Romano Mazzoli: “I have had the honor and rare privilege of serving with him for the past 24 years. It has been from my observation of…”

“I have had the honor and rare privilege of serving with him for the past 24 years. It has been from my observation of him as a person and as a professional that when we think of Bill Natcher, we think of the term estimable, we think of the terms devoted, dedicated, all these terms we know are part and parcel of public service. Congressman Natcher, my good friend from the Second District, has exemplified all of those cardinal virtues of public service throughout his entire career here in the House. It does mean that he is taking a momentary pause to try to recover his health at Bethesda Hospital, and we do join the Speaker and the minority side, all the sides, in extending our prayers to him for a full and a swift recovery. I think that while we will cast many votes in our careers and while we will represent our communities in the best way we can see fit to do, that there will be very few among us who will reach that pinnacle, who will become a true icon of public service, and I think that is exactly how the gentleman from Kentucky has proceeded, to become an icon of this place.”