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[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 83 (Thursday, May 18, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H5231-H5235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                              {time}  0905
                RECEPTION OF FORMER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

  The SPEAKER of the House presided.
  The SPEAKER. On behalf of the Chair and this Chamber, I consider it a 
high honor and a distinct personal privilege to have the opportunity of 
welcoming so many of our former Members and colleagues as may be 
present here for this occasion. We are taking this recess for the 
purpose of welcoming them.
  Let me say that I, in particular, want to take a moment to thank all 
of my former colleagues who are teaching, who are lecturing, and who 
are helping explain this complex and amazing process by which we try to 
do things. I think that all too often the country does not appreciate 
that the legitimate process of tension and debate and dialog are, in 
fact, how a free people makes decisions.
  I would say to any of my former colleagues who are able and have the 
time and are willing to do so that you do the 
[[Page H5232]] country a service and you continue your public service 
when you engage in that kind of opportunity.
  Somebody who I have had several very enjoyable occaasions of trying 
to explain why we, on television, do not always seem to be pulling in 
the same direction, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from 
Missouri [Mr. Gephardt].
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, it is my high honor to be here today and 
to welcome our former colleagues. As I look around the room, I see many 
Members that I had the honor and pleasure to serve with, and we welcome 
all of you to the Chamber today.
  If there has ever been a time in our history when we need to explain 
our form of Government to the American people, it probably is right 
now. We have a lot of reaction among the public, people saying, Why do 
you all go up there and argue and bicker so much?
  I understand their frustration and concern, but all of you well know 
that that is what this place is about. It is about the resolution of 
conflict. People have to be a little more willing to have conflict 
resolved in our great society and, of course, that is what goes on in 
this room and in the room across the other way of the building.
  I tried to stop, as I handed the Speaker the gavel a few months ago, 
and remind Americans that we should celebrate the passing of power, in 
this case after 40 years in the House of Representatives, from one 
party to another with peace and civility and respect. That is the 
hallmark of our society.
  I simply wanted to rise today to congratulate all my former 
colleagues who have been such an important part of carrying on that 
tradition and, I am sure, are still carrying on that tradition as they 
continue to relate to the public and explain the meaning of what goes 
on here.
  Mr. Speaker, it is good to be part of this ceremony today and to 
welcome our friends back. We look forward to talking to them today and 
greeting them.
  The SPEAKER. Let me just say, my understanding is this is the 25th 
annual report to the Congress by the Association of Former Members. I 
want to encourage every Member to stay active and to stay involved.
  I want to tell you that we, on our part, when I have a chance, for 
example, to talk with John Rhodes and pick his brain a little bit about 
where we are and what we are trying to do, it is very helpful to have 
the counsel of folks who have been here before and have done it before. 
It is good to be here with all of you. It is, frankly, a nice occasion 
to suspend all the other things we are doing that may not be quite this 
pleasant and have a chance to share with you.
  The Chair recognizes the Honorable James W. Symington, immediate past 
president of the association, to take the chair.
  Mr. SYMINGTON (presiding). The Clerk will now call the roll of former 
Members of Congress.
