[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 17 (Wednesday, February 7, 2001)] [House] [Pages H205-H207] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] {time} 1015 GORO HOKAMA POST OFFICE BUILDING Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 132) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 620 Jacaranda Street in Lanai City, Hawaii, as the ``Goro Hokama Post Office Building''. The Clerk read as follows: H.R. 132 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. GORO HOKAMA POST OFFICE BUILDING. (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal Service located at 620 Jacaranda Street in Lanai City, Hawaii, shall be known and designated as the ``Goro Hokama Post Office Building''. (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the Goro Hokama Post Office Building. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gibbons). Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller). Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. On January 3 of this year, I introduced H.R. 132, to designate the Post Office on the island of Lanai as the ``Goro Hokama Post Office.'' I thank the majority of this committee for allowing me to bring this bill up at this early stage in our session, and I know that this is a moment of great honor to Mr. Hokama, whom I advised yesterday. Although it is only 5:00 a.m. in Hawaii, I believe that he and his family are listening. The Lanai Post Office came to my attention, and it is in my district; it is a small island with only 3,000 people, but the Post Office situation came to my attention several years ago. The population had grown at that point and there were post office boxes on the outside of the Old Post Office, and it became quite evident that a new building had to be constructed. So, after years of waiting, finally in February of the year 2000, a new post office was constructed. I think that it is extremely appropriate, therefore, that this post office be named the Goro Hokama Post Office. I have known Mr. Hokama almost the entire time that I have been active in politics, since the late 1950s. I have known him as a person of enormous dedication and integrity. He has given of his life to the growth and development of the island of Lanai where he was born and where his family currently resides. He was picked out as a person of great leadership potential. Even in his high school, he was elected to serve as the student body president. Like most other young men, he went off to war, served in the army, came back and began his public service career. He was employed by the Dole Pineapple Company, which virtually ran the entire economic industry of Lanai for many, many years, and was a member of the International Longshoremen and Warehousemen's Union and served in many important capacities. I recall that he came to Washington during my first tenure here as a Member of Congress representing the interests of the working people of this Nation, as well as the people of his union, the ILWU. He continues to serve in many capacities as a member of that union. His life story expands the traditional life story of most people who are active in civic affairs, in athletic programs, giving of himself in every possible way. But the thing that singles out Goro Hokama is someone who is deserving of this honor that we are bestowing on him today is his 42 years in elective office, representing his island on the Maui County Council and previously on that same board which was then named the Board of Supervisors. He chaired this County Council for 16 years, served in all of the various capacities, and really exerted not just a feeling of Lanai and his hometown, but the essence of Hawaii, the directions that we wanted to go, the concern that he always expressed about working families. He also was active in the Hawaii Association of Counties and served as president 11 times and came to numerous meetings with NACO, the National Association of Counties. He has currently not abandoned his responsibilities; in fact, he has engaged himself in many, many more ways. He serves as the chairman of the Maui County Hospital Management committee and has been, since 1998, vice-chair of the Maui Civil Service Commission. In fact, when I called to reach him yesterday, he was presiding over that Civil Service Commission meeting over on Maui. So with his family, his wife, Kiwae Deguchi and their two children, Riki and Joy, who I know are all very, very honored and pleased at this effort today in the naming of the central place on Lanai Island where everybody goes and to have the name of Goro Hokama emblazoned over this post office is just a small way to honor this humble and simple public servant for all of the years that he has devoted to the betterment of their lives. So I am pleased to stand and offer this bill and to ask Members to support it. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from the First Congressional District of Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie). Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I want to particularly thank the chairman today for the opportunity to be here. Mr. Speaker, it is probably something that many of us tend to take for granted over time, that we have the opportunity to be on this floor and to sponsor bills such as the Goro Hokama Post Office Building bill, and in some respects could be seen by others as pro forma. I think, Mr. Speaker, we have learned, and I am sure the chairman has learned, that it is the obvious that we have to repeat to ourselves over and over again, because it is the obvious that sometimes we take most for granted and forget first. This, perhaps, Mr. Speaker, is one of those occasions, where we remind ourselves that we really, in fact, do have the high honor and privilege of serving the people of this Nation. While the issues may be weighty in many respects and a somber and sober attitude required with respect to the adjudication of these issues and the resolution of these issues, today I can tell my colleagues, this is an occasion of joy for the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) and myself, and I hope, by extension in some small way, for the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) as presiding officer, and for the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) today, to be here because we have, in fact, the opportunity to recognize, as my colleague indicated, a public servant, someone who has seen himself always as the humble servant of the people of Hawaii and, most particularly, the people of Lanai. As the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) indicated, the island of Lanai is a small island; small in population, small in size, known the world over as the Pineapple Island, and Goro Hokama is central to the history of this island, not only from the time that he spent as a young man before his service in the United States Army, but almost literally upon the time that he returned from the service to Lanai to take up his duties as a member of the ILWU in representing the working people of the island of Lanai. He was elected to public office. The people who knew him best, who knew him from the time he was a little boy, understood that in Goro Hokama, they had someone of extraordinary ability. That ability and insight, I might add, Mr. Speaker, was such that he encouraged people. He encouraged people to participate in the public life of Hawaii, and with statehood 41 years ago, the experience that he had with the county, the experience he had with my good and dear friend, the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink), and in encouraging her, and this is not always possible. It is something we take for granted now, Mr. Speaker. It was not easy to be a member of a minority. It was not easy to be seen as someone who did not have control of the levers of power, to be able to continue to succeed, to encourage others, to participate in a way that gave others confidence in him, and Goro Hokama was the person who did that. [[Page H206]] Goro Hokama was someone who encouraged the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) to pursue her political career which has manifested itself in the marvelous record that she has here in the United States Congress. Goro Hokama was someone that encouraged a young kid from the east coast of the United States who had come all the way to Hawaii in the hopes of beginning another life with statehood as I did 41 years ago, not only encouraged me, but gave me the idea that it was what I had to contribute that counted. It was what was in my heart that counted. And when we have a man like Goro Hokama as a guiding light, as a mentor, as someone who can make clear the path for you, encouraging you all the way, it is something that is truly to be treasured. So my colleague and I come to the floor today with a sense that with the naming of the Goro Hokama Post Office Building, there is a conclusion to a life of public service, and I hope that his grandsons, Jordan and Trent, possibly are up at 5 o'clock in the morning, too, to see their grandfather honored. So, Mr. Speaker, I want to conclude my remarks by again thanking the chairman, not only for his consideration, but for giving us the opportunity to honor someone who truly deserves it, a great American, a great son of Hawaii, a true representative of everything that is great and good about the island of Lanai, Goro Hokama. Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would like to conclude by saying that I want to thank two of my colleagues who cosponsored this legislation, the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Stark), both of whom are cosponsors of this legislation. I want to thank the majority for giving me this opportunity to bring this bill up so early in the session. I want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Dan Miller) for taking on this responsibility of representing the majority. I certainly want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) for his support of this legislation, and certainly the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman). I appreciate so much this opportunity to honor a longtime friend and colleague, and I hope that this bill will be passed and reported over to the Senate. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. On behalf of the majority, let me congratulate the gentlewoman from Hawaii for bringing forth this method of recognition of someone who has apparently done a great deal for Lanai City and Hawaii. This is one small way that the House of Representatives and Congress can help recognize people that have made outstanding contributions to their areas, and certainly this is the case here. With that, I urge a vote in favor of this motion. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Hawaii? There was no objection. Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Stark). (Mr. STARK asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 132, designating the Lanai City Post Office the Goro Hokama Post Office. To bring just some of the Stark family remembrance to this occasion, my family and I have been visiting the Island of Lanai for at least 10 years and, with all due respect to the rest of the Hawaiian islands, pretty much the same hibiscus, and pretty much the same bougainvillea, pretty much the same marvelous climate, pretty much the same sand. {time} 1030 What is so different about Lanai? It is the people. It really is. They have made us and our children feel welcome there, at home, comfortable, not overburdened, just a wonderful group of people. And when we have someone like Goro Hokama, who is almost a legend on the island of Lanai, he has served the people as a public servant for the County of Maui, the State of Hawaii, over 40 years, long before it became the tourist mecca that it is today. He has been a labor leader, an elected official, a Little League volunteer, and he typifies the kind of pitch-in spirit of togetherness that the Hawaiian people on the island of Lanai have every right to be so proud of. I am delighted to be here with my colleagues from Hawaii today in support of H.R. 132. Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gibbons). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 132. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of those present have voted in the affirmative. Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present. The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 413, nays 0, not voting 19, as follows: [Roll No. 11] YEAS--413 Abercrombie Ackerman Aderholt Akin Allen Andrews Armey Baca Bachus Baker Baldacci Baldwin Ballenger Barcia Barr Barrett Bartlett Barton Bass Bentsen Bereuter Berkley Berman Berry Biggert Bilirakis Bishop Blagojevich Blumenauer Blunt Boehlert Boehner Bonilla Bonior Borski Boswell Boucher Boyd Brady (PA) Brady (TX) Brown (FL) Brown (OH) Brown (SC) Bryant Burr Burton Callahan Camp Cantor Capps Capuano Cardin Carson (IN) Carson (OK) Castle Chabot Chambliss Clay Clayton Clyburn Coble Collins Combest Condit Conyers Cooksey Costello Cox Coyne Cramer Crane Crenshaw Crowley Cubin Culberson Cummings Cunningham Davis (CA) Davis (FL) Davis (IL) Davis, Jo Ann Davis, Thomas M. Deal DeFazio DeGette Delahunt DeLauro DeLay DeMint Deutsch Diaz-Balart Dicks Dingell Doggett Dooley Doyle Dreier Duncan Dunn Edwards Ehlers Ehrlich Emerson Engel English Eshoo Etheridge Everett Farr Fattah Ferguson Filner Flake Fletcher Foley Ford Fossella Frank Frelinghuysen Frost Gallegly Ganske Gekas Gephardt Gibbons Gilchrest Gillmor Gilman Gonzalez Goode Goodlatte Gordon Goss Graham Granger Graves Green (TX) Green (WI) Gutierrez Gutknecht Hall (OH) Hall (TX) Hansen Harman Hart Hastings (FL) Hastings (WA) Hayes Hayworth Hefley Herger Hill Hilleary Hilliard Hinchey Hinojosa Hobson Hoeffel Hoekstra Holden Holt Honda Hooley Horn Hostettler Houghton Hoyer Hulshof Hunter Hutchinson Hyde Inslee Isakson Israel Issa Jackson (IL) Jackson-Lee (TX) Jefferson Jenkins John Johnson (CT) Johnson (IL) Johnson, E.B. Johnson, Sam Jones (NC) Jones (OH) Kanjorski Kaptur Keller Kelly Kennedy (MN) Kennedy (RI) Kerns Kildee Kilpatrick Kind (WI) King (NY) Kingston Kirk Kleczka Knollenberg Kolbe Kucinich LaFalce LaHood Lampson Langevin Lantos Largent Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Latham LaTourette Leach Lee Levin Lewis (CA) Lewis (GA) Lewis (KY) Linder Lipinski LoBiondo Lofgren Lowey Lucas (KY) Lucas (OK) Luther Maloney (CT) Maloney (NY) Manzullo Markey Mascara Matheson Matsui McCarthy (MO) McCarthy (NY) McCollum McCrery McDermott McGovern McHugh McInnis McIntyre McKeon McKinney McNulty Meek (FL) Meeks (NY) Menendez Mica Millender-McDonald Miller (FL) Miller, Gary Miller, George Mink Mollohan Moore Moran (KS) Moran (VA) Murtha Myrick Nadler Napolitano Neal Nethercutt Ney Northup Norwood Nussle Oberstar Obey Olver Ortiz [[Page H207]] Osborne Ose Otter Owens Oxley Pallone Pascrell Pastor Paul Payne Pelosi Pence Peterson (MN) Peterson (PA) Petri Phelps Pickering Pitts Platts Pombo Pomeroy Portman Price (NC) Pryce (OH) Putnam Quinn Radanovich Rahall Ramstad Rangel Regula Rehberg Reyes Reynolds Riley Rivers Roemer Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Ros-Lehtinen Ross Rothman Roukema Roybal-Allard Royce Rush Ryan (WI) Ryun (KS) Sabo Sanchez Sanders Sandlin Sawyer Saxton Scarborough Schaffer Schakowsky Schiff Schrock Scott Sensenbrenner Serrano Sessions Shadegg Shaw Shays Sherman Sherwood Shimkus Shows Simmons Simpson Sisisky Skeen Skelton Slaughter Smith (MI) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Smith (WA) Snyder Solis Souder Spence Spratt Stark Stearns Stenholm Strickland Stump Stupak Sununu Sweeney Tancredo Tanner Tauscher Tauzin Taylor (MS) Taylor (NC) Terry Thomas Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Thornberry Thune Thurman Tiahrt Tiberi Tierney Toomey Towns Traficant Turner Udall (CO) Udall (NM) Upton Velazquez Visclosky Vitter Walden Walsh Wamp Waters Watkins Watt (NC) Watts (OK) Waxman Weiner Weldon (FL) Weldon (PA) Weller Wexler Whitfield Wicker Wilson Wolf Woolsey Wu Wynn Young (FL) NOT VOTING--19 Baird Becerra Bono Buyer Calvert Cannon Capito Clement Doolittle Evans Greenwood Grucci Istook Meehan Moakley Morella Rodriguez Rogers (KY) Young (AK) {time} 1059 So (two-thirds having voted in favor thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. Stated for: Mr. GRUCCI. Mr. Speaker, due to the death of my mother-in-law, Mrs. Carmella Fierro, I was unable to participate in today's recorded vote. However, I would have voted in the affirmative on the suspension bill on today's agenda: H.R. 132 to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 620 Jacaranda Street in Lanai City, Hawaii, as the ``Goro Hokama Post Office Building.'' Ms. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 11, I was not present due to erroneous information. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' ____________________