Marcy Kaptur

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank you very much for yielding. Let me just say that I represent one of the solar centers of this country, one of the three top places that are inventing the future for our people. We need the help of the President of the United States. We don't need him to hold up renewable energy credits in this body or over in the Senate. Our people have seen the future, and they are building it. We don't need to have this administration produce an energy plan back in their first year that didn't even include agriculture, not even a mention of it, and renewables, and then defunded renewables for most of the years that they sat over there on Pennsylvania Avenue. We do need new leadership. We need a working majority in the Senate. And we need a greater working majority here and a President who will stand at the side of the American people.

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and also rise in support of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers measure related to including Vermont's Missisquoi and Trout Rivers for further assessment. Let me also say I think it's really sad that our GOP colleagues here are trying to divert attention from this bill and trying to change the subject to something that they have a pretty dismal record on. In fact, since the Bush administration took office, our country is now importing over 1 billion more barrels of oil a year, the price of gasoline has doubled, as every American knows, and oil company profits are through the roof. Exxon alone, Exxon alone last year, made $40.6 billion in profits, one company; BP, $20 billion; Shell, $31 billion in profits; Conoco, $15.5 billion; Chevron, $17.1 billion. That is a total, just of those companies, of $125.3 billion. They are loving every minute of this, friends. And the question for America is, do we want our people to be dependent on a diminishing global resource that becomes more precious every day, where blood for oil is now shed around the world? That is the real question. Are we going to grow up and live in the 21st century? It is a real choice. One of the fellows over there on the other side of the aisle said, well, we got enough votes in the House. We sure do. We passed a couple of bills and sent them over to the Senate, where they sit unpassed. For example, our bills for extension of our renewable energy credits for solar and for wind, they are sitting over in the Senate. Do you know why? There isn't a majority of Democratic votes over there. The Senate is divided. It is 49D-49R. Our Senators are sitting on their hands over there, half of them. I would say to the gentleman who says we have got enough votes here, go get your friends over there to put their blood on the line over on the other side for the American people. They are wasting an awful lot of time. I want to say too that the President has to sign these bills. Look what he did to the agriculture bill, one of the most important bills we have brought to this floor to try to create a new biofuels industry for this country, which rural America wanted and wants and is leading into an energy independent future for this country. What did the President of the United States do? He vetoed it. We had to override the veto here and in the other body. That is the kind of mess we have got here in Washington. Boy, do we ever need a working majority in the Senate. And we need a bigger working majority here in the House to do what the American people sent us here to do, and that is to help our children have a better future, to have an independent energy future for this country, and not to try to say that ``business as usual'' is the course of the hour. Oh, no. Our people expect us to play the piano on all keys. Where have you been for the last 8 years and where has the President of the United States been for the last 8 years?

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker. Today, I stand to recognize an outstanding American, soldier and gentleman Tadeusz (``Ted'') Nitkiewicz of Toledo, Ohio. In honoring Ted, though, please let us honor so many Polish soldiers and citizens who cherished the idea of freedom and valiantly fought for it during World War II. Polish citizens who eventually settled in America valued democratic principles, as when they assisted our nation in its Revolution and determinedly sought during their years of occupation to cast off the cloak of oppression. In recognizing Ted Nitkiewicz, we also recall all those young men and women from nations like Poland and Ukraine whose lives were changed forever as they found themselves caught between the grips of the Nazi and Soviet regimes. Poland became one of the fiercest battlegrounds of the deadliest and most gruesome fighting in World War II. In fact, Poland became a pawn in war between two tyrannical regimes, joined in a war friendship by the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and other eastern European countries would be invaded with their destiny switching from the East, then the West, then the East again. Ted, like so many of his Polish compatriots, first served in the Polish Army resisting the Soviet invasion. Eventually, the Soviets joined the Allied powers, at which point Ted then fought valiantly and earnestly, hopeful to secure a homeland for his Polish people that was not to come until a half century later. His life would be transformed forever by political conflicts beyond his control. Tadeusz Nitkiewicz was born in Wizna Province, Warszawa, Poland on