Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the distinguished gentleman, Mr. Rush, and I thank Mr. Pallone for convening this Special Order and all of the…”

“I thank the distinguished gentleman, Mr. Rush, and I thank Mr. Pallone for convening this Special Order and all of the members of this committee and Members of this House of Representatives that have come on the floor today with joy. It is often said, ``It is not how long you serve, but how you serve.'' For John Dingell, that is not mutually exclusive. He served six decades, and he served it greatly and grandly and with distinction. I am reminded of a description of him as a 6-foot-3-inch distinguished gentleman, towering over witnesses, but having the biggest of hearts, coming from the best of legacies in his father that served 22 years, reminded of his commitment to the Clean Air Act, safe drinking water, the endangered species. John has always reminded us new ones, relatively speaking, that his greatest love was to provide affordable health care to every American. {time} 1700 Decades after his father introduced such a bill, he never gave up. So I stand here today to thank you, John Dingell, for the Affordable Care Act. They call it many things--``ObamaCare''--but I am getting ready to call it ``DingellCare'' because you worked without ceasing. Thank you for your service to this Nation, where you stood in the shadows of World War II and stood as an American, willing to serve. I am grateful for the service that he has given and for his long years of service as the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.…”