Tom Latham

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the kind words.

I rise today in strong support of this omnibus appropriations bill. I am particularly proud of the Transportation-Housing and Urban Development division which makes critical investments in our Nation's infrastructure, our air traffic control system, and housing for our neediest citizens.

The bill requires some tough choices, but it advances our common priorities of responsible government and fiscal restraint. We worked hard to ensure that this final bill includes funding and policy provisions that are a priority for this body.

We provide funds for the FAA to support the full operations of the air traffic control system and the FAA's investment in NextGen. We meet the MAP-21 extension authorized funding levels for highways and transit. We provide housing funds to assist families served by HUD's housing programs, plus 10,000 new veterans housing vouchers. We provide $3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant program which is a priority for Members of both sides of the aisle.

Mr. Speaker, I have been honored to serve as chairman of the T-HUD committee for the last 4 years and on the committee for the full 18 years. It has been an amazing experience to see each and every year how the work of this committee works for the people of America.

I would like to thank my ranking member, Mr. Ed Pastor, with whom it has been a real honor to serve. I wish him well in his retirement, and I know that this body will miss him as much as I will.

I would also like to thank the staff of the committee who put in countless hours to draft this compromise. I would also like to recognize and thank Doug Bobbitt from my staff for the

past 12 years and who has served this institution for nearly three decades.

Our chairman, Hal Rogers, has demonstrated that you can stick to your principles and still come to a compromise that puts the American people first.

Mr. Chairman, it has been an honor to serve on this committee and under your leadership. I appreciate very, very much all the kindness and personal things that you and Cynthia have done for Kathy and me. I very much appreciate it.

I urge Members to support this bill.

First of all, I will say ``thank you'' to Mr. Simpson--a great, great friend--for doing this this evening; to Mr. Nunes, who is still on the floor here; to Steve King and Dave Loebsack, who were down here. I am not going to sing--we will pass that by--but, again, thank you very, very much for the honor you have bestowed on me and for the kind words here tonight.

Madam Speaker, I will just say the thing I will miss most are my good friends here. That part of it really is hard because it becomes an extended family over time--people whom you know, whom you work with, whom you trust on a day-to-day basis. I will miss that. Now, there is a lot of other stuff I won't miss here, but I will miss the personal relationships and friendships.

Mr. Simpson mentioned the Speaker. I will just tell you that there is no one who could be a better friend and someone I owe so much to. John and Debbie Boehner, Kathy and I owe them so much. They are great, great friends. We love them, and we will continue that friendship as we will with all of the colleagues here we have come to know and love.

Anyone who does this job for any period of time understands you are never going to be successful or accomplish anything without the great work of your staff. I have been blessed both in Iowa and here in Washington with tremendous people who have worked so hard for me, who have committed themselves to the people of Iowa--to the service to them and to this country. All of them are very, very special to me. One person, my chief of staff, James Carstensen, who happens to be in the Chamber tonight, has been with me since day one--actually, a year before I got elected, working on the campaign. So 21 years he has had to put up with me.

Thank you very much.

Thanks to all of the members of my staff. It has been a pleasure for me--a great, great honor to have the privilege of serving with them-- because we have all done it on a cumulative basis, and we have tried to do the best job possible for the people of Iowa.

I have to say ``thank you,'' obviously, to the Iowans. As Mr. Nunes said, I have represented a lot of the State in having the different districts, starting with the Fifth District, then the Fourth District, and now the Third District--moving from northwest Iowa to northeast Iowa to southwest Iowa. It is the honor of my life to serve the people of Iowa and to have that opportunity to be their Representative in Washington to try to accomplish things for their good and for the good of the country. Again, I just say ``thank you.''

Everybody who is in Congress knows the sacrifice of your family. My parents, who were such great role models for me, taught me so much. They are gone now. I have got four brothers and their families. I have my son, Justin; Lynnae; Emerson and Jack; my daughter Jennifer; her husband, Brian; and Keaton, Mason, and Carson; and my daughter Jill and her husband, Nick, and their son, Will. I love them, and what they have done to support me over the years is tremendous and will always be appreciated.

