[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [Senate] [Pages 8324-8325] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]WILLIAM H. NATCHER BRIDGE Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1162) to designate the bridge on United States Route 231 that crosses the Ohio River between Maceo, Kentucky, and Rockport, Indiana, as the ``William H. Natcher Bridge.'' The Clerk read as follows: H.R. 1162 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. DESIGNATION. The bridge on United States Route 231 that crosses the Ohio River between Maceo, Kentucky, and Rockport, Indiana, shall be known and designated as the ``William H. Natcher Bridge''. SEC. 2. REFERENCES. Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the bridge referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``William H. Natcher Bridge''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Franks) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Shows) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Franks). Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1162 designates the bridge on U.S. Route 231 over the Ohio River near Owensboro, Kentucky, as the ``William H. Natcher Bridge'' in honor of our late and former colleague William Natcher. Identical legislation was passed unanimously by this House on June 18, 1996, and on September 22, 1994, but was never enacted. Representative Natcher was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1909 and was educated at Western Kentucky College and the Ohio State University Law School. His life was dedicated to public service, serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II and holding a series of local and State offices before being elected to Congress. He moved up the ranks of the Committee on Appropriations, eventually assuming chairmanship of the full Committee in 1993. I am proud to have had the privilege of serving in the House with Congressman Natcher. Although well-known for having cast 18,401 consecutive votes during his 40 years here, Congressman Natcher's accomplishments are much more than his extraordinary voting record. He put an extremely high value on public service and set a very high standard for himself. Bill Natcher was always an inspiration to me and I know to many other Members, as well. He was a gentleman, a statesman, and a man of unquestioned integrity who served this House and his constituents in Kentucky from 1954 until his death in 1994 with quiet, unfailing dedication. The naming of this bridge for Bill Natcher is a fitting and lasting memorial to our friend and former colleague. I support this bill and urge my colleagues to support it, as well. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would simply like to associate my remarks with many of those of my colleagues who have had the honor to have known and served with Mr. Natcher. The distinguished gentleman from Kentucky represented the people of Kentucky in Congress for over 40 years. This bill, H.R. 1162, has the full support of the Kentucky delegation. It would designate a bridge on U.S. Route 231 over the Ohio River between Maceo, Kentucky, and Rockport, Indiana, as the ``William H. Natcher Bridge.'' This legislation acknowledges the efforts of Mr. Natcher to construct this bridge. Mr. Speaker, similar legislation passed the House in both the 103rd and 104th Congress but failed to be enacted. I urge a unanimous vote in approving this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my colleague, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Lewis). Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for H.R. 1162, which designates a new bridge under construction in Owensboro, Kentucky, the ``William H. Natcher Bridge.'' The House passed similar legislation in both the 103rd and 104th Congresses. Unfortunately, the other body never acted on these bills. During consideration of those bills, however, many Members from both sides of the aisle shared their experiences about working with Mr. Natcher. They talked about the dedication and hard work of my predecessor. I encourage my colleagues to take a moment to look at some of those comments. As most Members who served with Mr. Natcher can attest, he was a statesman and a true gentleman. While he will always be remembered on Capitol Hill for never missing a vote during his many years in service, he will be known in the Second District for his hard work on behalf of his constituents. Mr. Natcher was dedicated to making this bridge a reality due to the benefits it would bring to the Second District. He guided this project through Congress and laid the groundwork to assure its completion. The Commonwealth of Kentucky has already designated this bridge in honor of Mr. Natcher. Now it is our responsibility in Washington to do the same. This bill gives us the chance to recognize his efforts at the Federal level and provide a visible reminder of this true friend to Kentucky. I hope my colleagues will join me and the members of the Kentucky House delegation in supporting this legislation. Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my colleague, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers). Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. I want to commend our colleague, the gentleman from the Second District of Kentucky (Mr. Ron Lewis) for offering this legislation. His predecessor in the Second District, Bill Natcher, most all of us served with [[Page 8325]] here in this great body, and knew him and knew him to be the epitome of rectitude and the very model of what a U.S. Congressman ought to be. Bill Natcher was a combined Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken. He was the Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken of Congress. Forty-one years of service in this body. As has been mentioned, he holds the record for consecutive votes cast, 18,401 over that 41 years of service, never having missed a single vote, a record that I am going to say never will be matched. It is technically possible but not very likely. But Bill Natcher, as we all know, was more than a consecutive voting streak; he was a patriot and a statesman. He