January 6, 1919, to parents Franociszek and Anna. He studied hard to become a pharmacist. He loved this occupation. However, the peaceful and free existence he enjoyed came to abrupt halt when Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the West on September 1, 1939. Two weeks later, Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union invaded Poland from the East. Ted was taken prisoner and sent to a forced labor camp in Russia. He was one of 1.7 million Polish citizens that were forcibly deported by cattle wagon. They worked at back-breaking jobs in quarries, on collective farms, and in tree-felling forests. They toiled during cold winters with little food. Their only shelter was what they built themselves in the forests by cutting down trees. They had minimal medical care and little food. Constantly, the Soviet guards taunted the Polish slave laborers that this was their life forever and reminded them that Poland ceased to exist as a state. Out of the deported 1.7 million, less then one third or 500,000 people were known to survive. Ted recalls successfully escaping these inhumane conditions as a prisoner from the labor camps. The first time, the Russian civilians he encountered were afraid of retribution for taking in a prisoner of war (POW). At his second attempt, he and a fellow POW were taken in by a Cossack family, until they could no longer provide enough food for the escapees and their own family. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Winston Churchill persuaded Stalin to release the Polish prisoners to organize and fight against the Nazis. In March and August of 1942, 115,000 soldiers and civilians were evacuated from the Soviet Union to the Middle East, crossing the Caspian Sea. Because they were already in poor health because of the inhumane conditions as POWs, many died in Persia. The remaining soldiers established the Polish Army, 2nd Corps with two infantry divisions: ``Kresowa'' and ``Karpacka''. One was an armored brigade. The other army artillery group was organized in Iraq and Palestine. Under General W. Anders' command, these 47,000 soldiers became the largest Polish army formation on foreign territory during the Second World War. Warmly received by the British and American armies, they fought for their country under British command. Ted joined the Polish forces, in the USSR, on May 28, 1942. After crossing the Russo-Persian border with his unit, he came under the British command in the Middle East on August 15, 1942. The Polish Army was motivated by the promise and hope of fighting with the Allies to take back their country. The 2nd Corps was attached to the British Army and for a short time provided security in Iraq to guard the oil fields from attack by the Germans. They eventually were sent to Italy in 1944 engaged in an Allied Offensive against German forces commanded by Marshall Kesselring. They fought with the famous British 8th Army and the USA 5th. Ted took part in the Italian campaign January 18, 1944 until May 2, 1945. While he was in Italy, Ted married his wife Mary, who he met in the labor camps in Russia. She also served in the Army, in transportation, as a truck driver. The mountainous country on the Allied road of advance was extremely difficult, perfect for the German defense. The Polish Army under the command of General W. Anders made the final assault in front of the strong German fortified line, called the Gustav Line with its key point--Monte Cassino. In the battle of Monte Cassino, the Allied forces suffered heavy casualties. They continued fighting in Italy along the Adriatic Coast liberating many cities until the end of the war in 1945. Ted was awarded the Bronze Cross of Merit with Swords, Army Medal, and Cross of Monte Cassino from Poland for his bravery, valor and service. Britain also recognized his courageous acts by awarding him the 1939-45 Star, Italy Star and Defense Medal. Ted served with the Polish Resettlement Corps in England until February 16, 1949. For Ted Nitkiewicz and the other Polish soldiers, victory was bittersweet. First, during the sixteen month campaign in Italy, the 2nd Polish Corps lost 809 officers. Another 10,570 of other ranks were killed or wounded in action. Second, because the Allies gave control of most of Poland to Stalin's Soviet Union, officially confirmed at Yalta, Poland, the country they remembered, did not exist. In effect, these Polish survivors became homeless. As a result, they scattered across the world, mostly settling in the USA and Britain. Early in 1950, Ted Nitkiewicz immigrated to the United States and moved in with an uncle in Toledo, Ohio. There was little work available at that time, but he eventually landed a job in Textile Leather factory. He made enough money to pay his rent, buy some food and still had a little left over. For all of these opportunities, he felt grateful. He became a U.S. Citizen in the 1950s. When asked how he was able to survive the terrible ordeal, Ted responded, ``someone was praying for me and God answered their prayer.'' Originally, this story was recorded in part for the Library of Congress Veteran's History project. Because Ted was not a U.S. veteran, but a veteran of the Allies, his story cannot be accepted by the Library of Congress, as yet. However, Joseph Walter, the local Toledo archivist for the project and the University of Toledo, has graciously accepted his story as part of our local history. The valiant accomplishment of Ted Nitkiewicz and his compatriots should not be lost but should be recorded as freedom's legacy. Three million Polish Christians died in the death camps alone should never be forgotten. The Poles suffered greatly at the hands of the Nazi and Soviet oppressors. We commemorate their noble struggle. We honor those who made the final sacrifice, in hopes that those who followed could live in a peaceful, democratic world. On September 1, 2008, we mark the 69th anniversary of the invasion by Nazi Germany of an independent Poland that commences the Second World War. Let us not forget our brave Allied soldiers and citizens who made our Western world safe from the tyranny of Fascism and Communism to inspire our nation to its highest ideals. May their eternal memory shine down onto our world and inspire us to work toward an everlasting peace and freedom.