Congratulating the 2008-2009 National Basketball Association Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, on an outstanding and historic season.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 566) congratulating the 2008-2009 National Basketball Association Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, on an outstanding and historic season.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

Madam Speaker, I now yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, as chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia and on behalf of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, I am pleased to join my colleagues, and principally Ms. Waters from the State of California, in the consideration of H. Res. 566, which provides for the recognition of the National Basketball Association Champion Los Angeles Lakers for capturing their 15th NBA championship.

House Resolution 566 was introduced by Representative Maxine Waters of California on June 19, 2009, and currently has the support and cosponsorship of 50 Members of Congress, none of whom are from the city of Boston, courtesy of Chairman Towns. The measure has been considered and approved by the Oversight Committee and now comes to the House floor as a means of highlighting the Lakers' successful 2008-2009 NBA season and their final victory.

Madam Speaker, the Los Angeles Lakers stand as one of sporting history's greatest franchises. The team was founded in 1946 in Detroit and moved to Minneapolis where it adopted its name, the Lakers, after Minnesota's State nickname, Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Lakers relocated to Los Angeles in 1960.

In the 1980s, the Lakers became one of the NBA's most electrifying and successful teams, winning five championships with Hall of Famers Earvin ``Magic'' Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and Coach Pat Riley. The Lakers' dominance extended into the 21st century as they won three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002.

Thanks to this year's impressive NBA Finals victory over the Orlando Magic, the Lakers now boast the NBA franchise record for the most wins, the highest winning percentage, and the most NBA Finals appearances. Of course, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that my own beloved Boston Celtics still hold the record for the most NBA Finals championships. You would think they would have picked someone else to do this resolution, but I am happy to congratulate a job well done.

Led by Head Coach Phil Jackson, one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, and Finals MVP Kobe Bryant, the Lakers' road to the NBA championship was lined with its fair share of challenges. While playing in the highly competitive Western Conference, the Lakers earned the conference's best regular season record and were dominant throughout the playoffs.

For this accomplishment, Madam Speaker, we stand to commend the Los Angeles Lakers franchise, the players, coaches and, of course, the diehard Lakers fans on a job well done. I am sure that the Lakers' championship is an enormous source of pride for the residents of Los Angeles, the surrounding area, and the great State of California as well.

In closing, I urge the adoption of House Resolution 566.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, at this time it gives me great pleasure to yield 5 minutes to the lead sponsor of this resolution, Ms. Maxine Waters.

Madam Speaker, I, as well, want to congratulate the Lakers and the gentlelady from California. I congratulate her on her resolution and for the victory that it represents.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I sympathize with the anguish and the agony that my colleague from Massachusetts must have in reading and supporting this resolution. I can only hope that this is truly captured on film for future use.

I rise in support today, as a Utah Jazz fan, in recognizing a great accomplishment in the world of sports. What these athletes are able to do and how they do it is truly remarkable. So I rise in support of H. Res. 566 to congratulate the 2008-2009 Los Angeles Lakers in bringing home their 15th NBA championship.

For the Lakers, this was a season of redemption that ultimately ended in victory and a historic achievement. The conclusion of the 2007-2008 season saw the Lakers experiencing a humiliating 39-point blowout to the

Boston Celtics in game six of the NBA Playoffs, I will remind my colleague from Massachusetts. From that moment, the storied franchise made a commitment to redeem themselves and immediately began the long, arduous process of working their way back to championship glory. One year later, this long and difficult journey culminated with victory and established themselves as the standard against which every franchise in the NBA will be measured.

While the entire Lakers organization can be proud of this team's accomplishments, the season saw some amazing individual milestones.

Coach Phil Jackson cemented his status as one of the winningest coaches, not just in the NBA but in all of professional sports, capturing an unprecedented 11th championship ring. Truly amazing.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, who came to the season as the league's reigning MVP, coming off a summer in which he helped lead Team USA to the gold in Beijing, won his fourth NBA title and his first NBA Finals MVP.

Pau Gasol of the Lakers was selected to his second All-Star appearance, his first as a Laker, and was the first Spaniard to be on an NBA title team.

Individual accomplishments aside, there is no question that this team was just, indeed, that, a team, receiving significant contributions from a host of role players that made winning this championship possible.

Shannon Brown, acquired as a throw-in in a midseason trade, played his way into the playoff rotation and made a number of significant three-pointers in key playoff games.

Derek Fisher, one of my personal favorites, the old veteran guard who was slumping his way through the playoffs, emerged in game 4 of the NBA Finals to hit a game-tying three with 4.6 seconds remaining to push the game into overtime. He followed it up with a go-ahead 27-footer that would give the Lakers the lead and the game.

Collectively, this team all season long maintained their commitment to excellence and mental toughness. They were a reflection of the entire organization--owner, Jerry Buss; general manager, Mitch Kupchak; Hall of Fame coach, Phil Jackson--and are a model of excellence; in other words, they are truly champions.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am confident the Utah Jazz will be back at some point, but for now, congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers. I, too, will be supporting H. Res. 566. Congratulations.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am very appreciative of my colleague from Massachusetts and his leadership on this issue and for recognizing me to stand as a proud Los Angeleno, joined by 50 other of my colleagues to congratulate the extraordinary Los Angeles Lakers for their 2009 NBA championship. This resolution, H. Res. 566, commemorates the Los Angeles Lakers' 15th National Basketball Association championship.

Prior to the 2008-2009 season, the Lakers won 14 National Basketball Association championships with a cast of Hall of Famers and coaches, which included NBA greats such as Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Earvin ``Magic'' Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Pat Riley, and current Head Coach Phil Jackson.

This season, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, and Trevor Ariza led the 2008-2009 Lakers to a 65-17 regular season record and the number one spot in the Western Conference Playoffs. Not only did Trevor Ariza help to bring another championship to Los Angeles, he also attended Westchester High School in my district.

The Lakers entered the NBA Playoffs with home court advantage as a result of the team's regular season performance, and in the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz in five games to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.

The Lakers then faced the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals, winning seven games, and advanced to the Western Conference Finals where they faced the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers clinched the Western Conference Finals in six games, thanks to the outstanding play by Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, which closed out the series.

In the NBA Finals, the Lakers matched up with the Orlando Magic, led by Dwight Howard. The Lakers won the first two games of the Finals in Los Angeles, including a hard-fought game 2, during which Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol combined for 53 points, propelling the Lakers to a 101-96 victory. The Lakers lost game 3 in Orlando by a score of 108-104; however, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored 31 points and played all but 8 minutes of the game.

The Lakers followed their loss in game 3 by winning the next two games in Orlando to win the 2009 NBA championship. For his outstanding play during the NBA Finals, Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant was presented with the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award and his fourth NBA championship. Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson won his 10th NBA championship as a head coach and his 12th NBA championship overall.

Congratulations to the Lakers players, coaches, and staff on winning the 2008-2009 NBA championship.

Madam Speaker, I rise to a question of the privileges of the House and offer the resolution previously noticed.

Yes, Madam Speaker.

Under rule IX, questions of the privileges of the House are those that affect its rights collectively, its safety, dignity, and the integrity of its proceedings.

Madam Speaker, this privileged resolution allows us to rectify the problems that the Democrat leadership has created out in California. If we move forward with this today, 40,000 people can go back to work and we can move on and everybody will be fine.

So I urge the passing of this resolution today, and I yield back.

Madam Speaker, I appeal the ruling of the Chair.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I move to table the appeal of the ruling of the Chair.