Stating the agreement of the House of Representatives with the sentiment expressed by the Senate in Senate Resolution 281.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 489) stating the agreement of the House of Representatives with the sentiment expressed by the Senate in Senate Resolution 281.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a resolution basically concurring with the sentiments expressed in Senate Resolution 281, a resolution regarding, really,

the life of Senator Simon, who unfortunately passed away this last December at the age of 75. The Senator had quite a distinguished life of many accomplishments, was during his lifetime both a journalist and an author as well as a public servant. He was prodigious in his work product, passionate in his concerns for his constituents, and cared a great deal.

I must say he and I would not have agreed on anything probably except perhaps the desire to do the best we could for our country. He was an honorable public servant and someone who is fitting should be commended.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to offer for this body's consideration House Resolution 489, a bill stating the agreement of the House of Representatives with the sentiment expressed by the Senate in Senate Resolution 281 regarding former Illinois Senator Paul Simon, who regrettably passed away on December 9, 2003, shortly after undergoing heart surgery.

The Honorable Paul Simon was born November 29, 1928, in Eugene, Oregon. At the age of 19, Simon became the Nation's youngest editor- publisher when he accepted a local Lion's Club challenge to save the Troy Tribune newspaper in Troy, Illinois. In little time, Paul created a chain of 13 newspapers in southern and central Illinois that were notable for their hard-hitting investigative journalism, as was demonstrated when one of his papers, the Tribune, exposed syndicate gambling connections in Madison County, Illinois.

Paul Simon served our Nation in the U.S. Army from 1951-1953. Following his military service, Paul ran for state office and was elected to the Illinois House in 1954. He then was elected into the Illinois Senate in 1962. During his 14 years in the state legislature, he won the Independent Voters of Illinois' ``Best Legislator Award'' every session.

Simon was elected lieutenant governor of Illinois in 1968, and in this capacity, he became the people's ombudsman. He is widely credited with turning what had been a ceremonial position into a position focused on improving Government's ability to better serve its citizens.

After narrowly losing the 1972 Democratic gubernatorial primary to Dan Walker, Simon started the public affairs reporting program at Sangamon State University in Springfield, Illinois (now the University of Illinois at Springfield), and lectured during the 1972-1973 school year at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Simon was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974 and served Illinois' 22nd and 24th Congressional Districts for 10 years. During his service in the House, Simon played a leading role in drafting and enacting major legislation covering a wide range of issues, including education, disability policy, and foreign affairs. While in the House, he worked closely with former Speaker Newt Gingrich in establishing the Office of House Historian.

In 1984, Simon was elected to the U.S. Senate. During his years as a public official, Paul Simon was known for exceptional constituent service. He also was the Senate's pacesetter in convening town meetings. As a Senator, Simon held more than 600 town meetings throughout the state. He was also known for sporting fashionable bow ties, which became his trademark.

Prior to leaving the U.S. Senate, Simon ranked as Illinois' senior Senator. In November 1994, Paul Simon announced that he would retire from the Senate when his term expired January 3, 1997, ending 12 years of exceptional service to the people of Illinois and to the people of the United States.

Simon holds over 55 honorary degrees and has written 22 books. Paul Simon married Jeanne Hurley of Wilmette, Illinois, in 1960, whom he met while both served in the Illinois House. They had two children, Sheila and Martin, three granddaughters and one grandson. After his first wife passed away, Senator Simon married Patricia Derge in May 2001.

Please join me in honoring the life and service of this fine man and dedicated public servant by supporting House Resolution 489.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood).

(Mr. LaHOOD asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).

(Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

On behalf of the Committee on House Administration committee chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney), and myself, I would like to thank the ranking member, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), and the author of the resolution, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello), and the committee staff. Please join me in honoring the life and service of this fine man and dedicated public servant, Paul Simon, by supporting House Resolution 489.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, not very much will get me motivated enough to wear a bow tie in this world, but now I have done it two days in a row, and it is a Paul Simon tie. When he ran for President, at the funeral, at the wake, the lapel pins had the trademark bow tie. This is a Paul Simon bow tie that I have been allowed to use by the Tomasewski family of Washington County, and I thank them for that. It only took me about 4 hours to tie it, but, once I got it down, I kind of slept with it last night and did not change shirts.

Paul was a great man. A lot has been said and gone over with regard to his history, and I will highlight a few other points. But I am going to talk about the man of faith, the man of religion.

I am of the Lutheran faith. Paul comes from a strong family of Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. His father was a missionary in China. That moral background and upbringing I think helped serve him well in the crusades that he fought in the future.

