[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6090]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING FORMER CONGRESSMAN BOB MICHEL

  (Mrs. BUSTOS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. BUSTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about Bob Michel, a 
man who served central Illinois in this Chamber for close to 4 decades 
and who continues to be a longtime friend of my family's and a role 
model to so many.
  Congressman Michel was born and raised in Peoria, graduated from 
Bradley University, and was a decorated war hero in World War II. After 
coming home, Bob Michel became involved in public service and ended up 
serving 38 years in this House of Representatives, eventually rising to 
the House minority leader.
  I'm a Democrat and Congressman Michel happens to be a Republican. But 
I'm proud to say that he earned a reputation as someone who worked 
across the aisle, striving to find commonsense, bipartisan solutions to 
the issues of the day.
  Congressman Michel celebrated his 90th birthday last month, and he 
continues to be an inspiration for all who are more interested in 
working together to get results than trying to score cheap political 
shots.
  Central Illinois has a long tradition of public servants who made a 
career out of reaching across party lines. Former Republican Senator 
Everett Dirksen of Pekin, in my district also, played a key role in the 
passage of the 1964 civil rights bill, while former Republican 
Congressman Ray LaHood of Peoria has worked across the aisle to improve 
the Nation's roads, bridges, and rail lines as Secretary of 
Transportation under the Obama administration.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that all Members of this body will join me in 
pledging to work together to put the people we represent first, and I 
would like to wish Congressman Michel a happy 90th birthday.

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