This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Dec. 31, 2012 - WASHINGTON – In his farewell speech in the U.S. House, U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan on Monday paid tribute to his St. Louis constituents, his family and staff and he urged the new Congress to "put the country first."
Among the highlights of his eight years, Carnahan, D-St. Louis, listed the economic stimulus law, the auto industry rescue, reforms of Wall Street regulations, the Affordable Care Act and measures to promote stem cell research.
“I’ll never forget the mothers with young children sitting in my office the day the health care bill was approved,” Carnahan said. “There was not a dry eye in the room because all of their kids had pre-existing conditions” and had been denied insurance.
“Because of the new health care law, that cannot be the case anymore,” he said.
Carnahan will leave Congress this week as a result of the redistricting that eliminated his former House seat. He ran unsuccessfully earlier this year against U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, for the Democratic nomination to represent the First Congressional District.
Carnahan, who has served on the House transportation and infrastructure committee, said he had worked hard to help rebuild the region’s roads, bridges, bus and light rail systems, and other infrastructure.
He also said the nation badly needs a long-term transportation bill. “I want to urge the new Congress to pass a major transportation bill – one of the best investments we can make in this country to continue to grow this economy.”
Carnahan thanked his wife, Judge Debra Carnahan, and their two sons, Austin and Andrew, for their support. He thanked his staff as well as the voters who sent him to Congress for four terms.
“To the Missourians I’ve had the great honor to represent, I am gratified and humbled beyond belief to be able to represent them ... for eight years,” said Carnahan “Working with them, and for them, we’ve been able to get some great things done.”
The St. Louis lawmaker closed his remarks by asking the members of the new Congress, which will be sworn in on Thursday, to “take on the spirit” of military veterans, and “put the country first and put our differences aside, so we can achieve great things.”
Carnahan’s remarks are at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kovpzDZCTg