Donald M. Payne: “Good morning, everybody. Dennis, thank you very much. It is an honor to be here on the House floor, and especially with…”

“Good morning, everybody. Dennis, thank you very much. It is an honor to be here on the House floor, and especially with many of my former colleagues and Members who are retiring from the Congress. Thank you all. On behalf of the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, which we will call FMC as I move through this, I very much appreciate the Speaker's invitation to return to this very important place and to present the Congress FMC's annual report, which this year we are presenting specifically under the theme ``Life After Congress'' for our new former Members who are not returning for the 118th Congress. We will share with them how they can continue their public service through work with FMC. I will be joined by some of my colleagues to report on a few of FMC's premier programs. As I prepared for today's report, it brought back a lot of memories, many happy memories, of my decade serving in the U.S. Congress. For all of us, the Congress is one of the highlights of our professional lives. And I know that for each and every one of us, there are memories that will ever remind us of the great privilege that we have had as Representatives of our constituents. For me, these memories include great friendships with colleagues from both sides of the aisle, working with terrific and very talented young people who were on my staff and others, and pushing forward pieces of legislation that I know have made a positive difference in the lives of Americans.…”