Speaking on the U.S. House floor, out-going Congressman Faleomavaega Eni publicly thanked the people of American Samoa for giving him the honor to represent them in the U.S. Congress for nearly three decades.

He also says he hopes to be remembered for doing all he can for the “people of American Samoa and the Asia-Pacific region” which has been “neglected” by the U.S. government for too long.

The Congressman’s comments were part of his speech Wednesday before his colleagues unanimously passed his resolution calling for peaceful and collaborative resolution of maritime and territorial disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea.

It is the last approved federal measure sponsored by the Congressman, who is leaving Congress before Jan. 3, 2015, after he was unseated in the Nov. 4th general election by challenger Aumua Amata.

Speaking prior to the measure’s passage, Faleomavaega thanked his colleagues - both Republicans and Democrats - for standing by him on this issue since he first raised it in 2012, according to a copy of his speech in Congressional Records.

Faleomavaega, the ranking democratic member on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, said it’s “time for China to stop provoking its neighbors and pursue a course of peace. This is the last Resolution introduced by me that the House will ever consider, and I am proud that my last Resolution calls for peace in the Asia-Pacific region.”

He pointed out that he served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee since he first entered Congress in 1989 and since that time, “it has always been and continues to be my belief that the United States should pay more attention to the Asia-Pacific region. We should pay particular attention to the ongoing tension in the South China Sea.”

“I believe in peace, and I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to associate with each of you in this great institution,” he told his colleagues. “It has been my distinct honor to serve the people of American Samoa in the U.S. House of Representatives for the past 25 years, and I thank them for giving me the opportunity to serve.”

“I believe I did my best, and I hope I will be remembered for giving my all for the people of American Samoa and the Asia-Pacific region … he said. “To borrow the words of Gandhi, ‘I hope my life will be my message’.”

Some of Faleomavaega’s colleagues who spoke in support of the resolution also paid tribute to the Congressman, who served on Capitol Hill for nearly four decades, starting as a congressional staff member and later elected for 13 consecutive two-year terms.

Rep. Lee Sheila Jackson says she considers Faleomavaega “a great American and a representative of his community and his region and all that he has done to turn our attention to south China, east China, and the Asian Pacific region.”

Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida urged her colleagues to endorse the measure and commended Faleomavaega for the resolution as well as his many years serving in the U.S. Congress.

“Throughout his career, Eni has fought for human rights and for the rule of law, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, and the idea that all people should have the opportunity to prosper without fear for their family’s safety or livelihoods,” she said. “This resolution that he presents before us is a fitting representation of the ideals and goals that Eni has worked so hard in support of during his many years in Congress.”

Rep. Elliot Engel, a Democrat from New York, calls the measure a “tribute” to Faleomavaega, for his many years of service in Congress. He recalled being elected to Congress in 1988 together with Faleomavaega and then both of them served on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Even the families of both men got to know each other.

“It really has been a pleasure to be a friend and a colleague of Mr. Faleomavaega. We are going to miss him, but I know he will grace our presence and come back and visit. So this is really a tribute. This is an important resolution,” he said.

A bit of an interesting exchange on the House floor, later during the debate of the resolution, came when Faleomavaega thanked Ros-Lehtinen for the kinds remarks and then a movie star’s name surfaced.

Faleomavaega said Ros-Lehtinen “will note that I have a relative who happens to live in her district. His name happens to be Dwayne Johnson, and if you haven’t seen his latest movie, ‘Hercules’, I suggest to my colleagues that you should see the movie ‘Hercules’ and see what Samoans are like.”

In response, Ros-Lehtinen, with a smile, pointed out that, “Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, is a University of Miami Hurricanes alum. It is not bragging if it is true. But thank you.” (According to audio of the session, where was laughter from several members.)

Complete details of the Faleomavaega’s speech as well as those of his colleagues can be found in Congressional Records of the U.S. House [www.house.gov]