David Price: “I want to add my words of tribute to the spontaneous demonstration this afternoon on behalf of our colleague, the…”

“I want to add my words of tribute to the spontaneous demonstration this afternoon on behalf of our colleague, the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek), who has recently announced her retirement. This is an announcement that caught us by surprise and that we regret; but we welcome this chance to pay tribute to the gentlewoman from Florida for whom we have great admiration and affection. I have sat next to the gentlewoman from Florida on both of my Appropriations subcommittees for some years now, both the Subcommittee on VA, HUD and Independent Agencies and the Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service and General Government. We have sat through many hearings and many markups together. We have had some good times, and we have had some real challenges. I have developed great affection and respect for the gentlewoman from Florida during this period of service. The gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek) is a fighter. I will never forget the kind of fight she made for the hurricane victims when her district was stricken some years ago. This very day, I have seen her fighting for people without adequate banking services in our Committee on Appropriations. The gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek) does not always win these fights, but she always fights with conviction, with a compelling case, and with the kind of style that makes her a very hard person to oppose. She has a warm and winning way; she wins admiration and friendship on both sides of the aisle.”