Date: 1992-09-16
Speaker: VANDER JAGT (republican)
Chamber: H

in conjunction with former Representative and President Gerald Ford was among the original sponsors of the ESOP legislation. employees stock ownership plans. legislation which has proved of benefit to literally millions of American workers over the years. GuY VANDER JAGT has also fought on behalf of the recreational and commercial users of the great waterways in his district. including Lake Michigan. At the same time. he has been a leader in the preservation of water resources. as well as such beautiful land areas as the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Mr. Speaker. my Republican colleagues in particular owe Guy VANDER JAGT a great debt of gratitude for all he has done for building our party. GUY became chairman of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee in 1975. and over the years he has worked tirelessly to build one of the finest political organizations in the Nation. and many of us would not be here today were It not for his tremendous assistance. We will miss Guy VANDER JAGT as a colleague in the Halls of Congress. We look forward. though. to many more years of continued friendship and good counsel. Mr. Speaker. BOB DAvIs has represented the llth District of Michigan for 14 years. . On issue after issue. the Great Lakes State has had no better friend in Congress than Representative ROBERT DAVIS. BOB DAvm came to Congress in 1979. after 12 years in both the Michigan House and Senate. He has fought to boost northern Michigans industry and has brought much needed focus on our Nations treasured Great Lakes. BOB DAVIS carved his niche as ranking member of the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. Before BOB DAVIS. this committee dealt almost solely with ocean issues. But now we have a Great Lakes Subcommittee and our beautiful inland seas get the congressional attention they deserve. thanks to the work of BOB DAVIS and another retiring colleague. DENNIS HERTEL. whose accomplishments Mr. DINOEwL has already discussed. BOB has also distinguished himself as a member of the Armed Services Committee. Over the years he has been a consistent fighter for the bases in his district. as being part of the critical infrastructure of the economy within his district. In the northernmost reaches of Michigans Upper Peninsula lies copper country. a resourcerich land that boomed with prosperity at the turnofthecentury. BOB DAVIS has worked hard over the past 6 years to establish a national historical park in this region. It will certainly be tough to get the bill passed without BOBS leadership. But he has laid the groundwork. and when the Keweenaw National Historical Park is created. it will be to the credit and the foundation and hard work begun by Congressman ROBERT DAVIS. The vast geography of Michigans l1th district Is unique. More shoreline than any other district in the continental United States. 22.561 square miles of land. 28 counties. a border with Canada. two time zones--these statistics pose a challenge to any public servant. But. Mr. Speaker. if you stop in the small towns In the tip of Michigans mitten. or drive through the Upper Peninsula along Highway 28 or U.S. 2. chances are the folks you these individuals. I think it inspires us meet can tell you the last time they all to renew our own dedication given had a chat with BOB. the pattern they have set for us. Northern Michigan residents have Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker. I want known for years that they can turn to to thank my dear friend. the genBOB DAVIS for help with their prob- tleman from Michigan . for lems. Constituent service is the BOB those very fine remarks about our deDAVIS trademark. and I can tell you parting colleagues. and I yield at this that. while the legacy of the tens of time to my dear friend. the gentleman thousands of people he has helped will from Michigan . last. his presence in the U.S. House will Mr. CARR. Mr. Speaker. I thank the also be sorely missed. dean for yielding to me. and I will be Finally. Mr. Speaker. CARL PURSELL. brief.L I know that many want to speak. having served 16 years as a Representa- I just want to say a word to endorse bative of Michigans Second Congres- sically what our dean and chairman of sional District. the committee has said. that our deleIn Representative CARL PURSELL we gation is. I think. somewhat unique exsee a colleague who embodies what we cept for. maybe. delegations made up all know are the qualities of excellent by only one or two people who happen service--the qualities we all hold as to be good friends. goals for ourselves. CARL has always Mr. Speaker. I look around the stood up for what he knows is right. House. I talk to a lot of people. and I both here on the floor and within our think we all know that some delegaparty. tions have some intense and bitter riI remember in the previous Congress valries. In some delegations. their in his efforts to deal with some of the Members do not speak to one another. budget problems facing us collectively Some delegations cannot work. toas Members when he went to his own gether very effectively for whatever Appropriations Committee and asked reason. Happily that has not been the that any special line item or project story n Michigan. that was put in to service in particular We all know that before an election his congressional district would be we have a bit of an open season. but we withdrawn as his contribution to try- have always had tradition In our deleing to set an example to all of us in ef- gation that have made us able to come forts to try to control Government together after an election and work on spending and get our deficit under con- a bipartisan basis for all of the people trol. of our State and our country. and that makes working in the Congress with 0] 1930 people like those in the Michigan deleElected to the House in 1976. CaL gation. those desiring to return and PURSEULI. came to Washington after those not returning. actually fun. It Is serving on the Wayne County Board of a rewarding experience dealing with Commissioners and in the Michigan people whom we actually enjoy spendSenate. He built his solid reputation as ing time with. and. particularly In this a member of the Appropriations Coin- time when we have the media and varmittee. where he is known for his abil- Ious candidates for various offices ity to bridge the partisan aisle with trashing the Congress of the United sound fiscal ideas. States. I thinkit is actually kind of As the ranking member on the Labor. nice to use our delegation as an examHealth and Human Services. Education ple of how It