Stephen Lynch

Mr. LYNCH

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2092) to amend the National Children's Island Act of 1995 to expand allowable uses for Kingman and Heritage Islands by the District of Columbia, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. LYNCH

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I again urge my colleagues to join with me, Mr. Chaffetz, and the lead sponsor of this resolution, Mr. Michaud of Maine, in honoring Clyde Hichborn through the passage of H.R. 2174. I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, at this point, I would like to yield 5 minutes to the lead sponsor of this bill, Mr. Mike Michaud of Maine who is also, as we have seen earlier today, a very powerful and able member of our Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Mr. LYNCH. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present H.R. 2174 for consideration. This measure will designate the United States Postal Service facility located at 18 Main Street in Howland, Maine, as the ``Clyde Hichborn Post Office''. Introduced by my friend and colleague, Representative Michael Michaud of Maine, on April 29, 2009, and reported out of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee on May 6, 2009, by unanimous consent, H.R. 2174 enjoys the support of the entire Maine House delegation. Born on August 29, 1920, Clyde Hichborn dedicated over 60 years of his life to public service. A distinguished veteran of the United States Army, Mr. Hichborn served during World War II, including a 2- year tour in the European theater as captain in the Adjutant General Corps. Additionally, after receiving his bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree in school administration, Mr. Hichborn served his local community in the town of Howland as a long-time superintendent of schools. Notably, the Hichborn Middle School in Howland was named in his honor for his admirable service in the field of education. Mr. Hichborn's dedication to his local community also included service as a town selectman, a town manager, and subsequently, a State legislator. Specifically, Mr. Hichborn's tenure in the Maine State Legislature included eight terms in the Maine House of Representatives, one term in the Maine State Senate, and service on the joint standing committees on education, transportation, appropriations, economic development, and State and local government. Mr. Hichborn's legislative efforts in the Maine State House reflected his prior experience as an educator and town official. Mr. Hichborn focused his attention on school funding and improvements as well as enhancing the local business environment. In addition to his distinguished career in public service, Mr. Hichborn is also fondly remembered for his love of adventure and his willingness to confront any challenge. In 1980, Mr. Hichborn embarked on a 7-hour climb to the top of Mt. Katahdin, the highest peak in the State of Maine, on his 80th birthday. Regrettably, Mr. Hichborn passed away on March 31, 2005, at the age of 94. Mr. Speaker, let us honor this outstanding public servant through the passage of this bill, which designates the Howland Post Office in honor of Clyde Hichborn. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2174. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2174) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 18 Main Street in Howland, Maine, as the ``Clyde Hichborn Post Office''.

Mr. LYNCH

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague's support of this bill and authorship and thank him for his energy on behalf of this measure. The object of H.R. 3547, as my friend has indicated, will dedicate the United States Postal Service facility in Provo, Utah, to the life and legacy of Mr. Rex Lee. Mr. Lee dedicated his entire life to serving others, as my friend has noted. In 1972 he left a very promising legal career as a partner at the prestigious Arizona law firm of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon to become the founding dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. It's no exaggeration to say that Mr. Lee's hard work as the law school's first dean really and truly put it on a track to become one of today's top American law schools. After a successful tenure at the J. Reuben Clark Law School, Mr. Lee entered the field of public service, began his career as an assistant Attorney General in charge of the civil division of the United States Department of Justice from 1975 to 1976, and then went on to serve as Solicitor General for the United States from 1981 to 1985. As Solicitor General, Mr. Lee was able to focus his attention on his favorite legal practice area: litigation. And he argued several cases before the United States Supreme Court. During his time as America's Solicitor General, Mr. Lee developed a distinct and enduring reputation as a man of principle. In fact, he was so passionate that up until the time of his death Mr. Lee was still in the midst of preparation for arguing another case before the Supreme Court. After resigning from his position as Solicitor General, Mr. Lee returned to Brigham Young University in 1986; and shortly thereafter, he was regrettably diagnosed with cancer. Following a year of medical treatment and therapy, Mr. Lee recovered for a time and was named president of BYU. He served the Brigham Young University community with distinction from July 1, 1989, through December 31, 1995, leaving the position 2\1/2\ months before he passed away on March 11, 1996. Although Mr. Lee is no longer with us, his memory lives on through his wife, Janet, his seven children, 10 grandchildren, and all of those who were fortunate enough to know him. As my friend, Mr. Chaffetz from Utah, has noted, Mr. Lee earned the great respect of quite a few people at the United States Supreme Court, and those quotes have been included. In closing, I wholeheartedly support this measure, and I urge all of my colleagues to join with Mr. Chaffetz, the gentleman from Utah, and myself in favor of voting for H.R. 3547. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, in closing I encourage all of my friends on both sides of the aisle to join with Mr. Chaffetz, the gentleman from Utah, and myself in honoring the life of Rex Lee by voting in favor of H.R. 3547. I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the United States Postal Service, I am proud to present H.R. 3547 for consideration. This legislation designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 936 South 250 East Street in Provo, Utah, as the ``Rex E. Lee Post Office Building.'' The measure before us was introduced on September 10 by my friend and colleague, Ranking Member Jason Chaffetz of Utah, and it was favorably reported out of the Oversight Committee on September 24, 2009, by unanimous consent. In addition, this measure enjoys the full support of the Utah House delegation. Since it is the legislation sponsored by my friend, I will allow him to fill in the details. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LYNCH

