John Tierney: “I am proud cosponsor of this legislation here today, a bill to commemorate the remarkable life and tremendous…”

“I am proud cosponsor of this legislation here today, a bill to commemorate the remarkable life and tremendous achievements of a woman who served with great distinction in the House of Representatives. To Patsy's friends, to her husband John, her daughter Wendy, and her brother Eugene, I offer my condolences as we remember her today. Over the past few months, we have all missed the presence of her in our lives, and we know if she was still with us today, Patsy would be fighting for the rights of women and girls through Title 9, and fighting to see that this country lives up to its responsibilities to provide economic opportunity for all Americans, and she would be promoting democratic values and human rights and international cooperation abroad in Iraq and throughout the world. She leaves a powerful legacy, and I will leave it to others to go on, item by item, but we know she broke down many, many barriers, first for herself and then for others. She left a legacy for millions of working families that she helped lift out of poverty with education and job training programs, ranging from the war on poverty to welfare reform. And she helped a whole generation of female student athletes for whom she drafted and implemented title IX. I was proud to serve with Patsy on both the Committee on Education and the Workforce and on the Committee on Government Reform where she gave voice to the voiceless every day that she served.”