On the recordDecember 9, 2014
I thank my colleague for yielding. Mr. Speaker and members of the committee, I rise today to honor a true statesman in every sense of the word, the dean of the House, chairman emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and a champion of the people of Metropolitan Detroit, the Honorable Congressman John Dingell. Now, I have had the distinct honor of working with Congressman Dingell for the last six decades, first as a member of his congressional staff and then as his colleague in the Michigan delegation. Over these six decades, we have fought together successfully for Medicare, for clean air and water, for workers' rights, and most importantly, for civil rights. Over these decades, he has succeeded at truly Herculean tasks, including passing the Endangered Species Act, the 1990 Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Affordable Care Act, the Patients' Bill of Rights, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, among many others. Congressman Dingell is a masterful legislator but, most importantly, a man of conscience. As he passes the torch on to another extraordinary leader, Congresswoman-elect Debbie Dingell, I am so proud to salute his legacy of compassion and service.
