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Jo Ann Davis 

LATE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM 

VIRGINIA 

÷ 

MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

AND OTHER TRIBUTES 

HON. JO ANN DAVIS ÷ z 1950–2007 

HON. JO ANN DAVIS ÷ z 1950–2007 

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Jo Ann Davis 


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U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 2008

Memorial Addresses and 

Other Tributes 

HELD IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AND SENATE 

OF THE UNITED STATES 

TOGETHER WITH A MEMORIAL SERVICE 

IN HONOR OF 

JO ANN DAVIS 

Late a Representative from Virginia 

One Hundred Tenth Congress 

First Session 

÷ 

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Compiled under the direction 

of the 

Joint Committee on Printing 

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[ iii ] 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Biography .................................................................................................. v 

Proceedings in the House of Representatives: 

Tributes by Representatives: 

Aderholt, Robert B., of Alabama ............................................... 21 

Baca, Joe, of California .............................................................. 30 

Baldwin, Tammy, of Wisconsin ................................................. 40 

Blackburn, Marsha, of Tennessee ............................................. 4 

Blunt, Roy, of Missouri .............................................................. 34, 35 

Brown-Waite, Ginny, of Florida ................................................ 23, 40 

Cantor, Eric, of Virginia ............................................................ 19 

Capps, Lois, of California .......................................................... 13 

Clay, Wm. Lacy, of Missouri ..................................................... 42 

Cleaver, Emanuel, of Missouri .................................................. 24 

Davis, Danny K., of Illinois ....................................................... 3 

Davis, Susan A., of California ................................................... 26 

Davis, Tom, of Virginia .............................................................. 10 

Diaz-Balart, Lincoln, of Florida ................................................ 17 

Drake, Thelma D., of Virginia ................................................... 12, 38 

Duncan, John J., Jr., of Tennessee ........................................... 41 

Feeney, Tom, of Florida ............................................................. 38 

Forbes, J. Randy, of Virginia .................................................... 14 

Frank, Barney, of Massachusetts ............................................. 33 

Goode, Virgil H., Jr., of Virginia ............................................... 27 

Goodlatte, Bob, of Virginia ........................................................ 25, 39 

Hoyer, Steny H., of Maryland ................................................... 35 

Jackson-Lee, Sheila, of Texas ................................................... 29, 32 

Kaptur, Marcy, of Ohio .............................................................. 22 

Lampson, Nick, of Texas ........................................................... 38, 39 

Lantos, Tom, of California ......................................................... 20 

Meek, Kendrick B., of Florida ................................................... 35 

Moran, James P., of Virginia .................................................... 30 

Murphy, Christopher S., of Connecticut .................................. 35 

Myrick, Sue Wilkins, of North Carolina ................................... 31 

Pelosi, Nancy, of California ....................................................... 16 

Pence, Mike, of Indiana ............................................................. 34 

Schmidt, Jean, of Ohio .............................................................. 28 

Scott, Robert C. ‘‘Bobby,’’ of Virginia ........................................ 9, 40 

Sessions, Pete, of Texas ............................................................. 33, 36 

Skelton, Ike, of Missouri ............................................................ 11 

Snyder, Vic, of Arkansas ........................................................... 40 

Udall, Mark, of Colorado ........................................................... 39 

Wasserman Schultz, Debbie, of Florida ................................... 35 

Watson, Diane E., of California ................................................ 18 

Wilson, Joe, of South Carolina .................................................. 3, 31 

Wolf, Frank R., of Virginia ........................................................ 4, 29 

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Page 

Proceedings in the Senate: 

Tributes by Senators: 

Warner, John, of Virginia .......................................................... 43 

Memorial Service ...................................................................................... 45 

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BIOGRAPHY 

First elected to Congress in November 2000, JO ANN DAVIS

brought to Washington a fresh perspective from outside the 

political Washington DC beltway. The first elected female 

Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives from the 

Commonwealth of Virginia, Congresswoman DAVIS was deeply in touch with the constituents of ‘‘America’s First District.’’ Her straight talk and no-nonsense style was refreshing both to her constituents and to her colleagues in Congress. Concentrating on a district-first approach to her role 

in Congress, JO ANN’s emphasis was on local issues before 

DC politics. This principle remained the bedrock of the Congresswoman’s convictions and played an integral role in her 

service to her community. 

The 110th Congress signaled significant leadership opportunities for DAVIS. In addition to her committee work on the 

Foreign Affairs Committee, she also served on the Armed 

Services Committee, where she was chosen as the ranking 

member of the Readiness Subcommittee. The Congresswoman’s committee assignments enabled her to work on legislative initiatives of great interest to Virginia’s First District 

and the country as a whole. 

Issues affecting the First District were DAVIS’s priority, 

and throughout her time in Congress, she worked for important projects in the First District with tenacity. 

National security and shipbuilding are essential to the 

health of the district, and during her tenure, DAVIS secured 

$160 million for construction on the Navy’s next generation 

aircraft carrier, CVNX, and $47 million for the removal of a 

portion of the James River Reserve Fleet, otherwise known 

as the Ghost Fleet. 

A strong advocate for both our men and women in uniform 

and Federal employees, Congresswoman DAVIS maintained 

continued success in passing landmark legislation to correct 

significant benefit shortfalls. In March 2001, the House 

passed JO ANN’s first piece of legislation—H.R. 1015, the 

SGLI Adjustment Act, which increased the amount of service 

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bers of the Armed Forces who died in the performance of 

their duties between November 1, 2000 and April 1, 2001. 

Further inspired by the trials of Stafford County Pentagon 

survivor Louise Kurtz, DAVIS moved through legislation to 

correct pension shortfalls for injured Federal employees. H.R. 

978 changed the way a Federal employee’s benefits are calculated during a disability by increasing the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) benefit to cover any 

shortfall. 

In addition to H.R. 1015 and H.R. 978, Representative 

DAVIS was successful in passing legislation that revised the 

boundaries of the George Washington Birthplace National 

Monument to allow the National Park Service to purchase 

110 acres of additional land surrounding the national treasure located in Westmoreland County, VA. 

To reflect the significant historic, cultural, and environmental significance of the Commonwealth and the Chesapeake Bay, DAVIS authored legislation to create the Nation’s 

first all-water national historic trail. In December 2006, the 

President signed into law H.R. 5466, the Captain John 

Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Designation Act, 

celebrating John Smith’s voyages of discovery from Jamestown and ensuring future opportunities for recreation, conservation, and economic development along the Chesapeake 

Bay. 

Continuing her work to help regulate the amount of interstate waste that the Commonwealth was forced to import, 

DAVIS passed legislative language in H.R. 2673 directing the 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to 

evaluate truck transport solid waste containment procedures 

in order to keep our roads safe and environmentally sound. 

DAVIS was also successful in passing language to establish a 

series of random safety inspections of trash trucks to ensure 

that they met safety road regulations. 

Aware of the need to cut government waste and save taxpayer dollars, one of Congresswoman DAVIS’ priorities was 

legislation designed to reign in government waste and inefficiency by preventing redundancy in government programs. 

During her tenure as chairwoman of the Civil Service Subcommittee of the Government Reform Committee, she introduced H.R. 75, the ‘‘Government Accountability and Streamlining Act,’’ would require the Comptroller General of the 

United States to determine whether any proposed legislation 

in the House or Senate creates any new ‘‘Federal entities, 

programs or functions’’ that are redundant of any existing 

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Federal program. When she could not get the bill passed, she 

successfully offered a similar provision to the House rules. 

DAVIS believed that Congress should work to strengthen 

our national defense while holding down spending in other 

areas. Congresswoman DAVIS was also an advocate of tax relief for all who pay taxes, and believed that the Federal Government must cut back on spending to provide this tax relief. 

As a former real estate broker and small business owner, 

DAVIS opened Davis Management Company in 1988 and Jo 

Ann Davis Realty in 1990. In this capacity, DAVIS focused 

her attention on achieving the highest level of ethical standards for her industry, serving first on the grievance committee of the Virginia Peninsula Association of Realtors and 

then on its professional standards committee. 

DAVIS was an avid horse enthusiast, and when she was 

not in Washington one could find her working on her farm. 

She was married for 33 years, and had two grown sons and 

one granddaughter. 

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MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

AND 

OTHER TRIBUTES 

FOR 

JO ANN DAVIS 

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Proceedings in the 

House of Representatives 

TUESDAY, October 9, 2007 

PRAYER 

The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered 

the following prayer: 

Lord God Almighty, source of consolation and wisdom, we 

need to approach Your awesome presence with humility, 

trusting in Your goodness. 

It is with great admiration and affection that Members of 

the House of Representatives and staff here on Capitol Hill 

lift up before You today the Honorable JO ANN DAVIS, who 

represented the First District of Virginia and served in this 

Chamber with grace and distinction. 

Her faith in You, Lord, was manifest in many ways. Her 

faithfulness to sworn duty, her leadership at the House 

Prayer Breakfast, and her perseverance in suffering have 

provided great witness to You as the source of her strength 

and peace. 

Now that You have taken her to Yourself, reward Your 

servant JO ANN DAVIS for her public service, for her love of 

family and friends, as well as her kind courtesy to colleagues 

and staff alike. May You, our redeeming Lord, grant eternal 

rest to her and to all who have served in this noble institution with hearts fixed on serving others in Your holy name. 

Amen. 

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. . . . In conclusion, God 

bless our troops and we will never forget September the 

11th. My deepest sympathy to the family, friends, and staff 

of Congresswoman JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. 

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Representative JO ANN DAVIS with whom I served. 

She served as chairperson and I as ranking member on our 

subcommittee in Government Reform. 

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It was always a pleasure to work with her. And while we 

didn’t always agree on every issue that came before us, we 

always agreed that we would be civil and that we would 

work in tandem for the best interests of the people of this 

country. 

So I’m going to miss her. I extend my personal condolences 

to her family and would just like for her to know that it was 

indeed a pleasure working with her. 

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I too today stand to 

pay tribute to our colleague JO ANN DAVIS and to express my 

condolences to her family, her friends, and her staff. She will 

be missed in this body. . . . 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged resolution (H. 

Res. 717) and ask for its immediate consideration. 

The Clerk read the resolution, as follows: 

H. RES. 717 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of the death 

of the Honorable JO ANN DAVIS, a Representative from the Commonwealth 

of Virginia. 

Resolved, That a committee of such Members of the House as the Speaker 

may designate, together with such Members of the Senate as may be joined, 

be appointed to attend the funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House be authorized and directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying out the provisions of these resolutions and that the necessary expenses in connection 

therewith be paid out of applicable accounts of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate and 

transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That when the House adjourns today, it adjourn[s] as a further 

mark of respect to the memory of the deceased. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the Chair 

may postpone further consideration of House Resolution 717 

as necessary to accommodate voting at approximately 6:30 

p.m. 

There was no objection. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Virginia 

is recognized for 1 hour. 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. 

Mr. Speaker, it is with profound sadness that we come to 

the floor tonight to honor the memory of our colleague and 

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tle with breast cancer this past Saturday. She was not only 

our House colleague; she was our Virginia colleague who represented the First District of Virginia, a district which she 

proudly called ‘‘America’s First District’’ because of our country’s roots at Jamestown and the many significant events in 

history that occurred there. 

JO ANN DAVIS also could have had a first next to her name 

because she was the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Virginia in 2000 to succeed our late colleague 

Herb Bateman. But that historic aspect of her career in Congress was not important to her. Representing her constituents and being the best Member of Congress she could be for 

the people of her district was what was most important to 

her. 

