that we made in one of the most 
important areas that we can--internationally.
  There are a number of other international projects involving former 
Members of Congress. Several years ago, we created the International 
Election Monitors Institute under the leadership of then-president Jack 
Buechner. My idea was we were sending over 100 Members to the Ukraine 
and other places for elections. We found that when we were with people 
from other nations--from Belgium, Canada, and other nations--we were 
looked at as more impartial than when we were just four Americans 
together. So we found that out very quickly, and we actually met with 
former Congressman Cheney, the Vice President, and Rumsfeld, and built 
at that point a bipartisan effort, and then we went overseas and were 
able to have, first, the Canadians meet with us. And they said ``yes'' 
right away, and some of them are here today with us, and also with our 
friends in the EU, in the Association of Former Members of the European 
Parliament, also.
  What we do is we conduct multiple workshops for former legislators to 
train them for elections. What we found, too, was we have a lot of 
former parliamentarians going overseas for elections--somebody forgot 
to train them before they got there. It is true that we do have the 
instincts to be able to sniff out what is illegal and what is wrong in 
a system, and we are able to figure that out very quickly just because 
of our experience and our instincts, but we still have to train them 
properly so that they realize how important it is not only to be 
perceived impartially but to, in fact, be impartial and to have the 
knowledge of those particular systems.
  And so we have sent delegations to Morocco, Ukraine, and Iraq. It has 
mainly been possible through the Canadian International Development 
Agency, and we thank them very much for their support. The original 
intent was to train former legislators and prepare them only for 
observing elections. We have since realized, with our partners, that we 
have to have a broader, more planned effort as far as strengthening 
democracy. We can help an emerging democracy as it seeks to implement 
an election result and facilitate a peaceful transition of power, but 
also leading up to that election to make sure that it is fair as far as 
the media and all other concerns. We can help a legislative branch as 
it tries to assert its oversight power over the executive branch once 
it is elected. Given this expansion in scope, we have decided that the 
International Election Monitors Institute no longer is the appropriate 
vehicle--or, as my wife said, it is far too long a title anyway--for 
such an ambitious undertaking. We, therefore, disbanded it and created 
a new entity this year, the Global Democracy Initiative.
  I am pleased that with us today are some of our colleagues from 
Canada and Europe and that tomorrow we'll have the first board meeting 
of the new Global Democracy Initiative. Our visitors from Canada are 
Don Boudria, Dorothy Dobbie, Leo Duguay, Francis LeBlanc, and Lily 
Oddie. They are joined by our good friend Richard Balfe, who represents 
the former members association of the European Parliament and is our 
current president. We thank all of them for joining us at our annual 
meeting and for all the work that they help us with throughout the year 
and for their friendship and partnership we've been able to enjoy.
  As Connie mentioned earlier, we have also begun working with the U.S. 
Department of State. This partnership comes in several variations. We 
have connected bipartisan teams of former Members of Congress with U.S. 
Embassies overseas via Web casts. For example, following the State of 
the Union address, we communicated with audiences in Denmark and Tel 
Aviv, first giving them an extensive overview of the President's 
message and then engaging in a lengthy question and answer.
  Another State Department-sponsored program brings former Members 
directly to the embassies and consulates overseas. Sometimes former 
Members travel specifically at the invitation of the Department, for 
example, when the State Department brought Connie Morella and Pat 
Schroeder to Poland late last year for the third annual European 
Congress of Women. Sometimes the State Department, under Hillary 
Clinton's leadership--who has reached out to the Former Members 
Association with her staff, thinking that we are a very vital and 
active asset--they will piggyback. If we let the State Department know 
who's taking a trip

[[Page 10957]]

overseas, then they will connect with embassies and consulates and NGOs 
in those countries that the person is in, saving our government money, 
but also extending the kind of people that we, as former Members, can 
communicate with and reaching foreign audiences.
  I think that's just one example of the kind of thing we can be doing 
more of in the future. I already know that the experience and breadth 
of knowledge of the former Members is limitless. And when I see that 
the more that we can reach young people, the more we can reach our 
citizens, the more we can reach out to the world in communication, it 
seems to me that the greatest problem we have today is not that we 
don't have more information. It's that we don't have better 
communication.
  And it seems that when we're able to reach out, that that is the best 
possible thing we can do for democracy in our country here at home, 
having people have a greater understanding and communication about the 
issues and the problems and the same overseas. I think that the people 
here in our association have shown that they have the leadership, the 
knowledge, the ability and, most of all, that they're willing to make 
that kind of a sacrifice of their time to reach out and go overseas and 
go around our country talking to junior colleges and universities and 
citizen audiences about how we can have better communication and, most 
importantly, a greater democracy.
