Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the Dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation, delivered the following remarks today on the House Floor while leading the House of Representatives in a moment of silence to honor the late Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ):
“Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I rise to convey our deepest sorrow on the passing of our good friend, six-term New Jersey Congressman Donald Payne Jr. of the 10th District.
We are grateful for his public service and offer our prayers and condolences to his wife Bea and their children, Donald III, Jack, and Yvonne.
Like his father before him—Congressman Donald Payne Sr.—Donald was a dedicated public servant who tirelessly and tenaciously worked to improve the lives of New Jersey families, especially the poor.
He was a kind and compassionate lawmaker who cared deeply for the people of his district, our state, the country—and those in need, especially the sick.
As a diabetic, he fought to lower the cost of insulin. He wrote the House-passed Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act and the Amputation Reduction and Compassion (ARC) Act which would provide full coverage for screening tests for Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) to help reduce amputations.
His TEST for Lead Act was designed to protect children from lead-contaminated drinking water in schools and he wrote the Homeland Security Interoperable Act that became law in July of 2015.
As Chairman and then-Ranking Member of the House Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, Donald helped lead the charge to improve America’s transportation infrastructure, played a key role in securing the Gateway project and was a powerful ally of Amtrak.
Donald Payne served two terms on the Newark City Council including as President and beginning in 2005, three terms as an Essex County Freeholder—now called County Commissioner.