  The Clerk called the roll of former Members of the Congress, and the 
following former Members answered to their name:

 rollcall of former members of congress attending meeting, may 18, 1995

  William H. Ayres of Ohio;
  J. Glenn Beall, Jr. of Maryland;
  Ed Bethune of Arkansas;
  James H. Bilbray of Nevada;
  Lindy Boggs of Louisiana;
  Daniel B. Brewster of Maryland;
  William S. Broomfield of Michigan;
  James T. Broyhill of North Carolina;
  John H. Buchanan, Jr. of Alabama;
  M. Caldwell Butler of Virginia;
  Elford A. Cederberg of Michigan;
  Charles E. Chamberlain of Michigan;
  R. Lawrence Coughlin of Pennsylvania;
  James K. Coyne of Pennsylvania;
  Hal Daub of Nebraska;
  William D. Ford of Michigan;
  Nick Galifianakis of North Carolina;
  Robert Garcia of New York;
  Robert A. Grant of Indiana;
  Gilbert Gude of Maryland;
  James M. Hanley of New York;
  Robert P. Hanrahan of Illinois;
  Ralph R. Harding of Idaho;
  Jeffrey P. Hillelson of Missouri;
  John W. Jenrette, Jr. of South Carolina;
  Don Johnson of Georgia;
  Hastings Keith of Massachusetts;
  David S. King of Utah;
  Ernest L. Konnyu of California;
  Peter N. Kyros of Maine;
  H. Martin Lancaster of North Carolina;
  Norman F. Lent of New York;
  John V. Lindsay of New York;
  Manuel Lujan of New Mexico;
  John Y. McCollister of Nebraska;
  Romano L. Mazzoli of Kentucky;
  Robert H. (Bob) Michel of Illinois;
  James L. Nelligan of Pennsylvania;
  Dick Nichols of Kansas;
  Stanford E. Parris of Virginia;
  Jerry M. Patterson of California;
  Charles H. Percy of Illinois;
  Shirley N. Pettis of California;
  John J. Rhodes of Arizona;
  John J. Rhodes III of Arizona;
  John H. Rousselot of California;
  Philip E. Ruppe of Michigan;
  George E. Sangmeister of Illinois;
  Ronald A. Sarasin of Connecticut;
  Harold S. Sawyer of Michigan;
  Richard S. Schweiker of Pennsylvania;
  Carlton R. Sickles of Maryland;
  Henry P. Smith III of New York;
  Peter Smith of Vermont;
  James W. Symington of Missouri;
  Andrew Jackson Transue of Michigan;
  Doug Walgren of Pennsylvania;
  Charles W. Whalen, Jr. of Ohio;
  Lyle Williams of Ohio;
  Robert (Bob) Wilson of California; and
  Larry Winn, Jr. of Kansas;
  Mr. SYMINGTON (presiding). The Chair announces that 37 former Members 
of Congress have responded to their names. Any who may appear later 
will have their names added to the list.
  The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Philip 
Ruppe.
  Mr. RUPPE. First I would like to thank the Speaker and the majority 
leader for giving us the opportunity to be here today and to enable me 
to present to you the annual report of the former Members of Congress.
  I must say we, we do have a very good turnout this morning. I recall 
how difficult it was to be down here at 9 in the morning when we were 
well paid for the effort. Considering that our remuneration is somewhat 
less at this particular time, I do want to thank everybody for showing 
up at 9, a very early hour, I suspect, for a number of us.
  Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I are very pleased and honored to have 
this opportunity, as I stated, to once again be on the floor of 
Congress to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Association of 
Former Members of Congress. We want to thank you and we want to thank 
every Member, seated Member of Congress, for the warm welcome extended 
to our group today. The association, over 25 years since its inception, 
has grown to a membership of some 600 individuals, an annual budget in 
excess of $600,000.
  The association, following the mandate of its charter, has developed 
a number of programs of which we are very proud, programs both domestic 
and international, to promote the improved public understanding of the 
Congress as an institution, and representative democracy as a system of 
Government.
  One of our earliest initiatives was our highly successful 
Congressional-Campus Fellows Program. Launched in 1976, former Members 
of Congress visit colleges, universities, and high school campuses for 
2, sometimes 5 days to have formal and informal meetings with the 
faculty and students. Also community representatives are invited to 
share with them firsthand knowledge about the operations of the U.S. 
Congress, the executive branch, and the Judiciary.
  Under this program, 72 former Members of Congress have reached more 
than 100,000 students through 231 programs on 164 campuses in 49 
States. Interestingly enough, this is the association's program that 
our members feel most strongly about, and it is a program which is 
going to receive renewed attention in our next program year.
  I want to emphasize that, because we have done a good deal of 
reorganization, but the Campus Fellowship Program is popular with our 
members. It does a service to the communities where we are involved, 
and I think it is a very good way to show how the Congress operates and 
in the very best manner in which it operates.
  Mr. Speaker, we have without exception a warm attachment, as we 
obviously indicate by being here today, to 
[[Page H5233]] this body, its traditions and its role in a democratic 
society, and we welcome, as we always did and will, the opportunity to 
speak out on behalf of all of its Members.
  The association also provides opportunities for our members to share 
their congressional experiences overseas. Fourteen study tours have 
been carried out for members of the association who, entirely at their 
own expense, have participated in educational and cultural visits to 
China, the former Soviet Union, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle 
East, South America, New Zealand, and Australia.