  So thanks very much for all of your help. I am really very honored. 
Thank you.
  Ms. MORELLA. Dennis has demonstrated his commitment to the programs 
of the Association of Former Members; also, his appreciation to our 
international parliamentarians who joined with us in partnership on so 
many wonderful programs. I do hope, Dennis, that you continue with that 
kind of involvement that you have demonstrated. And thank you for your 
kind words too.
  Another important international undertaking involving former Members 
of Congress is our Middle East Fellows Program. Now in its second year, 
the project brings young professionals from the Middle East to 
Washington, D.C., for a 1-month immersion program. It is chaired by 
former Members Scott Klug and Larry LaRocco. And now I would like to 
call on my friend and former colleague Larry LaRocco of Idaho to give 
us some more details. Thank you, Larry.
  Mr. LaROCCO. Well, thank you, Connie. I want to send my best wishes 
and appreciation for all you do for the association. It was great to 
serve with you here in the House. And I look forward to serving with 
you as a board member.
  In the spring of 2009, the Former Members of Congress Association 
began a partnership with Legacy International, a Virginia-based NGO 
with 30 years of experience in citizen exchange programs, for the 
Middle East Legislative Fellows Program, or LFP. Initiated by the 
Department of State and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, 
the LFP hosts young professionals from Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, and Oman 
for a month-long fellowship in a congressional office or a prominent 
NGO in Washington, D.C.
  The LFP is designed to promote a positive relationship between the 
United States and the Middle East and the gulf states which, in light 
of the Arab Spring, is now more vital than ever. The fellows, 
candidates with strong leadership skills who represent the top talent 
in their fields, have the opportunity to gain practical experience and 
direct interaction with the U.S. Government and its officials. This is 
an invaluable opportunity, as many of the fellows are responsible for 
drafting policy in their respective countries and, of course, are their 
future leaders.
  Our association connects the fellows with former Members whom they 
meet with several times over the course of their stay. The former 
Members act as a kind of mentor to these young men and women through 
one-on-one meetings, roundtable discussions, and by attending program 
discussions and events. The former Member mentor program provides a 
unique experience to the fellows as well as their mentors. While the 
fellows learn more about the congressional system and American 
politics, former Members learn about the culture and politics of the 
Middle East.
  In an exciting extension to the LFP, at the conclusion of each 
program, a team of former Members complete the exchange by leading a 
delegation to the Middle East to conduct workshops and gain firsthand 
experience within the region. I was privileged to lead such a 
delegation, along with my cochair Scott Klug, to Kuwait and Oman. The 
trip was a distinct opportunity to learn about and meet a broad 
spectrum of groups and individuals involved in all aspects of the 
democracy, governance, and the economy.
  The goal of this program is to seek a better understanding between 
cultures and establish an avenue of dialogue between nations. LFP is an 
unprecedented opportunity to augment a constructive political and 
cultural discourse between the U.S. and the Middle East. And I am very 
proud that our association can be part of such a vital dialogue. We 
maintain this program and will be active again next year with Legacy 
International. Thank you.
  Ms. MORELLA. Thank you, Larry, for your leadership and your active 
involvement in this new and very great program.
  Ms. KENNELLY. Madam Chairwoman?
  Ms. MORELLA. Madam Speaker.
  Ms. KENNELLY. I would like to introduce for a moment the gentleman 
from Maryland, Steny Hoyer, one of our leaders in the Congress. We are 
very, very proud of Congressman Hoyer because he has taken an interest 
in the former Members, and he has taken the time today to come talk 
with us.
  Ms. MORELLA. And from the great State of Maryland, of course.
  Mr. HOYER. Well, I'm sorry I'm a little late. I always try to come by 
to say hello to former Members. One never knows when one is going to be 
a former Member. So in the expectation that that will be, at some point 
in time, where I will be, I want to make sure that the present Members 
understand how important the former Members were to creating the 
institution that we have and that we're all very proud of.
  I apologize for my voice. I have got an awful allergy that I'm 
fighting, but beyond that, I'm fine.
  I want to say to all of you, welcome. I know that a little earlier 
today, I was at a fundraiser--I know you understand those kinds of 
things--where we honored our colleague Gabby Giffords. Debbie Wasserman 
Schultz was here; is that correct, Connie?
  And I'm pleased to see Connie Morella here, my colleague from 
Maryland, and my very long-time friend who I met when she was about 2 
years of age, some 40 years ago, Beverly Byron from western Maryland 
who has remained so active. And we're very proud of them in Maryland. 
But we're proud of all of you as well. I'm glad to be your friend and 
your colleague, and I welcome you back and look forward to seeing you.