Her career in elected office spanned 10 short years, from 

her first election in 1997 to the Virginia House of Delegates 

to her four elected terms in the House beginning in the year 

2000. 

But over that decade she made her mark as a deeply caring and very hardworking public servant who believed in 

common sense and conservative ideals. In remembering JO

ANN’s work in Congress, there are several thoughts I would 

like to share. 

She battled to the end with courage and grace in her fight 

against breast cancer. When she was first diagnosed in 2005 

with the insidious disease, she announced it publicly to encourage other women to beware of the disease. Her bravery 

and personal strength were a source of inspiration to many. 

She was a person of honesty, integrity, and very strong 

moral conviction in representing her district and living her 

life. And she had a very strong commitment to the Lord. She 

was a dedicated and tenacious fighter for her beliefs, and the 

importance of her faith was obvious in the way she cared for 

and treated others and in the way she did her job. 

She was a tireless and passionate advocate for the First 

District in Virginia, working to protect the military interests 

in her district and Navy shipbuilding in Newport News. She 

cofounded the Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus as she 

worked to provide for the defense of our Nation. 

But as important as that work was for JO ANN, protecting 

the interests of men and women in uniform, their families, 

and veterans was priority number one. 

She also worked hard for other local interests, such as the 

removal of the ‘‘Ghost Fleet’’ of obsolete, environmentally 

hazardous ships from the James River; better regulation of 

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the amount of trash coming into Virginia; and protecting the 

resources of the Chesapeake Bay. 

This House and this Nation will miss JO ANN DAVIS and 

her dedication to public service. I want to express my sincere 

condolences to her staff, both in Washington and in her district, who can be proud of their work by her side for the people of America’s First District. JO ANN DAVIS had an outstanding staff, and I want to thank the staff. 

I also want to join with my colleagues in expressing profound sympathy to JO ANN’s husband, Chuck; and their two 

sons, Christopher and Charles; and a granddaughter. 

In remembering JO ANN DAVIS and her life of service to 

others, I am reminded of the words of Scripture where it 

says: ‘‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’’ 

Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record a news article and 

editorial from the Newport News Daily Press about our late 

colleague, the Honorable JO ANN DAVIS. 

[From the dailypress.com, October 8, 2007] 

THE UNLIKELY POLITICIAN—THE SELF-DESCRIBED COUNTRY GAL PREFERRED

HORSES TO THE CAPITOL HILL PARTY CIRCUIT

(By David Lerman) 

She was, by her own admission, an unlikely politician. 

Virginia Rep. JO ANN DAVIS, who died of breast cancer Saturday at age 

57, was more at ease with her beloved horses on her Gloucester farm than 

the cocktail party circuit on Capitol Hill. 

The self-described country gal and former real estate agent fell into a congressional career almost by accident. It took church connections, perseverance and the sudden withdrawal of the leading Republican Party favorite 

to propel DAVIS to the office she first won in 2000. 

‘‘I could have cared less about politics,’’ she recalled in a 2003 interview. 

‘‘I did not know there was a Republican Party committee in Virginia.’’ 

But since becoming Virginia’s first female Republican member of Congress, DAVIS learned her role quickly and, many agreed, managed to make 

the 1st District House seat her own: 

When obsolete, environmentally hazardous ships started mushrooming in 

the James River off Fort Eustis, DAVIS fought for federal funding to speed 

up their removal—and made significant progress. 

When state and local officials complained about the barrage of trash coming into Virginia landfills from other states and littering state highways, 

DAVIS pushed for legislation to limit interstate waste. 

While that effort stalled, she won approval of a measure establishing a 

series of random safety inspections for waste haulers. 

When military personnel and federal employees complained of inadequate 

benefits, DAVIS won passage of legislation increasing the life insurance benefits paid to survivors of military members killed on duty. 

And when Pentagon budgets forecast a steady decline in the size of the 

Navy’s fleet, DAVIS sounded the alarm. 

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A staunch advocate for the thousands of shipyard workers in her district, 

she co-founded the Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus and pushed legislation, albeit unsuccessfully, mandating a larger fleet. 

‘‘At a time when people have such a negative impression of Washington, 

JO ANN DAVIS was a refreshing reminder that there are people here who 

do their best for their constituents,’’ said Christopher Connelly, her chief of 

staff. 

‘‘A lot of the issues she worked on were local issues. She didn’t get lost 

in the Washington glamour.’’ 

While seldom a major player on national policy matters, DAVIS won respect from Republicans and Democrats alike for her ability to delve into 

local concerns and to stay true to her beliefs. 

‘‘While we had different political loyalties, we had no differences in our 

efforts to work together for the Hampton Roads area,’’ said Rep. Robert C. 

‘‘Bobby’’ Scott, D-Newport News. 

DAVIS’ rise to political power was as unconventional as it was unlikely. 

Unlike her predecessor in office, the late Rep. Herbert H. Bateman, DAVIS

lacked the traditional credentials and years of political grooming that typically foreshadow a congressional career. 

No prestigious university or law-school degree appeared on her resume. 

The daughter of a Hampton city bus driver, DAVIS came from modest 

roots that stood in contrast to those of many of her wealthier colleagues in 

Congress. 

After graduating from Hampton Roads Business College in 1971, she went 

to work as an executive secretary for a real estate firm before becoming a 

stay-at-home mom. 

She later got her real estate license and opened Davis Management Co. 

in 1988, followed by Jo Ann Davis Realty in 1990. 

All the while, DAVIS was becoming a deeply religious person. 

When her mother-in-law suffered a fatal heart attack, DAVIS has said, she 

had a born-again experience and then joined the Assembly of God church. 

Through her church, DAVIS met Brenda Pogge, a fellow real estate agent 

and local GOP activist, who encouraged her to enter politics and invited her 

to her first Republican mass meeting. 

‘‘She was my sister in the faith,’’ Pogge said. ‘‘She was my friend, my boss 

and then my congresswoman. JO ANN was such a role model.’’ 

In 1997, at Pogge’s steady urging, DAVIS reluctantly agreed to challenge 

a 15-year Democratic incumbent in the General Assembly and won, despite 

being outspent roughly 3 to 1. 

In 2000, when Bateman announced his retirement and then died in office, 

DAVIS launched her upstart campaign for Congress. 

The odds seemed stacked against her because of formidable opposition for 

the Republican nomination, led by former Newport News Mayor Barry 

DuVal. 

But when DuVal withdrew from the race, DAVIS had an opening. She 

faced a grueling five-way party primary but emerged victorious with 35 percent of the vote. 

Her general election victory was then little in doubt because of the 1st 

District’s strong Republican tilt. She easily won re-election repeatedly, as 

she did last year. 

Because of her faith, DAVIS has said, she remained an outspoken conservative voice on social issues. 

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She co-sponsored a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and 

took a purist position on abortion, opposing it even in cases of rape, incest 

or when the mother’s life is endangered. 

‘‘It’s just who I am,’’ she once said. ‘‘I believe what I believe. I didn’t know 

I was called a right-winger.’’ 

If there was a historic aspect to DAVIS’ career, it was in her becoming the 

first Republican woman to win a House seat from Virginia. Former Rep. 

Leslie Byrne of Fairfax was the first Democratic woman. 

But DAVIS bristled at such gender-based distinctions, which she regarded 

as irrelevant. ‘‘It shouldn’t matter if you’re male or female,’’ she once said. 

‘‘I’m just a member of Congress, like they are. 

‘‘No different.’’ 

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[From the dailypress.com, October 9, 2007] 

JO ANN DAVIS—A CAREER SPENT MAKING FRIENDS, WORKING HARD AND

DOING HER DUTY

Rep. JO ANN DAVIS died on Saturday as the new edition of Time magazine 

appeared in mailboxes around Hampton Roads. ‘‘Breast Cancer is Spreading 

Around the World,’’ the cover headline read. 

Cancer. The scourge of our times. And it has run up a wretched score in 

the 1st Congressional District. DAVIS’ predecessor, Rep. Herbert Bateman, 

fought lung cancer and prostate cancer before succumbing in 2000. 

DAVIS confronted her illness bravely and with little regard for the odds, 

just as she had approached politics. 

Del. Shirley Cooper, the redoubtable Democrat from York County, held 

her seat in the General Assembly for 15 years until an outspent DAVIS came 

along in 1997 and snatched it away from her. That was an impressive win. 

Three years later, DAVIS went one better. The 1st District congressional 

seat, open after Bateman’s death, drew five contenders for the Republican 

nomination, including one who self-financed his bid to the tune of $1 million. 

For her part, DAVIS amassed around $45,000 and won handily. Now, that 

tells you something. 

DAVIS enjoyed a l0-year political career, a brief span in relative terms, but 

memorable for what it lacked. ‘‘JO ANN knew no enemies,’’ Brenda Pogge 

said, in an interview on Sunday. ‘‘She was just emotionally and spiritually 

strong.’’ 

Democrats also said as much. Not long after DAVIS arrived in Washington, 

Rep. Bobby Scott started quietly telling people that he admired DAVIS for 

her independence and readiness to do the work. There was nothing flashy, 

no attention-gathering histrionics so common to the profession, just diligence and commitment. 

And empathy. The 1st District naturally draws its representatives into 

military affairs, including such arcane matters such as defense contracting 

and Pentagon appropriations. But for DAVIS the military was first and fundamentally about people—the soldiers, the families, the veterans—and what 

had to be done to provide for their interests. 

There’s a legacy there. Something to admire. Something, perhaps, to emulate as the inevitable scrambling develops to fill the 1st District seat. You 

can, as JO ANN DAVIS amply demonstrated, succeed in politics by making 

friends, working hard and doing your duty. 

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Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 

time as I may consume. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in mourning the 

loss of one of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s finest public 

servants, Congresswoman JO ANN DAVIS. She was a good 

friend and a tireless advocate for America’s First District, as 

both she and the late Congressman Herb Bateman referred 

to the First Congressional District of Virginia. 

JO ANN was a self-made woman who came from modest 

roots. Born in North Carolina, she grew up in Hampton, VA, 

where her father was a city bus driver. She graduated from 

Hampton Roads Business College in 1971, received her real 

estate license in 1984, and received her real estate broker’s 

license 4 years later. She was a successful business woman, 

having opened Davis Management Company in 1988 and Jo 

Ann Davis Realty in 1990. 

Mr. Speaker, JO ANN was not a career politician and probably never imagined that she would run for office and end 

up serving in the U.S. Congress for over 6 years. In 1997 she 

was reluctantly convinced by her friends to run for a seat in 

the Virginia House of Delegates. When our late colleague 

Herb Bateman announced his retirement from the House, JO

ANN mounted an underdog campaign. Notwithstanding the 

fact that she was outspent by a margin of 40 to 1 in the primary, she prevailed; and in November 2000 she became the 

first Republican woman from Virginia elected to Congress. 

While we had different political loyalties, we had no differences in our efforts to work together for the citizens of 

Hampton Roads. JO ANN’s service on the Armed Services 

Committee directly mirrored her commitment to the thousands of military personnel in her district. One of her first 

pieces of legislation that she introduced passed in 2001. It 

increased the amount of life insurance benefits for survivors 

of members of the U.S. Armed Forces killed in active duty. 