                              {time}  0920

  At this time, in fact just yesterday morning, we held discussions 
with our former colleague, Congressman Jim Jones of Oklahoma, our 
current Ambassador to Mexico, to explore the possibility of a study 
tour in that country. I would like to see that Ambassador Jones is very 
anxious that we do develop something in the way of a study trip to 
Mexico, and while we are there, USIA, our information agency, may well 
use our Members or former Members to interact with their Mexican 
counterparts south of the border. It could be not only a lot of fun, 
but an opportunity, I think, to enable us to explain better the role of 
Congress in our society.
  The association cooperates with a number of other nonprofit 
organizations which make available for educational projects the 
experiences and perspectives of persons who have served in the 
Congress. It has provided former Members of Congress for programs 
sponsored by USIA's AMPARTS [American Participants] Program in Africa, 
Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Australia. USIA staff hope to involve 
more former Members of Congress in these programs and have asked us to 
notify them when any of our Members are traveling abroad who might be 
interested in participating in these programs, so I can say to all of 
you today, if you are traveling abroad, let us know your plans. USIA 
representatives in the field are anxious to get a hold of you, your 
experience, and your expertise.
  The association also provides opportunities for current Members of 
Congress to share their expertise with legislators of other countries 
and to learn first hand the operations of those governments. It has 
continued serving as the secretariat for the Congressional Study Group 
on Germany, which is the largest and most active exchange program 
between the United States Congress and the Parliament of another 
country. The study group is an unofficial, informal, and bipartisan 
organization open to all Members of Congress. Currently, I am proud to 
say, it involves more than 100 Representatives and Senators, and 
provides opportunities for Members of Congress to meet with their 
counterparts in the German Bundestag to facilitate better understanding 
and greater cooperation between these great countries.
  In addition to hosting a number of members of the Bundestag and other 
German Government leaders at the Capitol this past year, the study 
group hosted a retreat in early February in Maryland for new Members of 
Congress and new members of the Bundestag. This was enormously 
successful, and it was followed up by the 12th Annual Congressional-
Bundestag Seminar which was held in April in Dresden, Germany, in which 
10 Members of the Congress and 11 members of the Bundestag 
participated, along with two of our members, Lou Frey and Martin 
Lancaster. Also, four members, former members, of the Bundestag were 
involved, as well as having indepth discussions about the many facets 
of United States-German relations on the national level, and the 
participants had the opportunity to observe the progress that has been 
made in Eastern Germany since the reunification a few years ago, and to 
discuss continuing developmental efforts being conducted by state 
legislators in the new states of Saxony and Brandenberg.
  The Study Group Program is funded primarily by the German Marshall 
Fund of the United States, and we do want to thank them again in this 
forum for their support. It has included joint meetings of the 
Agriculture Committees and the Bundestag, and visits by members of the 
Bundestag to observe the Illinois presidential primary and the Iowa 
caucus, as well as congressional districts throughout the country with 
Members of Congress to learn about the U.S. political process at the 
grassroots level. I hope they did not go back too confused, but I think 
it was a great experience for all of them.
  The association also serves as the secretariat for the Congressional 
Study Group on Japan, which seeks to develop a congressional forum for 
the sustained study and analysis of policy options on major issues in 
United States-Japanese relations, and to increase opportunities for 
Members of Congress to meet with their counterparts in the Japanese 
Diet for frank discussions on these key issues. This informal, 
bipartisan group, which, again, is open to all Members of the Congress, 
has 67 Member participants, and an additional 45 Members of Congress 
have asked us to keep them informed of our activities. An ongoing 
activity of the study group, one of them, is to host breakfasts, 
luncheons, and discussions with Americans and Japanese who are experts 
on various facets of the United States-Japanese relationship. For 
example, just last week Ambassador Mickey Kantor met with study group 
members for what I am sure was a very lively discussion of the auto and 
auto parts negotiations.
  The association's program to assist the new democratic nations in 
Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, which was begun 
in 1989, has continued to expand. Under funding from the United States 
Information Agency, the association has hosted delegations of Members 
of the Parliaments of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and the 
United States, sent bipartisan teams of former Members of Congress, 
accompanied by either congressional or country expert, to Hungary, 
Poland, and Czechoslovakia, and has placed a congressional fellow in 
Budapest, and highly successfully so, for 2 years to provide technical 
assistance to the Members and staff of the Hungarian Parliament. The 
final aspect of this grant from USIA will be the hosting of a 
delegation of four Members of the Slovak Parliament in the United 
States next month.
