Update (11 a.m. EST): The bill, H.R. 3801, just passed by a vote of 408 to 0. Giffords is on the House floor surrounded by her well-wishing colleagues, shaking hands and receiving congratulations. Her letter of resignation was read into the record before the vote, and if you missed it you can see the whole thing right here, courtesy of Talking Points Memo. The bill that passed would increase penalties for smugglers who use ultralight planes to bring drugs into the United States, The Hill reports. Now, Giffords plans to leave Washington and focus on her recovery. 
 
 Original: Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords just entered the House of Representatives to officially resign from her position after a vote on her final piece of legislation. The bill gives the federal government more authority to combat cross-border drug trafficking, the Washington Post reports. "Giffords and a fellow Arizona lawmaker, Rep. Jeff Flake (R), this week introduced the measure, which is a new version of a Giffords bill that overwhelmingly passed the House in 2010 but was not taken up by the Senate." Giffords announced on Sunday she would resign from her government duties, and Wednesday's vote will be her last act as a member of Congress. Watch it live here: 
 
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 Adam Martin ||||| Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) appeared in the House chamber Wednesday to formally submit her resignation. Members addressed the Congresswoman’s accomplishments before she handed in her letter of resignation. 
 
 After representing Southern Arizona in the House for five years, Representative Giffords (D-AZ) says in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner and her state's governor that she's leaving Congress in order to focus on her recovery from a critical gunshot wound to the head inflicted a year ago this month. Her resignation will be effective at the end of the day today. 
 
 The congresswoman’s resignation came after attending the President's State of the Union Speech, where the crowd gave her a bipartisan standing ovation. 
 
 Representative Giffords ends her letter with these words: “Every day I am working hard. I will recover and will return and we will work together again for Arizona and for all Americans.” ||||| Wednesday: House to vote on Giffords's last bill as a member of Congress 
 
 By Pete Kasperowicz - 
 
 The House meets at 9 a.m. to take up what will be the last bill introduced by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) before she steps down from Congress later this week. 
 
 Giffords, who attended last night's State of the Union address, has said today's vote will be her last act as a member before she retires to focus on recuperating from last year's shooting that nearly took her life. 
 
 The House will take up H.R. 3801, the Ultralight Aircraft Smuggling Prevention Act, which Giffords introduced on Monday. Under the bill, penalties would increase for drug smugglers who use ultralight planes to smuggle drugs into the United States from Mexico. 
 
 Under current law, smugglers using these smaller planes are subject to lower penalties than other smugglers. But the bill would make those penalties equivalent to others, increasing them to a fine of $250,000 and up to 20 years in prison. 
 
 "Congresswoman Giffords is committed to taking this crucial step that would help secure the border against drug smugglers," said Pia Carusone, chief of staff to Giffords. "That's why she decided this would be the last bill she introduces before she steps down." 
 
 Also today, the House will consider a motion to go to conference on H.R. 658, the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act. This bill would extend taxes on airports that help fund the Federal Aviation Administration. 
 
 Congress is thought to be close to finally reaching a long-term deal extending these taxes, after reaching an agreement on labor provisions for air industry workers. On Tuesday, however, the House approved the 23rd short-term extension of these taxes, which will give members another few weeks to finalize that agreement. 
 
 Finally, the House will vote on H.R. 1022, the Buffalo Soldiers in the National Parks Study Act. That bill was debated briefly Tuesday, and will pass easily today before the House finishes its work this morning. 
 
 The Senate is not in Wednesday, but will return Thursday to vote down a resolution disapproving of President Obama's request to increase the debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion.
– Gabrielle Giffords was feted by colleagues including Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz today in her last day on the House floor. "Today I know that now is not the time. I have more work to do on my recovery before I can again serve in elected office," wrote Giffords in a resignation letter to John Boehner read aloud by Wasserman Schultz. "Every day I am working hard. I will recover, and will return, and we will work together again, for Arizona and for all Americans." Giffords received a standing ovation after the letter was read, as she personally handed it to an emotional Boehner, who was crying, of course. Giffords' last act as a member of Congress was to vote on her final bill, HR 3801, which she introduced on Monday. The bill would increase penalties for those who smuggle drugs from Mexico into the US using ultralight planes, The Hill reports. It passed by a vote of 408 to 0, the Atlantic Wire adds.