The Kline Record: 2005 Year in Review

Well, it took me a fair bit longer than expected, but I finally completed cataloging Kline's Congressional Record for 2005. Here we go . . .

• January: Led the Pledge of Allegiance and saluted the Lakeville High School Panther Band.
• February: Reported at length about his recently completed trip to Iraq and Afghanistan, led debate on H. Con. Res. 36 to require colleges and universities to permit military recruiters on campus, and spoke in favor of a nonbinding resolution to allow the Department of Defense to continue to support the Boy Scouts.
• March: Engaged in a lengthy discussion about Social Security reform and spoke honoring our troops at Iwo Jima.
• April: Served as Speaker Pro Tem, introduced legislation in memory of those killed in the March 21, 2005 shootings at Red Lake, Minnesota, and held forth in a slightly briefer diatribe about Social Security.
• May: Served as Speaker Pro Tem again, honored the Lakeville schools' "Challenge to Change" program, spoke on Iraq and Afghanistan, more Social Security, honored the Hosanna Church Junior High Youth Group for their efforts on behalf of Iraqi schoolchildren, Social Security again, Speaker Pro Tem again, spoke about the Defense Authorization Act, honored the Daughters of the American Revolution and led the Pledge of Allegiance. (whew!)
• June: Gave speeches honoring Cheri Rezak, Sigma Chi fraternity, the first kindergarten in the U.S., and those who died in the failed 1980 attempt to liberate U.S. hostages from Iran. Also offered an amendment to the United Nations Reform Act which basically demanded that no U.S. soldier can ever be guilty of war crimes since U.S. soldiers don't commit them, and opposed an amendment to an education bill. And he led the Pledge of Allegiance again.
• July: Spoke in favor of the Occupational Safety and Health Small Employer Access to Justice Act of 2005, made speeches honoring the Memorial Rifle Squad at Fort Snelling and the Red Wing Shoe Company, and served as Speaker Pro Tem once more.
• August: (Congress did not convene in August, 2005).
• September: Served as Speaker Pro Tem yet again, and made sure his HEROES Act got renewed.
• October: Nothing.
• November: Introduced legislation to name a Post Office after Al Quie, served as Speaker Pro Tem, and spoke in favor of restoring some tribal land to the Prairie Island Indian community.
• December: Spoke in favor of the Pension Protection Act of 2005, which John Boehner introduced and Kline co-sponsored, which doesn't really protect pensions as well as it could.

And just to cap things off, Kline has no entries in the Congressional Record for January 2006 (the House only met for two days in January), and his only activity in February was to make a speech on February 28th honoring the Peace Corps.

And now you're up to date.