JO ANN was also a tireless advocate for the thousands of 

shipbuilders in her district who worked at Northrop Grumman Newport News, and she cofounded the Congressional 

Shipbuilding Caucus with Congressman Gene Taylor of Mississippi. That caucus has made a compelling case to the Department of Defense that it is pivotal for our national defense that the Navy spend more money on shipbuilding. In 

the last Congress, she was instrumental in efforts to secure 

funding for the refueling of the USS Carl Vinson. Without JO

ANN’s hard work, the Hampton Roads area might have lost 

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billions of dollars in economic revenue tied directly to that 

aircraft carrier. 

JO ANN placed a high priority on the removal of ships in 

the so-called James River ‘‘Ghost Fleet,’’ which posed a major 

environmental threat to the James River and the Chesapeake Bay; and as a result of her leadership, many of those 

ships have been removed. Together, we have worked to secure Federal funding for the Achievable Dream Education 

Program in Newport News to ensure that at-risk children 

have the best opportunity to succeed in school. 

Mr. Speaker, every Member of this body was saddened to 

learn that JO ANN developed breast cancer in 2005 and even 

more so when the cancer returned this year. The sadness is 

especially felt by members of the weekly Congressional Prayer Breakfast, which JO ANN and I regularly attended. Despite her personal battle with cancer, JO ANN did not retire 

from Congress. She stayed and fought her cancer and continued to represent the people of the First District to the best 

of her ability until the very end. Learning from her own experience with cancer, she has encouraged her colleagues and 

her constituents to get screened regularly for all types of 

cancer. 

Mr. Speaker, the Hampton Roads delegation has lost a tremendous advocate for the interests of our region. I want to 

extend my deepest sympathies to her husband of 33 years, 

Chuck Davis; their two grown sons, Charlie and Christopher; 

their granddaughter; and her wonderful staff with whom my 

staff has worked so well over the years. America’s First District and the U.S. House of Representatives have lost a true 

friend and advocate with the passing of Congresswoman JO

ANN DAVIS. 

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis). 

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay 

tribute to my friend and colleague, JO ANN DAVIS, who has 

served this body with dignity and honor and dedication since 

her election in 2000. 

I first met JO ANN when she was running for the House 

of Delegates in 1997 and quickly became impressed with her 

strong work ethic. Her congressional district, like mine, is 

the home of many current and retired Federal employees. So 

when I became chairman of the House Government Reform 

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Committee, it was an easy decision to ask her to oversee the 

Civil Service Subcommittee. 

She took on the responsibilities of subcommittee chair with 

great diligence and energy. Through her efforts, we made important strides in helping the Federal Government recruit 

and retain quality employees. With her help, we improved 

Federal student loan repayment programs and expanded 

dental and vision benefits. JO ANN was a strong supporter 

of legislation allowing retired Federal employees to deduct 

health care premiums from pretax dollars, moving this important legislation through her subcommittee. She was also 

a reliable ally in the annual fight for pay parity for civilian 

Federal employees. 

Her district borders mine; we both represent portions of 

Prince William County. We have worked closely on a number 

of local issues. With her passing, Northern Virginia and the 

Commonwealth have lost a strong advocate. 

I salute JO ANN DAVIS for her courageous fight against 

cancer. Her passing reminds us all that we need to fight this 

horrible affliction. 

My heartfelt condolences go out to her husband, Chuck 

and to her sons, Christopher and Charles. I hope they find 

solace in knowing she did so much to represent the people 

of Virginia. 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to 

the gentleman from Missouri, the chairman of one of the 

committees that JO ANN served on and a past president of 

the weekly Congressional Prayer Breakfast (Mr. Skelton). 

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 

Virginia for giving me the opportunity to express my condolences to the Jo Ann Davis family, her husband and two 

sons. 

It’s always difficult to say goodbye to a friend. And JO ANN

DAVIS was my friend. She was my colleague. We served together on the Armed Services Committee since she came to 

Congress. She represented the First District of Virginia, 

which had and has a strong military tradition. She was preceded in this Congress by my friend through the years, Herb 

Bateman. 

She was a strong advocate for the men and women in uniform, and she will be sorely missed in supporting them as 

the days lie ahead. Shipbuilding was the centerpiece of her 

work because of the district she represented, and she understood and advocated the importance of shipbuilding for the 

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U.S. Navy. She was a member, actually a subcommittee 

ranking member, on the Readiness Subcommittee. 

It is interesting that we should, this evening, point out 

that she fought a disease with grace and dignity, and that 

we should note this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

She fought a tremendous fight. She came back when she 

could, and our hearts were with her. She fought the good 

fight. But in looking back at my friend, JO ANN DAVIS, I remember her most for her sense of humor, how we would joke 

with one another and how absolutely pleasant she was. 

Those are attributes that people remember just as much as 

they remember the good work that she did as a Member of 

this body. So I thank the gentleman from Virginia for allowing me to say a word or two about my friend, JO ANN DAVIS. 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time to the gentlewoman from Virginia, Thelma Drake. 

Mrs. DRAKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor our colleague and my friend, JO ANN DAVIS. I was honored to have 

served with her in both the Virginia General Assembly and 

now here in the U.S. Congress. 

JO ANN and I had reverse roles. When JO ANN ran for the 

House of Delegates, I was her mentor. I was glad to see her 

success at being elected there. And when I ran for the U.S. 

Congress in 2004, JO ANN was my mentor. 

We were both realtors and shared that common bond and 

that friendship. I was proud to support her in her historic 

elevation to the Congress. JO ANN, as you have heard, was 

the first elected Republican woman from Virginia to serve in 

this body. She was also the first woman from Virginia to be 

re-elected. 

We all know that JO ANN was a woman of great faith, 

great strength, great courage, great honesty and great integrity. I don’t believe that it was ever JO ANN’s intention to be 

a trailblazer. I think her successes in her life as a mother, 

a grandmother, a businesswoman, and as a legislator are all 

the result of a path that she chose in her life, and that was 

the path that cared for other people first, put other people 

first, and that she stood very strong on the principles to protect those around her. That earned her the respect of the 

people of the First District, and it led her on the path to the 

House of Delegates and then here. 

JO ANN was a valued resource and a trusted confidante. 

Here in Congress, I was honored to work with her on issues 

facing the people of Hampton Roads and of Virginia. We 

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served together on the House Armed Services Committee, 

and I have watched her very deep appreciation for the contributions of the shipbuilding industry, and she understood 

the important role that the Navy plays in our Nation, projecting strength and security around the world. 

JO ANN also was a true leader and a hero in protecting our 

military and their families, and she always worked to ensure 

that their rights and interests were protected. 

It is fitting that the month of October is dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness. For even as JO ANN battled her 

own illness, she saw her illness as an opportunity to help 

other women. When she was first diagnosed, she told me 

that she would be healed, and she was, from her first bout 

of cancer, and that she would use this as an opportunity for 

other women to see and to make sure that other women received the health care and didn’t put things off. 

Today I join my colleagues in extending our deepest sympathies to her family, to her husband Chuck, to her staff, to 

her friends. I appreciate the opportunity to stand here and 

to honor my good friend. I know that we will all miss her 

greatly. 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to 

the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Capps). 

Mrs. CAPPS. I thank my colleague for yielding. 

Mr. Speaker, I, with great sadness, rise to pay tribute as 

well to our dear colleague, JO ANN DAVIS. 

As other women in the Congress know, there is a sisterhood among many women Members. This weekend, we lost 

one of our sisters to a disease that has fostered another kind 

of sisterhood throughout the Nation, breast cancer. And 

while JO ANN would have chosen to confront her disease in 

private, she bravely and valiantly decided to take her experience to improve the experiences of other women in that sisterhood. She did so by advocating for the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act and other legislation that would improve 

the lives of those who suffer from this disease. 

I was also proud to work with JO ANN on the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act. Together we worked, one from the 

west coast and one from the east, to extend to Federal firefighters the same presumptive disability rights offered to 

most city and State firefighters. I enjoyed working with JO

ANN on this issue, especially as she showed so much her 

dedication to firefighters and their families. 

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I will, however, most fondly remember the many mornings 

I and several others spent with JO ANN at Prayer Breakfast 

on Thursday mornings at the C Street House, as we will 

gather in sadness and sorrow tomorrow. 

We were bound together, several of us, through personal 

experiences with cancer. And when amongst our fellowship 

JO ANN was first diagnosed, we supported her with prayer; 

and then as she regained her strength, we rejoiced. But as 

so often and tragically happens with this dreaded disease 

and others, there was a relapse. And we have been much in 

prayer, as all of us have, for her recovery, but it was not to 

be. 

You know, she and I had our differences in the direction 

of policy, but we certainly shared in our desire to let our 

faith serve as a guide for our work in Congress. And she was 

a very strong, principled person whose convictions and certainty of her faith showed through everything that she did. 

I know we’re going to honor our dear departed colleague 

by following her strong example, by calling on our faith to 

serve as the motivation for our work here in Congress the 

way that she did. We may not measure up to her strength, 

but we have a role model in her. And I also hope that we, 

as a Congress, will serve to honor her memory by redoubling 

our efforts to remove the scourge of cancer through support 

for prevention, by following her example of reaching out, 

through education outreach and awareness, and by increasing research dollars so that we can more effectively prevent 

and treat this disease. 

I join my colleagues in paying tribute to JO ANN DAVIS

today and offering our condolences to her family, her staff 

and her constituents in this time of their sorrow. We will 

miss JO ANN DAVIS dearly. 

Mr. WOLF. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. 

Forbes). 

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I, like so many others, rise 

today to pay tribute to JO ANN DAVIS and to offer my sympathies to her husband Chuck and her family. 

By now, you begin to hear a pattern that reflects very accurately the life of JO ANN. And you hear many people stand 

up and say the same thing, that she was our friend, and like 

so many others, we will miss her. 

I spent a lot of hours talking with JO ANN in this corner 

and in the Armed Services Committee, and I remember reading an account in one of the papers that said that she was 

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born of ‘‘modest’’ means. But if you listened to JO ANN, she 

was born poor. JO ANN never went to a 4-year college, but 

she had more wisdom than you could ever see reflected in a 

diploma, and one mistake you could never, ever make with 

JO ANN DAVIS was to underestimate her. 

I still remember how she used to talk that so many people 

felt that she could never put herself through real estate 

school, and she proved them wrong. I remember her talking 

about how, as a wife and mother, many people didn’t feel 

that she could become a successful realtor, and she proved 

them wrong. 

I remember when she was first running for the House of 

Delegates, meeting with her and talking with her. She told 

me that people didn’t think she could win, and she proved 

them wrong. And then, like my good friend from Virginia, 

Congressman Scott, said, when she was running for Congress, she was a 40 to 1 financial underdog and nobody 

thought she could win, and she proved them wrong. 

Who would have ever thought she would have served on 

the Armed Services Committee, been the ranking member of 

one of the subcommittees, that she would serve on the Intelligence Committee of the House of Representatives, and as 

so many people mentioned, she became a national leader on 

shipbuilding and defending the shipbuilding trade. 

She was a tireless advocate for our veterans and men and 

women in uniform. She loved her husband Chuck, and firefighters and would stand with firefighters in almost every 

issue that they brought forward, both in the Virginia House 

of Delegates when she served there and here in Congress. 

She loved her family, and she was proud of them. And she 

loved her constituents, and she fought for them. And nobody, 

and I emphasize ‘‘nobody,’’ ever told her what to do. She always did what she thought was right for Virginia, and what 

she thought was right for the country. 