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. On behalf of the Oversight Committee, I now present House Resolution 734 for consideration. This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideals embodied in Constitution Day. House Resolution 734 was introduced on September 10, 2009, by my colleague, Representative Robert Latta of Ohio, and favorably reported out of the Oversight Committee on September 24, 2009. In addition, this resolution enjoys the support of over 60 Members of Congress. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 734 expresses our support for Constitution Day, which is routinely celebrated on September 17. Eleven years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, 55 delegates from the first American States came together in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to create a Constitution for a Federal Republic. After much hard work and careful deliberation, the Constitution of the United States was signed on September 17, 1787, by 39 delegates from 12 States. As the supreme law of the United States, the Constitution provides the basic structure for the organization of the American Government. It is no exaggeration to say that the United States Constitution is one of the most important documents in history, often referred to as a living document. This framework from our representative and democratic system of government has served the American people for over 200 years, making it the oldest Federal Constitution still in use in the world. With its separation of powers, its checks and balances and preservation of rights, the Constitution is a worthy example to burgeoning democracies everywhere. Furthermore, the values and principles it enshrines continue to be central to our Nation's identity. I am sure my colleagues share my pride in serving, protecting and defending the United States Constitution, and I am pleased that we are taking the opportunity today to honor this most treasured document of our democracy. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting House Resolution 734. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their remarks and support of this resolution. I urge them to support Mr. Latta and his lead sponsorship of this resolution in support of the goals and ideals of Constitution Day, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting House Resolution 734. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers at this time, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 734) expressing the support for and honoring September 17, 2009 as ``Constitution Day,'' as amended.

Mr. LYNCH

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I will simply urge my colleagues to support this measure offered and sponsored by Mrs. Biggert of Illinois and also Mr. Kanjorski of Pennsylvania. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LYNCH. I now yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to present House Resolution 16 for consideration. This resolution expresses our support for the goals and ideals of National Life Insurance Awareness Month. House Resolution 16 was introduced on January 6, 2009, by my colleague, Representative Judy Biggert of Illinois, and favorably reported out of the Oversight Committee on September 24 by unanimous consent. In addition, this legislation enjoys the bipartisan support of over 50 Members of Congress. Mr. Speaker, the life insurance industry estimates that approximately 68 million Americans lack sufficient life insurance coverage to safeguard the financial security of their families. Accordingly, House Resolution 16 seeks to increase the awareness regarding the importance of life insurance products to the financial security of American families by supporting the goals and ideals of National Life Insurance Awareness Month. While preparing for the inevitable may be a difficult task, it is a task that we should all take time to complete. Life insurance products are intended to better insure the financial security and stability of our loved ones by allowing them to meet impending and future financial obligations in the event of a death, disability or other uncertainty in their family. Given the importance of life insurance to sound financial planning, I would encourage all families to review their financial situations and consider life insurance products as a possible safeguard against the financial impact of an unforeseen event. I'd like to thank the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kanjorski) for offering this informative measure, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting House Resolution 16. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 16) supporting the goals and ideals of National Life Insurance Awareness Month.

