The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“RECESS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H4437-H4445 on June 17, 2015.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECESS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 12(a) of rule I, the Chair declares the House in recess until noon today.
Accordingly (at 10 o'clock and 19 minutes a.m.), the House stood in recess.
The following proceedings were held before the House convened for morning-hour debate:
United States Association of Former Members of Congress 2015 Annual
Report to Congress
The meeting was called to order by the Honorable Jim Walsh, vice president of Former Members of Congress Association, at 8:06 a.m.
prayer
The Chaplain, the Reverend Patrick J. Conroy, offered the following prayer:
Lord God of history, we thank You for this day when former Members return to Congress to continue, in a less official manner, their service to our Nation and to this noble institution.
May their presence here bring a moment of pause where current Members consider the profiles they now form for future generations of Americans.
May all former Members be rewarded for their contributions to this constitutional Republic and continue to work and pray that the goodness and justice of this beloved country be proclaimed to the nations.
Bless all former Members who have died since last year's meeting, 30 in all. May their families and their constituents be comforted during a time of mourning and forever know our gratitude for the sacrifices made in service to the House.
Finally, bless those here gathered that they might bring joy and hope to the present age in supportive companionship to one another. Together, we call upon Your holy name now and forever.
Amen.
Pledge of Allegiance
The Honorable Jim Walsh led the Pledge of Allegiance as follows:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Mr. WALSH. The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished Democratic whip.
Mr. HOYER. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. I was glad to be here with Jim Walsh.
I looked at the list. As I look around--I am not sure this is accurate--but I saw in the list there are about, I would say, 30 names on this list, and I think there are only two on the list, although that may be not accurate, with whom I have not served. Ron, you are one of them, and I think Lou Frey. Where is Lou?
Mr. FREY. Over here.
Mr. HOYER. The two of you, I think, are the only two former Members with whom I have not served.
And, unfortunately, I never served with Speaker Michel. I served with Minority Leader Michel, but I wish I had served with Speaker Michel, one of the great Americans with whom I have served.
I think Bob Michel is the quintessential example of what a Member of Congress ought to be: civil, committed to his party and to his principles, but committed above all to his country and to his family.
Bob, it was an honor to serve with you, and it is an honor to be your friend. Thank you very much for your service.
To all of you who made this institution what it is today and those of us who are continuing to make it what it ought to be, we are not doing that job very well, for the most part. Although, I will say this, that Speaker Boehner is trying to make that happen and, to the extent that we work together, we do. But it is harder and harder, as you know, because the ideological differences between the parties have become more substantial than they were, certainly when I came here in 1981.
Jim Blanchard and I served on the Financial Services Committee together. It was then the Banking Committee. But we are trying to work together to do what is best for our country. I think the country believes its board of directors is not working nearly as well as it ought to.
I want to thank all of you for staying engaged and for continuing to send the message to your colleagues, your friends, your neighbors who have great respect for you. And you have something that very few people have. You know, there are only about a little short of 11,000 of us who have served in this House of Representatives since the founding of the Republic, which is an amazingly small number in a country that is now 320 million, give or take, people.
So it was a wonderful, wonderful honor for us to be elected here. As you know, we can't be appointed to the House of Representatives.
And as I look around this room on both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats, so many people with whom I worked very, very closely, positively and productively in the Congress of the United States, it is always a privilege to welcome you back. And, of course, so many of you--Ron Sarasin is a permanent fixture, of course. We see Ron through his activity on the historic society working here on a very regular basis to make sure that Americans understand the history and the importance of their Capitol. Ron, thank you very much for that service and that leadership.
Mr. Chris Shays is coming into the Chamber. Hi, Chris. Good to see you.
Mr. SHAYS. We haven't voted yet, have we?
Mr. HOYER. Now, there are some of you I need--and I am not sure that I would get all of you--but we haven't voted yet.
I want to thank all of you for staying involved, staying true to the responsibility the people gave you; and when you no longer had that responsibility, in terms of being an elected Member of this body, you continued your fidelity to what this body means, particularly this body. I think all of us are very proud that we served, as we all say, in the people's House.
This was the House that was designed to be most responsive to the passions and the fears and the aspirations and the hopes, the good and the bad, of the American people, where every 2 years we had to re-up. And I think that will never change. It will never change, first of all, because it was a good theory. And, secondly, it will never change because the Senators don't want to give us a free shot at them. So, you know, you have got the principle and then the practical combined in that way.
But I always enjoy being with you, saying hello to you. Certainly my office, which is, as you know, just one floor down here in the Capitol, if we can do anything for any of you at any point of time, if you need a place to hang your jacket or make a telephone call or we have got a conference room that is vacant from time to time, you can use that. It was a privilege and an honor to serve with all of you and to continue to be your friends. God bless you. Thank you very much.
Let me pay special honor to my Maryland colleague, Bev Byron. Jim Moran, I think, and John may be the most recent new Members of the former Members. Maybe some of the rest of you, I think. But Bev Byron and Mike McIntyre.
Bev Byron and I started out--well, she may have been there 1 or 2 years before I was there. But in 1962, we started in the Young Democrats together. Now, she wants me to sit down. She is saying ``now you are going to meddling.'' We love you, Bev. I love you. Thank you.
Mr. WALSH. Mr. Whip, on behalf of all of my colleagues here in the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, let me say thank you for your loyalty to this group. You always come year after year. You share your wisdom. You give us a sense of what is happening, and you connect we, the former Members, with the current. And it is a great value to all of us. Thank you.
I now call upon the distinguished president of the association, Barbara Kennelly, the gentlewoman from Massachusetts.
Ms. KENNELLY. Thank you, Jim.
I was pleased to represent Connecticut for 17 years.
Mr. WALSH. Pardon me.
Ms. KENNELLY. All those little States up there.
And thank you, Leader Hoyer, for being with us this morning. I can always know where your seniority is because I was one behind you, and you were fortunate and you stayed.
Anyway, we begin this meeting, and I thank everybody who is here with us this morning as we begin this wonderful day of former Members.