And two final things that I think you don’t hear people reflect here today, but we need to just mention, she loved 

horses. And I remember she and I talking many times about 

the fact that we were probably two of the only Members of 

Congress that actually had to go home on weekends and 

clean out horse stables; and yet JO ANN was the kind of person who was humble enough not only to do it, but to love it. 

But above everything else, I am absolutely convinced that 

she would also want us to say today, and this is what Congressman Wolf alluded to a little bit earlier, that she absolutely demonstrated, above anything else in her life, her 

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faith in Jesus Christ. And I have no question that today she 

has heard those words that Congressman Wolf mentioned, 

‘‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’’ 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to 

the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Ms. Pelosi. 

Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I 

rise to acknowledge the passing of Congresswoman JO ANN

DAVIS and to pay tribute to her. As we all know, she passed 

away on Saturday. And although she had been diagnosed 

awhile ago, and we knew she was sick, it still hit this Congress very hard to lose her. 

Congresswoman DAVIS was tremendously proud to represent Virginia’s First District, which she called ‘‘America’s 

First District’’ because it included Jamestown. She spoke 

often on this floor of the deep patriotism of her constituents 

and of the pride of the many brave men and women in uniform who were her constituents. 

When JO ANN DAVIS was elected to Congress, as has been 

mentioned by some, she made history as the first female Republican ever elected to the House from Virginia; but she 

knew it was far more critical to make progress than to make 

history, and she did, particularly in honoring our troops and 

our veterans. In fact, the first piece of legislation Congresswoman DAVIS ever introduced increased the life insurance 

benefits paid to survivors of military members killed on duty, 

and that passed the House in 2001. 

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, Congresswoman DAVIS became an outspoken advocate in favor of 

education, prevention, and treatment of the disease. We in 

this body can express our admiration for her dedication with 

a real national commitment to fighting this disease which 

annually takes the lives of 40,000 American women. 

The Daily Press of Newport News, VA, wrote of their Member of Congress this weekend, ‘‘You can, as JO ANN DAVIS

amply demonstrated, succeed in politics by making friends, 

working hard, and doing your duty.’’ All of us in this body 

can honor Congresswoman DAVIS’s legacy by doing just that. 

As was mentioned about the patriotism of her district, she 

was deeply patriotic as well. She loved our country, and this 

Congress loved her. When she was diagnosed, we all hovered 

over her and prayed for her and were deeply saddened. At 

first, she would be gone for awhile, and when she came back, 

we all encircled her and hugged her, and as it turned out, 

drew strength from her. As we were trying to encourage her, 

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she gave us strength. Her attitude, her dignity, and the 

strength with which she confronted this terrible disease was 

something that was a lesson for all of us. When she passed 

away, we were all very deeply saddened, as I mentioned before, to get that sad news. 

She was really a bright light in this Congress. I hope it is 

a comfort to her husband, Chuck Davis, to her family, her 

two sons, her granddaughter, and her many family and 

friends that so many people in our country, indeed, intensely 

in this Congress, mourn their loss and are praying for them 

at this sad time. 

Mr. WOLF. I yield such time as he may consume to Mr. 

Lincoln Diaz-Balart. 

Mr. DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank my 

friend for yielding. 

One of the great privileges in the daily honor of being able 

to serve in the Congress of the United States is the privilege 

of being able to meet extraordinary people on a constant 

basis here in these Halls. 

I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to remember and pay tribute to 

a dear friend who was one of those truly extraordinary people whom I have had the privilege of meeting in my 15 years 

here in these Halls of Congress, JO ANN DAVIS. We will always remember her not only as the gracious and dignified 

and wonderful lady that she was, but as the effective Representative for her constituents and the great American patriot, who every day gave her all to defend our Nation and 

to honor and protect, to the best of her ability, those who 

protect us and our freedom, our men and women in uniform. 

I am deeply comforted, Mr. Speaker, by the fact that JO

ANN DAVIS had such a profound faith in God. It was her 

strength. At this time, it is especially comforting to know 

that she is now with the Lord. 

I enjoyed my conversations with JO ANN, the fellowship, 

her sense of humor. She was a wonderful human being. How 

her eyes would light up, Mr. Speaker, when the subject of 

her granddaughter would be brought up, Charlotte. I had the 

privilege of getting to know her son, Charlie, very well. He 

was a member of my staff, an extraordinary young man, who 

did his job day in and day out. Each day he worked in our 

office in a marvelous manner with total devotion to this Congress, to the people of the United States. I am deeply grateful for his service. I extend to him, my friend, Charlie, and 

his family, obviously his wife, his daughter, Charlotte, his 

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brother, JO ANN’s other son, Chris, and of course, Chuck, JO

ANN’s husband, my deepest sympathy and condolences at 

this time. 

We will never forget her, that wonderful colleague, that 

wonderful friend, that wonderful lady who not only graced 

these Halls but served her constituents of the First District 

of Virginia so effectively, so well, and indeed served all of 

America so well. 

As I say, I will never forget her and consider it a great 

privilege to have been able to meet and to be a friend of Congresswoman JO ANN DAVIS. 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to 

the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson). 

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sorrow that 

I learned of the loss of our colleague and four-term Representative, JO ANN DAVIS, who represented Virginia’s First 

District, referred to as America’s First District. She was a 

great leader and a tireless advocate for all of her constituents. And for those of us who came in after her, I remember 

she organized a Weight Watchers class, saw that we were 

there every week, and that we followed the procedure for 

weight watching. She said, ‘‘Now, be sure to weigh yourself 

so that you can see what kind of progress you are making. 

But I want you to know, I don’t weigh myself because I don’t 

think I am progressing.’’ 

JO ANN was first in many ways. As the first elected female 

Republican from the Commonwealth, she set an example for 

women across the country who aspire to political office. She 

worked tirelessly on behalf of our men and women in uniform and the many Federal civil servants in her congressional district and succeeded in introducing and passing legislation that benefited these important constituencies. 

We all know that we lost our colleague to breast cancer. 

I remember going over to her when we heard that Juanita 

Millender-McDonald was taking a leave, and the Women’s 

Caucus wanted to send greetings, and I asked her if she 

would be the first. She looked at me and she said, ‘‘No, because on that day, Friday, I take my chemo and I am very 

sick afterward.’’ So I said, ‘‘Well, I understand. I just thought 

the two of you had much in common and that you could inspire her.’’ We know that it is such a devastating disease 

that takes away our loved ones too quickly. I don’t know at 

the time if it was in JO ANN’s mind, but she never let on. 

She seemed to be very secretive about her personal self. 

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So, as a reminder, this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 

and I think it is so appropriate that we salute her and her 

life because she lived so well and influenced so many people 

and was really a symbol for how to deal with the condition 

that she had and she was challenged by. 

Our colleague will be sorely missed, not only here, but in 

her home district where her constituents knew that she represented them with excellence, integrity, and tenacity. We all 

mourn her loss, our friend and colleague. I send my most 

heartfelt condolences to her family, staff, and her many close 

friends here on Capitol Hill and in Virginia. 

Mr. WOLF. I am going to yield to Mr. Cantor. We have 

been told we can do one more, but we will resume after the 

votes for anyone who is interested and is listening. But before we go to the votes, I recognize Mr. Cantor from Virginia. 

Mr. CANTOR. I thank the gentleman. 

Along with my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, I too rise with a 

very heavy heart today as we mourn the passing and reflect 

on the life of our dear friend and colleague, JO ANN DAVIS. 

In life, JO ANN amazed so many of us with her determination and her fighting spirit. In politics, as has been noted before, she made history, becoming the first Republican woman 

from Virginia elected to serve in this House. In fighting for 

everything she believed in up until the last day of her bout 

with cancer, JO ANN taught us how to make every moment 

on this Earth count. JO ANN was a true gentlelady from Virginia. She was a woman of faith and family who had an 

unshakeable commitment to the principles of our Nation’s 

Founders and of our Nation’s military. 

As was indicated by my colleagues before, JO ANN was a 

true patriot. And though she spent only a mere 10 years in 

elected office, she left a profound imprint on national and 

State politics. The State of Virginia and our country will 

miss her greatly. All of us talk about the experiences and recall with much sadness, but yet appreciation, that we did 

have the time we did with JO ANN DAVIS. 

I, like many of my Virginia colleagues, served with JO ANN

in the Virginia Legislature. I had 3 years with JO ANN. We 

served together on the General Laws Committee in the Virginia House of Delegates. It was there that I first saw this 

incredibly strong woman with a will to make sure that she 

did the right thing regardless. 

We had adjoining districts. We shared many of the same 

community interests. JO ANN was a believer and a promoter 

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of the James River. As was noted earlier by my colleague 

from Virginia (Mr. Scott), she cared greatly about the Ghost 

Fleet there as well as making sure that Virginia was no 

longer a dumping ground for out-of-State trash. 

As has been noted, JO ANN was a great person of faith. I 

had the tremendous fortune of visiting the land of Israel 

with JO ANN and Chuck and saw firsthand how much her 

faith meant to her. Regardless of what you say about JO ANN

DAVIS, I think we can all agree that JO ANN DAVIS was 

never concerned about being politically correct. She carried 

the bill to make sure that we recognized the holiday of 

Christmas and that the issue of faith and God was not taken 

out of the public realm. 

JO ANN spoke her mind when she had opinions about this 

war in Iraq. When it came down to it, she cared about her 

troops, her constituents, her family, and her God. We all will 

miss JO ANN tremendously. I want to, at this time, also extend to her family, to Chuck, to her two sons, her granddaughter, a great deal of sympathy. We will miss her. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Lincoln DAVIS of Tennessee). Pursuant to the earlier order of the House, further 

proceedings on House Resolution 717 will be postponed. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the 

House of today, proceedings will now resume on House Resolution 717. 

The Clerk read the title of the resolution. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. When proceedings were postponed earlier today, 28 minutes remained in debate. 

The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) has 11 minutes 

remaining and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) has 

17 minutes remaining. 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to 

the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the chairman of 

the Foreign Affairs Committee of which JO ANN DAVIS was 

a member. 

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I never speak for the whole committee, only 

for myself, but this is an exception. 

JO ANN DAVIS was respected and admired across the total 

political spectrum, and as I was listening to my colleagues 

paying tribute to this extraordinary woman, to this remarkable Member of Congress, to this unique public servant, I, of 

course, agreed with everything they said. But there is one 

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aspect of JO ANN’s life that has not yet been mentioned, and 

that is what I would like to address. 

She loved her district, she loved the State of Virginia, but 

she was also one of the great promoters of alliances in this 

body. She was passionately committed to rebuilding the alliance between Europe and the United States, and she did an 

extraordinary job over a long period of time successfully 

doing this. 

My predecessor, Henry Hyde, and I had many conversations about her little-noticed, but enormously important, 

work on behalf of our effective foreign policy, on behalf of rebuilding so many of the ties that over the years had been 

weakened by a variety of actions. 

JO ANN will be missed in all of her endeavors, but those 

of us on the Foreign Affairs Committee will particularly miss 

her enormous contribution to building alliances for the 

United States, for being a multilateralist, for recognizing 

that while we may be the one remaining superpower, we are 

a superpower in need of allies and friends and collaborators. 

I want to express my deepest condolences to her family 

and I want to express on behalf of all of my colleagues on 

the Foreign Affairs Committee our respect, our admiration, 

and our love for our dear colleague JO ANN DAVIS. 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from 

Alabama (Mr. Aderholt). 

Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in 

mourning the loss of one of our own, Representative JO ANN

DAVIS. Representative DAVIS, as has been said and as we 

have discussed tonight, battled cancer for several years, and 

of course, as we know, lost her battle Saturday morning. 

