Mourning the passing of former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, and celebrating her life and contributions to the people of the United States.

Madam. Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 42: Passage of H. Res. 475. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

January 22, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 43: Table the appeal of the ruling of the Chair for H. Res. 476. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 44: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. No. 52. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 45: Motion to suspend the rules and Agreed to H.R. 390. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 46: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 29. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

February 8, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 87: Agreeing to the Amendment of H.R. 547, and amendment to include language which encourages the Assistant Administrator to utilize Land Grant Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions and other minority serving institutions among other resources to undertake research for programs covered by the bill. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district. I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 88: Agreeing to the Amendment of H.R. 547, an amendment to add a new paragraph to section 3, Biofuel Infrastructure and Additives Research and Development, to include issues with respect to where in the fuel supply chain additives optimally should be added to fuels. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 89: Agreeing to the Amendment of H.R. 547, an amendment to add a new paragraph to section 3 which includes issues with respect to certification by a nationally recognized testing laboratory of components for fuel dispensing devices that specifically reference compatibility with alcohol blended and biofuels that contain greater than 15 percent alcohol. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 90: Agreeing to the Amendment of H.R. 547, an amendment to add a new section 7 entitled Additional Funding. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 91:

the Motion to Recommit with Instructions of H.R. 547. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 92: Passage of H.R. 547. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

February 28, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 111: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Con. Res. 52. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

March 12, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 136: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended on H.R. 85. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 137: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 136. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 138: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 89. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 187: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as amended on H.R. 802. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 188: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended on H.R. 137. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 189: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended on H.R. 580. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

May 14, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 342: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass on H.R. 1124. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 343: Motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 223. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 344: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree (H. Res. 385). Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

May 16, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 358: Call in Committee Quorum. Had I been present, I would have voted ``present.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 359: Motion that the Committee Rise (H.R. 1585). Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

June 11, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district. I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 448: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass on H.R. 2356. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 449: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on S. 676. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district. I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 450: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 418. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.''

July 23, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 687: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 404, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 688: Motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 553. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 689: Motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 519. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 690: On ordering the previous question on H. Res. 558. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

August 1, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 781: Motion to adjourn. Had I been present. I would have voted ``no.''

september 4, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 847: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 694, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 848: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3020, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 849: Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 2669. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

september 17, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 867: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3246, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 868: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 1657, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 869: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3527. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

october 1, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 924: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 185. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 925: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 2276. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 926: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3325. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

october 15, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 961: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 738. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 962: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 2089. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 963: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 20, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

October 17, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 980: Passage of H.R. 2095. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

october 29, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1010: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3224, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1011: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 573, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1012: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 747. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

November 5, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1034: Closing Portions of the Conference on H.R. 3222. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1035: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 513, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1036: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Res. 744. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

november 7, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1058: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree on H. Con. Res. 236, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

november 13, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1082: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3315. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1083: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 1593, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1084: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3403, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1085: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3461, as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

november 14, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1095: Motion to Adjourn. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

december 6, 2007

Madam Speaker, due to events in my district, I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 1141: Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 2085. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 553, which puts the House of Representatives on record in mourning the passing of Lady Bird Johnson, the former First Lady of the United States. Claudia Alta ``Lady Bird'' Taylor Johnson was the wife of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for beautification of the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources. The former First Lady was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.

Lady Bird Johnson studied journalism and art at St. Mary's Episcopal School for Girls, a junior college in Dallas. She graduated with honors from the University of Texas with a Bachelor's degree in Arts in 1933 and a degree in Journalism in 1934--a time when women were hard pressed to have a career of their own, let alone a college education. Her goal was to become a reporter but her media career was deferred when a friend in Austin introduced her to Lyndon Baines Johnson, a young up- and-coming political hopeful.

On their first date, which was breakfast the next morning at the Driskill Hotel and a long drive in the country, Lyndon Johnson proposed. Lady Bird did not want to rush into marriage, but Lyndon Johnson was persistent and did not want to wait. The couple married on November 17, 1934, at Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in San Antonio, Texas.

Three years later, when Lyndon decided to run for Congress from Texas' 10th district in the Hill Country, Lady Bird provided the money to launch his campaign. She took $10,000 of her inheritance from her mother's estate to help start his political career. They had two daughters, Lynda (born in 1944), whose husband Charles S. Robb went on to become governor of Virginia and a U.S. Senator, and Luci (born in 1947), who married, firstly, Pat Nugent and, secondly, Ian Turpin.

As First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson started a capital beautification project (Society for a More Beautiful National Capital) to improve physical conditions in Washington, D.C., both for residents and tourists. Her efforts inspired similar programs throughout the country. She was also instrumental in promoting the Highway Beautification Act, which sought to beautify the nation's highway system by limiting billboards and by planting roadside areas. She

was also an advocate of the Head Start program.

Johnson's press secretary from 1963-1969 was Liz Carpenter, a fellow University of Texas alumna. Carpenter was the first professional newswoman to be press secretary to a First Lady, and she also served as Lady Bird's staff director.