We are back in this revered Chamber, which we all loved and worked in and had really such an honor to be here, and it is an honor to be here again today to present the 45th annual report of the United States Association of Former Members of Congress.
I will be joined by some of our colleagues in reporting on the activities and projects of our organization since our last report, which was last July. Wait until you see how far we have come even since last year.
I first would like the Clerk to call the roll.
Mr. Blanchard of Michigan
Ms. Buerkle of New York
Mr. Bustamante of Texas
Ms. Byron of Maryland
Mr. Carnahan of Missouri
Mr. Carr of Michigan
Mr. Clement of Tennessee
Ms. Dahlkemper of Pennsylvania
Mr. Edwards of Texas
Mr. Frey of Florida
Mr. Frost of Texas
Mr. Gingrey of Georgia
Mr. Hertel of Michigan
Mr. Hughes of New Jersey
Ms. Kennelly of Connecticut
Mr. Kolbe of Arizona
Mr. Konnyu of California
Mr. Lancaster of North Carolina
Mr. Lungren of California
Mr. McIntyre of North Carolina
Mr. Mezvinsky of Iowa
Mr. Moore of Kansas
Mr. Moran of Virginia
Ms. Morella of Maryland
Mr. Sarasin of Connecticut
Mr. Sarpalius of Texas
Mr. Shays of Connecticut
Mr. Skaggs of Colorado
Mr. Stearns of Florida
Mr. Sundquist of Tennessee
Mr. Tanner of Tennessee
Mr. Tierney of Massachusetts
Mr. Turner of Texas
Mr. Walsh of New York.
Mr. WALSH. The Chair announces that 34 former Members of Congress have responded to their names.
Ms. KENNELLY. Thank you all for joining us today.
Our association was chartered by Congress, and one requirement of that charter is for us to report once a year to Congress about our activities. Wait until you see how many activities that we have.
Many of you have joined us for several years on this occasion, and there will be numerous programs and projects with which by now many of you have become very familiar. This is a sign of our association's stability and purpose.
We are extremely proud of our 45-year history, of creating lasting and purposeful programs to teach about Congress and representative government, and of our ability to take longstanding projects and to expand them and to improve them. We will report on our program in just a minute.
During our annual meeting today, we will honor two of our colleagues with well-deserved recognition. In a few minutes, we will celebrate Lou Frey's accomplishments with our Lifetime Achievement Award. And later today, during a luncheon in his honor, we will bestow the 2015 Distinguished Service Award to our dear friend, Amo Houghton. I certainly hope all of you in attendance and those coming later can join us for the luncheon since Amo has been an inspiration and a mentor to so many of us.
While the ceremony is not going to take place right now, I do want to read into the Record the inscription of the plaque Amo Houghton will receive today:
The 2015 Distinguished Service Award is presented by the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress to Congressman Amo Houghton.
Congressman Houghton of New York is known for his civility, intellect, and compassion. Amo valiantly served our country as a United States Marine and for 18 years as a Member of Congress. While serving in Congress, Amo was relied upon by both Republican and Democratic Members for his keen mind, unassuming nature, and unquestioned integrity to help find solutions when others only saw impasse.
He set the standard for good citizenship and a commitment to the common good and continues to do so in his support of educational and philanthropic endeavors. He is a voice of reason that continues to resonate with all of those who care deeply about Congress and the ideals of representative democracy. His colleagues from both sides of the aisle salute him as a distinguished and dedicated public servant.
Washington, D.C.
Please do join us this afternoon because I think the luncheon is going to be absolutely wonderful, and I hope you all can attend. I know there are others that couldn't be with us this morning that will be with us this noontime.
Now, back to our report. Our association is bipartisan. It was founded in 1970 and chartered by Congress in 1983. The purpose of the United States Association of Former Members of Congress is to promote public service and strengthen democracy, abroad and in the United States.
About 600 former Members, Senators and Representatives, belong to this association. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents are united in this organization in their desire to teach about Congress and the importance of representative democracy.
We are proud to have been chartered by Congress, and we are just as proud to take no funding from Congress. All the activities which we are about to describe are financed via membership dues, program-specific grants, sponsors, or via our fundraising dinner that you are going to hear about very shortly.
Our finances are sound, our projects fully funded, and our most recent audit by an outside accountant confirmed that we are running our association in a fiscally sound, responsible, and transparent manner.
It has been another successful, active, and rewarding year. We have continued our work of serving as a liaison between the current Congress and legislatures overseas. We have created partnerships with highly respected institutions in the area of democracy building and election monitoring. We have developed new projects and are expanding others. We, again, have sent dozens of bipartisan teams of former Members of Congress to teach about public service and representative democracy at universities and high schools both in the United States and abroad.
Our most important domestic undertaking is teaching America's next generation about their government and responsibility of citizenship. After our report here in the Chamber this morning, we will inaugurate a new association project aimed at bringing civic education back to public school classrooms. The focus on civics has been ingrained in our association's DNA for over 30 years, most prominently as a part of our Congress to Campus program.
I will yield to my good friend, David Skaggs of Colorado, who for a number of years, when our association was not able to administer this program on its own, stepped up to the plate and not only kept Congress to Campus going, but expanded it significantly.
David.
Mr. SKAGGS. Thank you very much, Barbara.
I appreciate the opportunity to report on the Congress to Campus program. Although I have been affiliated with it for a long time, I want to recognize the co-chairs of the program who couldn't be with us this morning, Larry LaRocco of Idaho and Jack Buechner of Missouri. They have done a terrific job over the years in moving this program along.
This program, as many of us have participated in it well know, sends bipartisan teams of former Members to colleges and universities across the country and around the world. It engages our Members from all over the country in educating the next generation of leaders about the institution of Congress, the duties and responsibilities that we have as Members, and most importantly, the value of public service.
Since our visits always involve a bipartisan team, they demonstrate, I think, pretty well that political debate can and should be respectful, dynamic, and courteous.
Former Members volunteer their time leading classes, meeting with student leaders, meeting with community organizations, joining with student government meetings--all manner of activities on campus. The schools are encouraged to offer the program to the entire campus community to demonstrate how we do our work in the Congress.