  George--where's George? George and I walked in together. I asked him 
what he was doing. And he had some billable hours walking up the steps. 
Good for you, George.
  But I want to say, Madam Speaker, how proud I was to have served with 
you. Barbara and I came in within months of one another in special 
elections. I think Barbara came in about 5 months after I did in 1981; 
and she served in a very distinguished way, as all of you did as well.
  I don't know whether Nancy came by or if John was here, but I know 
that they--oh, they weren't here, yet. Hope springs eternal. But I 
wanted to welcome you here and join you here.
  We have a caucus now that I will go down to. We are going to talk 
about repealing health care today on the floor of the House. I hope you 
are not holding your breath. But in any event, that will be the subject 
of our debate this week, I think.
  I want to say to all of you that I hope that you are trying to play a 
role in energizing the public to the understanding of how critical it 
is for us to meet the fiscal challenge that confronts this country. In 
my view, the

[[Page 10958]]

most important thing this Congress can do in the next 6 months is to 
take very substantive, effective action on behalf of getting our 
country on a fiscally sustainable, credible path. In my view, that's 
the single most stimulative thing we could do for the economy. It would 
give confidence to the world that America, in fact, will be the 
economic and national security anchor that it has been for all of our 
lifetimes, frankly. And that is threatened by this inability to come to 
grips with meeting the fiscal challenges that confront us.
  I tell people all over this country, Greece doesn't have the 
resources to solve its problems. It's going to need help from outside. 
America has the resources to solve our fiscal challenge. What we need 
is the political will and the courage to do so. And I would hope that 
you would take, as part of your responsibility, as someone who has 
worked in this institution--and frankly, many of you worked in it at a 
time when it was more possible to work together across the aisle in a 
constructive way to solve the problems that confront our country.
  I have three daughters, three grandchildren, and two great-
grandchildren. Some of you have more of all of those, I understand. But 
I'm very concerned about the world that we're going to leave them. My 
father's generation was called the Greatest Generation. Not only did 
they defeat the terrorists of their time, but they came home and built 
the greatest economy the world has ever seen.
  In my view, over the last decades, we have, unfortunately, not built 
on that legacy in a way that would have made them proud or that will 
make our children proud of us when we leave. So I'm hopeful that you 
will play a continuing role in trying to bring the country together and 
the Congress together.
  My view is--and I said this a little earlier this morning--that we 
probably won't get anything of real substance done before November 6. 
And none of us know what will happen on November 6. But between 
November 7 and December 31 or January 2, when sequestration takes 
place, we will see the biggest fiscal challenge this country has 
confronted in the 31 years that I have been in the Congress of the 
United States. The Bush tax cuts expire. The payroll tax cut expires. 
The unemployment insurance expires. The estate tax, dividend tax, the 
capital gains tax expire with the Bush tax cuts. The sustainable growth 
rate reimbursement for docs expires December 31. The AMT expires on the 
31st, and sequestration takes place on January 2. If we took no action, 
that would be a devastating blow to the economy, to the country, and to 
international confidence in America's ability to lead.
  So these are serious times, and I believe that all of you are 
continuing to be very significant leaders in our country with an 
experience that very few of us are given and, that is, service in this 
body. I would urge all of you to take it as your personal 
responsibility to try to help energize our people and our Members in 
acting responsibly, with courage and with will so that America can 
continue to be the kind of country that all of us believe it to be and 
want it to be.
  So thank you for what you have done--not to get us into this bad spot 
because most of you were not here when we really started going down 
this road pretty steeply. But you are uniquely capable, in my opinion, 
to help us confront this challenge, which we can confront because we 
have the resources, if we have the will.
  God bless you. Thank you very much.
  Ms. MORELLA. Thank you. Thank you, Steny, for your presence and for 
your serious and important message. We appreciate it very much.
  So, folks, not all of our programs focus exclusively on former 
Members. We have a number of projects that benefit from former Member 
leadership but involve primarily current Members and their peers 
overseas. We call these programs Congressional Study Groups; and our 
focus is on Germany, Turkey, Japan, and Europe as a whole.
  These programs are now under new management, so to speak, at the 
association because since our last report to Congress, we've been 
fortunate to secure the services of Sabine Schleidt, who is our 
director of international programs. She has brought remarkable 
expansion to our current Member portfolio and has implemented several 
new initiatives. We are, indeed, fortunate to have someone so capable 
oversee this effort.
  So to give you more background about these very exciting 
Congressional Study Groups, I invite another former Member of the 
association, Jack Buechner of Missouri, to the dais. Jack, would you 
give a report.
  Mr. BUECHNER. Thank you, Madam President.
