IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 140 
Honoring John D. Dingell for holding the record as the longest serving 
member of the House of Representatives. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 9, 2009 
Mr. KILDEE (for himself, Mr. UPTON, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CAMP, Mr. LEVIN, 
Mr. EHLERS, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. HOEKSTRA, Ms. KILPATRICK of Michi-
gan, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, Mr. PETERS, Mrs. MILLER of Michigan, 
Mr. SCHAUER, and Mr. MCCOTTER) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on House Administration 
RESOLUTION 
Honoring John D. Dingell for holding the record as the 
longest serving member of the House of Representatives. 
Whereas John D. Dingell was sworn in as a Member of the 
United States House of Representatives on January 22, 
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 Mem-
ber of Congress, had already dedicated himself to public 
service through his work as a National Park Ranger, a 
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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 Com-
mittee 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-
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 con-
gressional actions, as shown in his warning during the 
1999 debate over deregulation of the financial services in-
dustry 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 de-
fender 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 legisla-
tion (first introduced by his father) in every Congress 
since 1957 that would provide for national health insur-
ance, having presided over the House of Representatives 
on April 8, 1965, when Medicare passed the House, hav-
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•HRES 140 IH 
ing been a leader in getting the Children’s Health Insur-
ance 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 be-
half of working Americans, and was described by Presi-
dent 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’’; 
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 REPRESENTA-
TIVES. 
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; 
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(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. Din-
gell upon attaining the record for longest serving 
Member of the House of Representatives. 
SEC. 2. TRANSMISSION OF ENROLLED RESOLUTION. 
The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall 
transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the Honor-
able John D. Dingell. 
Æ 
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