I have gone on many of these trips, most recently this spring with our former colleague Pete Smith of Vermont, on a visit to Evergreen State College in Washington State. I was again reminded of how valuable these programs are, and I learned a great deal from exchanges with Pete during the course of that visit.
Speaking to the students renews our hope, I think, in the future of our country, and I hope and believe that Members will get as much out of this as the students do.
We are delighted to report this year that we added some new schools to the program, as well as returning to many of our old favorites. During the last academic year, we visited over 25 schools, including Abilene Christian, Boston University, Palm Beach State, Tufts University, the U.S. Naval Academy, and Washington State University, to name just a few. Over 40 former Members participated, including several former Members who just left office last January, so it is great to get them involved very quickly.
I want to thank everyone who made a visit and, most of all, those that have donated their time pro bono to this very important program of the association. I think Members will tell you that it gives them an opportunity in a very meaningful way to continue their public service.
I hope all our colleagues, particularly those who may not yet have participated in the program, will consider making a visit. It is an opportunity to renew old friendships or make new ones. Maybe, if you can't make a visit yourself, you can put us in touch with your former alma mater or a school in your old district so that we can take the program there. Sharon Witiw, who is seated to my left, runs the program for the association and can provide all the information you may need.
We especially want to recognize our continued relationship with the Stennis Center for Public Service and its associate director, Brother Roger. The folks at the Stennis Center have been a fantastic partner in keeping the program on track, both logistically and financially.
We have expanded the program internationally. There were two delegations to the U.K. in the past year for weeklong visits with hundreds of British students. Members participated even in townhall meetings in Britain. I hate to think of how much more fun that is than townhall meetings here.
It is reported that these visits have been one of the highlights of the students' semesters, and we want to thank Philip Davies with the British Library in London for all he does to make the program work over there.
We have also incorporated Congress-to-Campus-like activities in a number of other international programs, including the Congressional Study Group on Germany. With the support of the German Embassy here in Washington, we were able to have a weeklong Congress and Bundestag to Campus program where former Members joined with members of the Bundestag and met with students from dozens of universities in the northeast.
Last fall, a new program was piloted using technology to reach a new constituency. Thanks to an in-kind grant from iCohere, we had three 90-
minute Congress to Campus webinar sessions to an audience of community colleges across the Nation.
The webinar platform allowed students from all over the country to participate and ask questions of the bipartisan panels of former Members. We are currently adapting the webinar platform to also serve high school government classes around the country and hope to have that program up and running this fall. Please consider participating in one of these programs that do not necessarily involve the 3-day commitment of a campus visit.
The association has also continued to support the People to People program, which brings hundreds of high school students to the Capitol to learn about leadership and American Government. Several times over the past year, former Members have keynoted those sessions, and we have heard that many staffers on the Hill were first inspired into public service through their People to People experience.
Thanks to everyone who has helped make this program the hallmark program of the association. An informed and engaged citizenry is absolutely essential if our democracy is going to work, and this program really contributes to that end.
Thank you very much.
Ms. KENNELLY. Thank you, David. Thank you for all you have done for one of our most successful programs.
I can remember I got excited when I heard about these programs, and I really wanted to be part of it. At one time, Nancy Johnson and I went to Annapolis, and I wondered if Annapolis students would be so interested in two women of age spending 2\1/2\ days with them.
We had the best times, absolutely; and I really urge you to go. Nancy and I were always friendly, but it really gives you a chance to spend 2\1/2\ days with someone from the other party who you might have known or you might not have known, and you will enjoy it.
We have another new project, and the purpose of the Common Ground Project is to involve citizens in a dialogue about the issues of the day and have a vigorous debate that doesn't shy away from being partisan but, at the same time, manages to be productive.
To give you more background on this Common Ground Project, I invite my colleague from New York, former Member Ann Marie Buerkle, to share her report.
Ann Marie.
Ms. BUERKLE. Thank you very much, Barbara, Mr. Speaker.
One of the many joys of being active with this remarkable, effective association is that it brings together Republicans and Democrats in our many programs, whether it is a part of our board of directors, during our annual meeting and charitable government tournament, for panel discussions, as well as other presentations. All that this association does is bipartisan. Our board is divided evenly between Republicans and Democrats, and our leadership rotates between the two parties.
Currently, our Congress, indeed, our country, is going through a period of polarization and partisanship. While we don't leave our political beliefs at the door when participating in association activities, we pride ourselves in creating an environment where an across-the-aisle dialogue is not only possible, but also the norm. We have institutionalized this approach in a program that we call the Common Ground Project.
The purpose of the Common Ground Project is to create venues and events where a bipartisan approach can involve the public in a dialogue on the issues of the day. Some of our longstanding programs, most importantly the Congress to Campus program we just heard about, already fit neatly into the goals of the Common Ground Project. There are other additional undertakings that were specifically created to further this project.
We are extremely proud of our partnership with the National Archives, which, since 2010, has brought dozens of former Members--again, from both sides of the aisle--together with the public for panel discussions for a productive as well as a respectful dialogue. I have been privileged to participate in a number of our Common Ground Project activities, including Congress to Campus, as well as the National Archives panel series. I believe these dialogues are incredibly important.
Since our last report to Congress, we continue to offer the public a number of opportunities to participate in conversations about the issues that concern our Nation. At the National Archives, former Members held discussions about the midterm elections, our current electoral system, and some of the issues that have caused this current partisan divide. Other public forums included presentations on money in politics, foreign affairs and international trade issues, the U.S. Constitution, and the accomplishments of women in leadership.
As David Skaggs reported earlier, the Congress to Campus program included, for the first time, a number of webinars that reached a very specific audience, in this case, community college students, and gave them an opportunity to interact online with our bipartisan panels of former Members of Congress. After some introductory remarks, most of the webinar time was committed to giving the students an opportunity to ask questions online. We were thrilled with the positive response to this new initiative and believe that this concept will translate into furthering the goals of the Common Ground Project.