In 1970, A White House Diary, Lady Bird Johnson's intimate, behind- the-scenes account of Lyndon Johnson's presidency from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969, was published. Beginning with the tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy, Mrs. Johnson recorded the momentous events of ber times, including the Great Society's War on Poverty, the national civil rights and social protest movements, her own activism on behalf of the environment, and the Vietnam War. Indeed, Lady Bird Johnson and her husband were champions of civil rights and were instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I know that her comforting words and her encouragement were part of the decision making of President Johnson as he made some critical decisions during some difficult times regarding the civil rights of individuals who had been discriminated against for most of the history of this country. Long out of print, the paperback edition of A White House Diary will be available again through the University of Texas Press in Fall 2007.

She was acquainted with a long span of fellow First Ladies, from Eleanor Roosevelt to Laura Bush, and was protected by the United States Secret Service for forty-four years, longer than anyone else in history.

Lady Bird Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Gerald Ford on January 10, 1977. The citation for her medal read:

``One of America's great First Ladies, she claimed her own place in the hearts and history of the American people. In councils of power or in homes of the poor, she made government human with her unique compassion and her grace, warmth and wisdom. Her leadership transformed the American landscape and preserved its natural beauty as a national treasure.''

Johnson then received the Congressional Gold Medal on May 8, 1984. In addition to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, her name has been lent to the Lady Bird Johnson Park on Columbia Island in Washington, D.C., which was founded as a result of her efforts as First Lady to beautify the capital.

After former President Johnson died in 1973, Lady Bird Johnson remained in the public eye, honoring her husband and other Presidents. In the 1970s, she focused her attention on the Austin riverfront area through her involvement in the Town Lake Beautification Project. From 1971 to 1978, Johnson served on the board of regents for the University of Texas System.

On December 22, 1982 (her 70th birthday), she and actress Helen Hayes founded the National Wildflower Research Center, a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving and reintroducing native plants in planned landscapes, located east of Austin, Texas. The Center opened a new facility southwest of Austin on La Crosse Avenue in 1994. It was officially renamed The Lady Bird Johnson Wildtlower Center in 1998. On June 20, 2006, The University of Texas at Austin announced plans to incorporate the 279 acre Wildflower Center into the University.

For twenty years Lady Bird Johnson spent her summers on the island of Martha's Vineyard renting the home of Charles Guggeinheim for many of those years. She said she had greatly appreciated the island's natural beauty and flowers.

On October 13, 2006, Lady Bird Johnson made a rare public appearance at the renovation announcement of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. Sitting in a wheelchair and showing signs of recent health problems, Lady Bird seemed engaged and alert, and clapped along with those present at the ceremony.

Mr. Speaker, in the last year the state of Texas has lost several of its greatest sons and daughters: Governor Ann Richards; Senator and Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen; columnist and progressive icon Molly Ivins; and now Lady Bird Johnson.

The Lone Star State mourns the loss of our favorite daughter and it will be grieving for some time. But the memory of Lady Bird Johnson will never be forgotten so long as the flowers bloom in the capital city of our nation and along the highways and byways of the several states, especially her beloved Texas.

I strongly support H. Res. 553 and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is certainly a pleasure to honor a remarkable First Lady and great conservationist, Lady Bird Johnson. And it is with much sadness that the House continues to note her recent passing.

Born in 1912 in Karnack, Texas, in an era when women were not expected to accomplish great things, Mrs. Johnson came to represent strength of character that was the hallmark of her life.

After graduating from the University of Texas in 1933, she married Lyndon Baines Johnson. Mrs. Johnson became the mother of two daughters, certainly her most important work, Lynda Bird and Luci Baines Johnson. She spent the next few decades raising her children and supporting her husband in his political career, which, of course, led him to the Presidency. She was a trusting sounding board for her husband through all his years in the House and Senate and in the White House.

Mrs. Johnson led a nationwide effort to call attention to the beauty and the goal of highlighting historical sites and highways by planting flowering plants and wildflowers. While First Lady, she visited numerous public sites and scenic areas, thus bringing local and national attention to her beautification and conservation initiatives.

As we all have seen each spring in Washington, Mrs. Johnson has left a lasting legacy for all American and foreign visitors to this great city, who can now see incredible numbers of flowers throughout the area. She not only helped beautify Washington, but was also responsible for the 1965 Highway Beautification Act, calling for control of outdoor advertising, as well as the clean-up of junkyards along the national highways.

It is partly because of her efforts that we now have the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987, requiring at least one-quarter of 1 percent of funds expended for landscaping projects in the highway system to be used to plant native flowers, plants and trees.

After leaving Washington, Mrs. Johnson enthusiastically continued her conservation efforts throughout her beloved home State of Texas right up until the date of her death on July 11, 2007.

I urge my colleagues to please join me in honoring this great woman of Texas and First Lady of the United States, Lady Bird Johnson, for her untiring efforts in educating a Nation on the benefits of conservation and beautification throughout her lifetime.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me just close by saying it has been a privilege for me to handle this resolution on our side.