  The Congressional Study Groups are, I think, an extraordinary 
extension of our former service to assist the current Members. I want 
to report on the work of the study groups on Germany, Turkey, Japan, 
and our newest study group, which is the Congressional Study Group on 
Europe. These bipartisan programs for current Members of Congress serve 
as invaluable tools for dialogue between lawmakers and serve as 
educational forums to create better understanding and cooperation 
between the United States and our most important strategic and economic 
partners.
  The Congressional Study Group on Germany is the association's 
flagship international program and is one of the largest and most 
active parliamentary exchange programs between the U.S. Congress and 
the legislative branch of any other country. Celebrating almost 30 
years of active programming, the study group offers German and American 
lawmakers the unique opportunity to candidly discuss the most pertinent 
issues of the day, including the pressing international challenges 
affecting both nations and two continents. The 2012 chairman and vice 
chairman of the Congressional Study Group on Germany in the House of 
Representatives are Representative Phil Gingrey, a Republican from 
Georgia, and Tim Ryan, a Democrat from Ohio. And in the Senate, Senator 
Jeff Sessions, a Republican from Alabama, serves as cochair. And his 
study group is in the process of finding a new Democratic cochair.
  The study group's programming consists of periodic roundtable 
discussions on Capitol Hill for Members of Congress featuring visiting 
dignitaries from Germany or U.S. Governmental officials. In addition, 
annual seminars are conducted abroad and at home, as well as study 
tours geared toward senior congressional staff.
  A few highlights for the Study Group on Germany's events on Capitol 
Hill during this year's programming include: a luncheon discussion with 
Gunter Krings, the vice chairman of the CDU/CSU; a breakfast featuring 
Ms. Emily Haber, deputy foreign minister of Germany; a breakfast with 
Philipp Missfelder, foreign affairs spokesman for the CDU/CSU; and a 
luncheon with Philip Rosler, the Vice Chancellor of Germany. The study 
group also hosted a working luncheon on cybersecurity and the fight 
against terrorism, joining senior Senate staff with a visiting 
delegation from the German Federal College of Security studies.
  The Congressional Study Group on Germany's main pillar of programming 
is the annual Congress-Bundestag seminar that alternates between the 
U.S. and Germany. These 5-day-long conferences present Members of 
Congress and their counterparts at the Bundestag with an opportunity to 
come together for a series of in-depth discussions focusing on issues 
affecting trans-Atlantic relations.
  In April 2012, the 29th annual seminar took place in Washington and 
Atlanta. Topics for discussion during those annual Congress-Bundestag 
seminars included the ongoing financial global downturn, specifically 
the development of the euro zone crisis, sustaining economic growth, 
relations between the European Union and the United States, foreign 
policy challenges, such as Iran, and energy security. And during this 
programming year, the study group also took two senior congressional 
staff tour delegations, each consisting of eight chiefs of staff, to 
Berlin and Brussels.
  Since its establishment, the Congressional Study Group on Germany has 
been receiving generous support from the German Marshall fund of the

[[Page 10959]]

United States. And the association would like to thank Craig Kennedy, 
the president of GMF, for his trust in our programming. To assist with 
administrative expenses, the association also receives additional 
funding from a group of organizations making up the study group's 
business advisory council.
  This group includes Airbus Americas, Allianz, BASF, Daimler, Deutsche 
Telekom, DHL Americas, Eli Lilly and Company, EMD Serono, Fresenius, 
Lufthansa, RGIT, and Volkswagen.
  Using the successful example of the Congressional Study Group on 
Germany as a model, the association established the Congressional Study 
Group on Turkey in 2005. Given Turkey's strategic role in the region 
and position as a gateway between East and West, the Study Group on 
Turkey is essential in forging communications networks between current 
Members of Congress and Turkish government officials to discuss such 
issues as the Middle East peace process, ongoing Arab Spring 
developments, energy security, and avenues of cooperation in the 
region. The Study Group on Turkey is active only in the House of 
Representatives and is, like the other study groups, led by a 
bipartisan group of current Members of Congress. Representative Gerald 
Connolly, Democrat of Virginia, and Representative Ed Whitfield, 
Republican of Kentucky, are the cochairs.
  Similar to the Congressional Study Group on Germany, the Study Group 
on Turkey hosts events for Members of Congress on Capitol Hill which 
are dedicated to U.S.-Turkey relations, an annual seminar at home or 
abroad, and events and study tours geared toward senior congressional 
staff. During the 2012 May recess, the study group brought six chiefs 
of staff to Turkey to learn about Turkish domestic policies and discuss 
the critical issues facing the U.S.-Turkey bilateral relationship.