Using modern technology, we can effectively reach audiences all across the United States of America to engage with them in a meaningful dialogue. This is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the great benefit that comes from differing opinions being aired, discussed, and dissected in order to find that common ground.
We will explore, over the next year, additional ways to make use of webinars as a means of bringing the public together with our former Member teams. Our initial plan includes reaching out to high school audiences, in addition to college students. The program could then be expanded to include other constituencies who would be gathered in front of the computer, again, to participate in a webinar. This would allow us to include, among others, the VFW, chambers of commerce, and many groups who may not have access to an in-person discussion.
There are quite a number of other activities that contribute to our Common Ground Project. Unfortunately, the list is too long this morning to include them all here. It is our association's most important undertaking to reengage the public in a political discourse that is productive, respectful, and yields solutions rather than sound bites.
We, as former Members, can contribute greatly towards a better understanding of how the important issues of our day play out on Capitol Hill, and I view it as one of the responsibilities that comes with the privilege of having served in Congress. We have an opportunity to bridge the political gap and show the American people that we can have deeply held convictions and still have discussions and debates that find not only the common ground, but also seek solutions.
Thank you so much.
Ms. KENNELLY. Thank you, Ann Marie. And thank you very much for being willing to be active in our association and do a number of things for us.
Ann Marie was on the panel. As you know, we have a very close relationship with the Archives. And we, our organization and the Archives, had a panel 2 days after election. And this shows that we really can be bipartisan. There were various views that came forth in that discussion, but it was absolutely wonderful. We had a full audience. And it just shows that bipartisanship can work, even 2 days after election. Some of us were happy, and some of us weren't.
Another example of how powerful and productive bipartisanship can be is our annual Congressional Golf Tournament. It is chaired by our past president, Dennis Hertel of Michigan, and by fellow board member Ken Kramer of Colorado.
I will now yield the floor to Dennis Hertel to give us a brief report about our charitable golf tournament.
Dennis.
Mr. HERTEL. Thank you, Barbara. I am still more comfortable over here.
Congratulations, Barbara, on this great turnout today. And the annual dinner, what a great success it was, better than ever. You and Jim Walsh have done just fantastic and what you have accomplished for the association.
Eight years ago, we took a 35-year-old tradition, our annual golf tournament, which pits Republicans against Democrats, and gave it a new and much bigger mission. We converted it into a charitable golf tournament to aid severely wounded vets returning from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Our beneficiaries--Warfighter Sports, a program of Disabled Sports USA, and Tee It Up for the Troops--use golf and other sports to help our wounded veterans readjust to life after sustaining severe injuries. They involve the entire family in the sport, and they provide equipment and training.
Our seventh annual event was held last year on July 28 at the Army Navy Country Club. And we have had more Congressmen, active Members, attend our tournament than all of these other golf tournaments that you hear about in Washington, D.C. There might be more in Washington, D.C., than any other place in the country as far as fundraisers, but we have more Members turn out for our cause.
All together, these tournaments have raised over a half million dollars for these outstanding programs. During each of our past tournaments, we have had several dozen current and former Members from both sides of the aisle come together to support our wounded troops that day and throughout the year; and they have met with dozens of wounded warriors, many of whom play in our foursomes. Some double amputees included in their numbers have hit further and straighter than a lot of our members--certainly me. It is an incredibly humbling, rewarding, and memorable experience to spend a day in the presence of these inspiring men and women.
I want to thank everyone in the association, particularly Sharon Witiw, as well as Ken Kramer, our tournament's co-chair. Sharon just does a tremendous job week in and week out working on this all year long, and Ken has just been the mainstay of the program.
Equally important, I am happy to report we have again secured the leadership of two of our most outstanding current Members who are co-
chairs to help us lead this effort: Congressman Jimmy Duncan of Tennessee and Congressman Gene Green of Texas. So some co-chairmen that many of us have served with have just been tremendous in opening up their offices and staff and working with us all the time.
Gene replaces our past Democratic co-chair, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina.
Mike, please stand up. We want to thank you so much for your hard work as co-chair.
Mike really put us up on the map and got us higher as far as Members' participation, and it has really made a great difference. And Jimmy Duncan and Gene Green, we just can't thank them enough for what they have been doing and their constant encouragement of Members to come and play with us.
That brings me to the point of our former Members. We are having, for the first time in the last few tournaments, more current Members play in the golf tournament than former Members when we are sponsoring it. So I hope that the great turnout today is an indication of having more people come to our golf tournament. Even if you don't want to play golf, just come and enjoy the day with our veterans. It is so convenient. It is right here at Army Navy. Don't worry about your skill level, you know. It is an honor for us to help such an incredibly deserving group in this small way.
The next tournament will be July 27. We call it ``The Members'' tournament. But unlike the Masters, you don't need to play at the pro level to have a successful and enjoyable day. All you have to do is show up and help raise some money. I want to stress that, while this event is called a tournament, no one should be worried about their score or their skill level to participate. I am certainly an example of that.
This event is 100 percent about helping wounded warriors. Nobody cares what your handicap is. Your individual score is not kept because we have a scramble format, which I am very much in favor of; so, you know, they don't really know how you did. But if you hit one good, they can use it, including a putt.
So both current and former Members give it their time and attention. If you only play golf once a year, this should be the day you do it.
So I want to thank all of you so much for all the help. And if you can play or if you can bring us a new sponsor, please let us know.
Thanks very much.
Ms. KENNELLY. Thank you, Dennis, for this report.
We are so honored that we can play a small role in the rehabilitation of these amazing men and women. And as a golfer, I can tell you it doesn't matter if your handicap is 10 or if your handicap is 27; and I have been both places. And I promise you, in a scramble, no matter what Marty Russo does, he doesn't always win.
In addition to the domestic programs we have just described, our association also has a very active and far-reaching international focus. We conduct programs focused on Europe and Asia; we bring current Members of Congress together with their peers in legislatures overseas; and we work with the Department of State to talk about representative democracy in our office with audiences abroad. To me, this is becoming one of the most important programs.
As I remember, when I first became active in Association of Former Members, you really did not see many sitting Members of Congress. It was our association. We have expanded this, and as a result, a number of Members take part in our organizations that do go abroad and do study things abroad.
