Alan B. Mollohan: “Mr. Chairman, I rise to pay special tribute to the gentleman from Ohio, the ranking member of our subcommittee, its…”

“Mr. Chairman, I rise to pay special tribute to the gentleman from Ohio, the ranking member of our subcommittee, its former chairman, and a true pillar in this House. As other speakers have noted, this is the final VA-HUD bill that Mr. Stokes will help bring to this body. That saddens us all, because when Lou Stokes retires at the end of the 105th Congress, after three decades of faithful service to the people of the Cleveland area, this institution will lose one of its most passionate and principled representatives. Lou Stokes is a man of keen intelligence and solid integrity who has blazed many new trails and risen to key leadership positions in this House. As chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus he dedicated himself to advancing policy issues critical to minority communities. As chairman of the House Select Committee on Assassinations he completed historic investigations into the deaths of President Kennedy and Dr. King. As chairman of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct he handled the most delicate of cases with unfailing fairness. As chairman of the Committee on Intelligence, he helped shape policies vital to our national security.”