To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 770 Ayrault Road in Fairport, New York, as the "Louise and Bob Slaughter Post Office".

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 540) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 770 Ayrault Road in Fairport, New York, as the ``Louise and Bob Slaughter Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 540, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 770 Ayrault Road in Fairport, New York, as the ``Louise and Bob Slaughter Post Office''.

Representative Louise Slaughter was a groundbreaking Member of this House. She served here for 32 years. She was the first female chairwoman of the Rules Committee, and she coauthored the landmark Violence Against Women Act. She was also a dear friend.

Born in Harlan County, Kentucky, in 1929, Louise Slaughter was the daughter of a blacksmith. After graduating from high school, she went on to earn a bachelor's degree in microbiology and a master's degree in public health, both from the University of Kentucky.

After moving to upstate New York and marrying her beloved husband, Bob, Louise became active in local community groups and, eventually, in politics. She served a number of years in local elected offices and in the New York State Assembly.

Louise was first elected to Congress in 1986, where she eventually rose to become the top Democrat on the powerful Rules Committee. Tragically and very sadly, Louise died in March of last year, and she is sorely missed by all of us.

Naming a post office in her honor in her hometown of Fairport, New York, is maybe the least we could and should do to honor the distinguished career in public service of this remarkable woman.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Perlmutter).

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

Mr. Speaker, on a personal note, Louise Slaughter was an extraordinary Member of this body. She had a marvelous sense of humor. She was an encyclopedia about the procedures of the Rules Committee, which often mystified many of us. Her heart was in the cause every day.

The last few years she was here were tough. She lost her beloved Bob very suddenly, and she struggled with a lot of health issues in the last year of her life. None of it left her daunted.

She faced every day with an indomitable spirit and will, a commitment to her values and to fighting for her constituents and for those values.

This is the least we can do to honor Louise Slaughter and her husband, Bob. I hope we can do more as we progress, but it is an honor to have served with Louise, and it is a privilege to manage this bill today.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I took my colleague by surprise here. We just came down from a Rules Committee meeting, and I appreciate her yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, if you didn't have the pleasure of serving with Louise on the Rules Committee, it looks kind of strange to have the Louise and Bob Slaughter Post Office.

I have been here only 8 years, but I can't recall us doing that after a couple out here. Perhaps it is done regularly, but to serve with Louise--you know, the Rules Committee, Mr. Speaker, goes into the wee hours of the morning; 2 a.m., 3 a.m., 4 a.m., the Rules Committee is working, and it is truly Louise and Bob Slaughter.

Since my first day on the Rules Committee back in 2011, Louise took me under her wing. Yes, I was a young conservative Republican. Yes, she was an older--we can say, I think, honestly--liberal Democrat. She began building those partnerships with the young members of the Rules Committee with each and every committee meeting that took place.

I don't know if she was the first one who said it to me, but she was certainly one of them. She said: You know, Rob, of your colleagues on the other side of the aisle, folks sometimes think that we are upset with each other and we are bad people.

She said: I always tell folks, it is not that the people on the other side of the aisle are bad people. They are really good people. They just have some bad ideas.

She would share that with me from time to time, that my ideas were amongst those bad ideas. Her picture hangs right across from my seat there today.

There are so many men and women in America, Mr. Speaker, who are worthy of celebration, and it seems like we always make time to talk about those things that tear us apart, and we just don't make enough time to talk about those things that bring us together.

Louise was a strident, a fighter for her beliefs, as is any man or woman in this institution, but she never missed a moment to try to bring people together instead of pushing people further apart.

This is a wonderful gesture that the committee is moving forward today.

I hope that all of my colleagues will find, amongst their very busy Tuesday, time to sit back and reflect that they have an opportunity to be a uniter or to be a divider. It doesn't mean you trade away one iota of who you are and what you believe. It is just how do you tell that story, and how do you go about persuading your colleagues that it is true.

Louise gave us a wonderful example every single day of her decade upon decade of service in this institution, and I am honored to have sat across the aisle from her there in the Rules Committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 540, which names a post office located in Fairport, New York, in honor of Louise and Bob Slaughter.

Louise Slaughter was a Member of the House body for over 30 years. From 1987 until she passed away last year, Representative Slaughter was a tireless advocate for the people of her upstate New York district.

In addition to her numerous legislative accomplishments, Representative Slaughter made a mark on this body as the first woman to chair the House Committee on Rules.

Representative Slaughter was an intellectual and a beloved Member of the House. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Woodall).

Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the gentleman's comments, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and Mr. Woodall, whose words prompted me to want to come speak, because I served on the Rules Committee when we were in the majority a number of years ago. Louise was our leader, and she ran that thing with an iron fist. Excellent woman, articulate, powerful, in her tiny little frame. She was somebody who made us stay on task.

We worked a lot of hours on that committee, as I am sure my friend from the Rules Committee would agree, and she was indefatigable. The number of hours that the Rules Committee would meet, and she would make sure we were on task--and a great sense of humor, focused, and smart.

This is really a nice honor that the committee is bringing in her name and in Bob's name. He would be at the committee almost as much as Louise, and they were a great team. I just want to add my word of thanks for this honor for the Slaughters.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on April 2, 2019 during roll call no. 140, on ordering the previous question for H. Res. 274, consideration of S.J. Res. 7 and H. Res. 271. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 141, on agreeing to the resolution, H. Res. 274, consideration of S.J. Res. 7 and H. Res. 271, and suspension authority. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 142, on motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 540. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' I was also unavoidably detained during roll call no. 143, on approving the Journal. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''