  The Congressional Study Group on Turkey regularly has the pleasure to 
feature members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and members of 
the Turkish government, as well as U.S. government officials who come 
to its Capitol Hill events. The annual U.S.-Turkey seminar is a 
significant aspect of the study group programming for each year. The 
seminar brings U.S. and Turkish legislators together with policymakers 
and business representatives to examine important bilateral policies 
and transnational issues such as the ongoing developments in the 
region--terrorism and energy security just to name two.
  The seventh annual U.S.-Turkey seminar took place in Ankara, Patara, 
and Istanbul in October 2011. The eighth annual seminar will take place 
in Washington this fall. Topics of discussion for this year's seminar 
will focus on stability in the region, prospects for the global 
economy, and the growing U.S.-Turkey relations. I presume there will be 
some discussions about the Syrian-Turkish border, also.
  The Congressional Study Group on Turkey continues to receive generous 
funding from the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey, TEPAV, 
and the German Marshall Fund of the United States, as well as a group 
of organizations making up the study group's business advisory council. 
Currently, the business advisory council of the study group includes 
Eli Lilly and Company and the Turkish-American Business Council.
  The association also organizes and administers the Congressional 
Study Group on Japan. Founded in 1993, the Congressional Study Group on 
Japan brings together Members of the U.S. Congress and members of the 
Japanese Diet for a series of discussions covering issues of mutual 
concern. As with the other study groups, the Japan study group is 
chaired in a bipartisan fashion. In the House of Representatives, 
Congressman Jim McDermott, Democrat of Washington, and Congresswoman 
Shelley Moore Capito, Republican of West Virginia, serve as cochairs. 
In the Senate, Senators Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia, and Lisa 
Murkowski, Republican from Alaska, serve as cochairs.
  The Congressional Study Group on Japan has been funded since its 
inception by the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, and the association 
would like to extend a special thanks and welcome to Paige Cottingham-
Streater, the commission's new executive director.
  The Congressional Study Group on Japan has been also able to garner 
the support of the Japanese business community in the District of 
Columbia with the creation of the business advisory council. Members of 
the inaugural BAC include Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Japan Railways-
JR Central, Hitachi, Honda Motors, and Marubeni.
  Earlier this year, the association established the Congressional 
Study Group on Europe. This study group was formed as a vehicle to 
expand our outreach and have a broader transatlantic discussion, not 
with just Brussels but capitals throughout Europe. In just over 6 
months, the new study group has built the foundation for its 
programming and is delighted that Representative Charles Dent of 
Pennsylvania, Republican, and Ben Chandler, the Representative, 
Democrat from Kentucky, have agreed to serve as the cochairs. Together 
with those cochairs, the new study group has enrolled nearly 50 Members 
of Congress with a keen interest in the transatlantic community and 
partnership. In addition, the study group is working closely with 
European focus caucuses and embassies to provide Capitol Hill 
programming.
  Program highlights thus far include policy discussions at the 
residences of the Czech and Belgian ambassadors, a Member briefing by 
the German, French, and Spanish ambassadors on recent developments in 
the euro zone crisis, a luncheon with the former president of the 
European Parliament, a breakfast with the former Prime Minister of the 
Netherlands, and a luncheon with Dr. Ulrike Guerot, senior fellow of 
the European Council on Foreign Relations, on Franco-German relations.
  The association has also established a diplomatic advisory council, 
DAC, to enhance the dialogue with other Nations. Over a dozen 
ambassadors have joined the informal council because of their interest 
and commitment to the transatlantic dialogue, and many ambassadors have 
been active in our programming and policy discussions. The input and 
expertise of the local diplomatic community is a valued addition to the 
Congressional Study Groups. We are very proud that as former Members we 
can bring this invaluable service to current Members.
  I look forward to being an active part, and playing an active part, 
in our continued international outreach.
  Before I yield, I'd like to remind everybody that the Speaker's chair 
is being held by a birthday girl today. I'd like to ask every one of 
you to give a real polite round of applause for her 42nd birthday.
  Thank you.
  Ms. KENNELLY. Thank you, Jack, and Madam President, may I just for a 
moment interrupt. We have one of the finest leaders we have ever had in 
this body, Congressman Bob Michel. Would you just give us a wave.
  Ms. MORELLA. I was going to mention that we are so very proud of a 
guy who is our role model, not only while he was in Congress as the 
minority leader, but since then he has come to every one of our 
meetings. He's been very actively involved, and I don't know, I think 
he has probably set the record, Bob, for the number of years, but we 
are so honored to have you here with us today for the example you set 
and your continued involvement. Thank you very much.
  And, Jack, thanks. Your report demonstrates how very much involved we 
are in the critical issues of the day and how much we involve current 
Members of Congress in that sweep of international activities.
