Instead, her mother, Rep. Deborah Pryce, stood on the House floor Wednesday evening and introduced a bill in Caroline's name that would boost research funding for pediatric cancer -- the kind that killed Caroline nine years ago.

"This is our graduation gift to her," said Pryce, an Ohio Republican, choking back tears. She is retiring in December after 16 years in Congress, choosing to care for her daughter Mia, whom she adopted in 2002, three years after Caroline's death.

Pryce, the only member of Congress who is a single mother of a young child, was once a rising star in the GOP. But she was facing a tough reelection fight in a district that is increasingly leaning Democratic, and she was growing tired of trying to balance work in Washington with home life in Ohio. So she decided not to run again.

Before she retired, though, she wanted to see action on the cancer bill, something she had been pushing since 2000. Cancer kills more children than any other disease, but research funding for pediatric cancer is dwarfed by the amount of money spent on combating adult cancers.

The nature of Capitol Hill is such that lawmakers write scores of bills, but only a small number get a hearing; few are brought to a vote, and fewer still make it through the House and Senate to be signed into law by the president. Over the years, Pryce has sponsored 198 bills, four of which have been enacted -- a ratio typical of that of her peers.

The pediatric cancer bill, which Pryce's colleagues named in honor of Caroline, passed Thursday, 416 to 0. The Senate approved a similar version in 2007; chances for enactment appear strong.

A cluster of lawmakers took turns speaking in favor of Pryce's legislation, which would authorize $30 million annually for five years for pediatric cancer research.

Some of the members have had children with cancer and understand what Pryce went through. Others admired her cause and the fact that she has been doggedly pushing the legislation as a promise to Caroline.

"Every now and then, as members of Congress, we have one of those moments, a moment when we feel like we can truly make a difference," said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.). "This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is an American issue. It's an issue for the children, and it's a fitting tribute to you, Congresswoman Pryce, and your daughter Caroline, for all the hard work and the efforts you've put into this."

The vote had the feel of a valedictory moment.

Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), addressing Pryce before turning to the rest of the chamber, said: "I just want to say, I've watched you over the years. I know you were the chairwoman of the Republican Conference, and as you said, we were often battling. But in all of that, Congresswoman Pryce was always a lady and really someone who was able to get along with people on both sides of the aisle and work towards good government goals. So this bill is really a tribute to her in memory of her daughter."

The line of lawmakers who spoke in support and the unanimous vote took Pryce aback. "That's what's right about the institution," she said. "We read so often what's wrong with it. But from Caroline's death onward, people have been so wonderfully supportive of me. When she died, I was afraid to come back to work. I didn't want to face people. But it was the best thing that I did."