was a man of the highest character. He prided himself in dutifully serving his district, his great Kentucky, and the Nation. As has been mentioned, he was a very long time member of the Committee on Appropriations. He served for 18 years as the chairman of the District of Columbia Subcommittee, 18 years, and during that time became known as the mayor of Washington. In those days, the chairman of that subcommittee held great sway in the running of this city. And then, of course, we know he served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, and that is where he really made his mark. His tenure was marked by a strong commitment to programs that benefitted the general welfare of our population. He was a man of commitment. I am going to quote him here. He said, ``I have always believed that if you take care of the health of your people and educate your children, you continue living in the strongest country in the world.'' In 1992, at the age of 83, he ascended to become chairman of the full Committee on Appropriations. He liked to laughingly say that he had sat next to the chairman waiting to assume the seat for some, I think, 25 years, Jamie Whitten. And finally, in 1992, he assumed that chair. He continued his reputation as a fair and responsible lawmaker. {time} 1800 Bill Natcher's contributions to this country, to Kentucky, and to this body were so many, we never may fully appreciate all that he did and meant to all of us. But one contribution that will certainly be appreciated by the residents of the Second District of Kentucky is that bridge extending over the Ohio River into Indiana. Methodically Bill Natcher labored to erect that bridge for his constituents and for the betterment of the State, and it was unable to be finished, of course, during his lifetime, unfortunately. But the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Lewis) has taken up the task, and he has persistently fought to get the money and the authorization and the wherewithal to finish what bill Natcher had begun. I want to commend the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Lewis), Bill Natcher's very worthy successor, for continuing Bill Natcher's legacy and diligently working for the people of that great district and especially to finish the construction on this bridge, and now to name that bridge the William H. Natcher Bridge, something that all of us will be proud of until the day we die and our kids will continue believing is worthy of that name for many, many decades to come. It will be a daily reminder to Bill Natcher's former beloved constituents of his tremendous service to our Nation. This is a fitting tribute to Kentucky's former dean, and I am honored to urge support unanimously of this measure. Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan). Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding me this time. I wanted to take just a minute to express my appreciation to him and to the Speaker and to others who have brought this bill to the floor of the House here tonight. I had the great privilege of knowing Congressman Natcher personally and working closely with him for several years. What is interesting to me is just this morning I had a group from the First Baptist Church of Athens, Tennessee, on the floor of the House, showing them around the Capitol. I showed them the voting card that we each have and told them how we voted in the names, how they light up on the wall and so forth. One of the women in that group asked me about the man who broke the record, having the most consecutive votes, and so I told them about Congressman Bill Natcher, and that is who they were talking about. Because I know, as has already been mentioned, he did not miss a rollcall vote for more than 40 years. He had a record that will never be broken. It will never be surpassed. He was so dedicated to this institution and so dedicated to this country. He did many, many wonderful things for the District of Columbia during his time that he chaired the D.C. Appropriations Subcommittee. In fact, I think for a while he was called or frequently referred to as the Mayor of the District of Columbia for many years. But he did many, many other things, also, in his work for the Committee on Appropriations. In this time of such big spending on campaigns, I remember that he used to pride himself in the fact that he spent I think only about $10 or $15 or something on some of his campaigns. He would spend a little gas money driving around the district. It was phenomenal what he did in his campaigns and in his voting record, never missing a vote. I remember one time hearing that his wife was sick at home. Maybe somebody has already mentioned this. But his wife was sick in the hospital in Bowling Green. He flew for like 2 straight weeks each night after the House would get out of session. He would fly home to Nashville, drive I think 60 miles or so to Bowling Green or 70 miles, spend the night with her, fly back the next morning, and then do the same thing over again the next day and did that for 2 weeks. The lengths that he went to to keep up this record. He was a great American. I do not think that we really could pay enough honor and tribute to William Natcher, who was the epitome of what a United States Congressman should be. I strongly support this legislation. Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill. I think it only appropriate to honor our late friend and colleague by designating in his name this bridge, for which he fought so hard during his legendary tenure in this Chamber. Bill Natcher will always be remembered for his determination and longevity, but it was his commitment to the people of the second district of Kentucky and his love and respect for this body that inspired us all. Today we have the opportunity to create a lasting memorial honoring Bill Natcher's name. I strongly urge that we pass H.R. 1162 and do just that. Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Coble). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Franks) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1162. The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________