A lot of the pillars of my congregation in Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Collinsville remember Senator Simon fondly as a member of what was then called the Walther League, which was the youth group. They would meet throughout parts of Southern Illinois. And that friendship transcended partisan idealogy, as a lot of my colleagues have said today, because when Senator Simon walked into any room, whether you agreed or disagreed, you never questioned the integrity, the thought, the desire, the real passion that he brought to any issue. I think we would do well in memory of him to emulate that, to remember that, and to bring that back into the civil discourse that sometimes we do not have here on the floor of the House.

He was also a great crusader. Again, my colleague the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello) mentioned at 19 his getting a newspaper in Troy, Illinois, just down the road from both of us, and using that paper to reform government, to fight corruption. Madison County and St. Claire County was a bastion of illegal activities, of crime and gambling, and at a very young age he really put his life at risk by writing and exposing those that would break the law. That courage, developed at a young age, just led on to a very, very successful career.

When he went to into the legislature, he pushed for and his best known legislation was the State's first act to require open meetings by local governments under most circumstances, the Open Meetings Act, Paul Simon's signature issue, which helped bring the public closer to the real discussions of what elected officials are doing. Now, sometimes we may not like that, but for the discourse and knowing what is really going on, requiring notification, requiring people to have access to these meetings, it is real reform.

Upon his retirement, everyone knows he is a noted author, has written tremendously various issues, he did not retire. He went down to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale around his home in Makanda, and continued to work and in transforming the public policy debate around the world.

I was privileged to call him a fellow member of faith, a friend. I was able to travel with him on airplane rides. He remembered my mother when she had some health issues just around the time when he had health issues. They exchanged greetings and notes. He was just that type of guy that made us all proud.

We will miss Senator Simon, and hopefully the members of the Illinois delegation and the members of both Chambers of Congress will remember his years of service and really dedicate ourselves to some of the higher ideas that Senator Simon really called us all to be. I thank him for his service and I thank him for his friendship.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend, the ranking member, for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 489 to honor my good friend Senator Paul Simon, who sadly passed away on December 9, 2003.

Senator Simon was a good friend and a dedicated public servant. Paul worked as a newspaper publisher, public servant, author, and teacher. He was elected to the Illinois general assembly in 1954 and the Illinois senate in 1962 and was elected lieutenant governor of Illinois in 1968.

While a member of the Illinois legislature, Paul won the Independent Voters of Illinois' ``Best Legislator Award'' every session of the legislature.

Senator Simon served in this body for 10 years, beginning in 1974 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, then the United States Senate for 8 years and ran for President of the United States in 1988. Throughout his public service, Paul was known for his honesty and his integrity. That was his hallmark.

As a Member of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, he balanced fiscal conservatism with social liberalism. Paul was a champion of a balanced budget amendment and worked to overhaul the Federal student loan program so that students and their families could borrow money directly from the U.S. Government. Paul also led efforts to curb television violence, leading the industry to monitor the amount of violence on their TV screens. In addition, Paul was instrumental in the establishment of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Paul Simon was always concerned about the cultural isolation of U.S. college students and young Americans in general. One of his first books was ``The Tongue-Tied American'' on the need for American students to learn a second language. Paul sponsored several programs to increase international education and understanding in American schools, and he was working to create a foreign exchange program to allow more American students to study abroad.

As impressive as his legislative record was during his tenure in Congress, he never forgot his constituents and was known for exceptional constituent service. During his service in the U.S. Senate, Paul held over 600 town meetings throughout the State of Illinois to hear the issues that were important to the citizens of Illinois.

Paul's career began at age 19, when he became the youngest editor- publisher of the Troy Tribune in Troy, Illinois, in Madison County, Illinois. By 1966 he had built a chain of 13 newspapers in southern and central Illinois, which he sold in order to concentrate more time on public service and writing.

Upon his retirement from the U.S. Senate, Paul formed the Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale to share his wisdom and advocacy with the next generation of students. In addition to chairing the Public Policy Institute, he also taught classes in political science, history, and journalism at SIU.

Senator Simon is survived by his two children, and Martin, his four grandchildren, Reilly Marie, Corey Jeanne, Brennan and Nicholas, and his second wife, Patti and her two children, Jennie and Bill. Jennie currently works right here on the Hill for our good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood).

Mr. Speaker, at Senator Simon's funeral, Senator Ted Kennedy said, ``In another era, he would have been a founding father. He was that good. He will never be forgotten.''

Senator Simon was a great man that served our country with honor and distinction. It is fitting that we honor him with this resolution today.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Doolittle) for yielding me this time.

On December 9, 2003, the citizens of Illinois lost one of the true giants in the storied history of politics in our State. Paul Simon was a leader who transcended political or ideological labels.

To be sure, he was a staunch liberal who fought for better housing, fair wages, a cleaner environment, and civil justice. At the same time, he also leaned conservative when it came to fiscal matters.