The other day, the German Marshall Fund had put out a new report, and Pete put together a get-together. I was so impressed. We had scholars about Germany. We had a very interesting audience as well as the German Marshall Fund there.
But what really impressed me was the number of Members--and this was one of the busiest days when they were doing the trade legislation--the Members that were attending; and even when they had to go out, they came back. My feeling is, if we get this new business of having present Members be active in our association, that means they will know our association before they are former Members.
Psychologically, this is very good because they bring very new information, but not only that, we are not trying to get them to be Members. After they have left or lost, they know about us. I think this will be very healthy for the organization.
One of our most valued partners in these undertakings is the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians. Our friendship with our colleagues in Ottawa goes back to 1987 when a group of former parliamentarians came and visited with us to learn about our association and our projects and used the lessons learned to create their own association in Canada.
For almost 30 years, we have been friends and partners and we are honored to have as our guest today David Daubney, a former member of the Canadian Parliament and an officer of our sister organization.
Welcome, David, if you are here this morning. Thank you, David. We are so pleased you can be with us.
I have not had the opportunity, and former Members have asked me to go up to Ottawa to join in their big event, like our dinner, and I got into the airport in Ottawa, and that is the day that they had a very sad bomb scare.
Very fortunately, I didn't get out of the airport because if I had, I wouldn't have gotten home for a couple of days because the airport was locked down. I was sorry I couldn't be there. I thank you for the good times we have had in the past year with the Canadian delegation. You are going to hear more about that.
Via the former Members association, I have met with numerous groups of legislators from emerging democracies who have come to Washington for a better understanding of our representative government and our form of democracy. These conversations and meetings are always two-way streets. I have to say that I learn as much, if not more, from our visitors than they do from me.
Just last month, our association hosted at our offices a large group of young professionals from ASEAN, countries including Vietnam and Indonesia, and we had a great dialogue about running for office and serving our constituency.
Our association also has a long-standing partnership with a great NGO Legacy International, bringing young professionals from the Middle East and north Africa to the United States. Our most recent group just completed their 6 weeks in Washington. They stay 6 weeks.
The group is composed of young professionals from Morocco and Tunisia. Most of these visitors work in the NGO sector in their countries, and they come to the United States to learn about the interaction between government and nongovernmental sectors.
I would like to take this moment to thank former Congresswoman Bev Byron because she has been very, very generous in opening up her house to students for dinner, and it is much appreciated by the association.
The goal of this program is to seek a better understanding between cultures and establish an avenue of dialogue between nations. It is a unique opportunity to create a constructive political and cultural discourse between the United States and north Africa. I am very proud that our association is part of this vital dialogue.
In addition to hosting visiting delegations, our association organizes former Member delegations to travel overseas and engage students, government officials, NGOs, and corporate representatives. You have already heard about the Congress to Campus programs and the very international component that it has.
We brought the program to numerous universities in countries such as Turkey, the United Kingdom, other overseas delegations; we call them ExDELs. We have traveled to countries where a dialogue is often difficult, but nonetheless incredibly important--for example, China, a country to which we have now sent seven ExDELs over the past 4 years.
In addition to these former Member international programs, our association supports Congress' international outreach in a meaningful, productive, and bipartisan way via our congressional study groups. These are all programs that involve current Members of Congress, and I now invite my good friend and my predecessor, and I thank Connie for helping me begin my presidency, and I enjoyed her presidency, Connie Morella.
Ms. MORELLA. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you very much, Barbara. I just want to say it has been great working side by side with you for the 2 years when you were vice president, and you are doing a great job. It is nice to continue to be involved with all the wonderful programs that the former Members offer.
I appreciate the opportunity to briefly speak to you about the work of Congressional Study Groups on Germany, Japan, Turkey, and Europe. They are flagship international programs of the former Members of Congress for over three decades. The study groups are independent, bipartisan legislative exchanges for current Members of Congress and their senior staff, and they serve as educational forums and invaluable tools for international dialogue with the goal of creating better understanding and cooperation between the United States and its most important strategic and economic partners.
Each study group has a membership roster of between 75 and 125 Members of Congress, current Members of Congress, and is led by a bipartisan, bicameral pair of co-chairs. I want to acknowledge the service of all of our co-chairs for their hard work and dedication to these critical programs, and I hope they are watching.
The Congressional Study Group on Germany is led by Senator Jeff Sessions, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Representative Charlie Dent, and Representative Ted Deutch.
The Congressional Study Group on Japan is led by Senator Mazie Hirono, Senator Lisa Murkowski, Representative Diana DeGette, and Representative Billy Long.
The Congressional Study Group on Turkey is led by Representative Gerry Connolly and Representative Ed Whitfield.
The Congressional Study Group on Europe is led by Senator John Boozman, Senator Chris Murphy, Representative Jeff Fortenberry, and Representative Peter Welch.
Our co-chairs are true leaders, who not only serve in their role at official study group events, but are also called on by various embassies and countless outside organizations to speak on panels, attend roundtables, and meet with visiting delegations.
The study group model focuses on high-level dialogue on pressing issues surrounding security, energy, trade questions, and financial questions that affect our key bilateral and multilateral relationships with our partners abroad.
Programming celebrates active discussion among all participants, avoiding lengthy speeches or formal presentations, in order to create the kind of atmosphere that promotes personal connections. We believe that the network of peers created via our programs have acted to renew and expand areas of mutual cooperation.
The congressional study groups are not the only program dedicated to this mission, but they are unique in their year-round outreach to Capitol Hill. Unlike other formats, we provide long-lasting staff support and maintain a well-respected reputation as independent and nonadvocacy.
As a result, our network attracts a large, diverse groups of legislators and policymakers who are committed to international dialogue more broadly and don't have to shy away from our programming lest they be asked to support a particular policy position. What is most important for us is that they join the discussion.
