Benjamin Gilman: “it is with a great deal of pleasure that I bring a bill before the House to honor our esteemed former colleague, the…”

“it is with a great deal of pleasure that I bring a bill before the House to honor our esteemed former colleague, the distinguished chairman of the Committee on International Relations, Dante Fascell. Our friend and colleague, Dante Fascell, regrettably passed away on November 29 after a long illness. On October 29, one month before Congressman Fascell died, President Clinton honored him at Cape Canaveral, Florida, with our Nation's highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom. Well over 100 Members of Congress signed what the White House termed the most bipartisan petition for the Medal of Freedom that they had ever seen. Mr. Speaker, this bill renames the educational institution known as the North/South Center as the Dante B. Fascell North-South Center. Chairman Fascell was responsible for establishing that center in 1991 to help us promote better relations between our Nation and the nations of Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada through cooperative study, training and research. During his tenure on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Dante Fascell was instrumental in enacting an astonishing array of bills that significantly advanced Americans' interest abroad, and those included the creation of the National Endowment for Democracy, Radio Marti, and the Inter-American Foundation.”