  Well, so far we've heard about international programs, many of which 
have a history of several decades, for instance, the Congress to Campus 
Program, and as we wrap up our report we want to highlight projects 
that we conceptualize to address specific issues of the day. So I'd 
like to invite Senator Larry Pressler of South Dakota to talk a little 
bit about a symposium on the economy which is going to take place later 
today, as well as our partnership with the National Archives. Senator 
Pressler, thank you for being with us.

[[Page 10960]]


  Mr. PRESSLER. Thank you very much, Madam Ambassador. I might say 
that, as we discussed earlier this morning, Harriet and I are sort of 
following you to Paris in that I have a 4-month teaching assignment 
there, which we're looking forward to very much, and I'm also going to 
try to suggest that they have the former Members program over there.
  In any event, in my script here it says, ``I understand we are under 
a bit of a time crunch, so I will keep my remarks brief.'' That must be 
a bit of hint.
  Later today, we will bring together former Members of Congress, issue 
experts, and university students for a 3-hour conference entitled, 
``The Future Job Market: How America Can Remain Competitive in a Global 
Economy.'' I am pleased to cochair this important undertaking with 
former Member Bob Clement of Tennessee. The goal of the conference is 
to discuss the future of American jobs, the role of education, 
immigration, and legislation in ensuring a globally competitive 
workforce. We feature two keynote speakers who will focus on how they 
and their organizations view the future of the American economy and the 
American worker, some of the main issues our Nation currently faces, 
propose solutions and decisions which have to be made today so that we 
are competitive one generation from now. And I understand C-SPAN is 
going to cover portions of this.
  After the keynote remarks, the audience will divide into several 
working groups composed of former Members, students, and experts. The 
conference will conclude with short reports from each of the groups. 
The issues we have identified for the working group discussions are the 
role of the community college system, workforce education, and job 
training; potential legislation and efforts at both the State and 
Federal levels; immigration and outsourcing; and America's current 
economic health and possible future economic trajectories. At the 
conclusion of the working group discussions, each group will report to 
the entire conference their findings and main discussion.
  Later on tonight, I am pleased to participate in a public panel 
discussion at the National Archives, where we will dive further into 
some of the questions that arose during the conference. This panel is 
one of a series of panels we have had the privilege to conduct at the 
Archives, and I thank the Archivist of the United States, David 
Ferriero, for this outstanding collaboration.
  Three times a year our association brings together former Members of 
Congress and other issue experts on some of the subjects that are 
featured on the front pages of our newspapers. We have talked about the 
current political climate. We have covered the role of race in America. 
We hosted a former Members panel that gave an insider's view to 
political campaigning, and we have focused on the 10-year anniversary 
of 9/11, to name just a few examples of our presentations. Clearly, 
these discussions are timely and important, and they're a great example 
of Democrats and Republicans disagreeing on some aspects, coming 
together on some aspects, but always treating each other with respect 
so that the dialogue is both civil and productive. We talked earlier 
about the Common Ground Project, and this is a wonderful way of 
implementing the concept of that program.
  I think this panel series, as well as the jobs conference, are 
terrific examples of how active a role our association can play in 
addressing current issues, helping bridge a generational gap, and 
involving the public as well as the next generation of leaders in such 
a vital discussion.
  I appreciate the opportunity to be involved in such important work. 
Thank you very much.
  Ms. MORELLA. Thank you very much, Senator Pressler. We look forward 
to participating in the panel and the Archives event this evening, too. 
The events you mentioned are good examples of how our association 
identifies current issues and plays a role in the political discourse 
that's so important in our form of government.
  Well, in addition to the programs you've heard about so far, we're 
also tasked with highlighting the achievements of former Members and 
providing former Members with opportunities to stay connected with 
other former Members after leaving Capitol Hill.
  One of our premiere events which achieves both these goals is the 
Annual Statesmanship Award Dinner. It should be stateswomanship, too, 
shouldn't it? We'll think about that in the future. In March of this 
year, we hosted our 15th dinner, and like the preceding 14, it was 
chaired by our good friend, Lou Frey of Florida. Lou can't be with us 
today, but he has asked that our colleague, Beverly Byron from the 
great State of Maryland, report on this year's event.
  Bev, of all 15 dinners, has been one of our most active dinner 
committee members, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank her 
for her tireless efforts on the phone and in many other ways in our 
behalf. So I yield the floor to Beverly Byron.
  Ms. BYRON. Thank you, Connie. First of all, let me say, I'm not Lou 
Frey, but we all owe Lou a great deal of gratitude for the enormous 
amount of work he has done year after year to make the statesmanship 
award dinner such a success that it is.
  On March 6, the dinner was the 15th annual one. Over 400 guests 
attended. For the dinner, they decided to make things up a little bit. 