  Under a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts, the association has 
placed one congressional fellow in Slovakia, a gentleman by the name of 
John Holstine, who has done a tremendous job, and another
 Congressional Fellow in the Ukraine, Cliff Downen there, has done an 
outstanding service to this country and to our organization. They have 
been at their posts for a year, and will remain until April 1996. 
Former Members of Congress, Lou Frey of Florida and Lucien Nedzi of 
Michigan, have visited these fellows to assist them in their work, and 
they have conducted workshops and participated in seminars with members 
of the Parliament. We plan to have additional former Members, and we 
would like to have additional former Members of Congress visit Slovakia 
and the Ukraine in the next calendar year.

  Back here in the United States, the association has continued its 
program of hospitality for distinguished international visitors, 
parliamentarians, cabinet ministers, judges, academicians, and 
journalists here at the Capitol. This program, originally funded by the 
Ford Foundation, has been continued under grants from the German 
Marshall Fund of the United States. It has enabled us to host 306 
events: breakfasts, lunches, dinners, receptions, and so forth, for 
visitors from 82 countries and the European Parliament, and has proved 
to be an effective avenue for improving communication and understanding 
between Members of the Congress and leaders of other nations.
  In addition to our work with current parliamentarians, we maintain 
close relationships with associations similar to ours; that is, former 
members of the Parliaments of other countries. In this connection, Mr. 
Speaker, I am pleased to recognize and welcome two representatives of 
these associations who are with us today, Aideen Nicholson of the 
Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians, and Joachim Raffert, 
of the Association of Former Members of the German Bundestag.
  I might say they were both here well before 9 o'clock, setting a good 
example for their American counterparts.
  These relationships have been cordial, they have been a lot of fun. 
We have made within the group lasting 
[[Page H5234]] friendships, and I think really have, through this 
process, developed a better understanding and appreciation of the 
common democratic institutions that we share.
  Mr. Speaker, at this time it is my very sad and unhappy duty to 
inform the House of those persons within our membership who have served 
in the U.S. Congress and have now passed away since our report last 
year. Those deceased Members of the Congress are:
  Glenn M. Anderson, California;
  Irene B. Baker, Tennessee;
  Joseph H. Ball, Minnesota;
  Wallace F. Bennett; Utah;
  Albert M. Cole; Kansas;
  Emily Taft Douglas; Illinois;
  John Dowdy, Texas;
  Daniel Flood, Pennsylvania;
  J.W. Fulbright; Arkansas;
  Claude Harris, Alabama;
  Patrick J. Hillings, California;
  W. Pat Jennings, Virginia;
  August E. Johnsen, Michigan;
  Thomas H. Kuchel; California;
  Thomas J. Lane, Maine;
  Clarence D. Long, Maryland;
  Gillis Long, Louisiana;
  Richard Dean McCarthy; New York;
  Thomas C. McGrath, Jr., New Jersey;
  Hervey G. Machen, Maryland;
  George Meader, Michigan;
  D. Bailey Merrill, Indiana;
  Jack R. Miller, Iowa;
  Edward J. Patten, New Jersey;
  Richard L. Roudebush, Indiana;
  Hugh Scott, Pennsylvania;
  Robert L.F. Sikes, Florida;
  Jessie Summer, Illinois;
  Roy A. Taylor, North Carolina;
  Lera Thomas; Texas; and
  Albert Watson, South Carolina.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask for a moment of silence in their 
memory.
  Mr. Speaker, I suppose, since I have the platform, I can tell the 
story about one of the former Members who is deceased. I'm sure we all 
knew most of them. I can remember Dick Roudebush and others on the 
floor. I'm sure most of us have very great stories to tell about each 
of the individuals, but since I have the platform, I'm going to tell a 
little one on Roy Taylor.
  One time when we were on the Interior Committee's Parks Committee we 
were out in Iowa and we were inspecting a site that may have been 
included or would have been included as a national park or wildlife 
refuge, but in any event, the Forest Service took us fishing. They 
helicoptered us up to this wonderful lake and gave us the opportunity 
to fish for cutthroat trout. There were about a dozen of us in the 
group, and Roy Taylor was the chairman.
