On the recordSeptember 12, 2012
It is my distinct honor to rise and salute my friend and colleague, the distinguished gentleman from Illinois' 12th district, Jerry Costello, as he prepares to conclude 24 years of service to his country and the people of southern Illinois as a Member of the House of Representatives. I have worked with Jerry regularly over the years on a number of bills and issues, but he and I collaborated especially closely these past two years on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure as we worked to pass a long-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill. And at every juncture, I never failed to be impressed by his earnest and apparent desire to do right by his constituents and the American people. Jerry first came to Congress as a freshman Member of the Illinois Delegation after his election in 1988, but, even before he took the oath of office, he had already distinguished himself as a faithful public servant of the people of Illinois through his service in the state court system and then as chief executive of one of Illinois' largest counties. Jerry came to Congress--and this was apparent to me from some of my earliest collaboration with him--with a strong sense of duty to his constituents and to the public at large. For 24 years, this has been reflected in the strong spirit of bipartisanship in which Jerry works with our colleagues across the aisle. He finds compromises where others cannot.…
