H. Res. 154 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

February 11, 2009. 

Whereas John D. Dingell was sworn in as a Member of the 

United States House of Representatives on January 3, 

1956; 

Whereas John D. Dingell took office after winning a special 

election on December 13, 1955, to replace his father, who 

had served with distinction as a 12-term Congressman 

and proud supporter of President Roosevelt during the 

New Deal; 

Whereas John D. Dingell, prior to being sworn in as a Member of Congress, had already dedicated himself to public 

service through his work as a National Park Ranger, a 

Second Lieutenant in the United States Army during 

World War II, and an Assistant Prosecutor in Wayne 

County; 

Whereas John D. Dingell was appointed by Speaker of the 

House Sam Rayburn to the Committee on Interstate and 

Foreign Commerce, which would later become the Committee on Energy and Commerce; 

Whereas John D. Dingell has authored or been instrumental 

in the passage of some of the Nation’s most important 

environmental laws, including the National Environ-
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mental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the 

Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990; 

Whereas John D. Dingell’s length of service has given him 

the wisdom to foresee the long-term implications of congressional actions, as shown in his warning during the 

1999 debate over deregulation of the financial services industry that ‘‘You are going to find that they [banks] are 

too big to fail, so the Fed is going to be in and other 

Federal agencies are going to be in to bail them out. Just 

expect that’’; 

Whereas John D. Dingell has been a strong and vigorous defender of civil rights and civil liberties, having led the 

drafting and supported the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 

1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and is well known 

as a champion of the Second Amendment; 

Whereas John D. Dingell made health care for all Americans 

a priority during his entire career, having offered legislation (first introduced by his father) in every Congress 

since 1957 that would provide for national health insurance, having presided over the House of Representatives 

on April 8, 1965, when Medicare passed the House, having been a leader in getting the Children’s Health Insurance Program signed into law in 1997 and an expansion 

of the program signed into law in 2009, and having been 

an active leader on many other health care issues during 

his tremendous career; 

Whereas John D. Dingell has been a tireless advocate on behalf of working Americans, and was described by President Obama on June 15, 2008, as ‘‘somebody who has 

done more for working people than just about anybody in 

the history of the House of Representatives’’; 
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Whereas John D. Dingell was elected to his 28th term as a 

Member of the House of Representatives on November 4, 

2008, and has served as the Dean of the House since the 

104th Congress; and 

Whereas John D. Dingell will become the longest serving 

Member of the House of Representatives on February 11, 

2009: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, 

SECTION 1. HONORING JOHN D. DINGELL FOR HOLDING THE 

RECORD AS THE LONGEST SERVING MEMBER OF 

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 

The House of Representatives— 

(1) recognizes the Honorable John D. Dingell for 

his tireless advocacy on behalf of his constituents in the 

State of Michigan in the past, present, and future; 

(2) honors the Honorable John D. Dingell for his 

lifelong commitment to public service; 

(3) celebrates the Honorable John D. Dingell and 

his more than 53 years of dedication to the United 

States Congress, as well the Nation and the ideals upon 

which it was founded; and 

(4) congratulates the Honorable John D. Dingell 

upon attaining the record for longest serving Member of 

the House of Representatives. 
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SEC. 2. TRANSMISSION OF ENROLLED RESOLUTION. 

The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the Honorable John 

D. Dingell. 

Attest: 

Clerk.