  We all got outfitted with fishing poles and we all went at it. Roy 
Taylor got the first six fish, and of course, we were a little nervous, 
but we knew the chairman of the committee deserved better service than 
the rest of us, so no one was too upset. Roy Taylor was a pretty good 
sport. He said, ``Fine, no problem, maybe the pole is lucky,'' so he 
gave the pole to somebody else and took another pole, and he got five 
more fish, all for the chairman.
  Finally we said ``Roy, this is a little too much. We are going to 
move you off that site, because we know they have probably got some 
frogmen down below to put the fish on the hook,'' so we moved Roy about 
one-eighth of a mile to another site, and he got 4 more fish. Let me 
say, I think there were something like 14 or 15 fish, and Roy got them 
all, got every one of them, no matter where he was, what pole he used.
  I grant you, he had talent, but it certainly shows, at least in those 
days, that chairmanship did indeed have rank and power. But he was a 
wonderful man, and I hope that his wife, Evelyn, realizes how much we 
think of him, and all of the other Members with whom we have served.
  Mr. Speaker, it is now my happy duty to report that nominated to be 
our association's new president is our colleague, Lindy Boggs of 
Louisiana, and as vice president, Lou Frey of Florida.
  Is Lindy Boggs here? I know some of them have had obligations this 
morning. Lou Frey was on his near deathbed in Florida with flu the 
other day. I should say that Lou and a couple other of our members are 
responsible for getting the very attractive pins that are now available 
or have been made available to all of our members. Lou Frey, over what 
I extended, which could be no more than lukewarm support, went on and 
got it, and the Speaker graciously consented to make it official, so we 
have a very lovely, handsome pin for the former Members of the 
Congress. Therefore, I believe the leadership of the association will 
be in capable and experienced hands.
  I do want to say at this time that Linda Reed, who has been our 
acting director, has been a tremendous asset to this organization. She 
has worked countless hours, organized the exchanges with the Germans 
and the Japanese, gotten much of this program put together today, and 
has done a tremendous job. I would also like to say that Nola Golson, 
her executive and our executive assistant for the organization, again 
has done an outstanding job keeping the office going, keeping the mail 
moving, keeping those old Wang computers doing their job.
  In Nola's case, she has two charming daughters that you may well have 
noted last evening helped us get our reception underway, and also have 
done the proverbial job of stuffing envelopes on a number of occasions, 
so we want to thank them both for an outstanding job.
  Mr. Speaker, each year the association presents a Distinguished 
Service Award to an outstanding public servant. This award rotates 
between political parties, as do our officers. Last year's recipient on 
the Republican side was former Ohio Representative, Clarence J. ``Bud'' 
Brown.
  This year, the Democratic recipient has been the distinguished former 
Representative and Senator from Tennessee and the current Vice 
President of the United States, Albert Gore, Jr. The award was 
presented to Vice President Gore during our congressional reception 
last evening in the Hart Building.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask permission to insert in the Record at this point 
my remarks in presenting the award to the Vice President, and the Vice 
President's remarks in accepting the award:
                  Philip Ruppe's Introductory Remarks

       This is a very special occasion tonight, the 25th 
     Anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Association of Former 
     Members of Congress. In 1970, Walter Judd of Minnesota and 
     Brooks Hays of Arkansas conceived this organization to 
     promote the improved public understanding of the Congress as 
     an institution, and representative democracy as a system of 
     government.
       Tonight, I speak for every member of FMC as well as our 
     friends, families and our guests from abroad, when I state 
     that we are honored indeed to have with us at this our 
     anniversary celebration, Mr. Al Gore, the Vice President of 
     the United States.
       We are proud, Vice President Gore, that you began your 
     political career in the United States Congress where, 
     following graduation from Harvard University and a tour of 
     wartime duty in Vietnam, you served eight years representing 
     the 4th district of Tennessee. In 1984, you went on to be 
     elected to the United States Senate.
       Since most of us in this room can attest to the fact that 
     campaigning is a pretty rugged business, I should point out 
     that when Al Gore was re-elected in 1990, he was the first 
     candidate in modern history--Republican or Democrat--to win 
     all of Tennessee's 95 counties.