Mr. LYNCH

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. Markey, the dean of the New England delegation, for reserving this time in order for us to pay a special tribute to our friend and colleague, Senator Ted Kennedy. If you have been watching tonight, you will notice that the Members with the most seniority have been given the privilege to speak first, which is the way it works down here. The longer you are here, the more you appreciate that. However, I am one of the more junior members of the delegation, and unlike some of the fellows that have been around here forever, like Mr. Markey and Mr. Frank and Mr. Delahunt, I had a relatively short time, 8 years, to spend working with Ted Kennedy. And I cherish every one of those years. But in addition to working with Ted, as a colleague--and Ted could, he could get it done. He could get it done. And I was always amazed at that. But I also had a different perspective of Ted Kennedy. I saw him in action before I came to this House. I grew up in the public housing projects in South Boston, the Old Colony housing projects. And I can tell you that whether you lived in the housing projects in Old Colony in Southie or Bromley-Heath or Mission Main or Franklin Field, if you grew up, if your family struggled to make ends meet in public housing, no one in public housing had a better champion, a more valiant and noble champion than Ted Kennedy. And that's really the first perspective that I had of Ted Kennedy as someone who was working for our benefit as a family growing up in public housing and in pretty tough circumstances. He was there for us. I also had a perspective of working as an iron worker for 18 years, strapping on a pair of work boots, becoming a union president for the iron workers. I can say from that perspective as well, whether you were an iron worker, like I was, working in the building trades with a lot of my union brothers and sisters, or whether you worked on a factory floor, or maybe you were a nurse going out every day working double shifts and overtime, or you were a policeman or a fireman, no working person in this country had a more gallant champion to protect their rights and protect the conditions on the job than we had in Ted Kennedy. And the outpouring of love that we saw during the memorial service and the wake and the funeral and even during Ted's illness, it reflected that collective experience of not only the people of Massachusetts but of New England and the United States. And it was something to see. My mom raised us in public housing, and when the motorcade came along Carson Beach in the shadow of the housing project where we grew up, my mom insisted that I help her down there--she's not as young as she used to be, but I helped her down there and just to give respect to the Kennedy family and to Ted during that last journey, last part of his journey. There is a saying from the iron workers, especially in the steel mills, that the strongest steel comes through the hottest fire. And really, when you looked at Ted's life and saw what he accomplished and the challenges that he had; his brother, President of the United States, taken in violence; his brother, the Attorney General, candidate for the presidency, taken from us in the same way; the huge challenges to Ted. They were unthinkable, unimaginable, yet he worked through it, and not only did he overcome that, but he also reached out to other people and shared a strength that he gathered from those experiences. I'll never forget--this is my only Ted Kennedy story that I'll relate tonight, but I was a freshman, actually, I was very early in my career as a State Representative, and we had six of our brave fire fighters killed in a terrible fire in Worcester, Massachusetts. We all went to the Worcester Centrum for that ceremony. The families were there and every seat was taken and every bit of space on the floor was taken. The place was filled to the rafters. And that's where I was sitting, far above the floor. But I'll remember Ted's remarks. Here are six families that just lost their loved ones. And Ted Kennedy, you know, you could have heard a pin drop in that Centrum that day. He basically said to the family--I'll never forget his words. He said, From my own experience, I have found that every once in a while life breaks your heart. And even though there were thousands and thousands and thousands of people in that Centrum that day, in reality, it was just Ted and it was just those six families, and he was helping them through that. And that's a gift. We all go to wakes and funerals and try to help families through tough times, but I never saw anybody carry it off with the grace and the profound empathy and love that Ted was able to accomplish. I just want to say that I'm delighted that we had an opportunity tonight to say our thoughts and to share our concerns for Ted's family, Patrick and the entire family. We know what they're going through. I think the test of all of us who are born on this Earth, the true test of our time, however short it is on this Earth, is whether the work we do while we're on this Earth is going to live after us and is it going to positively affect the people that we leave behind. By any measure, by any test, Ted has passed that test with flying colors. He has left the power of his example for all of us to try to follow. I want to thank you, the dean of our delegation, Ed Markey, for the opportunity to share my thoughts. My prayers and the prayers of my family go out to the Kennedy family.

Mr. LYNCH

Mr. LYNCH. I thank my colleague for his remarks. I want to ask all of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join with Mr. Filner of California, the lead sponsor of this measure, to congratulate the Chula Vista Park View Little League team by agreeing to House Resolution 725. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to support House Resolution 725 for consideration. This resolution congratulates the Chula Vista Park View Little League team of Chula Vista, California, for winning the 2009 Little League World Series championship. The measure before us was introduced on September 9 by my colleague and friend, Representative Bob Filner of California, and it was favorably reported out of the Oversight Committee on September 24 by unanimous consent. Notably, this measure enjoys the support of over 50 Members of Congress. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 725 applauds the Chula Vista Park View Little League baseball team's Little League World Series championship run. Led by Coach Ric Ramirez and Manager Oscar Castro, this group of young men clinched the sixth Little League World Series title for the State of California and extended America's Little League World Series championship streak to 5 years. In the championship game, the California club overcame a three-run deficit to beat a formidable team from Taipei, China, 6-3. These young men demonstrated the type of teamwork, camaraderie and never-say-never spirit necessary to succeed in all facets of life. I wish them the best in their future endeavors, and I hope if any pursue a career in baseball, they find their way to my beloved Red Sox. I also want to applaud the Little League World Series organizers for orchestrating another successful tournament. The Little League World Series was first held in 1947, and although only American teams competed in the inaugural tournament, today the competition is a truly international event, welcoming teams from Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In closing, let us, as a body, applaud the Chula Vista Park View Little League baseball team for their hard work and success and congratulate the organizers of the Little League World Series for helping to instill the indispensable values of teamwork, sportsmanship, and dedication in today's youth. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the lead sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner).

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 725) congratulating the Chula Vista Park View Little League team of Chula Vista, California, for winning the 2009 Little League World Series Championship.

Mr. LYNCH

Mr. LYNCH. I yield back the balance of my time.