A few highlights from the discussion in the last 12 months include the 31st Annual Congress-Bundestag Seminar hosted by Representative Charlie Dent in Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District in September 2014; the 32nd Annual Congress-Bundestag Seminar hosted by our German counterparts in Berlin, Dresden, and Leipzig in May 2015; the 2nd Annual Congressional Member Study Group tour to Japan in February 2015; three senior congressional staff study tours to Germany in partnership with the Embassy of Germany; one senior congressional staff study tour to Japan, which visited Tokyo, Fukushima, and Hiroshima; and 21 high-
level roundtables here in Washington, D.C.
That is quite a list of very important meetings and study groups and trips. The work of the congressional study groups is complemented by our diplomatic advisory council. Initially focused on European nations, the diplomatic advisory council is now comprised of four dozen ambassadors from six continents who advise and participate in our programming.
Their interest and commitment to multilateral dialogue is a valued addition to the congressional study groups and provides a valuable outreach beyond our four core study groups.
In the past year, we have also formed the congressional staff advisory council. As former Members of Congress, we know the value of good staff. I always say my rod and my staff, they comforted me and prepared the papers for me in the presence of my constituents.
The staff advisory council formally recognizes the mutually beneficial relationships we have in offices across Capitol Hill. We are very grateful for the staff who participate in and support our programming, as we are for the Members of Congress.
Finally, I want to thank the institutions, foundations, and companies which support our mission. We would like to give particular thanks to Admiral Dennis Blair, Ms. Junko Chano of Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, and Dr. Karen Donfried and Ms. Maia Comeau of the German Marshall Fund for their support as our international funders of the congressional study groups in 2015.
The congressional study groups are also grateful for the support of the international business community here in Washington, D.C., represented by each study group's business advisory council. I am going to briefly mention the companies of the 2015 business advisory council because they are the supporters. We do not get any money from Congress, and so it is those people who care very much about the work of the former Members' international programs.
They are Allianz, All Nippon Airways, Airbus Group, B. Braun Medical, Central Japan Railway Company, Cheniere Energy, Daimler, Deutsche Telekom, DHL, Fresenius, Hitachi, Honda, Lufthansa German Airlines, Marubeni America Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui, Representative of German Industry and Trade, Sojitz, Toyota Motor North America, United Parcel Service, and Volkswagen of America.
Because of their support, our activities not only help to build vital bilateral relationships between legislatures, but also build bipartisan relationships within our own Congress. Mutual understanding and shared experiences among legislators are crucial to solving pressing problems, whether at home or abroad.
As former Members of Congress, we are proud to bring the important services provided by the congressional study groups to our colleagues still in office, and we are very proud to play an active role in our continued international outreach.
Thank you very much.
Ms. KENNELLY. Thank you, Connie.
In addition to these substantive and issue-specific international projects, our association also offers its members the opportunity to participate in group travel where our staff puts together the logistics and participating members assume all the costs. These trips are unique because they combine a tourist experience with more formal meetings that involve current and former government officials in the country we are visiting.
I will now yield to my good friend from North Carolina, Martin Lancaster, to report on his combined delegation.
Mr. LANCASTER. Thank you, Barbara.
For the 2014 fall study group, a contingent of former Members visited the beaches of Normandy, as well as World War I battlefields in northern France and Belgium. The trip was to commemorate those troops who gave their lives during World War I and World War II on the 100th and 70th anniversaries of those horrible wars. The group of former Members and their spouses were privileged to share this moving experience with a group of former members from the Canadian Parliament and their spouses. This was our first and what we hope will be many joint study tours with our friends to the north.
At the opening reception in Paris, the two groups of former legislators first learned how their nations' sacrifices had a direct impact on the lives of Europeans when a friend of a former Member recounted her story of how her family was liberated by the Allies during the war.
After gathering in Paris, the group traveled to Normandy, first to Juno Beach, where the Canadian military landed for the D-Day invasion. It was an incredible experience to explore a German bunker and to walk the beaches where young Canadian soldiers landed 70 years ago. The following day the group spent a day on the Utah and Omaha beaches in the sands where the U.S. military landed, and we were humbled by the staggering number of losses reflected in the cemetery for the American soldiers.
The former Members held a moving wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and spent quite some time walking around the grounds and reflecting on the sacrifices made by so many.
While in the Normandy region, our group was treated to the hospitality of Count Denis de Kergorlay of Canisy at his chateau, which has been in his family's possession since the 11th century. The Count has been a friend and partner of our association for over 10 years, and many of you have had a chance to meet him during our Statesmanship Awards Dinners where, since 2004, he so generously has offered a four-
night stay at this magnificent chateau at auction for our fundraising. I certainly want to thank him on behalf of the association for his many years of support and friendship.
Staying at Chateau de Canisy is like stepping back in time. This welcoming and memorable location provided a warm atmosphere for the national borders and the party affiliations within our international group to completely fade away. Each evening during dinner, conversations revealed our shared experiences as legislators and the moving common history of World War I and World War II. One special night, Count de Kergorlay treated us to a musical performance at the chateau thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended and hailed as one of the highlights of the trip.
The final two days of the trip were spent in northern France and Belgium, and the focus pivoted toward World War I. En route, we stopped briefly at the Normandy Museum in Cannes. A brief detour was made to Hallu, a small village in northern France where the recent discovery of the identity of several World War I soldiers in the backyard of a home there revealed they were from the same regiment as the president of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians, Leo Duguay, who was traveling with us. The group gathered in the home's backyard for a moving wreath-laying ceremony and flag presentation. Afterwards, the group was entertained at the mayor's office in Hallu.
Upon arriving in northern France, the group visited Vimy Ridge and the Canadian National Vimy Ridge Memorial, where we toured the trenches and learned about the pivotal battle that occurred in 1917 when the Canadians lost more soldiers than any battle in their history.
We also spent a few hours visiting the interactive Flanders Field Museum in Ypres, Belgium, which is an incredibly marvelous educational experience. The last event of the trip was participating in a ceremony in the town of Ypres at the Menin Memorial Gate to the Missing, where every night at 8 p.m. for the last 100 years, the road is closed and buglers sound ``The Last Post'' in memory of those whose graves are unknown. This was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony by a number of organizations, including our own. What a breathtaking way to conclude our travels.