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to Stephanie's colleague from the State of Ohio, Congressman Zack Space.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the Ways and Means Committee from New York City, our beloved colleague, Charles Rangel. (Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR. Thank you, Congressman Regula, and I want to thank all of our colleagues who have participated this evening. I can guarantee you that every word that is on the Record will come to comfort Mervyn and the Tubbs Jones family, their church family, her sisterhood, all the people of Cleveland, all the people who have known Stephanie across our Nation. I want to thank our colleagues for their generosity and for their good hearts. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that the Ohio delegation stands beside those from the Congressional Black Caucus, who will have the second hour this evening in remembrance of Stephanie Tubbs Jones. We thank them very much for doing this. I know how very much their words will mean not just today but in future years to those who love Stephanie always.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, in concluding this first hour this evening in honor of our dear colleague Stephanie Tubbs Jones, let me just say that Stephanie Tubbs Jones was a true mother of this Republic. Let the record show that. Let the record comfort her son in years hence. And I want to say to our dear, dear friend and colleague Congressman Regula, whose district sort of held Stephanie's up on the southern side, I want to thank him so very much, the dean of the Republican side of the aisle, for being here throughout this evening and through the wonderful participation of her colleagues of various persuasions here on the floor. The friendships went beyond party, and I thank the gentleman for his participation.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to place in the Record the names of the very able staff of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. This staff has endured great sadness, and they have tried to carry on with their leader being in spiritual guidance but not there personally. And I would like to thank, from her district office, Betty Pinkney, her district director; Beverly Charles, her senior liaison; Theresa Lang Coaxum, her health liaison; Sharon Cole, business liaison; Saulette Reed, her office manager. And here in Washington, Kimberley Alton, her legislative director; Lalla King Green, her scheduler; Eric Hammond, her staff assistant; Aaron Wasserman, her legislative correspondent; Darrell Doss, her tax counsel; Athena Abdullah, her health counsel; Nicole Y. Williams, her communications director; and Patrice Willoughby, dear Patrice, her chief of staff and counsel, who has tried to stand in Stephanie's place during these very difficult days. And, finally, from the Committee on Standards, Dawn Kelly Mobley, the counsel to the chairwoman. These are wonderful, wonderful staff people who have Stephanie's heart, and we want to do everything we can to help them through this very difficult time. And we thank them for their service to Stephanie and serving the people of the 11th District and the people of our country. Also, Mr. Speaker, I would like to place in the Record before I call on our final speaker this story: There were many tributes paid to Stephanie at the service in Cleveland. One of the most moving speakers, the friends of Stephanie, heard Saturday from no politician or preacher but from a young 16 year old named Tiffany, a member of an all girls health careers class at Cleveland Martin Luther King Junior High School that Stephanie took under her wing 2 years ago. Tiffany recalled Jones telling the girls ``This is the future. You are the future.'' And the Congresswoman took time from her political and legislative schedule to visit the class and take them places. She took them to church one Sunday, but Tiffany had to work that day. So Stephanie dropped by to the workplace with Tiffany's classmates in tow. Stephanie kept her eye on every one of them. ``We're family,'' Tiffany told her classmates, who stood in a show of unity with their peer. She said, ``We've got to stick together. We have got to carry on in her legacy. She was steward, protector, and advocate to us. I will miss her as a friend.'' Stephanie had friends of all ages. We thank her for her leadership and for the seeds that she planted in the new growth forest that is growing in Cleveland and growing across this country to which she devoted her life. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call as our final speaker in this bereavement resolution Stephanie's very good friend from the State of Missouri, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver.