Obviously, there is one person. You could never be successful if you didn't have the support of your spouse. Kathy has been just exceptional in putting up with all the back-and-forth--having two residences and having had to travel here and keep everything going at home while I am away. For the first 19 years we were married, I was on the road with our family business. For the last 20 years, I have been gone, being in Congress. So, obviously, her love and her support has meant everything in the world to me.

Thank you, Dear.

Let me just say, in closing, that it has been an amazing ride for 20 years. For a kid, like Mr. Simpson said or Mr. King said, who grew up in Alexander, Iowa--who grew up on a farm outside of a big town of 168 people--to come to Washington to be able to represent Iowa here is, obviously, a huge, huge honor from that background.

I will honestly say to any Member listening, if you ever get to the point when you walk across the street and don't look up at that dome and get that chill up your spine about something much bigger than you are, you probably should go home. Now, I still get that chill, but I think it is time for me and my family to go a different course.

I am extraordinarily proud to have served here. This is a great, great body. It is something that is an incredible institution. It is truly a slice of America when you come here and you meet the different folks and all you learn about this great country. Having to take into consideration a lot of different views and constituencies from all over the country is an amazing experience. I am very, very proud of that, and I will always feel that my time was well spent here. More so today I am excited about the future because we are going to have an opportunity to spend more time with the family--with Kathy, with the kids and grandchildren. We are going to be able to do some things we have never been able to do before. So I am proud of the past and am excited about the future, and I just thank God that I have had the opportunities I have had to grow up in a State like Iowa and in a community like I grew up in, with parents like I had and brothers and the support of the family.

This is the greatest country in the world. It will always be because of our system of government. As hard as it is to get something done, it is very difficult, but it is the right way to do things, and we need to get back to everyone listening to each other. There is one thing I will say: I never learn a thing when I am talking. You learn things when you are listening to other folks. I think we should all, maybe, step back and listen to each other more, and I think, maybe, we would be better off.

With that, I will just say ``thank you'' to everyone. It is a great country. God bless America. I am excited about the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the retirement of Brigadier General James Derek Hill of the Iowa Air National Guard and to congratulate him on his illustrious 29-year military career.

General Hill began his military service in 1985 upon receiving his commission through Direct Appointment. Eighteen years later, General Hill joined the Iowa Air National Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel and has faithfully devoted the following decade to guiding our state's men and women in uniform. General Hill retired as the Iowa Air National Guard's Deputy Adjutant General where he served as principal advisor to Iowa's Adjutant General while organizing, manning, equipping, and training more than 1,800 airmen to accomplish missions assigned at both the state and national level. General Hill's unfailing leadership has proven to be instrumental in preparing the men and women of the Iowa Air National Guard for numerous successful deployments in an often chaotic and unpredictable environment.

Throughout nearly three decades of selfless service, General Hill has earned numerous decorations for his consistent leadership and uncompromising standards. Most recently, General Hill was nominated by Iowa's Adjutant General Timothy Orr to receive the hallowed Legion of Merit for his ``exceptionally meritorious conduct'' as Iowa's Assistant Adjutant General over the past four years. I believe it goes without saying that the Iowa Air National Guard's world-renowned 21st century capabilities would not be possible without the positive and professional guidance expertly offered by General Hill over the past decade.

Mr. Speaker, our country owes Brigadier General James Derek Hill a great debt of gratitude for his decades of selfless service and sacrifice. His unwavering commitment to his country and fellow Americans is a testament to our nation's service members and our great state. I know my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives will join me in thanking General Hill and congratulating him on a truly stellar career. In retirement, General Hill leaves behind a grateful state and nation and I wish him, and his wife Rhonda, the very best as they begin a new chapter in their lives.