[House Prints, 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
COMMITTEE REPORT
A Ceremony
Unveiling the Portrait
of
THE HONORABLE
FRANK D. LUCAS
A Representative in Congress from the State of Oklahoma
May 10, 1994-Present
Elected to the 103d Congress
Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture
One Hundred Twelfth through One Hundred Thirteenth Congresses
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
PROCEEDINGS
before the
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
U.S. House of Representatives
June 23, 2015
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 2015
95-292 PDF
_______________________________________________________________________
A Ceremony
Unveiling the Portrait
of
THE HONORABLE
FRANK D. LUCAS
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
U.S. House of Representatives
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
_______________________________________________________________________
[ iii ]
The Honorable Frank D. Lucas
If you look very closely at my official bio, I am a
farmer who is a Member of Congress, not a Member of
Congress who is a farmer--a very important distinction.
Congressman Frank Lucas is a fifth generation Oklahoman
whose family has lived and farmed in Oklahoma for more than 100
years. Born on January 6, 1960 In Cheyenne, Oklahoma, Lucas
graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1982 with a degree
in Agricultural Economics. He was first elected to the United
States House of Representatives in a special election in 1994.
Lucas proudly represents Oklahoma's Third Congressional
District, which includes all or portions of 32 counties in
northern and western Oklahoma, stretching from the Oklahoma
Panhandle to parts of Tulsa, and from Yukon to Altus in the
Southwest. It takes up almost \1/2\ the state's land mass and
is one of the largest agricultural regions in the nation.
As a lifelong farmer and rancher, Lucas has been a strong
voice for American farmers and a central figure in shaping
agricultural policy in Congress. In 2011, he made history as
the first Oklahoman to ever be elected as Chairman of the House
Committee on Agriculture.
Under his leadership, the Agricultural Act of 2014,
otherwise known as the farm bill, was enacted. This law marked
a new era of farm and food policy that valued saving money,
reforming and repealing government programs, and yet still
providing an effective safety net for the production of our
national food and fiber supply and for those Americans who are
struggling.
Congressman Lucas also serves on the Committee on Financial
Services and as Vice Chair on the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology.
Prior to his service in the U.S. Congress, Lucas served for
nearly 6 years in the Oklahoma State House of Representatives
where he fought to defend the rights of private property owners
and focused on promoting agriculture issues.
Frank and his wife Lynda have three children and two
grandchildren. The Lucas family belongs to the First Baptist
Church in Cheyenne.
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About the Artist
Born and raised in Michigan, Robert Anderson was educated
at Yale University and the Boston School of the Museum of Fine
Arts. His tours of duty in the U.S. Navy included Vietnam
combat service with the Mobile Riverine Force in the Mekong
Delta. His studio is in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
Notable commissions include the official portraits of
former Massachusetts Governors, William F. Weld and Edward J.
King, Former Yale Chaplain and SANE/FREEZE President William
Sloane Coffin, and a double portrait of former MIT President
and Mrs. Paul Gray. In 2002 President George W. Bush selected
Mr. Anderson to paint his portrait for the Yale Club of New
York City. Mr. Anderson's portrait of former Massachusetts
Senator Edward W. Brooke was chosen by the Senator to appear on
the jacket cover of his recently published autobiography,
Bridging the Divide--My Life--Senator Edward W. Brooke.
Mr. Anderson was selected by the White House to paint the
official portrait of President George W. Bush for the National
Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington,
D.C. It was unveiled on December 19, 2008. His portrait of
former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan was unveiled at
the Federal Reserve Board headquarters in Washington, D.C., in
August of 2010. Recently Mr. Anderson was commissioned to paint
portraits of former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner for the
U.S. Department of the Treasury and for the New York Federal
Reserve.
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P R O G R A M
Master of Ceremonies
Honorable Jim Dunlap
Invocation
Honorable K. Michael Conaway
Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, U.S. House of
Representatives
Remarks
The Honorable John A. Boehner
Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Collin C. Peterson
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
Presentation of Portrait
Ms. Lynda Lucas and Ms. Lauren McDaniel
Address
Honorable Frank D. Lucas
The Unveiling and Presentation of the Official Portrait of
THE HONORABLE FRANK D. LUCAS
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2015
House of Representatives,
Committee on Agriculture
Washington, D.C.
REMARKS OF HON. JIM DUNLAP
Master of Ceremonies
The ceremony began at 4:54 p.m. in Room 1300, Longworth House Office
Building.
Mr. Dunlap. Ladies and gentlemen, if we could, I know it is amazing,
but we are going to start on time for a government operation here
tonight.