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman for his remarks and presence this evening. I would like to yield 2 minutes now to one of Stephanie's sisters here from the State of Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee. (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. KAPTUR. I would now like to yield time to the distinguished Congressman from North Dakota, Congressman Earl Pomeroy, a friend of Stephanie's for many years.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield 2 minutes to the Representative from California who was a close colleague of Stephanie's, Congresswoman Susan Davis.

Ms. KAPTUR. Thank you very much. I would like then to yield 2 minutes to our fine colleague from the State of California, who was such a close associate and friend of Stephanie's, Congresswoman Lois Capps.

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman very much. Mr. Speaker, would you please tell me how much time we have remaining then?

Ms. KAPTUR. Would the gentleman be kind enough to yield us any remaining time he might have so we can complete the speakers on our side.

Ms. KAPTUR. Does the gentleman yield?

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlelady from Chicago, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who was a real soul sister to Stephanie.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to yield a minute and a half to Stephanie's distinguished colleague from Ohio, our dear friend, Congressman Charles Wilson.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call on the distinguished Member from Cleveland, the colleague of Congresswoman Jones, Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, it is with a profound sense of sadness, as well as a deep sense of privilege that I rise this evening to commemorate and to celebrate the life of our friend, colleague, and sister, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio's 11th District. This evening, we do this with the deepest gratitude for her life, and on behalf of our entire Ohio delegation, the people of our State, her home city of Cleveland, and citizens far and wide, who were blessed to know and walk, work, worship and smile along with Stephanie. On the day of her funeral, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, or actually it was the day after, the Sunday Plain Dealer, had a very large photo of the memorial service held in Cleveland, Ohio. And the headline read, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, 1949 to 2008: Tears flow, laughter rolls during memorial service. And the paper goes on to recount so many beautiful, beautiful remarks and remembrances that people across this country attributed to her life. We will be placing this in the Congressional Record, as well as I would like to read from my home paper, the Toledo Blade, way on the other side of the State from where Stephanie represented. It stated, a leader passes, the loss of her fighting spirit will be keenly felt, deeply mourned and difficult to replace. I think particularly this evening of her son, Mervyn. We wish him comfort, and we wish him her strength as he mourns her passing. We all know that when one met Stephanie, you knew you had met strength. You knew you had met someone who endured struggle. She had a keen intelligence, a high-minded idealism, and wow, her charisma just overflowed. The other day I was in my district and I met a man from Cleveland who had gone to school with Stephanie. And I said, tell me, was Stephanie always that enthusiastic? He said, ``Marcy, I went to law school with her. She never changed.'' And from the time she was in her late teens and early 20s to her service here, she had the same boundless energy, drive and positive spirit. She was a devoted wife, a beloved mother, a sister to us all, and an elected leader, in that order. And she relished all of her life's roles. Her drive and energy were genuine, and they were infectious. And she carved a nobler path for America with her election as the first African American woman from Ohio to serve in the U.S. Congress. We Ohioans were very proud of her. I know that I, like my colleagues, have so many vivid lasting memories of Stephanie. Upon her first swearing in, I still recall a little table in a reception hall here where I was able to present her with a single red rose as she was sitting next to her predecessor, Congressman Louis Stokes, and how she poignantly responded. She knew the steepness of the climb. I recall my efforts to comfort her on the loss of her husband, and she immediately reciprocated as she shared with me, over my Blackberry, a favorite poem from which she drew succor. Imagine how many memories each of us has, how many thousands of lives she touched, representing a district and State that tested her talents, her spirit, and her conscience daily. She served people well beyond her district, logging thousands of miles in freedom's cause. I don't think I saw Stephanie too many times without that little valise in the back room here. She was always going somewhere. She held a hard job, and she put her entire being into it. She literally gave herself to us. And in her memory, we should