WALLY HERGER: “Mr. Speaker, today we mourn a friend and able colleague. It is a tremendous loss to each of us and to our country. Bob…”

“Mr. Speaker, today we mourn a friend and able colleague. It is a tremendous loss to each of us and to our country. Bob Matsui was someone that virtually everyone in the Sacramento area knew and respected. Indeed, I was not elected to Congress until 1986, almost 10 years into Bob's service in the House, but my wife Pam and I already knew Bob and his wife Doris. One really could not be from the Sacramento area and not know and have tremendous respect and admiration for the Matsuis and for their work in the community. As a representative of a congressional district to the north of Sacramento, I worked frequently with Bob on issues of regional importance to northern California. He was a passionate and effective advocate for his constituents on a myriad of issues, particularly on flood control, one of the most critically important issues for those of us who live in flood-prone northern California. He will certainly be remembered by all of us as a leader on these and many other issues important to the region and as an able and dedicated voice for his constituents.”