My name is Jim Dunlap, and for the past 2 years I have been honored to
be part of this night coming and the dedication of this portrait.
And to let you know how I got this assignment, 27 years ago I was
assigned to the back row of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
desk alongside a guy named Frank Lucas, and we immediately became
close personal friends. And tonight it is truly a great honor to be
with you here to celebrate his service to our State.
It is only appropriate that we would start any event here with an
invocation. And, with that, I would like to call on the Honorable
K. Michael Conaway to give us our invocation.
INVOCATION
Honorable K. Michael Conaway
The Chairman. Please join me in a prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, for the multitude of
blessings that you have bestowed upon our country. We ask, Lord,
that we continue to be worthy of those blessings as we seek to do
your will within this world.
Thank you for the responsibilities that we have here on the Agriculture
Committee. Thank you for Frank Lucas' leadership of the last 6
years. Lord, we ask for wisdom and guidance, that we may govern
this great Nation. Forgive us where we fail thee, Jesus.
We ask these things in your precious name. Amen.
Mr. Dunlap. All right.
Tonight I would like to thank our sponsors--they are listed in your
program--who have helped to put this event together and the
portrait of course. But, more importantly, I think the people I
would like to introduce first is the family of Frank Lucas.
Joining us tonight, Julie O'Neil, his sister, with her husband, Randy,
and their children, Caitlyn and John; Frank's mom, Brilla Lucas, is
with us here tonight; his daughters, Jessica McDaniel and her
daughter, Lauren, who you will meet again in a few moments;
daughter Ashlea Yager, her husband, Nehemiah, and their son,
Tristan, who is just in a crib; and his son, Grant. And Grant I saw
born, so I know that Grant has never known his father not in public
office. And, truly, his family has given so much to the State of
Oklahoma and to its country.
But who has given more than most is his wife, Lynda.
And, Lynda, we truly do appreciate everything you have done for us.
[Applause.]
Mr. Dunlap. I was going to go into some great stories about Frank
because I have known him for 27 years. If any of you want them
later, you can call on me.
But it is a very great honor for me to very quickly get to the special
guest of honor tonight, the Speaker of the United States House of
Representatives, Congressman John Boehner.
[Applause.]
REMARKS OF SPECIAL GUEST THE HONORABLE JOHN A. BOEHNER
SPEAKER, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Speaker Boehner. Well, let me just say a big welcome to all of you, a
big welcome to our colleagues, past and present. And we even have a
couple of Senators over here. But welcome to all of you.
And, Frank, it is good to be here. And it is good that Lynda is here,
still putting up with you. I know who puts up with who here, and I
know who is in charge.
But, listen, I remember over 20 years ago when Frank won a special
election in Oklahoma and started something that no one would have
ever believed would turn out the way it did.
But I remember, when Frank got here and got on the Agriculture
Committee, he had to deal with me. I spent 16 years here on the
Committee. Frankly, I learned more than I ever thought I ever
wanted to know about agriculture.
And, at one point, Frank was--he kept looking at me like I had rocks in
my head. I was kind of a free market guy, and Frank wasn't.
[Laughter.]
Speaker Boehner. I had to teach Frank a few things along the way, some
of which he learned from, others he just ignored. Probably smart on
his part.
And then, at one point, there was this rumor going around that I was
going to leave the Education and Workforce Committee and come back
and be the chair of the House Agriculture Committee. And Frank came
to me one day and said, ``This isn't true, is it?'' No, it is not.
[Laughter.]
Speaker Boehner. I see we have some former chairmen here: Mr. Roberts,
who I served under; and I see Mr. Peterson over here and the
current chairman, Mr. Conaway.
But, listen, Frank, as you all know, is a great Member. He listens, he
works hard. He gets along with people, works on both sides of the
aisle. And I am really proud of the job that he has done. We have
been friends for a long time and have done an awful lot of really
good things together.
Now, if I had told him it was going to take 2\1/2\ years to pass a farm
bill, he probably would have shot me. If somebody had told me it
was going to take 2\1/2\ years to pass a farm bill, I would have
shot myself.
[Laughter.]
Speaker Boehner. And Frank and I understood each other. Just, we had
too many people who got in the way who knew nothing about a farm
bill.
But I really do appreciate how Frank persevered, and persevered through
all the hoops he had to jump through in order to finally get the
farm bill passed. But I knew, with his work, it would happen.
And so congratulations to you, Frank. And, on behalf of the House, it
is my pleasure to accept this portrait that we are going to see at
some point into the House Gallery.