dedicate ourselves to her unfinished work. One can imagine how few women have ever served in the Congress from our State. To those afforded the privilege, there is a priceless bond that links our spirits and provides support. Stephanie was such a valued sister. Though her years with us were far too short, her impact endures well beyond the years. She made history. She spoke her conscience, and she reveled in every step of the journey. Thanks be to God, she did not suffer in the end. The Lord spared her that, perhaps as, through her life, she had endured too much personal sadness and loss that would have broken lesser spirits. In loss, Stephanie's strength strengthens us. Her enduring personal legacy of character and endurance, beyond her milestone achievements, remain the portrait of her life. Our delegation is especially honored to fittingly commemorate her life and achievements here this evening. [From the Sunday Plain Dealer, Aug. 31, 2008] Stephanie Tubbs Jones, 1949-2008: Tears Flow, Laughter Rolls During Memorial Service (By Tony Brown) It was a moment that surely would have earned one of the wide, knowing smiles remembered so well by all the friends of Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, the man Tubbs Jones used to call her ``white son,'' and fellow Congressman Kendrick Meek of Florida, whom she nicknamed her ``black son,'' had just finished moving tributes to their congressional ``mom.'' That's when Mervyn Jones II, her real son, slipped out of his front-row seat to join his ``brothers'' in an intimate, tearful embrace in front of thousands gathered to bid farewell to the first black woman elected to Congress from Ohio. The three remained locked in each other's arms well into remarks made by former Rep. Louis Stokes, the man whose seat Tubbs Jones inherited in 1989. After the men returned to their places, Sen. Barack Obama-- the son of a black father and a white mother who grew up to become the first black presidential nominee of a major U.S. political party--turned in his chair to console a still- sobbing Meek. In that moment, amid the grieving and the laughter and the consolation and the stories and the campaign rhetoric of the celebration of a life well-lived, everyone under the vaulted ceiling of Public Hall--all friends of Tubbs Jones--shared in that group hug. It was a hug that encircled the woman whose body lay in a flag-draped casket that rested on a square of red carpet in front of the stage: Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who died of a burst brain aneurysm on Aug. 20 at the age of 58. Friend was a word heard over and over as the nation's most powerful Democratic leaders, fresh from Obama's nomination in Denver, joined religious leaders and Tubbs Jones' beloved constituents, family and sorority sisters in testifying to the immensity of Tubbs Jones' spirit. Former President Bill Clinton, not scheduled to speak but unable to help himself, called his relationship with Tubbs Jones ``16 years of astonishing friendship.'' So astonishing that Tubbs Jones continued to support a failing presidential bid by his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, well after many of the congresswoman's constituents had voted for Obama. ``She was not a fair-weather friend,'' Hillary Clinton told the crowd. ``I certainly know what that means. Now, her friendship was not uncritical. When she was your friend, she felt it her responsibility to inform you of all the matters that needed improvement.'' Obama, Clinton's opponent for the party's presidential nomination, also counted himself among Tubbs Jones' buddies. ``I am here today to pay tribute to an extraordinary American and a devoted public servant, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a wife and a dear friend to so many here in Cleveland, so many in Ohio and so many across America. ``And during the most recent contest, Stephanie and I were on different sides, and we would see each other, she would say to me, ``This is what it means to be a friend for me.' All I could say is, `I understand.' '' There were more words of praise and prayer from elected officials, some quoting Shakespeare and Scripture, during the three-hour-and-47-minute marathon of tributes. Speakers included Sen. Sherrod Brown, Mayor Frank Jackson, Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick of Michigan and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. And they told plenty of funny and poignant stories. Perhaps the funniest and most poignant was recounted by Bill Clinton, who recalled accompanying Tubbs Jones to Puerto Rico on a primary campaign visit for his wife. ``Now, how Stephanie became a native Puerto Rican in 15 minutes, I'll never know,'' Clinton said, warming to his subject. They went into a shop, Clinton said, where Tubbs Jones admired a piece of locally made jewelry. Clinton bought it surreptitiously and presented it to her. ``She looked at me and laughed and she said, `You know, I really like this,' she says. `It's not often a man'll give a woman a piece of jewelry and not want anything for it.' I totally lost it.'' So did Clinton's audience. As the laughter died down, the former president moved in for