In addition to our traditional Statesmanship Award, we created two 
additional award categories: the Civic Statesmanship Award and the 
Corporate Statesmanship Award. We wanted to take the occasion of the 
15th anniversary and present a Lifetime Achievement Award.
  The theme of the evening was ``A Salute to Service,'' and all four of 
our honorees very clearly fit into the category of an outstanding 
public servant. The focal point was the presentation of a statesmanship 
award which recognizes a former Member or a current Member of Congress 
for their devotion to public service. We were very pleased this year to 
recognize Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts as our statesmanship 
honoree for his outstanding political career and his service to the 
country.
  The Civic Statesmanship Award honored a person or nonprofit that has 
made a significant contribution to improving our society. The 2012 
recipient was the Tug McGraw Foundation. And for the Corporate 
Statesmanship Award, recognizing outstanding corporate citizenship, we 
chose David J. McIntyre, chief executive officer of TriWest Healthcare 
Alliance.
  And finally, we had a new award, a Lifetime Achievement Award, 
recognizing the service to the country by a former Member of Congress. 
We were extremely pleased to have the opportunity to recognize the 44th 
president, George Herbert Walker Bush, who accepted via a video.
  The evening is a lot of hard work. Don't let anybody tell you it 
isn't. Phone calls, et cetera. But it is a way to showcase the 
association and recognize outstanding public servants. Now, who helps 
to fund all the programs we've heard about today? The dinner is our 
financial lifeline. All the programs you've heard are self-financed by 
this association. Not a single taxpayer dollar is earmarked or 
appropriated for this organization and for the many projects we 
conduct. Therefore, a successful fundraising dinner translates into 
direct success for this association. Connie's looking at the budget and 
wants to make sure the dinner is a success. The evening is a lot of 
fun. It's also of great importance for our organization, and I hope 
that all of those former Members that are here today that haven't taken 
an active part in the past, when Lou calls, you will say, yes, I will 
take care of it.
  Let me add a quick moment of congratulations to Matt and Jack 
Buechner on the work that they do on the Congress to Campus Program, 
because it's one that is absolutely critical. And finalizing, let me 
say to the speaker that Jack Buechner blew your cover, and I didn't 
have to. Thank you.
  Ms. MORELLA. Thank you, Bev. Thank you for your report, your tireless 
efforts on behalf of the organization, not just the dinner committee 
but

[[Page 10961]]

also on the board and being an active participant in so many of our 
programs.
  Well, all of the programs we've described, of course, require both 
leadership and staff to implement. Our association is blessed to have 
top people in both categories. I want to take this opportunity to thank 
the board of directors--they are 30 former Members divided equally 
between parties--for their advice and counsel. You are the best.
  I also would be remiss if I didn't thank the other members of our 
association's executive committee: our vice president and birthday gal, 
Barbara Kennelly; our outgoing treasurer, Jim Kolbe; our past 
president, Dennis Hertel. You've all made this association a stronger 
and better organization than it's ever been, and I thank you for your 
time and energy and commitment, and I hope I can continue to count on 
your counsel and the counsel of all of the former Members who are here 
and those who couldn't be here.
  Well, to administer all of these programs you heard about this 
morning takes a staff of dedicated and enthusiastic professionals. I'm 
going to mention their names, but I want you to know that they're only 
like five paid employees that run this whole organization. Isn't that 
incredible when we think back on our congressional offices and the 
staff that we had? So they've got to be pretty remarkable people to do 
all of this. I will mention some of the names.
  Andrew Shoenig, who is our international programs officer, does such 
a terrific job implementing all the Capitol Hill events that you've 
heard about, and there are a lot of events here on the Hill.
  You've heard from and about Liz Ardagna, who is our member services 
manager. Takes exceptionally good care of our 600 association members 
and all their various requests, needs, and inquiries. Anytime I ask for 
something, I get an immediate response, and she follows through. Thank 
you, Liz, for all that you do.
  Esra Alemdar is our international programs manager, with particular 
focus on the wonderful Turkey program--which is so critically important 
at this time--that you heard about earlier.
  Sabine Schleidt is our international programs director. She oversees 
all the current Member programs, which are so impressive and so 
important, including our new Congressional Study Group on Europe.
  And Peter Weichlein is the CEO. He has spent 13 years with the 
association and 9 years in top position. Peter's been the one who has 
been--you know they've been sending you messages, now turn to page 
such-and-such and let's go to this because we changed this format. So 
there's a lot of scripting that takes place, not only in terms of 
papers but a lot of the background work, and it doesn't happen if you 
don't have leadership from the top. So I want to commend the staff and 
particularly Pete for the work that has been done.