       Vice President Gore has had a long and distinguished career 
     of leadership in Congress and in the Executive Branch of 
     government. These accomplishments are both national and 
     international.
       In 1992, he chaired the U.S. Senate Delegation to the Earth 
     Summit in Reo de Janeiro, the world's largest gathering ever 
     of heads of state whose focus was directly on the envionment.
       Last year, Vice President Gore helped President Clinton 
     unveil the Global Climate Change Action Plan, a public-
     private partnership to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas 
     emissions in the atmosphere while promoting economic 
     development.
       As a Member of the Senate, Al Gore introduced and steered 
     to passage the High Performance Computing Act to create a 
     national, high speed computer network, and increase research 
     and development of high performance technologies.
       As Vice President, Al Gore chairs the Community Enterprise 
     Board of the President's Empowerment Zone and Enterprise 
     Community Program which will designate certain areas of the 
     country as eligible to receive federal assistance and support 
     for the development of strategic plans for revitalization.
       Al, press accounts suggest that you are focusing much of 
     your time on reinventing government. It seems to me that you 
     have already been doing that for a full 20 years.
       Also, Mr. Vice President, we cheered and applauded--as did 
     millions of Americans--when you led the U.S. delegation to 
     the inauguration of the first freely-elected President of 
     South Africa, Nelson Mandela. What a victory for freedom and 
     democracy.
       Last, and most importantly, or, as has been said about most 
     of us in this room, ``lucky for him,'' he is married to Mary 
     Elizabeth Aitcheson--Tipper Gore--mother of 
     [[Page H5235]] four lovely children, articulate campaigner 
     and author--a truly gracious lady.
       It is my pleasure, as President of the U.S. Association of 
     Former Members of Congress, speaking on behalf of the members 
     of our Association--your friends and admirers all--to present 
     to you this plague for exemplary service to the nation and 
     these two books of letters from your friends.
                                                                    ____

                   Remarks of Vice President Al Gore

       It's such an honor to get a Distinguished Service Award 
     from a group that epitomizes Distinguished Service.
       And, I'm pleased to be a part of the 25th Annual Spring 
     Meeting. For the last 25 years, every spring, a group of 
     individuals have come together to reflect on--and to add to--
     the role they played in the oldest democracy in the world--a 
     government that more than any other can shape life.
       In or out of office, you serve your country--by your 
     leadership, by your dedication, and by your very example.
       In Congress, we entered a world of traditions. There are 
     those who will never understand why in the midst of a heated 
     debate that we refer to opponents as ``My distinguished 
     colleague'' or ``My esteemed friend from the other side of 
     the aisle.''
       Though, of course, there are limits. Thaddeus Stevens (R-
     PA) once said, ``I will now yield to my honorable colleague * 
     * * who will make a few feeble remarks.''
       Then there was Senator Homer Capehart of Indiana. He once 
     got so carried away with the rhetorical courtesies that he 
     referred to himself as ``The Distinguished Senator from 
     Indiana.''
       But those of us who have been lucky enough to serve in our 
     Nation's Capitol, know that these traditions ensure civility 
     when we need it most.
       And we also know, that when we say ``good friends on the 
     other side of the aisle* * *'' that it is not only civil * * 
     * that it is not only just tradition of our Congress * * * 
     but something which is absolutely true.
       I know that your service and your contribution hasn't 
     stopped with your retirement from Congress. Of course, 
     sometimes retirement is involuntary. My father, who 
     ``retired'' from the Senate in 1970, likes to say, it was due 
     to a marginal error on the part of the people of Tennessee.
       There is a line attributed to Jefferson that ``When a man 
     assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public 
     property.''
       That isn't always easy.
       Two reasons come to my mind right away.
       First, regardless of what side of the aisle you sit on--you 
     came here with the intent to serve your constituents and your 
     nation the best way you knew how. And not only was that your 
     goal: it was your accomplishment.
       And second, and on a more personal note, no one knows more 
     than all of you how much you sacrificed during your time in 
     office. You were on the road * * * working long hours * * * 
     you were away from the family. You missed the kids' baseball 
     games for a hearing on the budget. Instead of helping your 
     daughter with her homework, you had to be in the Cloakroom--
     eating a hot dog for dinner--waiting for a vote.