This fall we are planning to travel to Havana, Cuba, for our study tour. There is such interest by our membership in this destination that we will offer a second trip in January. While our Canadian friends cannot join us in October, we would love to partner with them again maybe for the one in January because it was a great pleasure to get to know them and to form these friendships across the border.
Thank you, Barbara.
Ms. KENNELLY. Thank you, Martin.
The experience you had in Normandy with our friends from Canada certainly was extraordinary, and I have heard all about it. I am sorry I had to miss it, but I am signed up for the Cuba trip.
All of the programs you have heard about clearly require funding, and we have been very successful in growing our fundraising capabilities along with our programming. The most impactful single fundraising mechanism we have created is the Annual Statesmanship Awards Dinner. In March of this year, we hosted our 18th dinner. And just like the preceding 17, it was chaired by our good friend, Lou Frey of Florida. Lou was supported by a number of other co-chairs, including me, former Members Dennis Hertel, Martin Frost, and our association CEO, Pete Weichlein. I would like to invite Lou Frey to report on the highly successful 18th Statesmanship Awards Dinner, and I think you realize that Lou has been chairman of all of the 18 dinners we have had.
Lou Frey.
Mr. FREY. Barbara, thank you for all of the hard work you have put in. We have had many, many people working on this. This is an absolute great way to explain to your kids in terms of doing something. If you are going to do it, make sure you are going to be able to carry it through because this started with an idea of raising maybe $100,000, if that. We had no other source, we were going basically broke over a period of time. The idea, though, grew on its own. Not because of me. It didn't grow because of me, but it grew because each and every one of you, we are all winners. We are all people who succeeded in the toughest market going, and it has been just a wonderful thing to see how it has grown and how many people are now involved in it.
I just messed up someone's long, hard work in terms of what I said. But, Pete, you never thought I would stick to the script. No, I knew you wouldn't think that.
The last dinner, we had over 500 tickets sold. We raised more money than any of the preceding 17 dinners. It was just incredible. We had wonderful people up on the stage. We have decided to go ahead and present the next dinner under a theme of Salute to Service where we have different people involved in this process like we did the last time, like with Bob Dole's, and that will be the next one.
The highlight of the evening, I think, came when they had the debate or discussion, but the evening is a wonderful way to showcase our association and recognize outstanding public service. That is the whole basis of the dinner. If it makes it, we are in great shape. If it blows it, we are in bad shape. It is pretty black and white. We have a good base. I am looking forward to doing it. I would like to say and put it on the record, this is not Federal money. This is not government money. This is our money that we are using. It is money that is reaching out where nobody can criticize it. It came admittedly from an idea that I had to start with, and it is an idea that has really worked.
I think I ought to give you a little information about next year's dinner. I know we are looking at the clock, but I have more information about next year's dinner that you ought to know about. Again, it will be at the Mellon Auditorium on Constitution Avenue. What a great place to have a meeting, and we are going to do it there again. The theme of the 2016 dinner will be to honor individuals and entities who are actively supporting our men and women in uniform. Most all of us are involved in that. I am involved in Florida with a particular golf tournament that puts money back in through the program by playing golf. Dennis Hertel was here and talked about the tremendous job he is doing. Remember, we are raising this money. It is our money. That is the money that is going in.
The 19th dinner will be a different experience for me because it will be the first one in 19 years where I can actually sit back and relax. It has been my special pleasure to work for the last 18 years to make this annual dinner the great success it has become. I have been able to enjoy a recent event, taking the family to Montana for awhile and spending time with kids whose names I now recognize, and one of them is here today. The dinner is an important event, and obviously we are not going to let the association down. I am not walking away, but 18 years, in all fairness, I have put some time in.
What we are doing in the event, and part of the event, is allowing the association to get the money we need so the association can fill all these great programs. But again, let me say again just in case you haven't heard me, if we don't raise the money with nongovernmental money, we are broke. Okay, just so we are all on the same page. Moving forward, I am going to do what I can while I am still able to do, and we have a great team. We have a great bunch of people working on it. It is nice to think they need me, but they really don't need me. In one sense, we're all part of it, however. We are turning over a machine that is really well oiled and can work well, a machine that knows how to do it, and it knows when to call out to people when something isn't going quite as well as it should. But that never happens with this.
Basically, I just want to also say that I can't tell you what an incredible feeling of involvement, of joy, of sorrow, continuing feeling that my life is better because of each and every one of you who I have been able to work with and we all have been trying to work with. We are doing God's work. We are putting back into what we have in this country. We will never put back 100 percent, but it really is part of it. So when we come to the 19th dinner, we have somebody rooting like heck for you on the sideline. But it is going to take people continuing to be involved. Thank you, thank you, thank you again.
Ms. KENNELLY. Thank you, Lou.
I can't even imagine chairing 18 dinners. But I will say I might not miss Lou Frey's calls when he tells me I haven't done a good enough job.
But Lou, you are not leaving us. In recognition of your 18 years chairing the Statesmanship Awards Dinner, and in recognition of your service on our board of directors for almost two decades, and in recognition of the great contributions you made to the organization as its president, the board of directors and the members of the United States Association of Former Members of Congress wish to bestow upon you our Lifetime Achievement Award.
There is no plaque large enough to hold all of the accolades you deserve based upon your service to this country, first in our military, then in Congress, and currently leading the charge to restore civic education in our Nation's classrooms. Your initiative on behalf of civic education is the foundation upon which we are basing a new association program, the Lou Frey Forum on Civic Engagement, which will translate the tremendous strides you have achieved in Florida into a nationwide effort utilizing our former Members network across the country.
I, therefore, cannot overstate how appreciative the leadership and membership of our organization are for all you have done for us, particularly as chairman of the Statesmanship Awards Dinner for 18 years. This Lifetime Achievement Award is one way we wish to recognize your tremendous service.
Also, we want to tell you there is going to be a Lou Frey Civics Scholarship, which will benefit a student at Winter Park High School, just a couple miles from your home. For the next 3 years, a graduating student who has taken AP civics and is accepted at a community college or university will receive a $1,000 scholarship in your name to help defray his or her college costs.
