Date: 1999-11-09
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. let me thank the gentleman from California and the gentleman from California for setting aside this time to give tribute and salute to George Brown. our House colleague who died earlier this year after representing his constituents in California for more than 34 years. He is survived. as it has been said. by his wife Marta and their six children. She is here with us in the Chamber and we are delighted to see her. Many of us are aware of Martas strong interest in public service and her commitment to social change. I know that she will continue Mr. Browns legacy of boundless curiosity and forging public policy that advances social justice. Representative Brown. who became one of my best friends here. embodied the best that the House of Representatives has to offer. He was committed to public service. fought for social justice and became the Nations foremost policymaker when it came to science and technology. He was a good listener and that is one of the reasons he was so successful. He took the time to understand his constituents and their problems. He believed that lawmakers should do their own homework. learn the issues and know how the issues affect their constituents. He prided himself on doing his own research. I served with Mr. Brown on the House Committee on Science and the longer we served together. the greater my admiration for him grew. As chairman of the House Committee on Science during the 102nd and 103rd Congresses. he reached the pinnacle of his legislative career. He was the recognized leader in forming the institutional framework for science and technology in the Federal Government. He worked tirelessly to expand the scope of NASA as one of the Federal Governments lead agencies in promoting research and development. In the 1960s and again in the 1980s. he helped restructure the National Science Foundation by directing that agency into more active roles in engineering and the development of advanced technologies. He also redirected the National Science Foundation to become the Nations lead Federal agency in promoting mathematics. science. engineering and technology. His efforts have had a lasting impact on the development of these disciplines for kindergarten through 12th graders and more. He recognized that todays students will become tomorrows workers. To be successful. these students must be technologically fluent and that will not happen without a strong commitment from the Federal Government working hand in hand and in coordination with the private sector. He understood that fact. He developed legislation that established the Office of Science and Technology to focus the Nations policy in these areas. In the 1970s. he championed the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Technology Assessment. He also directed the Congress toward groundbreaking initiatives for energy and resource conservation. sustainable agriculture. wind energy. global climate change research and space exploration. Throughout his career. he enthusiastically supported both piloted space flight and nonpiloted space exploration. Before being elected to the Congress. he was the mayor of Monterey Park. California. Later he was elected to the California State Assembly where he worked on labor and environmental legislation. In fact. he introduced the first bill in the Nation to ban lead in gasoline in the early 1960s. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1962 where he fought for passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and worked hard to stop U.S. participation in the Vietnam War. His career of public service spanned more than 40 years. He truly was a legislator for all seasons and the breadth of his interests spanned many horizons. from space exploration to social justice. Mr. Speaker. this House is a better place because George Brown served here. I am proud to have known him and the country has moved forward because of his service in this Chamber.