Jerry Lewis

Thank you very much, my colleague Ken Calvert, for holding this hour for members of the California delegation and for friends beyond that. Your kind remarks earlier about my work here is much more than I would like to take the time to talk about, but I do very much appreciate your mentioning my bride, Arlene, in all of this because, as you know, she is my partner in all of my work.

In thinking about any remarks that might have been made regarding my years of service here, one of the first things that comes to mind was early on in my career when I experienced a major flood in California, the 1938 flood. I'll never forget dropping a ping-pong ball out my back window. It fell a couple of feet and hit the water and floated out through the back fence. During my years of service here we've had a chance to address questions like that. The Seven Oaks Dam--a huge facility in southern California sponsored by the Corps of Engineers-- made it possible to assure that such a flood will never occur again in the region known as the Inland Empire.

It has been a great privilege of mine, most of all, to recall the fact that the vast percentage of issues that we deal with here in the House have almost nothing to do with partisan politics. It's very, very important that we be willing to recognize that, in working together, we can make a difference on behalf of the American people.

At home, issues like the Proton Therapy Center at Loma Linda University, which provides for a noninvasive cancer treatment that has a dramatic impact upon issues like small tumors in the human brain, like prostate cancer, even breast cancer--a noninvasive treatment as a result of nonpartisan, bipartisanship support for the kind of medical research that is a part of the National Institutes of Health.

Over the years, probably the greatest privilege I've had is to serve for a short time as the chairman of the full Appropriations Committee, the committee where I've spent my life. During that time, issues like the unmanned aerial vehicle, which has been a part of our work, have, indeed, made a difference for those of us who care about making certain that in the future America continues to be the force for peace in the world.

But most importantly, Congressman Calvert, I want you to know that as the new chairman of the California Republican delegation, I'm proud of the fact that you are my colleague and friend. In the years ahead, we will continue to work together on behalf of the people of our region.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the city of Beaumont,

California, which will celebrate its centennial on Nov. 18, 2012.

In 1927, ten years after its incorporation, Beaumont boasted a population of 857. Today, it's a community of nearly 40,000 people, all of whom I've been proud to represent in Congress for the last ten years.

Much of this growth has happened in the last ten years. Residents flocked to Beaumont for its low housing costs, causing a 20% jump in the city's population, an increase that made it the fastest growing city in the State. What began as a railway outpost at the summit of San Gorgonio Pass has become a vibrant, progressive city that retains its small-town feel.

I proudly salute Beaumont's founders who laid the foundation for what has become a city that upholds the core values of public service. They're a shining example of local government at its best, and I hope my colleagues will join me in extending our best wishes to Beaumont on this most memorable occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure be discharged from further consideration of the bill (S. 3624) to amend section 31311 of title 49, United States Code, to permit States to issue commercial driver's licenses to members of the Armed Forces whose duty station is located in the State, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.