Lou, this Lifetime Achievement Award is highly deserved, and the plaque reads as follows:
This Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed upon the Honorable Lou Frey, Jr., for his exemplary and inspiring service to his country as well as to the United States Association of Former Members of Congress. Lou Frey's public service began in the United States Navy in 1955 and culminated in a political career that spanned over three decades. He represented his Florida constituents with dedication, integrity, and dynamism. His optimism and can-do attitude never diminished in his post-congressional career, and transformed our association during his years as president, board member, and Statesmanship Awards Dinner chairman. For his lifetime of bringing about positive change, his friends and colleagues from both sides of the political aisle salute him.
Thank you, Lou.
Mr. FREY. Some of my family is here, and I want to thank them.
I am especially pleased to have my good friend and former chief of staff, Oscar Juarez, and his wife, Nancy, here representing those who made our congressional office a happy and productive place to work.
It really was. What a great opportunity.
Ms. KENNELLY. I also want to thank the many partners and supporters that made this possible. We are truly lucky to have this assembled group of corporations and foundations that believe in our work.
Also, I would be remiss if I did not thank the other members of our association's executive board: our vice president, Jim Walsh; treasurer, Martin Frost; secretary, Mary Bono; and our past president, Connie Morella. You have all made this association a stronger and better organization than it was ever before. I thank you for your time and energy. To administer all of these programs takes a staff of dedicated and enthusiastic professionals.
I am going to quickly mention them. They are wonderful.
Sean Pavlik is part of the international team and runs our Congressional Study Group on Japan. Unfortunately, we are losing Sean. He is pursuing an MBA at the University of Michigan, and we wish him the best.
Rachel Haas is our CEO's right-hand person, runs the entire office, makes sure that our money is spent appropriately and wisely, and played a huge role in making our Statesmanship Awards Dinner such a beautiful and memorable event.
Andrew Shoenig, our associate director of international programs, started out as an intern with us about 4 years ago and now is the linchpin in our incredibly successful program focusing on Germany, the EU, and all of the Ambassadors who participate in our Diplomatic Advisory Council.
Sharon Witiw, our domestic program director, oversees the smooth operations of projects such as the Congress to Campus program. She also is the one who keeps our membership updated through our Web site, email notifications, and the year-end newsletter.
Sabine Schleidt is our managing director, who spends most of her time on the current Member international programs, but also a lot of hours on implementing the strategic vision and fundraising goals.
And Peter Weichlein.
Peter, you are, to me, the most outstanding chief executive officer.
Peter has been with our association for 16 years. I am old enough for anything, but I am old enough to remember before Peter, and this organization has come so, so far. He keeps his enthusiasm. His staff is not that large. It is amazing that they can have all these programs and all these success. Peter is wonderful to work with.
Like many of you, I have been on many boards. In fact, for the last 9 years, I ran a board and had to report to a board of directors. Peter is exceptional. He keeps the board happy; he keeps the staff happy; and he never stops working. We are, indeed, fortunate to have Peter as our chief executive officer.
Also, every year at our annual meeting, we ask the membership to elect new officers and board members. I therefore will now read the names of the candidates for board members and officers. They are all running unopposed. I ask for a single ``yea'' or ``nay'' as I present to you the list of candidates as a slate.
For the association's board of directors:
Dave Camp of Michigan
Jim Coyne of Pennsylvania
Barbara Kennelly of Connecticut
Ken Kramer of Colorado
Ray LaHood of Illinois
Jim Matheson of Utah
Jim Moran of Virginia
Jim Slattery of Kansas
Karen Thurman of Florida.
All in favor of electing these former Members to our board of directors, please say, ``aye.'' Any opposed? Hearing none, the board has been elected.
Next, we will elect our executive committee. As president, I serve 2 years. I have already done 1 and will end my term in 2016. However, the other three elected members of the executive board are up for reelection for a 1-year term.
The candidates are:
Jim Walsh of New York for vice president
Martin Frost of Texas for treasurer
Mary Bono of California for secretary.
All in favor of electing these three former Members of our executive committee, please say, ``yea.'' Any opposed? Hearing no opposition, the slate has been elected by this membership.
The executive board is completed by Connie Morella, who is an unelected officer in her capacity as immediate past president.
Now it is my sad duty to inform the Congress of those former and current Members who have passed away since our last report in July. I ask all of you, including the visitors in the gallery, to rise as I read the names. At the end of the list, we will pay our respect to their memory with a moment of silence. We honor these men and women for their service to our country. They are:
Donald Albosta of Michigan
Bruce Alger of Texas
Herman Badillo of New York
Edward Brooke of Massachusetts
M. Caldwell Butler of Virginia
Thomas Cass Ballenger of North Carolina
Don H. Clausen of California
Phil Crane of Illinois
Lane Evans of Illinois
Bill Frenzel of Minnesota
Robert Griffin of Michigan
George Hansen of Idaho
Herbert Harris of Virginia
Jim Jeffords of Vermont
Robert W. Kastenmeier of Wisconsin
John Krebs of California
Arch A. Moore, Jr., of West Virginia
John M. Murphy of New York
John T. Myers of Indiana
Alan Nunnelee of Mississippi
Peter Peyser of New York
Marge Roukema of New Jersey
Fernando J. St. Germain of Rhode Island
Robert Tiernan of Rhode Island
James A. Traficant of Ohio
Jim Wright of Texas
C.W. Bill Young of Florida
Please observe a moment of silence.
That concludes the 45th report to Congress by the United States Association of Former Members of Congress. We thank the Congress, the Speaker, and the minority leader for giving us the opportunity to return to this revered Chamber and to report on our association's activities. We look forward to another active and productive year.
Thank you.
Mr. WALSH. The Chair again wishes to thank all former Members of the House for their presence and this continuing commitment to this high calling of public service.
Before terminating the proceedings, the Chair would like to invite those former Members who did not respond when the roll was called to give their names to the Reading Clerk for inclusion on the roll.
This concludes our meeting today. We stand adjourned.
____________________