Thank you all for being here.
[Applause.]
Mr. Dunlap. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Frank is humbled by this attendance. I know Stacy has been going crazy
all day trying to make sure how we were going to fit everybody in
here, and it is a wonderful honor that everybody is here tonight.
The Speaker mentioned the Honorable Collin C. Peterson, Ranking Member
of the House Committee on Agriculture, and I would like to have him
come to the podium to make a few remarks himself.
[Applause.]
REMARKS OF THE HONORABLE COLLIN C. PETERSON
Mr. Peterson. Thank you very much, and I appreciate the invitation to
be here. Frank said I have to say some good things about him. That
is a tough job. No.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Peterson. Frank and I go back--well, I was here when he came in
1994. And we started to get to know each other on the Bob Smith
world tour. And some of you remember Chairman Smith, who was
Chairman for 2 years, and he did a lot of traveling. Bob, Frank,
and I were on a number of those trips, and Lynda, and got to know
each other a little bit. The Speaker was on one of them.
So we started off getting to know each other that way. We have
districts that are very similar. He has 32 counties; I have 38. He
has \1/2\ of Oklahoma; I have \1/2\ of Minnesota. It took him three
elections to get elected to the State house; it took me three
elections to get elected to Congress. And we are both farm kids. I
guess 100 years, more than 100 years in your family--fifth-
generation farmer. Our family started farming in 1892, I think it
was, in the Red River Valley in Minnesota.
And the one thing that being in agriculture back in the fifties,
sixties, taught you was perseverance. And, I had to have
perseverance to get the 2008 Farm Bill done. It took a year and a
half. Frank had to have perseverance to get the 2014 Farm Bill
done. It took 2\1/2\ years.
And, Mr. Conaway, I don't know. Good luck.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Peterson. It gets harder and harder, it seems like, to get these
farm bills done because there are fewer and fewer of us that
represent rural America and farm districts. Probably only about 40
of us.
And even in Minneapolis, 30 years ago, everybody was kind of one
generation off the farm, and they understood what goes on. Now, 54
percent of the people in Minneapolis-Saint Paul are from out of
State, and it is just a whole different world that we have to deal
with.
So it is harder and harder, but Frank did an outstanding job. When he
first got to be Chairman, it took us 2 or 3 months to iron out the
wrinkles and get the staffs to figure out how to work together, but
we got through that. And, after that, we really didn't have any
problems. And if it had been up to Frank and I, that bill would
have got done in 6 months.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Peterson. It was all the outside forces that came in that we had to
deal with. And I had to deal with that when I was Chairman, as
well.
Frank just did a masterful job. He is a great Member, as John said. He
listens to people; he works hard. And his heart is in the right
place. He represents the people that sent him here to Washington,
and what he believes and what they care about ends up in the
legislation that he works on.
We also have the Chairman and the Ranking Member, who were vice versa
when we did the farm bill, with us as well. And they were part of
the ongoing saga that we had with getting the bill done, and we all
figured out how to work together after a fashion.
So, with that, you have a lot of other people to listen to. So, Frank,
congratulations. Great job. And I am just pleased to be here to
recognize that and be part of this ceremony.
[Applause.]
Mr. Dunlap. I was going to try to start going through the delegation,
but I can't see around the room; there are so many people here. So
we are just going to say that--I know the Oklahoma Delegation is
here, and Frank is very honored that you would take time to make
sure that you are part of this ceremony also.
When I met Frank, we were deskmates, and 5\1/2\ years later a special
election came open in Oklahoma. And for about 4 months, my job was
to tell him to vote ``yes'' or ``no'' as he ran back onto the floor
from raising money. And our districts are very different, and so I
would have to tell him to vote ``no'' when I was voting green or
vice versa. And he would look at me kind of funny, and I would say,
``Just go do your job.''
And he came back on the floor one day, and he was coming up to
Washington, D.C., for a fundraiser for himself that Mr. Gingrich
was going to host. And I said, ``Frank, I have known you 5\1/2\
years. I have never heard you talk about that great trip to
Washington, D.C., and visiting the Lincoln Memorial and the great
times that you had in Washington,'' and this and that. He said, ``I
have never been there, Jim.''
I said, ``You are a heartbeat away from being the next Congressman from
Oklahoma.'' And he goes, ``Yes, and tonight is going to be--I am
going to learn it all in one night and be ready to go.''
[Laughter.]
Mr. Dunlap. I said, ``Okay.'' But, truly, that was who Frank was and is
today. And I am very proud to still call him a very close friend.