At a time when others would have considered retirement, 

JO ANN DAVIS continued to represent the people of the First 

District of Virginia with distinction. Through her service she 

set an example of courage in the face of adversity. She refused to allow a disease that afflicts far too many affect her 

life and take her away from the work that she loved so dearly. 

As the first female Republican elected to the House of Representatives from the Commonwealth of Virginia, JO ANN

was a leader and example to all of us. But of all of JO ANN’s 

accomplishments, of all the roles she played, she would not 

be ashamed to tell you that her decision to follow Jesus 

Christ was the most important decision for her. 

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The people of Virginia were privileged to have known her 

as a public servant. The Members of this Congress were honored to share her as a colleague. I was honored to consider 

her a friend. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband, Chuck; 

her sons, Charlie and Chris; along with her granddaughter, 

Charlotte. May God give each of them an extra measure of 

peace during this time. 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to 

the gentlelady from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur). 

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished 

Member from Virginia (Mr. Scott) for yielding me this time, 

and on behalf of the people of the State of Ohio and myself, 

the senior woman in this House, I would like to express 

deepest condolences to the people of the Commonwealth of 

Virginia on the passing of JO ANN DAVIS, our very respected 

colleague, from this life. 

To her husband, Chuck, to her two sons, to her granddaughter, we respected JO ANN as a woman, as a Member, 

as a wife, as a mother, as a grandmother. We also respected 

her because she was a heroic Member of this Congress. 

There are some people in life who teach us how to live, 

and then there are those rare few who teach us how to die. 

JO ANN DAVIS was such an individual. She exemplified great 

courage. 

As a woman, I might like to put in the Record that in the 

entire history of this institution there have been very few 

women that have actually served here. Out of a little over 

11,000 Members of our Republic who have been elected to 

Congress, about 200 or so that have been elected were 

women. And so we know that with every woman who is 

elected, a new page in history is written. It may seem easy, 

but it is very hard. JO ANN DAVIS was a part of that new 

page in history of this Republic. 

Others have stated, of course, she was the first Republican 

woman to have been elected from Virginia, and so we know 

in having met her, we met a pioneering woman, a woman 

who truly is a first. That took great stamina; it took rare 

courage and great perseverance. 

She had other careers before she came here, as a realtor, 

as a member of her own State legislature, and upon being 

elected here, she was then elected to some of the most 

weighty committees in this institution: to Defense, Foreign 

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Affairs, Intelligence, always a woman who stood tall for 

those in the uniformed service of our country. 

She had a warm and radiant smile, and she held herself 

erect and with a stalwart stance that revealed the strength 

of character that represented JO ANN DAVIS’ entire life. You 

knew she would meet all of life’s challenges, and she did. 

Her faith imbued her with that strength, and it also imbued the kindness that she demonstrated to every Member 

of this institution, a warm cordiality, and also in her closing 

days on Earth, great dignity in her heroic struggle. 

It was my privilege to know her and to be allowed to serve 

with her during the years that she gave to the people of this 

great Republic. 

May she rest in peace. 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from 

Florida (Ms. Brown-Waite). 

Ms. BROWN-WAITE of Florida. I thank the gentleman. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a friend and a colleague, 

JO ANN DAVIS from the great State of Virginia. When I was 

first elected in 2002, and came to this body in 2003, JO ANN

was one of the first people to approach me and say, ‘‘What 

can I do to help you, can I help you look for staff, what can 

I do?’’ JO ANN was always known for being a very willing, 

helpful person. 

She never offered advice, but if you asked her for advice, 

you better be prepared for frankness, and she would strongly 

suggest that you follow that advice. She’d say you asked for 

it. And she was always very frank and very candid when she 

gave advice but always very gentle, always a lady. 

I would have to say that JO ANN DAVIS epitomized the 

Golden Rule. She followed the Golden Rule. She was a fighter and she was a woman who, although diminutive in size, 

demonstrated great strength, whether it was fighting cancer, 

that she beat back once, and then we all know it came back 

a second time to take her from us, but she was always a 

fighter and always had a smile on her face. 

It can safely be said that JO ANN loved God, and her country, as well as her beloved family. 

We will miss JO ANN DAVIS because of what she brought 

to this body, because of her spirit, because of her ever-winning smile. 

JO ANN DAVIS had the honor of being respected by people 

on both sides of the aisle. They respected her, and they knew 

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that she worked very hard to represent her district in Virginia. 

We extend our sympathies to her husband, Chuck, her 

sons, Charlie and Chris, as well as her granddaughter, Charlotte. 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to 

the gentleman from Missouri, who served with JO ANN as 

joint president of the Congressional Prayer Breakfast, Mr. 

Cleaver. 

Mr. CLEAVER. I thank the gentleman from Virginia. 

Mr. Speaker, one of the first individuals I met when I was 

elected to Congress was JO ANN DAVIS. I actually met her, 

along with the gentleman from Virginia, at our Prayer 

Breakfast and immediately had the opportunity to get to 

know her and to work with her. I sat beside her on each 

Thursday; and over the course of a year, we got a chance to 

know each other and began to tease each other, play with 

each other, have fun with each other, and then we ended up 

as the cochairs of the Prayer Breakfast for this past year. 

On the night before the Prayer Breakfast, I was called in 

my apartment and told that Congresswoman DAVIS was not 

feeling well enough for us to jointly lead the Prayer Breakfast. I knew of her physical problems, and so I knew that 

things had to have gotten worse, but I had the opportunity 

to say to her something that I really feel strongly about. My 

goal is not to hate a single individual, and I get up each 

morning with a goal of not even trying to resemble, in my 

actions, something that would be related to hate. 

But I told her, and I will say it here, I hate cancer, I hate 

it. I have seen it wreak havoc in the lives of men and women 

almost all of my life. 

When JO ANN tried to come back to Congress, this body 

that she loved, I was able to go over and sit down beside her. 

I wasn’t going to have a gloomy conversation. She said, ‘‘You 

know, you don’t recognize me, do you, because I have lost so 

much weight.’’ We had a relationship where we could tease 

each other, and I kept in contact with her office staff and the 

Prayer Breakfast. As the gentleman from Virginia and the 

gentleman from Tennessee will recall, we sent flowers to her 

about 3 months ago, for which she was very thankful. 

But I would like to say this, JO ANN DAVIS and I didn’t 

agree on a lot of things politically; but we were able to sit 

together, talk together, eat breakfast together, eat lunch together and enjoy this world together. If there is anything I 

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think we ought to be able to remember about her, I think it 

is in spite of political differences, ideological differences, this 

woman from Virginia, this tiny woman, was able to put all 

that aside in terms of personal relationships. 

Thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts about 

one of my colleagues, someone I cared a lot about. 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the gentleman from 

Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) for as much time as he may consume. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlemen 

from Virginia, Mr. Wolf and Mr. Scott, for leading this tribute to a great and courageous woman, Congresswoman JO

ANN DAVIS. 

I had the opportunity first to meet JO ANN DAVIS when 

she was a member of the Virginia General Assembly. She 

showed there the same courage, determination and hard 

work that she has shown here during her service in the U.S. 

Congress. Right through to her final week here, she was still 

working for the people of the First Congressional District of 

Virginia. She was very proud of her representation of those 

great people and often talked about her district as being 

America’s First Congressional District because it contained 

Jamestown and Yorktown and Williamsburg, and worked 

very hard for the past year or more as we prepared for this 

year’s celebration of the 400th anniversary of the settlement 

of Jamestown. 

She also was a member of three very important committees here in the Congress, the Armed Services Committee, 

the International Relations Committee and the Intelligence 

Committee, all very much related to our Nation’s national 

security and working with other countries around the world 

in our war against terror and was very dedicated to our 

Armed Services, the men and women who served there and 

our veterans. She stood up for them time and time again. 

When I arrived at my office today, I found in my in-box a 

copy of a bill that she introduced just last Tuesday, October 

2. It may well be the last bill that she introduced in the Congress, House Concurrent Resolution 222, cosponsored by myself and all the other Members on both sides of the aisle, 

commending the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Langley Research Center in her district, on the celebration of its 90th anniversary later this month. 

I can think of no better tribute to Congresswoman DAVIS

and to the men and women of the NASA Langley Research 

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Center, the premier aeronautic space and research facility in 

the country. I would commend to the Speaker and to the 

chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology 

where this bill has been referred to pass it, not only in tribute to those great workers at that great facility, but also a 

tribute to a great Member of Congress, Congresswoman JO

ANN DAVIS, who worked in this body in a very bipartisan 

spirit. 

Every month the Virginia congressional delegation meets, 

both the Senators and the House Members, the Republicans 

and the Democrats, in a bipartisan fashion. We talk about 

the issues that we are dealing with here in the Congress, 

particularly those that have a great impact on the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

She was an active and vocal participant in all of those discussions looking after the interests of Virginia and her congressional district. But she also loved to get away from here 

to her home in Gloucester, to her horses, to her family, her 

wonderful husband Chuck, her children, and grandchildren, 

where she was when she passed on at the end of last week. 

We will all miss her. Our hearts go out to her family, to 

her constituents. It is my hope that we will all take heart 

from this brave and courageous woman to her last days serving the people of her district with distinction and courage 

and great honor and determination. 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to 

the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Davis), a member of the 

Armed Services Committee who served with JO ANN DAVIS. 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. I want to thank my colleagues 

from Virginia for having this time set aside for all of us to 

come to the floor today and express our real sadness in losing our friend, JO ANN DAVIS. 

Mr. Speaker, in many ways JO ANN was not just my 

friend, but in some ways my sister here. I came to the Congress in 2001 with JO ANN; and at the beginning, because 

our names are the same, we got a little confused. In fact, 

people confused one particular bill with our names, and it 

took us awhile to sort that out. We had a good laugh over 

that because sometimes we didn’t always agree on everything. 

But I can say that of so many people that I have met and 

had a chance to spend time with, I really enjoyed my time 

with JO ANN. She was just such a strong woman who didn’t 

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always have an easy time, particularly as we saw her suffer 

through cancer. 

But she was so desirous, I think, of telling people a little 

bit about how she was doing and yet at the same time letting 

us know that she was OK. Well, you know, she wasn’t always OK, but she wanted us to know that. 

The first experience that I had with JO ANN is when we 

had an opportunity to travel to Afghanistan together, and 

one of our first codels, to see how our military was doing 

there, what was happening, and try to help develop the new 

Afghani army. 

We had quite an amazing trip. In spending all that time 

in the air and on the ground and really having a chance to 

talk, I felt like I got to know her as a true individual with 

great values, connected with family, and someone who was 

so devoted to her community. We both represent a military 

community, and I think we shared a great deal of that together. 

I wanted to just say thank you for what JO ANN gave me 

over these last years and helping me to also talk about my 

values and what is important to me. Family was very important to her. My husband and I reach out to Chuck and the 

family, and we wish them all the condolences in the world 

that we can bring to them and thank them for being the 

wonderful family that they are. 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the gentleman from 

Virginia (Mr. Goode). 

Mr. GOODE. I too want to thank Congressman Wolf and 

Congressman Scott for arranging this special order on behalf 

of Congresswoman JO ANN DAVIS. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the service of my 

friend and colleague, JO ANN DAVIS. She worked tirelessly on 

behalf of Virginians in the general assembly and in the U.S. 

