jay pearson is practically an institution in and of himself. members, staffers, former pages, and multiple speakers of the house know jay by name and are in awe of the breadth of his devotion to this body and the people it represents. the stressful and often thankless duties of a leadership floor team are difficult at best for mere mortals. but jay has managed the task for decades with such professionalism and kindness, it's truly laudable and a testament to him as a person. for members and legislative staff trying to make sense of house rules and procedures, jay is a lifeline. he has helped me on numerous occasions and i'll always be grateful for his wid dom and willingness to help members. regardless of the challenges or niche details propeling a legislative cause he can be counted on to know the ins and outs and apply his enpsych lo peedic knowledge and unmatched expertise for the good of this body. whenever the house gaveled in, jay can be seen buzzing around the floor, putting out fires before they start and doing more than his part to keep

i'm not saying that jay pearson is a hump. but my fear is once this institution is free of jay, we may not be the same institution that we were before. i want to give my appreciation for everything you have done for the house and for this country and i want you to know i'm taking you up on the offer to go through this building and learn some of the history that you know and need to know. thank you and good bless. mr. woodall: at this time, it's my pleasure to yield to a friend and colleague, the gentleman from iowa, mr. king. mr. king: i thank the gentleman from georgia for yielding and for leading this special order to honor jay pearson. i'm sitting here and i'm glad i had the opportunity to here other members to talk about jay pearson and i wonder how do i make sense of this. 34 years. 34 years ago there was a lady that opened up a convenience store in a town in my district. she gave knowledge and if you want to though when a mayor ran or why there isn't a parking meter or stop light in the town, you could ask her and she wou

to honor the distinguished career of someone who is a friend to me and my colleagues and that's jay pearson. for 34 years jay has been a mainstay of the house and the floor. he began his congressional career back in 1978 for then republican leader john rhodes. throughout his tenure, he has since worked for speakers newt gingrich, dennis hastert and now john boehner. when i came to the house in 2003 , i have known jay to be a true student of this institution, he has helped me personally and countless other members. he's helped us to learn how this body works and he's been quick to assist a member with any question about the floor or even a good book recommendation. mr. speaker, what most people may not know about jay is that in addition to a bachelor's degree from westmont college and a master's degree from california state university, he earned his ph.d. from the university of maryland. in his upcoming retirement i want to thank jay for his service to this great institution and i wish he and his wife, jo ann, all the best in their future endeavors. my friend jay pearson. and i yield back, m

hall: madam speaker, before i close i'd just like to thank jay pearson who plans to retire at the end of this year for his many, many years of service to this house. he's been very helpful to me, my staff, and other staffs. he'll be sorely missed. with that, madam speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6612. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, -- the the gentlewoman from maryland. ms. edwards: madam speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. flops the gentleman from alaska seek recognition? -- for what purpose does the gentleman from alaska seek recognition? mr. young: first, madam speaker, happy new year. i urge the house move and concur in