House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday administered the oath of office to Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), who became the newest member of the House and brought the total number of House members to 433. [WATCH VIDEO]
Byrne won a special election in December to fill the seat of Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), who announced his resignation last year.
{mosads}In his brief remarks to his new colleagues, Byrne said he wants to get right to work to fix what he said is the failure of the country to live up to its greatness.
“To the people of the first district of Alabama, I promise that I will work hard every day to serve you and build upon the trust that you have placed in me,” he said. “To the members of this House, I’m ready to roll up my shirtsleeves and work with you as a problem solver, not a problem maker, as a workhorse, not a show horse.
“This is a great country, Mr. Speaker. But over the last several years, we have failed to live up to that greatness.”
Byrne was sworn in just before the House held a moment of silence to mark the third anniversary of the shooting of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
Members also passed three suspension bills today, all of which were non-controversial and passed easily. The bills are:
— H.R. 724, amending the Clean Air Act to eliminate a requirement that dealers of new light-duty vehicles certify to buyers that the vehicles conform to emissions standards. Members passed this 405-0.
— H.R. 3527, the Poison Center Network Act, reauthorizing national poison control centers, the national toll-free number, and related state grants. This bill passed 388-18.
— H.R. 3628, the Transportation Reports Elimination Act, which would eliminate and consolidate reporting requirements of the Department of Transportation and other agencies. Members approved this in a 406-0 vote.
— This story was updated at 4:12 p.m. to reflect the votes.