House of Representatives. JO ANN was a stalwart defender 

of the rights of the unborn and a leader on numerous other 

commonsense issues. 

In 2000, JO ANN surprised many political pundits and 

prognosticators by winning a hard-fought primary in which 

she was heavily outspent by her opponents. She was easily 

reelected in subsequent campaigns because of her devotion to 

the constituents in her district and her focus on the concerns 

of the citizens in the eastern part of Virginia. 

She was a feisty fighter and frequently reminded others in 

Virginia and around the country that she represented not 

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only Virginia’s First District, but also America’s First District, as it includes Jamestown, VA, where our Nation’s first 

settlement was founded in 1607. She was a vigorous proponent of celebrating the 400th anniversary of Jamestown 

and made sure it received notice throughout Virginia, the 

United States, and around the world. 

As evidenced by the comments and tributes made here this 

evening, she touched everyone on both sides of the aisle. Her 

good works and her fighting on behalf of this great Nation 

will be long remembered. 

Her husband, Chuck, and her family are in our thoughts 

and prayers. It was an honor to have served the Commonwealth of Virginia and this Nation with JO ANN DAVIS. 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance 

of my time. 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the gentlelady from 

Ohio (Mrs. Schmidt) for the balance of the time. 

Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 

life of a very dear friend of mine, JO ANN DAVIS. 

When I came here a little over 2 years ago, I walked into 

a room filled with strangers, and I looked for the smiles. She 

was one of those smiles. She quickly took me under her 

wings. In addition to helping me through the maze of Congress, she also invited me to come to the best hour of the 

week, the Prayer Breakfast on Thursday. It’s an event I 

rarely miss. 

She not only was a fighter for her district and a fighter for 

her country, but she was a woman who truly loved her family and loved the Lord, and it showed in each and every day 

and in each and every way of her life. To her husband, 

Chuck, to her two sons, to her darling granddaughter, my 

heart goes out to you. 

Every day since I learned of her cancer, I have been praying for her. I shall continue those prayers for you. May God 

bless all of you. 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 

Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and 

extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H. 

Res. 717. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia? 

There was no objection. 

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[ 29 ] 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, my colleague from Virginia, for introducing the resolution. I ask for support for the resolution, and will yield the 

gentleman, my colleague, the balance of my time. 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I think for those who are watching, you’ve seen this Congress at its best, to see people from 

both sides of the aisle come together, and that is a tribute 

to JO ANN. 

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I rise to pay tribute to a 

great American and a Member of this House. JO ANN DAVIS

was a veteran legislator, businesswoman, and Member of 

Congress from Virginia’s First Congressional District. Her 

district, which stretches from the Washington suburbs to the 

Hampton Roads area, is often called America’s First District. 

The site of the Jamestown settlement is located there. 

Congresswoman DAVIS was the second woman from Virginia, and the first Virginia Republican woman, elected to 

the House in her own right. She was reelected by substantial 

margins in 2002, 2004, and to her fourth term in 2006. She 

was a productive member of three very important committees in the House: Armed Services, Intelligence, and Foreign 

Affairs. She was the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Intelligence Policy. 

JO ANN DAVIS was born in Rowan County, North Carolina, 

but lived in Virginia since she was 9 years old. She attended 

Hampton Roads Business College and worked in real estate 

before she was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 

1997. She was reelected in 1999, where she served until her 

election to Congress. 

Congresswoman DAVIS died on Saturday, October 6, 2007, 

and was a respected Member of this body and respected by 

all who knew her. She was a legislator’s legislator. She was 

known to often put aside partisan politics and reach across 

the aisle to legislate in a bipartisan manner for the best interests of the American people. 

Her presence will be greatly missed and we all mourn her 

loss and extend our sincerest condolences to her husband 

Chuck, her children, and grandchild. 

Mr. Speaker, a dear colleague has fallen but she will not 

be forgotten. We are all saddened by our loss but we are 

happy to have served with her. Our prayers and condolences 

go out to her husband, Chuck, her children, and to thousands of friends around the Nation. She touched so many 

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lives during her tenure in this body and she will be missed 

very much by the people she represented so ably. 

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express deepest condolences on the passing of my fellow colleague from Virginia, the Honorable JO ANN DAVIS. 

During her time in Congress, JO ANN was a strong advocate for her constituents and an active voice on issues affecting the Commonwealth. 

As Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, JO ANN was well positioned and a successful advocate for her district’s economic bread and butter—the shipbuilding and national defense industry. 

Regarding our joint efforts to grant Federal recognition to 

Virginia’s six state-recognized tribes, JO ANN was a passionate and helpful ally. Her familiarity with the tribes’ 

issues and her testament as to their traditional values and 

practices helped pave the way for the recognition bill’s passage in the House. I am grateful that, despite her failing 

health, she lived to see the bill receive the unanimous support of her colleagues. 

JO ANN will be deeply missed both within Congress and 

the Virginia delegation. Our hearts and prayers go out to her 

husband Chuck Davis, her two sons, and their entire extended family as they cope with the loss of their beloved 

wife, mother, and citizen legislator. 

Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today in support of 

H. Res. 717, the Privileged Resolution on the Passing of the 

Honorable JO ANN DAVIS. 

Today we stand in remembrance of a distinguished Member of the 110th Congress, Congresswoman JO ANN DAVIS, 

who after a 2-year battle with breast cancer has passed 

away. 

Her husband, Chuck Davis, battalion chief for the Hampton Fire Department; two sons, Christopher and Charles 

Davis, and extended family survive her, remembering the incredible legacy Congresswoman DAVIS has left behind her. 

A woman of modest beginnings, Congresswoman DAVIS

knew the meaning of hard work and proved headstrong and 

committed as she worked her way to becoming the first elected Republican woman to lead the First District of Virginia. 

She would maintain her leadership there for 7 years. 

She has been praised for her commitment to Armed Services, and commended for her commitment to researching and 

pursuing legislative reform. 

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Her determination to pursue change and prevail over 

hardships knew no bounds, even in her fight against breast 

cancer. 

Even in this moment of memorial, her presence and upstanding character is reflected as we discuss a recommitment of H.R. 1124—a bill providing financial assistance to 

low-income students and ensuring a brighter future for all 

Virginian youth. 

Because of the Congresswoman’s ongoing commitment to 

preserving life on a social and political level, my colleagues 

and I will make great strides to continue supporting breast 

cancer awareness and the well-being of all Americans. 

In her memory we will continue to uphold two priorities to 

which she was greatly dedicated. 

While it is with sadness that we say goodbye to an incredible woman, we think of her with joy and fondness as we remember her devotion to creating a better America. 

The use of her life to benefit America’s First District of 

Virginia is unquestionable and has served to ensure a sense 

of responsibility among her fellow colleagues in the 109th 

and 110th Congress. 

I thank Congresswoman DAVIS for dedicating her life to 

service on the behalf of the First District of Virginia. I am 

honored to have worked with her and I truly appreciate all 

she has given. 

Her efforts have touched many lives and her exceptional 

impact upon our country will create a lasting legacy for generations to come. 

Congresswoman DAVIS will be greatly missed. 

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, we’ve lost another great 

American who always put others before herself. She was devoted to her husband, Chuck; her two boys, Charlie and 

Chris; and her granddaughter, Charlotte, as well as all of 

the people she served. She and I were close friends—we 

talked about everything—and I, along with others here in 

Congress, will miss her dearly. JO ANN never gave up—she 

fought hard until the end. 

She had her priorities right—God is going to be very good 

to JO ANN DAVIS. 

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today 

to honor the life of JO ANN DAVIS—a friend and colleague 

who served the people of Virginia for 7 years in the House 

of Representatives. 

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As the first female Republican elected to the House from 

Virginia, JO ANN was dedicated to representing her constituents with a genuine leadership and passion for public service. She was committed to fighting government waste and 

strengthening our national defense and remained devoted to 

her duty despite her illness. As a fellow Member of the 

House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on 

Foreign Affairs, I am grateful to have known and worked 

with JO ANN. I am especially grateful for the 3 years we sat 

together on Thursdays at the Congressional Prayer Breakfast which she ultimately so devotedly chaired. 

During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are 

with JO ANN’s husband, Chuck, their two sons, her granddaughter, and the entire Davis family. 

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September 11. 

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 

time. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the resolution. 

There was no objection. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution. 

The resolution was agreed to. 

A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the 

House, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is 

recognized for 5 minutes. 

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise this 

evening to pay tribute to our fallen colleague, the Honorable 

JO ANN DAVIS, Member of Congress from the Commonwealth 

of Virginia. Let me, first of all, offer my deepest sympathy 

to her family and acknowledge the special role that Congresswoman DAVIS had in this body. 

She was a veteran legislator, a business woman, and a 

Member of Congress from Virginia’s First District. She was 

the first Virginia Republican woman elected to the House in 

her own right, and she was the second woman from Virginia 

to be elected in the U.S. Congress. 

More important, she loved the work. She loved this House 

and loved America. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs Committees, she was diligent in her work. I am reminded of her parVerDate jan 13 2004 13:30 Mar 26, 2008 Jkt 038150 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\JOANN~1\38150.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
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ticipation in the Women’s Caucus. The caucus was bipartisan. We had many opportunities, as women Members of the 

U.S. House, to sit together to study issues, particularly 

health issues, the way a number of diseases impacted 

women. We were able to gather together to sponsor legislation that particularly focused on enhanced research on diseases that impacted women negatively. 

I am reminded of the leadership of a former colleague also 

recently deceased, Congresswoman Juanita MillenderMcDonald, who organized the women’s effort to lay a wreath 

at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington Cemetery, and I have 

in my mind a memory of Congresswoman DAVIS joining us 

on those many occasions, uniting around our effort to pay 

tribute to women members of the armed services of the 

United States of America. 

So this evening I simply say that we will miss her, thank 

her for her pioneering spirit and her leadership, and I would 

like to say simply to her husband, Chuck; her children; and 

to thousands of her friends around the Nation and in her 

district our prayers and condolences are to your family and 

certainly to your community. So many lives were touched by 

your service. So we say to you, farewell, our dear friend. May 

you rest in peace. 

Mr. SESSIONS. . . . And of course the House of Representatives, in recess right now, is beginning to prepare for the 

funeral for our colleague, JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia, who 

passed away. Today, our colleagues came to the floor one by 

one to not only acknowledge the service that JO ANN DAVIS

gave to the United States of America, but also in her representation of her congressional district. JO ANN will be 

missed. JO ANN courageously fought cancer. JO ANN courageously went back home day after day, week after week, 

after serving the U.S. Congress, making sure that she talked 

about those things which she did in her job and her representation of people from Virginia. Perhaps more important, 

were the strength and character and courage that JO ANN, 

even in the midst of adversity, brought to this body. She was 

an inspiration to Republicans and Democrats alike. It is with 

a heavy heart that we all will miss her, and we say to her 

family, how much we know they will miss her, too, and to 

her constituents, we know they were well served. Mr. Speaker, we will miss JO ANN DAVIS from Virginia. . . . 

Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I move that 

the House do now adjourn. 

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[ 34 ] 

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 10 o’clock and 

15 minutes p.m.), pursuant to House Resolution 717, the 

House adjourned until tomorrow, Wednesday, October 10, 

2007, at 10 a.m., as a further mark of respect to the memory 

of the late Honorable JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. 

