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Floor Speech

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Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, obviously like all of us here, I am here to pay tribute to our dear departed friend, Doug LaMalfa.

I first got to know Doug before I ever met him because I had so many Indian Tribes from California calling me, saying that we have got this great guy running for the House of Representatives who we know from the State legislature in California. He cares about who we are, represents our interests, and understands the trust responsibility. American Indians, Native Americans, had no better friend in the House of Representatives than Doug LaMalfa. Then as I got to know him as a person in addition to a political figure, I understood why people were so attracted to him: the sheer decency of the man, the sheer authenticity of the man, and, frankly, the happy warrior style that he approached every single issue with.

I don't think I have ever been so shocked in my life when I learned that we had lost him because I knew he was coming back to fight the good fight for the things in which he believed, the State which he loved, and the institution which he cherished.

I will add my voice to the many voices tonight that remind America that we lost a great American, we lost a great Californian, and we lost a great human being.

My prayers are with Jill and the family. My thoughts are with his constituents because they lost somebody who each and every day came to this floor determined to advance their interest, to protect their values, and to make this country stronger and better.

Mr. Speaker, I will miss Doug LaMalfa, but I will miss what he stands for and what he fought for and how he represented those things more than anything else.

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