the kicker. ``I looked at her and said, `Stephanie, you have given me and our family more, you have given your people and this country more than you will ever know.' '' In addition to the eloquent politicians who were gathered, there were plenty of just plain friends who laughed and wept and patted each other on the back to the rhythm of hymns like ``Amazing Grace'' and ``Canaan's Happy Shore.'' Some of the late arrivals almost didn't make it into the funeral. At 11:30 a.m., about 30 minutes after the service began, Secret Service officers blocked the entrance. ``The event is closed,'' one told approaching visitors. Within minutes, the number lingering at the entrance grew to more than a dozen. They spoke in shared disbelief. ``Stephanie would not want this,'' one woman said angrily. Someone in charge agreed. Within minutes, the officers stepped aside. Newcomers flowed into the cavernous auditorium until well past noon. One of the most moving speakers the Friends of Stephanie heard Saturday was no politician or preacher. She was a 16-year-old named Tiffany Robertson, a member of an all-girls health careers class at Cleveland's Martin Luther King Jr. High School that Tubbs Jones took under her wing two years ago. `` `This is the future,' '' Tiffany recalled Jones telling the girls. The congresswoman took time from her political and legislative schedule to visit the class and take them places. She took them to church one Sunday, but Tiffany had to work. So Jones dropped by the workplace with Tiffany's classmates in tow. ``We're family,'' Tiffany told her classmates, who stood in a show of unity with their peer. ``We got to stick together. We got to carry on her legacy. She was steward, protector and advocate to us. ``I will miss her as a friend.'' ``There's a famous song a few years back . . . and the refrain of the song says, `If you have a choice, to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.' And we all know that Stephanie didn't sit it out, she danced.''--Tim Ryan, U.S. Representative from Ohio. ``Stephanie was the kind of political leader who needed hours to go grocery shopping because everyone she saw wanted a moment of her time, and she willingly gave it. Because if you met Stephanie, she was your friend.''--Ted Strickland, Ohio Governor. ``Oftentimes, late at night, on the campaign trail, whether the news had been good or bad, she would have a look in her eye. Sometimes she would grab my hand, and she would say, `Oh, I miss my husband, I wish he were here.' Well, they are together now.''--Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator. ``That's not the air show. The rumbling you hear is the rearrangement of chairs in heaven.''--Dennis Eckart, Former Representative standing outside Public Hall as a jet roared by. ``I considered her my congresswoman as well. We talked all the time about statewide issues.''--Michael Coleman, Columbus Mayor. ``Whenever Stephanie came in contact with young people, she inspired them, she taught them, she mentored them, she stayed in touch with them. Her legacy is in their legacy.''--Sherrod Brown, U.S. Senator from Ohio. ``Whenever we talked on the phone, she would say, `Congresswoman, I love ya.' And I'd say: `I love you, too.' She was a great congressman. She was a good friend. Thanks, Stephanie, I love ya.''--Louis Stokes, former U.S. Representative from Ohio. ``For Stephanie, it wasn't enough to rise up from modest circumstances and break so many barriers herself. She had to reach back and pull others through the doors she opened.''-- Barack Obama, Democratic presidential nominee. ``I want to let you know, Cleveland, that you were represented by one of the best . . .Ladies and gentlemen, she lived a life that was worth living.''--Kendrick Meek, U.S. Representative from South Carolina. ``I'll always know her as Aunt Stephanie. She had a big smile.''--Erin Norton, 24, of Cleveland, whose uncle lived next to Tubbs Jones. ``All the good things she started, it's like she's still living.''--Schuvar Murray, 37, of Cleveland.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening in order to consider the bereavement resolution in memory of our beloved colleague.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek). And your mother certainly had a man child too. And we love Carrie Meek, Congresswoman Meek. I miss her very much, and she must be very, very proud of you. I am certain of that. We have shared so many memories this evening, and there are very serious ones that I will end with. But I have to say that I can still see Stephanie sitting in the Speaker's chair in the reddest of red suits, and she just beamed. And she loved that chair, and she loved that gavel, and she used it. You could hear it ring against the walls when she would hit that gavel down. And I did not know that she was not the only member of a sisterhood that wore those red dresses. It wasn't until her service in Cleveland that I saw an entire street from side to side covered with women in red dresses. Stephanie had many acquaintances and many friends. And I know that those red outfits gave her strength, and it certainly brightened this Chamber. I remember her scarves with the