But it was the way he carried out the job that made Paul a revered figure in a State that is accustomed to larger-than-life figures. Paul Simon represented an approach to politics that is becoming more and more rare in today's world, an approach in which he not only respected the people he represented but he respected the people who were his peers and the institutions in which he served, including this House and the other body.

When I was first elected to the House in 1994, Paul was the senior Senator from Illinois, and he took time to reach out to me so we could become better acquainted and work on issues of mutual concern.

As a leading Member of the Senate, I am sure that he had many better things to do than getting to know a first-term Member of the House, but that was the way Paul did business. He knew that good relationships were important in politics and legislating, and I am a better Member of the House for Paul Simon's efforts to get to know me.

When Paul retired from the Senate following the 1996 election, he certainly could have landed some lucrative lobbying contracts, but he chose instead to continue influencing public policy through a different arena, one that could have a lasting impression on generations of future public servants, that is, teaching. From his perch as director of Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, he continued to stay in the public eye, and he was able to carry on his advocacy for many of the issues he held so dear. He wrote prolifically on many issues during his time at SIU. He continued to travel the world to talk about the issues in which he so passionately believed. I would imagine he was as busy in his role with the institute as he was during his time in the Senate.

And to this day I am sure Paul Simon's approval numbers in Illinois are higher than any politician in our State.

Paul is someone who should be used as a benchmark, not only for future generations of leaders but for today's politicians as well. Paul Simon taught us that one can really get ahead through civility, common courtesy, and a respect for those with opposing viewpoints. That is a far cry from what many of our citizens believe today about their elected representatives. All of us could do this job a little better if we follow in the footsteps and examples of Paul Simon.

I might say that when I first got to the House, Paul recommended that I get involved in a program called Everybody Wins, which is a reading program

where some of us branch out around the Capital and read as mentors to students; and if it were not for Paul's initiative for me to get involved in that program, which I have been involved with, and it is a great program here in Washington, D.C., I would not have been involved. But that is the way Paul Simon was. He was an example of not only a mentor for children but to all of us who have come to know and love him. And he will be missed in Illinois and certainly missed at Southern Illinois University. And I thank the committee for recognizing him and adopting the Senate resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the resolution introduced today to honor the life and legacy of Paul Simon. I learned with great sadness of his death in December.

Senator Simon epitomized all that is best about Congress. He served in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and was a distinguished member in both chambers. His presence was a constant example of the importance of hard work, discipline, and compassion. Senator Simon believed that government could serve the people, and serve them in a positive way. He served his State and his Nation beginning in 1954, when he entered the Illinois State legislature. His service would continue until his death as a professor in Illinois, where he shared a lifetime of wisdom with the leaders of the future.

Senator Simon's season of service would take him to the House of Representatives, the United States Senate, and the campaign trail as a candidate for the presidency. His work included fighting against television violence, working for those without jobs, and trying to balance the budget. I was pleased to join with him in raising the issue of gambling's ill effects on families, individuals, and communities. He was concerned about the welfare not only of Illinois, but of the entire Nation.

Senator Simon's talents were not limited to Congress. In his lifetime, he wrote over 20 books and was awarded over 50 honorary degrees. He was cerebral as well as practical. Senator Simon lived a life of the mind as well as a life dedicated to enlightening and lifting up his fellow citizens. After he left the Senate, Paul Simon returned home, and taught at Southern Illinois University, to impart his wisdom to the next generation, to enlighten young minds, and to continue serving his state.

His life was one of constant service in the public interest. Senator Simon lived many lives in one--editor-publisher, legislator, public crusader, professor. That he did so much is impressive. That he did it all so well and so selflessly is inspirational. Congress and the Nation is a lesser place for his passing, but both were greatly enriched by his life and his example. Senator Simon will be missed, but through the lives he touched, the life he lived, and the lives he inspired, he will not be forgotten.

Our sympathies go to his family and our thanks to them as well for sharing this remarkable man with us.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in honoring the late Senator Paul Simon. Certainly, many of us recall his involvement, his active support for U.S. bilateral assistance to Africa and his work in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Today, however, I want to pay special tribute to the Senator's long time advocacy for historically Black colleges and universities, HBCUs. As the chair for the Postsecondary Education Subcommittees in both the House and the Senate, he lent his unwavering support for these institutions during reauthorizations of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as well as adding a pivotal endorsement of the creation of an endowment fund for HBCUs. While Paul Simon is a colleague who will always be remembered as a supporter of the disadvantaged, he will also be remembered for his belief that the disadvantaged could be successful with the right kind of assistance from government programs. Senator Simon will be sorely missed but we are all better from having known and worked with him.