  So in addition to a wonderful staff, we benefit very greatly from 
volunteers who give us their talents and their expertise pro bono. I 
want to mention one who is here today who has done a lot of work, Dava 
Guerin. She has taken on the role as our communications director. She 
tells our story, connects us with the media, all at a ridiculously low 
rate. Thank you, Dava. We really appreciate all that you do.
  Now, every year at our annual meeting we ask the membership to elect 
new officers and board members, and in the past, we've done so in a 
separate business meeting of the membership, but it occurred to us 
there is no better place to do it than here in the Chamber of the House 
of Representatives. So, therefore, I'm going to read to you the names 
of the candidates for officers and board members. They're all running 
unopposed, and I, therefore, ask for a simple ``aye'' or ``nay'' vote 
as I present to you the list of candidates as a slate.
  So, for the association's 2012 class of the board of directors, the 
candidates are:
  Beverly Byron of Maryland
  Jim Coyne of Pennsylvania
  Bill Delahunt of Massachusetts
  Phil English of Pennsylvania
  Barbara Kennelly of Connecticut
  Ken Kramer of Colorado
  Larry LaRocco of Idaho
  Connie Morella of Maryland
  Jim Slattery of Kansas
  So, ladies and gentlemen, all in favor of electing these nine former 
Members to a 3-year term on our board of directors, please say ``yea.'' 
All opposed? Hearing no opposition, the slate has been elected by the 
membership.
  And next we'll elect our executive committee. The candidates for a 2-
year term as president and vice president are--this is a little 
embarrassing--Connie Morella of Maryland for president, Barbara 
Kennelly of Connecticut for vice president. All in favor of electing 
these two former Members to a 2-year term on the executive committee, 
please say ``yea.'' All opposed? Hearing no opposition, the slate has 
been elected by the membership. Incidentally, I want you to know--I 
think this will be the first time in history we're going to have two 
gals at the helm, president and vice president. Thank you. It's a great 
honor.
  The candidates for a one-year term on our Executive Committee are:
  Jim Walsh of New York for Treasurer
  Bill Delahunt of Massachusetts for Secretary
  Dennis Hertel of Michigan for Past President Executive Member
  All in favor of electing these three former Members to a 1-year term 
on our executive committee, please say ``yea.'' All opposed? Hearing no 
opposition, the slate has been elected by the membership.
  Thank you.
  Now, for the very sad part of the meeting this morning. It's now my 
sad duty to inform the Congress of those former and current members who 
have passed away since our last report. I ask all of you, including any 
visitors in the gallery, to rise as I read the names, and at the end of 
the list we will pay our respect to their memory with a moment of 
silence. We honor these men and women for their service to our country. 
They are:

       James Abdnor of South Dakota
       Perkins Bass of New Hampshire
       Hugh Carey of New York
       Robert W. Daniel, Jr., of Virginia
       Edward Derwinski of Illinois
       Charles Gubser of California
       Katie Hall of Indiana
       Mark Hatfield of Oregon
       Bill Janklow of South Dakota
       Ed Jenkins of Georgia
       James ``Jim'' Lloyd of California
       Norm Lent of New York
       Richard Mallary of Vermont
       Matthew ``Marty'' Martinez of California
       Clarence E. Miller of Ohio
       Erwin Mitchell of Georgia
       Carlos Moorhead of California
       James M. Quigley of Pennsylvania
       Charles Whalen, Jr., of Ohio
       Howard Wolpe of Michigan
       Orvin B. Fjare of Montana
       Melton D. Hancock of Missouri
       Frank R. Mascara of Pennsylvania
       Donald Payne of New Jersey
       Charles H. Percy of Illinois
       Richard H. Poff of Virginia
       Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming
       William C. Wampler of Virginia

  Thank you. You may be seated.
  This concludes the 42nd report to Congress by the U.S. Association of 
Former Members of Congress. We want to thank the Congress, the Speaker, 
and the minority leader for giving us the opportunity to return to this 
revered Chamber and to report on our association's activities, and we 
look forward to another active and productive year. Thank you all for 
being here, and I will turn it over to the speaker, Madam Speaker.
  Ms. KENNELLY. The Chair, again, wishes to thank the former Members 
and the Members of the House and Senate who stepped in to see us.
  The Chair announces that 19 former Members of Congress responded to 
the call of the roll.
  Before terminating these proceedings, the Chair would like to invite 
those Members who did not respond when the rollcall was called to give 
their names to the Reading Clerk for inclusion in the roll.
  Thank you all for coming, and I think we're looking forward to a very 
exciting day.
  The meeting adjourned at 9:46 a.m.

[[Page 10962]]



                          ____________________