I know that most of us heard and read and saw some of the beautiful and moving tributes that were made to Mrs. Johnson in her funeral ceremony just a few days ago, especially the tributes from her daughters. And so I think this is a very fitting and appropriate resolution. I commend my good friend, the gentlewoman from Texas, Ms. Johnson, for bringing this resolution to the floor, and also my friend Mr. Davis.

I urge passage of this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 553, to pay special tribute to Lady Bird Johnson. I am proud to recognize the accomplishments of a fellow Texan and a true Renaissance woman.

For much of her life, Lady Bird Johnson acted as the graceful wife of a congressional secretary, U.S. Representative, Senator, Vice President and President. She devoted herself to her husband's political campaigns and lived in the public eye throughout the turbulent 1960s and Vietnam War Era.

But, Lady Bird Johnson was also a scholar, a writer, a politician, and an advocate for education issues. At the University of Texas in Austin she studied journalism and qualified as a public school teacher. Later in life, she wrote A White House Diary and served as a University of Texas regent.

Lady Bird demonstrated her remarkable talents for public speaking while on the campaign trail through Southern states, where, as a product of an East Texas town steeped in traditional southern values, she was an invaluable spokesperson for the 1960 Kennedy-Johnson Presidential ticket.

While her husband served as President, Lady Bird Johnson acted as honorary chairwoman of the national Head Start program. As my colleagues may note, I am a strong proponent of the Head Start program, which can make immense differences in the lives of underprivileged pre- school children by preparing them to enter elementary school on a par with their peers. Thus, I celebrate Lady Bird's contributions to this invaluable program.

During this time, Lady Bird Johnson has also been credited with holding luncheons spotlighting women of assorted careers. As a strong supporter of women's rights and pay equality, I believe that her efforts to applaud young women's advancements into traditionally-male- dominated careers have had a profound effect on women's equality in general.

Lady Bird was also an adept businesswoman who purchased a small radio station in 1942 in Austin and built a multimillion-dollar radio corporation. In today's society, young women interested in business and the telecommunications industries may look to Lady Bird Johnson as a trailblazer and a success story.

While Lady Bird's conservation work in our Nation's Capital is widely-known, Lady Bird's efforts to beautify our great State of Texas should also be applauded. In 1969, she founded the Texas Highway Beautification Awards, and hosted 20 annual awards ceremonies, where she presented personal checks to the winners. And, on her 70th birthday, she founded the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, to which she donated acres of her own land.

Lady Bird has indeed left her mark upon Texas, as the namesake of a golf course, a municipal park, a walking trail, and a street.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my colleagues in support of H. Res. 553, celebrating the life of Lady Bird Johnson. She was a remarkable First Lady, businesswoman, environmental advocate, and trailblazer of women's rights. She has left a grand legacy of strength of character and service upon Texas and upon the entire nation.

Mr. Speaker, today, we honor the memory and celebrate the life of former First Lady, Claudia Taylor (Lady Bird) Johnson, and the contributions she has given to the people of a country she so dearly loved. I had the privilege of knowing Lady Bird through the White House Fellows program and as anyone who knew her as an individual would agree, she was a person of grace, charm, and an absolute delight to know. As a native Texan, a wife, a mother, a businesswoman, and First Lady, she emitted beauty through her presence and through her actions leaving a legacy that will not soon be forgotten.

Lady Bird met Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1934 and in seven short months, had captured his heart as he asked for her hand in marriage. Mrs. Johnson stood by her husband and supported his endeavors with a perseverance and tenacity that one rarely finds. When LBJ volunteered for naval service during World War II, Lady Bird stepped in and kept his congressional office running and except for voting, served the need of every constituent. She again came to the rescue in 1955 helping staff keep things under control when her husband suffered a severe heart attack while serving as Senate Majority Leader. The former President once remarked that voters ``would happily have elected her over me.''

In 1960 Mrs. Johnson traveled over thirty-five thousand miles of campaign trail as she pushed LBJ towards a successful bid for the Vice- Presidency. During this tenure, she visited thirty-three foreign countries as an ambassador of goodwill. Lady Bird again stood by and supported her husband as he became the thirty-sixth President of the United States and helped console the hearts and minds of an entire country as they mourned the loss of President John F. Kennedy.

As First Lady, Mrs. Johnson was highly involved in the President's initiatives supporting education and working to alleviate poverty. Under her own ambition, she created a First Lady's Committee for a More Beautiful Capital which later expanded to include an entire nation. Lady Bird was also the inspiration behind the Beautification Act of 1965 which transformed the landscape of our national highways. Never tiring in her life's work, at the age of 70, Mrs. Johnson founded the National Wildflower Research Center which is dedicated to the preservation and re-establishment of native plants in natural and planned landscapes.

Lady Bird Johnson should be remembered by all as a person with elegance, grace and a tireless work ethic. She dedicated her life in service to others and gave so much of herself in support of her husband, family, and country. Today, as we celebrate the life of Lady Bird Johnson, we honor her contributions to the people of the United States and recognize that we have lost a great American that will be dearly missed.