HB 0933

1	House Memorial
2	A memorial to the Congress of the United States, urging
3	Congress to request that the Secretary of the Navy name a
4	future United States Navy warship the "USS Charles E.
5	Bennett" in honor of United States Representative Bennett
6	who died September 6, 2003, at the age of 92.
7
8	WHEREAS, Charles Edward Bennett served the residents of
9	Jacksonville as a member of the Florida State Legislature in
10	1940-1941, setting aside that seat to enlist as a Private in the
11	United States Army, where he served until 1947 as a combat
12	Infantryman, was eventually promoted to the rank of Captain, and
13	received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Combat Infantryman Badge,
14	the Philippine Legion of Honor and Gold Cross, and the French
15	Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur for gallantry in action, and
16	WHEREAS, Charles E. Bennett was elected to the United
17	States Congress in November 1948, and served with exemplary
18	distinction in Congress for the next 44 years, representing
19	Northeastern Florida with consummate dignity, integrity,
20	professionalism, and unsurpassed diligence in casting over
21	18,000 votes and not missing a legislative recorded vote for 41
22	years, a Congressional record, even though he contracted polio
23	while serving during World War II and consequently wore leg
24	braces and walked with a cane, and
25	WHEREAS, Congressman Bennett was Florida's longest-serving
26	Congressman and the second-longest tenured member of the United
27	States House of Representatives when he retired in 1993, and
28	WHEREAS, Mr. Bennett served as Dean and Chairman of
29	Florida's Congressional Delegation for many years, during which
30	time he supported innumerable initiatives that benefited the
31	Sunshine State and its residents, and
32	WHEREAS, Charles E. Bennett was also the author of many
33	books of Florida history which collectively added significant
34	understanding and appreciation of early Florida history, and he
35	was instrumental in creating the Fort Caroline National Memorial
36	and the Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve, then
37	declined to accept the military disability retirement pay to
38	which he was entitled but directed that it be donated to
39	historic preservation, primarily in this state, and
40	WHEREAS, from September 1968 through October 1992,
41	Congressman Bennett served as Chairman of the Seapower and
42	Strategic Materials Subcommittee of the Armed Services
43	Committee, and he was, as stated in a unanimous resolution of
44	that committee, "the most influential Member of Congress on
45	naval shipbuilding and naval policy for more than two decades,"
46	and
47	WHEREAS, not only did Congressman Bennett sponsor bills
48	that provided needed ships for the United States Navy,
49	significantly contributing to the U.S. victory in the cold war,
50	but he also championed legislation that increased military pay,
51	improved military housing, and reformed military justice, and he
52	wrote legislation that created the Arms Control Agency and
53	allowed military services to assist in the effort to stop drug
54	smuggling, and
55	WHEREAS, Congressman Bennett introduced the first bill to
56	provide a Code of Ethics for the United States House of
57	Representatives, later served as Chairman of the Committee on
58	Standards of Official Conduct, and fought for higher standards
59	of ethics throughout his tenure, and
60	WHEREAS, Charles E. Bennett sponsored legislation to add
61	the phrase "In God we Trust" to the United States coins and
62	currency and legislation enacting the Americans with
63	Disabilities Act, providing federal assistance for school
64	construction, and improving public facilities throughout the
65	State of Florida, and
66	WHEREAS, Congressman Bennett was recognized by six
67	"Watchdog of the Treasury Awards" from the National Association
68	of Businessmen for his strong support of fiscal responsibility
69	in government, and
70	WHEREAS, Charles Edward Bennett was a patriot who will long
71	be remembered for his strong, principled representation of his
72	constituents, his impeccable voting record, his uncompromising
73	ethics and advocacy for ethical reforms in Congress, and his
74	leadership in helping to ensure a strong national defense with a
75	modern, capable Navy as the cornerstone of national security,
76	NOW, THEREFORE,
77
78	Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
79
80	That the Congress of the United States is requested to ask
81	the Secretary of the Navy to name a future United States Navy
82	warship the "USS Charles E. Bennett."
83	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
84	dispatched to the President of the United States, to the
85	President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the
86	United States House of Representatives, and to each member of
87	the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.