The next person to make remarks will be the Majority Leader of the U.S.
House of Representatives, the Honorable Kevin McCarthy. I hope he
has walked in since I have been standing up here.
Not here yet. All right.
So, with that, unless I get the high sign I am in real trouble up here,
I am going to ask--you all are being wonderful right now. We have a
video that we would like to show, and it is a video of the farm
bill. And you are going to have to be very quiet to be able to hear
it because we are only doing as much sound on this as we can.
So, with that, we are ready to start the video.
[Video shown.]
[Applause.]
Mr. Dunlap. And before we unveil the portrait, I would now like to ask
the Honorable Kevin McCarthy, the Majority Leader of the U.S. House
of Representatives, to come forward and make a few comments.
Congressman?
[Applause.]
REMARKS OF THE HONORABLE KEVIN McCARTHY
Mr. McCarthy. Thank you very much.
It was kind of interesting watching that and reliving that. There were
some tough nights.
I will be very brief, but I want to give you a couple perspectives.
When I first came here as a freshman, I served on this Committee. One
of the first things I did, I went to former Members and current
Members that had been here a while, just to get their advice as a
freshman. And it was interesting; I had no perspective on what
advice they would give me, but you know the overwhelming advice
when I asked who I should listen to? It all came back, ``You should
listen to Lucas.''
He was going to sit in the back. And I had former Speakers tell me
this: ``He has been there longer than the others. He knows
everything that is happening, and he understands it.'' I went to
see him. I said, ``I have to come see you. I have never met you
before, but you are the number-one person everybody tells me I need
to meet.''
And the interesting thing about--we all wonder what someone's character
is like. If you really want to see someone's character, give them
adversity. And no one had a tougher adversity as my time as being
whip as the farm bill.
And I remember that moment when the Ranking Member came over to tell us
it was going to go down. And we looked it right in the eye, and
Frank came back each time and said, ``We can get this done.'' And
no other Chairman has faced a tougher time.
But I have never heard you scream about it. And there were lots of
times I saw that you would want to.
[Laughter.]
Mr. McCarthy. But he took adversity and showed the rest of the
conference how to handle it. And he brought people that have never
voted for a farm bill over to vote for a farm bill. And that was a
tough time.
But when we think about leaders and we think about Chairmen, there is a
reason why this man will have a portrait, but there is a reason why
people will look up to this portrait. It is his character. It is
his leadership. And just as Members told me who to go seek out, I
think that will be the answer for a lot of freshman classes for
here to come in the future.
So I thank you for your leadership, I thank you for your time. And I
look forward to how good you look in the painting.
[Applause.]
Mr. Dunlap. At this time, I would like to ask Ms. Lynda Lucas and Ms.
Lauren McDaniel to come forward.
And the magic moment has arrived.
[Portrait unveiled.]
[Applause.]
Mr. Dunlap. Ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor for me to present
a friend of 27 years, Frank Lucas.
[Applause.]
REMARKS OF THE HONORABLE FRANK D. LUCAS
Mr. Lucas. My friends, thank you all for being here today, and thank
you for help making this possible.
If you will look at a picture of me from perhaps 3 or so years ago,
before the farm bill process----
[Laughter.]
Mr. Lucas.--you might notice the hair is a little darker, you might
notice a few less character lines in the face. But I would say
this: Of all the challenges that I have been a part of in my life,
most assuredly in the legislative process, the fact that we beat so
many expectations, the fact that we did such good work, Senator and
Senator--I would also note to you, if you notice the enthusiastic
look on Lauren McDaniel's face about pulling that string, that kind
of describes Speaker Boehner voting for the farm bill.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Lucas. But he knew then what needed to be done, just like Lauren.
And thank you, Lauren. He, too, did what needed to be done.
I have always said that I am a product of my background, of my
heritage, of my community, of my region. And I have always said
that the farm bill process, with its impact on rural America, is
just too important to not get right.
My family, my district, my area went through the abyss of the Great
Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, the horrible drought
through the 1950s, the economic near-depression in rural America of
the early 1980s. And, yes, the last 5 years have been an amazingly
dry period in the Southwest.
I have always said that I cannot address Mother Nature and the yield
that Mother Nature brings upon us; you will have to talk to the
Senators about that. But everything else----
[Laughter.]
Mr. Lucas.--everything else, making sure that perhaps the Federal
Government doesn't guarantee everything, contrary to my good friend
John Boehner's concerns.
But the real purpose of the farm bill is to make sure that the Federal
Government doesn't hurt people out in rural America, doesn't hurt
farmers and ranchers, doesn't inhibit the ability of them to do
their work, to feed and clothe us and the rest of the world. And
that is what my perspective about a farm bill is.