fringes. I don't know where Stephanie got all those, but they certainly added a flourish here, and they helped to cheer us up and to add to the full smile, ear to ear, that greeted every person that she ever met. Now, some of us knew about her cheers. There were many cheers, sports cheers, political cheers, Democratic cheers. She had a chant and a rhyme and a rhythm about her, and she had a presence, and she took those cheers forward. I know one of those cheers, one of the more recent ones with a rhyme was H-I-L-L-A-R-Y. I know that that was one of the latest cheers. She had a great devotion to youth, to the younger women who are serving in this Chamber, three of whom we just heard from, Congresswoman Richardson, Congresswoman Edwards, and Congresswoman Clarke. And it almost seems somewhat providential that as we lost three women from the Congressional Black Caucus, we have three younger women on the floor tonight. That says something right there. And I have no doubt Stephanie is watching over making sure that the numbers even get better. I think that her path breaking efforts in so many ways put her in the footsteps of Sojourner Truth; particularly, I am woman, I can do anything. I am woman, I can do anything. I know Stephanie believed that to her very core. Her zest for life and her indomitable spirit surround us, surround her son, surround her sister, surround all of her friends, her church friends in Ohio, all of those who came to know her, appreciate her. And I know that Congressman Louis Stokes, her predecessor, feels this loss particularly deeply. And I recall with great affection his service here. And as the years go on, it is amazing the events that we witness and that we endure. And in Stephanie's memory, I want to thank Congressman Meek for holding this special hour on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus and allowing me to add a few words to the eloquence that has been spoken this evening in memory of our beloved friend. And I yield back the time you have kindly given me.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman. And as I paid my respects at the wake the day before the service, I was reminded I had been in that church twice before to pay tribute to Stephanie's father who died during her tenure here, and then her husband who also died. And it was almost hard to walk into that church for the third time, and my respect for her grew even more for the strength that she showed to all of us despite these enormous personal losses that she had borne. Mr. Speaker, in concluding, let me just say that from 1 Peter 4:10- 11, this is what the prayer card said at her funeral service: Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. And at the base of the card is Stephanie's signature with the words, ``I hope I made you proud.'' Mr. Speaker, may I ask now for the membership to rise and pay tribute to the life of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I seek to be recognized in order to officially for the first time on the Record place the passing from this life of our beloved colleague, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio's 11th District. I would like to announce to my colleagues that after votes this evening, we will manage a special bereavement resolution. Many Members, I know, will want to pay tribute to Stephanie's beautiful life. We as Ohioans, as Buckeyes, share her son Mervyn's profound sense of loss; but also I know we share an equal gratitude for the manner in which she lived her life and what she contributed, not just to her family or her church family or her staff, but to our country and indeed to our world. When Stephanie hugged many of us before we left in August, I can tell you I certainly didn't think I would be down here this evening. Any Member who wishes to honor her life can do so after the votes are cast this evening. Let me just mention to my colleagues that we knew Stephanie here as Chair of the Ethics Committee and as the first African American woman to serve on the Ways and Means Committee. But her path was not an easy one. Coming from East Cleveland, she was a gregarious leader who blazed many trails. She was one of the few women who have ever served in the Ohio delegation, and the first African American woman ever to be elected to the Congress of the United States from the State of Ohio. She was the first black woman to become a judge of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, as well as the county's first African American prosecutor. She gave so much to so many. I always seemed to catch Stephanie running through the airport with her suitcase, traveling somewhere, with that boundless energy and that constant smile; and we will pay tribute more fully to her later this evening. To her son, Mervyn, who I would expect is listening this evening, we all know that your mother's strength will hold you now in a very profound way; and we extend our deepest sympathy to you. We know that in the years ahead you will come to appreciate even more what her life has meant to our country. Mr. Speaker, I think my dear colleague, Mr. Boehner, the minority leader, has remarks at this time. I will be happy to yield you time.