October 31, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 173 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1388-E1389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





   IN REMEMBRANCE OF JOHN CONYERS, TIRELESS FIGHTER FOR JUSTICE AND 
    EQUALITY, CHAIRMAN OF HOUSE COMMITTEES ON OVERSIGHT AND ON THE 
  JUDICIARY, FOUNDING MEMBER OF CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS, MEMBER OF 
  CONGRESS FROM MICHIGAN FOR 53 YEARS, MENTOR, BELOVED COLLEAGUE, AND 
                              DEAR FRIEND

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 31, 2019

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in remembrance of Chairman 
John Conyers, Jr., the tireless Fighter for Justice and Equality, 
Chairman of House Committees on Oversight and on the Judiciary, 
Founding Member of Congressional Black Caucus, Member of Congress From 
Michigan For 53 years, my mentor, a beloved colleague, and dear friend 
who died on Sunday, October 27, 2019, at his home in Detroit, Michigan 
at the age of 90.
  Madam Speaker, John Conyers, Jr. was a statesman and strong supporter 
of equality, economic and social justice, civil rights, and human 
dignity for all.
  John Conyers, Jr. was born May 16, 1929 in Highland Park, Michigan to 
Lucille Janice and John Conyers, Sr., a union organizer in the 
automotive industry and an international representative with the United 
Auto Workers.
  After graduation from Northwestern High School, John Conyers 
dutifully served his country in the Michigan National Guard from 1948 
to 1950, the U.S. Army from 1950 to 1954, and the U.S. Army Reserves 
from 1954 to 1957, serving during the Korean War and as an officer in 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers where he was awarded combat and merit 
citations.
  Following his military service, John Conyers earned his Bachelor of 
Arts and Juris Doctor from Wayne State University and was admitted to 
the Michigan State Bar.
  Chairman Conyers began his legislative career on the staff of the 
late Congressman John Dingell and during this time he also served as 
counsel to several Detroit-area labor unions and was referee for 
Michigan's workmen's compensation department.
  In 1964, John Conyers was first elected to represent the First 
Congressional District of Michigan and was reelected to the succeeding 
90th Congress and the following 15 Congresses until he retired on 
December 5, 2017.
  On the retirement of Congressman John Dingell at the end of the 113th 
Congress in December 2015, John Conyers became the longest-serving 
member of the United States Congress, serving as Dean of the House from 
January 3, 2015 until December 2017.
  Madam Speaker, John Conyers was also the third longest-serving member 
of the House in history and the sixth longest-serving member of 
Congress in history; the second-longest serving member of either the 
House or Senate in Michigan history, trailing only his former boss, 
Congressman Dingell; and was the last member of the large Democratic 
freshman class of 1964 to serve in the House of Representatives.
  In the more than half century he served in Congress, John Conyers was 
at the forefront of most of the seminal moments in American political 
history, such as working to enact into law this partial list of 
landmark legislation:
  Voting Rights of 1965
  Title XVIII of the Social Security Act (Medicare)
  Fair Housing Act of 1968
  Clean Air Act
  Clean Water Act
  Help America Vote Act
  Affordable Care Act
  Dodd-Frank Act
  American Act With Disabilities Act
  Assault Weapons Ban
  Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1982
  Drug Kingpins Act
  Fair Chance Act
  Elementary and Secondary Education Act
  Social Security Amendments of 1965 (including Medicaid and Medicare)
  Voting Rights Act of 1965
  Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965
  National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act
  Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
  Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke Amendments
  Freedom of Information Act
  Child Nutrition Act
  National Historic Preservation Act
  National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act
  Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act
  Cuban Adjustment Act
  Public Broadcasting Act of 1967
  Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
  Bilingual Education Act
  Civil Rights Act of 1968
  Consumer Credit Protection Act
  National Trails System Act
  Gun Control Act of 1968
  National Environmental Policy Act
  Organized Crime Control Act, including the Racketeer Influenced and 
Corrupt Organizations Act (``RICO'')
  Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1970
  National Cancer Act
  Federal Election Campaign Act
  Equal Employment Opportunity Act
  War Powers Resolution
  Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act
  District of Columbia Home Rule Act
  Endangered Species Act
  Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974
  Legal Services Corporation Act
  Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
  Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974
  Energy Reorganization Act of 1974
  National Mass Transportation Assistance Act
  Safe Drinking Water Act
  Privacy Act of 1974
  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  Copyright Act of 1976
  Federal Land Policy and Management Act
  Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
  Water Resources Development Act of 1976
  National Forest Management Act
  The proposal to expand Medicare to all, a political idea gaining 
increasing popularity daily, was first introduced by John Conyers in 
2003 as the United States National Health Insurance Act.
  John Conyers served on the Judiciary Committee that investigated 
Watergate and voted articles of impeachment against President Richard 
Nixon in August 1974.
  John Conyers marched in the historic March from Selma to Montgomery, 
Alabama, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and later employed civil 
rights legend Rosa Parks in his congressional office until her 
retirement in 1988.
  John Conyers was loved by his constituents, regularly winning 
reelection with 80 percent of the vote or more.
  John Conyers is one of the 13 founding members of the Congressional 
Black Caucus in 1971, which has worked diligently to strengthen 
African-American lawmakers' ability to address the legislative concerns 
of African American and minority citizens and has now increased to 55 
members in the House and Senate, including myself.
  While in Congress, John Conyers chaired the prestigious House 
Judiciary Committee from 1989 to 1995 and Oversight from 2007 to 2011, 
the first African American to hold these coveted positions.
  Throughout his career, John Conyers used his influence to push civil 
rights; in 1968, only days after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr., Chairman Conyers began a long and ultimately 
successful effort to make Dr. King's birthday a national holiday, which 
was enacted in 1983.
  John Conyers also cosponsored and worked tirelessly to pass the Anti-
Apartheid Act of 1986, which help topple South Africa's system of 
apartheid and free Nelson Mandela from prison.
  In the 101st Congress, John Conyers introduced legislation to study 
the issue of reparations for slavery and was the original sponsor of 
H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for 
African-Americans Act.
  I am proud to have assumed principal sponsorship of this piece of 
landmark legislative proposal and continuing the fight for justice.
  John Conyers was dedicated to justice for all, he supported 
legislation to generate the Justice Department's national study on 
police brutality.
  John Conyers was opposed to the imposition of the death penalty and 
began a series of hearings on police brutality.
  As Judiciary Committee Chairman, John Conyers also worked to create 
and enlarge federal death benefits for police officers and firefighters 
who died in the line of duty.
  Madam Speaker, John Conyers dedicated his life to serving his 
constituents and the citizens of the United States; his persistence for 
justice and his fight for equal rights is a testament to his character.
  Chairman John Conyers will live forever in the hearts of the people 
of Detroit, his state of Michigan, and the United States.
  John Conyers was a legislative lion whose presence will forever be 
missed, and we all mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to 
his wife Monica, his children, and family and friends who loved him so 
dearly, my deepest sympathies go out to and I hope you find consolation 
in the certain knowledge that John is now resting peacefully.

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