Well, I would be remiss if I didn't say thank you to Mr. Peterson. What
a challenge. What a challenge. Or, in all fairness, to the Majority
floor leader. As Whip, one of my greatest allies in this struggle.
One of my greatest allies in this struggle as we put the votes
together.
But, then, everyone in this room had a factor, a part, a piece in that,
whether it was my family that tolerated me, the loyal staff in the
personal office or in the Committee that tolerated me, my
colleagues who served with me, all of you who are in this room
trying to represent a perspective back home, trying to make sure
that we have an understanding of what we are doing in this body.
Thank you all for that help.
Uncle--and he doesn't like that at all, but I cannot help but call the
Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee ``uncle.''
[Laughter.]
Mr. Lucas. When he came to Oklahoma in 1994 and took me by the hand in
a special election----
Senator Roberts. Godfather.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Lucas. Yes, he took me by the hand, he didn't quite warn me as to
what all would be coming somewhere down the road. Although that
1996 Farm Bill was a little bit of a challenge, a little bit of a
challenge----
Senator Roberts. About a year and a half.
Mr. Lucas. About a year and a half. But it got done. It got done.
And Mr. Conaway has the challenge, working with Mr. Peterson, of
preparing to do all this again very shortly. The year and a half,
almost 2 years, the 2\1/2\ years on this last one--truly, Mike,
maybe you should have started the markup yesterday.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Lucas. Maybe you should have.
But, again, my friends, I said on the floor and I will conclude by
saying this: There is a perspective in the outside world that
Congress is a broken institution, that we are dysfunctional, all
sorts of horrible stuff. I know that is not true. I know I serve
with and you work with some of the best people in the world, some
of the most sincere folks. Perhaps a few of our colleagues might
not have as clear an understanding as we do, say, in rural America,
but nonetheless sincere.
And if every committee could be like the Agriculture Committee, working
for that common good, fighting by commodity groups, fighting by
region, but ultimately for the common good, then this would be a
better place, and the country would move forward.
I will now join the group of former Chairmen and give the great deal of
benefit of advice to Mr. Conaway as we work through this next
process: Never stop whispering in Mr. Peterson's ear. But, again,
together, we will work to do the right things for the right
reasons.
And thank you all for coming.
I would note that there are two rather substantial assortments of
natural, organic, health food drinks on both ends of the balcony
out there----
[Laughter.]
Mr. Lucas.--some of the most wonderful calories in the world on this
table. Let's enjoy a good time. Let's enjoy in the next few hours
as much fun and good fellowship as, shall we say, I created gray
hair over the last 2\1/2\ years of the farm bill.
Again, thank you very much.
[Applause.]
[Whereupon, at 5:27 p.m., the ceremony was concluded.]
Guests
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
113th Congress
FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma, Chairman
BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia, COLLIN C. PETERSON, Minnesota,
Vice Chairman Ranking Minority Member
STEVE KING, Iowa MIKE McINTYRE, North Carolina
RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas DAVID SCOTT, Georgia
MIKE ROGERS, Alabama JIM COSTA, California
K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania KURT SCHRADER, Oregon
BOB GIBBS, Ohio MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio
AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia JAMES P. McGOVERN, Massachusetts
SCOTT R. TIPTON, Colorado SUZAN K. DelBENE, Washington
ERIC A. ``RICK'' CRAWFORD, Arkansas GLORIA NEGRETE McLEOD, California
SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee FILEMON VELA, Texas
CHRISTOPHER P. GIBSON, New York MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM, New Mexico
VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri ANN M. KUSTER, New Hampshire
REID J. RIBBLE, Wisconsin RICHARD M. NOLAN, Minnesota
KRISTI L. NOEM, South Dakota PETE P. GALLEGO, Texas
DAN BENISHEK, Michigan WILLIAM L. ENYART, Illinois
JEFF DENHAM, California JUAN VARGAS, California
STEPHEN LEE FINCHER, Tennessee CHERI BUSTOS, Illinois
DOUG LaMALFA, California SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York
RICHARD HUDSON, North Carolina JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut
RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois JOHN GARAMENDI, California
CHRIS COLLINS, New York
TED S. YOHO, Florida
VANCE M. McALLISTER, Louisiana
______
Nicole Scott, Staff Director
Kevin J. Kramp, Chief Counsel
Tamara Hinton, Communications Director
Robert L. Larew, Minority Staff Director
[all]