WEDNESDAY, October 10, 2007 

Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, Saturday, Congresswoman JO

ANN DAVIS passed into eternity after a long and courageous 

struggle with cancer. The gentlewoman from Virginia was 

elected in 2000, the same year I arrived in Washington, DC, 

and we became fast friends. From the start, JO ANN DAVIS

stood out. Her commitment to her family, her devotion to 

God, and her commitment to a strong defense and traditional 

values were inspiring. 

On the day I met JO ANN, she said to me very simply, 

‘‘Mike, the Lord put me here. I am going to serve Him every 

day that I am here.’’ Representative JO ANN DAVIS kept her 

word. 

May our Savior, hers and mine, comfort her and Chuck 

and the boys with the words, ‘‘Well done, good and faithful 

servant.’’ May this Congress always remember the service of 

Congresswoman JO ANN DAVIS. 

Mr. BLUNT. . . . I would also like to say to my friend I appreciate the accommodation of the House schedule this week 

based on the loss of our colleague from the First District of 

Virginia, JO ANN DAVIS. She cared about the things this 

Congress does. She was a great Member of Congress. I think 

it’s fair to say she was particularly focused on the armed 

services and on Federal employees, both of which she had a 

real opportunity to impact. 

And I would say that I remember her seat over here where 

she almost always sat, that last week she was able to be 

here with us, just looking, and it was obvious the great 

health challenge she was facing and the incredible effort she 

was making to be here to cast the last week of votes she was 

able to cast. And for your quick accommodation of the schedule so that we could participate in her memorial service tomorrow and also, frankly, recognize her service by the House 

not being in session tomorrow, I am grateful to you for that. 

I would yield for any comments you might want to make. 

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[ 35 ] 

Mr. HOYER. I thank my friend for yielding, and I want to 

join him in commending JO ANN DAVIS and sending our sympathies from this side of the aisle to her family. 

I had the opportunity of working with her on a number of 

Federal employee issues. She and I both represented large 

numbers of Federal employees. She was very conscientious, 

hard working, focused, obviously very concerned about our 

national security, as she represented very substantial defense establishments and Navy establishments in her district. Her district was across the Potomac River from mine, 

as the gentleman probably knows, and we will miss her. I 

know that her constituents will miss her. And we were certainly pleased to have the opportunity to make sure that any 

and all Members who could go and wanted to go would be 

able to attend the services that will be held for her tomorrow 

at 1 p.m. 

I thank the gentleman for his observations and join him in 

my commendations to her. 

Mr. BLUNT. I appreciate your efforts to do that. She was 

an example of public service and personal courage. 

Mr. MEEK of Florida. . . . I just want to say also, Madam 

Speaker, our colleague, Congresswoman DAVIS, our hearts go 

out to her family and also to her constituents and also everyone that she has touched in her lifetime. We served together, 

I believe on Armed Services, and even though she was on the 

Republican side of the aisle, we were colleagues here in Congress. She served to the very end, and I am forever grateful 

to her family for allowing her to serve and be a part of this 

body, to serve the American people. 

I know that over the coming days, tomorrow, I believe, will 

be her home-going service, that there will be further reflections on her life. 

With that, I would like to yield to Mr. Murphy. 

Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut. Thank you very much, 

Mr. Meek, and my condolences go out as well to the Davis 

family. . . . 

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I also 

want to add my voice and sorrow that goes out to the Davis 

family. Mr. Meek, Mr. Murphy, this is also Breast Cancer 

Awareness Month. Since we know that our dear colleague, 

Mrs. DAVIS, succumbed to breast cancer after a valiant 2- 

year battle, I think it is important to note that we are in 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

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[ 36 ] 

Breast cancer affects so many women from so many different walks of life, and it strikes every potential family, 

whether you’re a Member of Congress, a maintenance worker, whether you’re a scientist or someone from any walk of 

life. It is important that we focus our research and our effort, 

our dollars, our passion, and our commitment to finding a 

cure for this horrendous disease. My prayers and thoughts 

go out to her family as well. . . . 

Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, I rise with great sorrow 

today as the House of Representatives mourns the passing of 

the Honorable JO ANN DAVIS, Congresswoman from the First 

District of Virginia. Congresswoman DAVIS succumbed to 

breast cancer on Saturday after a lengthy struggle with the 

disease. I was greatly saddened when I heard the news of 

her passing. I will be keeping her husband Chuck, their surviving family, and her congressional staff members in my 

thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. 

I had the distinct pleasure of being able to know JO ANN

from her early days in Congress when she was first elected 

in 2000. She leaves behind a legacy of constant dedication to 

our men and women in uniform. Though she struggled with 

breast cancer the past 2 years, she remained determined in 

her commitment to continue serving her district, and our 

service men and women. This same drive was evident at the 

beginning of her career in public service. Her first election 

to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1997 came as a result 

of her defeating a heavily favored 15-term incumbent. There 

was never a challenge too large for her to pursue, and her 

constituents were the benefactors of this unswerving commitment to public service. She will be greatly missed by me, our 

colleagues, and the people of Virginia. God Bless. 

FRIDAY, October 12, 2007 

APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE COMMITTEE TO ATTEND 

FUNERAL OF THE LATE HONORABLE JO ANN DAVIS 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 

717, and the order of the House of January 4, 2007, the 

Chair announces the Speaker’s appointment of the following 

Members of the House to the committee to attend the funeral of the late Honorable JO ANN DAVIS: 

Mr. Wolf, Virginia 

Mr. Boehner, Ohio 

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[ 37 ] 

Mr. Blunt, Missouri 

Mr. Putnam, Florida 

The members of the Virginia delegation: 

Mr. Boucher 

Mr. Moran 

Mr. Goodlatte 

Mr. Scott 

Mr. Davis 

Mr. Goode 

Mr. Cantor 

Mr. Forbes 

Mrs. Drake, and 

Mr. Skelton, Missouri 

Mr. Engel, New York 

Mr. Hoekstra, Michigan 

Mr. King, New York 

Mr. Mica, Florida 

Mr. Ehlers, Michigan 

Mr. Hastings, Washington 

Ms. Jackson-Lee, Texas 

Mrs. Myrick, North Carolina 

Mr. Thornberry, Texas 

Mr. Wicker, Mississippi 

Mr. Aderholt, Alabama 

Ms. Granger, Texas 

Mr. Pitts, Pennsylvania 

Mrs. Tauscher, California 

Mrs. Capps, California 

Ms. Berkley, Nevada 

Ms. Schakowsky, Illinois 

Ms. Harman, California 

Mr. Akin, Missouri 

Mrs. Capito, West Virginia 

Mrs. Davis, California 

Ms. McCollum, Minnesota 

Mr. Pence, Indiana 

Ms. Watson, California 

Mr. Miller, Florida 

Mr. Wilson, South Carolina 

Mr. Cole, Oklahoma 

Mr. Hensarling, Texas 

Mr. Neugebauer, Texas 

Mr. Cleaver, Missouri 

Mr. Conaway, Texas 

Mr. Fortenberry, Nebraska 

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[ 38 ] 

Ms. Foxx, North Carolina 

Mr. Gohmert, Texas 

Mr. Price, Georgia 

Mrs. Schmidt, Ohio 

TUESDAY, October 16, 2007 

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 

I may consume. 

I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 222 which 

honors the 90th anniversary of NASA Langley Research 

Center. 

House Concurrent Resolution 222 was introduced by the 

late Representative JO ANN DAVIS. Her four terms in Congress were characterized by hard work and dedication, and 

I am sorry that she can’t be here today to take part in these 

proceedings. . . . 

Mrs. DRAKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 

of House Concurrent Resolution 222, commending NASA 

Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, on the celebration 

of their 90th anniversary, and out of respect to my friend 

and our colleague, JO ANN DAVIS, who so ably represented 

NASA Langley and who introduced this, her last resolution, 

just 4 days before she passed away. . . . 

Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago we commemorated the 40th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik and the beginning of the 

space race. It is fitting that today we commemorate NASA 

Langley Research Center, which has and will continue to 

play such an integral role in our Nation’s constant pursuit 

of the next frontier. I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. 

Resolution 222. 

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 

time. 

Mr. FEENEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 

Texas (Mr. Lampson), and I would like to rise in support of 

H. Con. Res. 222 commending NASA on the occasion of the 

90th anniversary of the founding of the Langley Research 

Center located in Hampton, VA. 

This legislation was introduced by our friend and colleague, Representative JO ANN DAVIS, just a week before she 

succumbed to cancer; and it is with mixed emotion that I 

stand here today to talk about this resolution. 

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[ 39 ] 

Mrs. DAVIS was proud to represent the engineers and technicians at NASA Langley Research Center who have made 

the U.S. aeronautics research and testing the envy of the 

world for 90 years. . . . 

But as a word of caution, it bears mentioning that U.S. 

aeronautics research and testing programs are declining, no 

matter that countries in Europe and elsewhere are investing 

heavily in aeronautics research. The health of the U.S. aviation industry depends upon aeronautics research and development, especially long-term research that private industry 

cannot perform itself, in order to compete in the world market. NASA is the only Federal agency that supports research 

on civilian aircraft. Their researchers are working to make 

our planes and our skies safer, and Mrs. DAVIS believed that 

this is a worthwhile investment of taxpayers’ money. 

I am pleased to join with my colleagues to commemorate 

the Langley Research Center on its anniversary, and I urge 

members to support this resolution. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. I thank the gentleman from Florida for 

yielding, and I rise today to commend the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley Research Center 

on its 90th anniversary, and, in doing so, express my respect 

for the resolution’s sponsor, Representative JO ANN DAVIS. 

Congresswoman DAVIS worked tirelessly to fight for the 

constituents of the First District of Virginia. This resolution 

was the last measure that she introduced in this body before 

she passed on just 10 days ago on October 6. I see it as only 

fitting that we pass it in a timely manner to honor this research center and our late colleague. . . . 

I urge my colleagues to join me in commending this facility’s contributions to the scientific world and the security of 

our country, and in doing so, honor our late colleague, Congresswoman JO ANN DAVIS. 

Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I think that the NASA 

Langley is a real jewel for advancement of science and engineering in the United States of America, and I think it’s fitting that we recognize this anniversary, their 90th, and at 

the same time, honor our colleague JO ANN DAVIS for the 

hard work that she did, the great work that she did in the 

U.S. House of Representatives. 

I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. 

Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Concurrent Resolution 222, because I believe NASA’s 

Langley Research Center to be a national treasure. With this 

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resolution we are acknowledging nine decades of outstanding 

technological achievement. 

However, before I continue, I must note with sadness that 

the driving force behind this resolution, Ms. JO ANN DAVIS, 

is no longer with us. In addition to all of the other important 

causes and issues for which she was such an articulate 

spokeswoman, she was an ardent champion of the importance of NASA’s aeronautics R&D programs. I shall miss her 

as we all will, and I am sorry that this is the last time that 

I will be able to have the opportunity to speak in support of 

one of her initiatives. . . . 

Mr. SNYDER. . . . Also available at usmint.gov is the other 

2007 coin that was brought by the late Representative JO

ANN DAVIS, a much beloved Member of this body who recently passed away. That coin honors the 400th anniversary 

of the founding of Jamestown in 1607. . . . 

WEDNESDAY, October 17, 2007 

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. . . . I would like to thank NASA for 

its continued recognition of NASA Langley as a viable, thriving part of the NASA community. I would also like to thank 

the individuals who have worked and who are currently 

working at NASA Langley for their sustained efforts in making the Center a world leader in the aeronautics and space 

exploration fields. Finally, I would like to recognize the leadership of my former colleague, the late Representative JO

ANN DAVIS, on this resolution. Congresswoman DAVIS was a 

tireless champion for NASA Langley and will certainly be 

missed. It is my hope that the Virginia delegation can continue this strong support for NASA Langley and look forward to more anniversaries to come. 