can be different. and Related Agencies Subcommittee. I would have to say. Mr. Speaker. CARL PURSELL has played a key role in that In Michigan. on 90 percent of the funding health care. biomedical re- days and 90 percent of the issues. we search. education. job training and find common ground and consensus. labor programs. In other words. he has and we work together for the good of been a leader on cutting edge issues the State and the country. and we do vital to our Nations future. He has not get uptight about who is the sponalso worked tirelessly for the great in- sor of a piece of legislation. If it is stitution of higher learning. the Uni- good for our State. we all sponsor it. versity of Michigan. and we do not have an excessive pride He has also served faithfully as a suc- of authorship where we will not sign a cessful coach of the Republicans base- letter because someone else of the ball team for the annual Republican- other party authored it. We work toDemocrat baseball game. gether. and that is a side of the ConCARL has been outspoken in his sup- gress of the United States I wish that port of a balanced Federal budget.. I more people in Michigan and around know he is disappointed to be leaving the country could see. at a time when so little ground has Now to the Members from Michigan been gained. particularly in this body. who will not be coming back next year. in working toward that goal. It is my or at least let me put it this way. that hope. and I know it. is CARLs. too. that we now know will not be coming back those who will make up the core of a next year. to BULL BRoomrInLD: very new Congress in January will take .BILL has been a great partner with to heart the work of CARL PURSLL. me on many common causes In Oakand truly work to tackle the greatest land County. We have shared a county threat to our Nations wellbeing. together. a large and wonderful county. Mr. Speaker. as we review the accom- with good people. BILL represented plishments. the records. and service of most of that county at one time or another. I dare say there is not an area of that county geographically that was not represented at one time by BILL BROOMFIELD. and when reapportionment 10 years ago brought me into Oakland County for the first time. and I inherited a great deal of area from BILL. as I campaigned in that area in 1982. I knew that. if I got elected. I was going to have some mighty big shoes to fill because the people of Oakland County. in or out of BILLS district. have a great deal of affection for him. I might say that prior to 1983 I had not had a great number of opportunities to work closely with BILL. But in the 10 years that have passed we have worked together a great deal. and I found each and every opportunity to work with BILL a professionally and personally rewarding experience. and I want to wish BILL and Jane the best in retirement. I know that whatever administration is in office in the next year. they would do well to borrow from BILLS expertise in the area. particularly. of foreign affairs. And to my good friend HOWARD WOLPE on the other end of my district. in the city of Lansing where we have shared a city in the last 10 years. and before that we shared a common boundary along Ingham and Eaton County in the Lansing metropolitan area. it has similarly been quite rewarding to link arms and do together with him what cannot be done separately. Hopefully we have carried out our responsibility. HOWARD. well to the city of Lansing. They were quite concerned when the city was split. and I think we gave them the advantage of having two Members of Congress. and it has been a lot of fund working with HOWARD. and I dare say to HOWARD and his new bride. Judy. "I wish you a great deal of success in your new service in Michigan." To BOB DAVIS and DENNIS HERTEL. both of whom had committee assignments that were the same. both on the Committee on armed Services and both on the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheriesour State is not militarily intensive. but we do have some industries. and we have some problems. and in terms of our industries getting fair treatment at the department of Defense. and anytime those industries were in my area and I needed to get some help on behalf of my constituents and the people who work in those industries. I went to BOB and to DENNIS. and they were always most responsive. And then. of course. I happen to serve on the Transportation and Appropriations Committee. and the Maritime and the Coast Guard is something that I had to deal with as a daytoday matter. and DENNIS and BOB were always quite helpful on the authorization committee. and of course our State is actually not thought of so much as a maritime State. but it really is. as the sea coast that we call the Great Lakes. and BOB DAVIS and DENNIS HERTEi have been great leaders in making sure that the Great Lkkes sea coast was not neglected in the priorities of the Coast Guard. They are under tremendous budget constraints. and it is often easy for them to think about shortchanging the people of the Great Lakes. but DENNIS HERTEL and BOB DAVIS made sure that did not happen. And GuY VANDER JAGT. In one sense it is hard to say that GuY VANDER JAOT. from the standpoint of this Member. will be missed. 0 19.40 GuY has. of course. been the chairman of the Republican National Campaign Committee. and as an elected officer of the Republican Conference it has been his responsibility to put the election cross hairs on a number of us on the Democratic side of the aisle. In one sense I am actually glad to see his great skill as a campaigner and as an opponent and as an adversary and as a leader of the Republican Campaign Committee. which has targeted me on a number of occasions. I am actually glad to see him retire from that post. although I am sad to see him go from the Congress. But I have to say that GUY is one of those individuals who. despite a role that requires him to work as an adversary and despite disagreements occasionally on a partisan matter. GuY is a tremendous individual who graced this body with an oratorical style. a personable manner. that made it fun to even work with someone who was on the other side of you from time to time. I have to say. and I hope when he reads this he will understand what I say. even though people listening in might notunderstand. I have enjoyed. and I hope he has. and he took it very well. but I for years needled him about a personal health hazard that he has had. I wish him well in retirement. but most of all I wish that he would quit smoking. If I have any opportunity to needle him some more. I am going to do it. It has been fun knowing Guy