       Your spirit of self-sacrifice has always inspired me to 
     remember what really matters. Serving the nation. And for me 
     to be honored by a group of people with such noble 
     intentions--that is the highest compliment I could be paid.
       President Kennedy once said that: ``Mothers all want their 
     sons to grow up to the President. They don't want them to 
     become politicians in the process.''
       You have all been politicians. None of us has been 
     President. But on this week after Mother's Day, I hope you 
     feel you've made not only your family, but your country very 
     proud.

  Mr. RUPPE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say one thing, I thought the 
Vice President was very, very kind and gracious to give us his time 
last evening. I think I can say to everyone here that his remarks 
certainly reflected his empathy with Members, former and present 
Members of the U.S. Congress.
  The Speaker was bipartisan, he was gracious, he was kind, and I think 
he really was, as he well should have been, indeed, the highlight of 
that evening. I hope his friends and his family realize how important 
his being there and accepting that award was for all of us as former 
Members of Congress.
  Lindy Boggs, our new president coming up.
  Lindy, I just want to say how pleased we are as an association that 
you will be the next president, and how happy we were that you did, I'm 
sure, a great deal of work in getting Vice President Gore to be with us 
last evening. It was a marvelous evening, an outstanding event, and he 
was very, very gracious to join us.
  I would also like to put in a statement from the Ukrainian People's 
Deputies of the Former Verkhovna Rada, who, for their association, 
extended to us their greetings at the time of their 25th anniversary:

                                                     May 18, 1995.
     Hon. Philip E. Ruppe,
     President, U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Ruppe: On behalf of the Association of Ukrainian 
     People's Deputies of Former Verkhovna Rada we want to, first 
     of all, congratulate you and AFMC on the occasion of your 
     25th Anniversary. We wish you enjoyable festivities and many, 
     many more years of success.
       Secondly, we want to take this opportunity to express our 
     appreciation to you and, through you, to your entire 
     membership, first of all--Kyiv Representative of FMC Mr. 
     Cliff Downen, for the support, both advisory and financial, 
     that the U.S. Association of Former Members of our 
     Association.
       Our organization's meeting was held on the floor of the 
     Verkhovna Rada on the 31st of March with the participation of 
     the Chairman of Verkhovna Rada and almost two hundred former 
     members. We signed up 168 member's of our Association on the 
     first day. We look forward to working with you and other 
     former members associations of the World in the years ahead.
       Thank you again for your assistance and support.
       With warm regards and our best wishes for your continued 
     success,
     Pavlo Kyslyi,
                                         President of Association.
     Olexandr Barabash,
     Leonid Bilyi,
     Juryj Gnatkevich,

                                   Vice Presidents of Association.
  Mr. RUPPE. Mr. Speaker, this concludes the 25th Annual Report to the 
Congress by the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress.
  I want to say to the Speaker that we were very honored by his warm 
welcome and by his generous comments to all of us here today. We want 
to thank those seated Members of the Congress for their very personal 
greetings. It is always fun to come back on the floor and see some of 
the Members with whom we have served in the past, or others whom we 
have gotten to know via C-SPAN or other forms of media, and have the 
opportunity to greet them personally.
  I think I can say for everyone in this group, and I certainly can say 
it for me, that being a Member of Congress was probably the most 
exciting and the most challenging moment of my life, so this, for me, 
and I think it is for all of us, is a rare and thoroughly enjoyable 
opportunity to greet old friends, to feel for a moment the majesty of 
this Chamber, and share with everyone here the activities of its former 
Members.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, we want you to know that this association will 
continue its efforts to promote greater public understanding of and 
appreciation for this very uniquely American legislative body, the U.S. 
Congress.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair thanks the very distinguished 
Member, and the statements will be conveyed to the Speaker 
wholeheartedly.
  The Chair wishes to thank the former Members of Congress for their 
presence here today. I should say, before terminating these 
proceedings, the Chair would like to invite all those former Members 
who did not respond when the roll was called to give their names to the 
reading clerks for inclusion on the roll.
  The Chair wishes to thank all the other former Members of the House 
for their presence here today. Good luck to you all.
  The House will continue in recess until 10 a.m.
  Accordingly (at 9 o'clock and 37 minutes a.m.), the House continued 
in recess until 10 a.m.

                          ____________________
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