MONDAY, October 29, 2007 

Ms. BALDWIN. . . . I also rise to pay tribute to our friend 

and our colleague, Congresswoman JO ANN DAVIS, who lost 

her life to breast cancer earlier this month. We are reminded 

that breast cancer can strike anyone. . . . 

Ms. BROWN-WAITE of Florida. . . . My colleague, Ms. 

Baldwin, mentioned JO ANN DAVIS. JO ANN DAVIS certainly 

was a very brave lady who fought breast cancer. Actually, 

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she fought it twice. She won the first time, and it came back. 

We all remember her in this Chamber and we remember her 

desire to make sure that a cure is found. If JO ANN DAVIS

were here today, she would not only vote in favor of this, but 

she also would be speaking on behalf of it. 

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Baldwin and 

the 129 Members who co-signed this very important piece of 

legislation with me. I certainly urge all Members to support 

H. Con. Res. 230 to ensure that the House continues to bring 

awareness to this important issue. 

TUESDAY, October 30, 2007 

Mr. DUNCAN. . . . I rise today to urge passage of H.R. 

1236, to extend the authority of the U.S. Postal Service to 

issue a stamp to support breast cancer research. 

Those of us in Congress received a tragic reminder of the 

need for continued research into this disease with the passing of our beloved colleague, JO ANN DAVIS; and we thank 

the majority, in particular Mr. Clay, for taking the opportunity to honor her memory. 

Nearly 180,000 people, mostly, but not all, women, will 

learn that they have invasive breast cancer this year alone. 

About 40,000 people will die from this disease. Women who 

are white and over the age of 40 are more likely to suffer 

from breast cancer, but its victims run the gamut of age, 

race and socioeconomic background. We have made some 

progress in recent years thanks to early detection and increased awareness and availability of mammograms. 

But in the past 3 years, both mammograms and incidence 

of breast cancer have decreased. This doesn’t mean things 

are getting better. It means ominously and unfortunately 

that fewer cases are being detected. 

As I am sure JO ANN DAVIS would tell us if she were still 

with us here today, early detection, early treatment, constant vigilance and public awareness are key to putting this 

disease in its place. For example, incidence rates of both 

invasive and in-situ breast cancer rise and fall with the percentage of women who receive mammograms. 

After two decades of progress, both the use of mammograms and the rates of detection have begun to slip in recent 

years. As early detection increased, so did survival rates; but 

they will fall, too, if we can’t improve public awareness of the 

importance of early detection. 

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That’s where the measure that is before us comes in. This 

bill would reauthorize the Postal Service to issue the 55-cent 

stamp for first class mail, with 14 cents of each stamp going 

to breast cancer research and awareness programs for an additional 4 years. Since the program began in 1998, the Postal 

Service has sold more than 785 million of these stamps and 

raised $54.6 million for breast cancer research. 

This disease preys on women such as JO ANN DAVIS and 

on so many others, women on whom others have come to depend. They are mothers, grandmothers, business owners, 

teachers, researchers, even Members of this great body. We 

need these women and the invaluable contributions they 

make to our life and society. We need this measure to help 

save their lives. 

I have had the privilege of attending every single Race for 

the Cure for the past 11 years, every single one that has 

been held in my hometown of Knoxville. 

This is a very worthwhile cause that I am sure all of our 

colleagues on both sides of the aisle can support very enthusiastically. 

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. 

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from 

Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), my friend, who is certainly committed to this cause and who has joined with me in what I 

think is a worthwhile cause for the people of this country. 

I also want to dedicate H.R. 1236 in memory of the late 

Congresswoman JO ANN DAVIS. JO ANN’s courageous battle 

with breast cancer further inspires us to expand efforts to secure more research dollars and find a cure for this devastating disease. . . . 

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Proceedings in the Senate 

MONDAY, October 15, 2007 

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, the First Congressional District of Virginia is, like all of Virginia, a unique treasure. Beginning not far from the Nation’s Capital, it stretches down 

Virginia’s eastern coast along the Chesapeake Bay, as far 

south as the cities of Newport News and Hampton. Today, 

the First District is home to crucial national defense resources, like the Marine Corps’ installation at Quantico and 

Langley Air Force Base. It is also home to national historic 

landmarks like Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg, 

places that gave birth to Virginia and that are forever tied 

to the independence of our Nation and our Constitution. 

On October 6, 2007, the people of Virginia’s First Congressional District lost one of its most respected and admired 

leaders, a dedicated Member of Congress and loyal friend, 

Representative JO ANN DAVIS. It is with deep sadness that 

I share my thoughts on the passing of my colleague. 

Born in North Carolina, JO ANN DAVIS attended Hampton 

Roads Business College in Virginia, later obtaining her real 

estate license and real estate broker’s license over the next 

several years. In 1990, she started her own company, Jo Ann 

Davis Realty, and followed this successful endeavor with a 

run for public office in 1997. Serving as a delegate in the 

Virginia General Assembly for 4 years, JO ANN DAVIS became the first elected Republican woman to serve Virginia in 

the U.S. Congress after winning election in 2000. 

Representative DAVIS was a relentless champion for the 

needs of the First District. It was my privilege to work with 

her on many matters, ranging from national defense to the 

environment, and in that regard she worked hard to improve 

the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Also, I commend her diligent leadership in the removal of the James River Reserve 

Fleet from Newport News. From her support for the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge to her concern with the preservation of Dragon Run or providing fundVerDate jan 13 2004 13:30 Mar 26, 2008 Jkt 038150 PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\JOANN~1\38150.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
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[ 44 ] 

ing for oyster restoration, she always put the quality of Virginia’s environment above politics. 

With sincere passion and concern, Representative DAVIS

worked to improve our Nation’s armed services and the lives 

of the men and women who bravely answer the call to duty. 

She provided strong representation for the communities in 

and surrounding the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Dahlgren and the Marine Corps base at Quantico, ensuring that 

these facilities continue to make important contributions to 

protecting the Nation and to the economic foundations of 

their respective areas. Her initiative to increase the life insurance benefit paid to survivors of military members and 

her advocacy on behalf of the rights and benefits of Federal 

employees will continue to be appreciated in the years 

ahead. 

I have always admired Representative DAVIS for her 

strong convictions and the tenacity that she brought to bear 

in acting on them. She fought a courageous struggle against 

cancer, and I will miss her insights and her friendship in our 

Virginia congressional delegation. 

I close with a personal note that we both shared interests 

in equestrian activities. There is an old English saying that 

‘‘the outside of the horse is good for the inside of the man.’’ 

As an avid, accomplished rider, she often quipped with me 

that the saying applies equally to a woman. She loved the 

noble horse. 

I join with my colleagues from the Commonwealth and 

from the entire U.S. Congress in expressing my deepest sympathies to her husband, her two sons, and her extended family. They will remain in our thoughts and prayers during the 

difficult days ahead. 

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[ 45 ] 

In Loving Memory of 

Jo Ann Davis 

June 29, 1950–October 6, 2007 

★ 


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[ 46 ] 

Jo Ann Davis 

June 29, 1950–October 6, 2007 

Wife of: 

Chuck 

Mother of: 

Charlie 

Christopher 

Mother-in-law of: 

Stephanie 

Grandmother of: 

Charlotte 

Daughter of: 

Lena Sides 

Sister of: 

Melinda 

Celebration of Life Service 

Thursday, October 11, 1:00 PM 

Lighthouse Worship Center 

Gloucester, Virginia 

Interment 

Bellamy Memorial Cemetery 

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[ 47 ] 

A wish for you 

I wish you enough 

Sun to keep your attitude bright. 

I wish you enough 

Rain to appreciate the sun more. 

I wish you enough 

Happiness to keep your spirit alive. 

I wish you enough 

Pain so that the smallest joys in life appear 

Much bigger. 

I wish you enough 

Loss to appreciate all that you possess. 

I wish you enough 

‘‘Hello’s’’ to get you through the final 

Good-bye. 

With Love, 

JoAnn 

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[ 48 ] 

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, 

When sorrows like sea billows roll; 

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, 

It is well, it is well, with my soul. 

It is well, with my soul, 

It is well, with my soul, 

It is well, it is well, with my soul. 

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, 

Let this blest assurance control, 

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, 

And hath shed His own blood for my soul. 

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! 

My sin, not in part but the whole, 

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, 

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! 

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: 

If Jordan above me shall roll, 

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life 

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. 

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, 

The sky, not the grave, is our goal; 

Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord! 

Blesse`d hope, blesse`d rest of my soul! 

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, 

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; 

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, 

Even so, it is well with my soul. 

Special acknowledgements to: 

World Outreach Worship Center 

& 

Andrews Funeral Home 

Gloucester, Virginia 

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[ 49 ] 

THE HONORABLE 

JO ANN DAVIS 

AMERICA’S FIRST DISTRICT 

JUNE 29, 1950–OCTOBER 6, 2007 

GLOUCESTER, VIRGINIA 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2007 


cong#19.eps 38150.002
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[ 50 ] 

In loving memory of Jo Ann Davis, a wonderful 

mother, devoted wife, and dedicated public 

servant. An inspiration to us all, Jo Ann lived a 

life of honor and integrity and served as an 

example for those who knew her. Jo Ann was a 

living testament to God’s Word who showed us the 

power of prayer and faith. 

John 6:35–40 

And Jesus said to them, ‘‘I am the bread of life. He 

who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who 

believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you 

that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All 

that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the 

one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 

For I have come down from heaven, not to do my 

own will, but the will of him who sent Me. This is 

the will of the Father who sent me, that of all He 

has given Me I should lose nothing, but should 

raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of 

Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son 

and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and 

I will raise him up at the last day.’’ 

Pallbearers: Members of Jo Ann’s Staff 

Chris Connelly 

Joe Schumacher 

Brent Robinson 

Billy Errico 

Chris Jones 

Charles Downey 

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[ 51 ] 

A Celebration 

of the life 

of 

Jo Ann Davis 

Musical Prelude 

United States Navy Band 

Entrance of Family 

Opening Prayer 

Senior Pastor Bobby Collins 

World Outreach Worship Center, Newport News, 

Virginia 

Words of Tribute 

The Honorable J. Randy Forbes 

United States House of Representatives 

Senior Pastor Dan Mucci 

Abundant Life Church, Glen Burnie, Maryland 

Musical Selection 

‘‘It Is Well With My Soul’’ 

Words of Tribute 

The Honorable Sue Wilkins Myrick 

United States House of Representatives 

Senior Pastor Bobby Collins 

Congregational Worship 

‘‘Amazing Grace’’ 

Closing Prayer 

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A very special thanks to Senior Pastor Ken 

Cramer and the Lighthouse Worship Center, 

Andrews Funeral Home, the United States Navy, 

the Colonial Virginia Council of the Boy Scouts of 

America, and to everyone else for their loving care 

and concern for the family at this time. Words are 

inadequate to express the family’s appreciation for 

your acts of kindness, thoughts, and prayers. 

The service will conclude at graveside with full 

military honors. 

Bellamy Memorial Cemetery 

4870 Chestnut Fork Road 

Gloucester, Virginia 23061 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be 

made to: 

An Achievable Dream 

10858 Warwick Blvd. Suite A 

Newport News, Virginia 23601 

Æ