Gabrielle Giffords resigns from House Five days after the start of the 112th Congress, a gunman opened fire at Rep. Gabrielle Giffords" "Congress On Your Corner" event in Tucson, killing six and wounding 13, including the Arizona Democrat. Now, one year later, Giffords is stepping down to continue working on her recovery - but before then, she's taking care of some unfinished business. Shortly before Giffords formally stepped downWednesday morning, the House voted on the congresswoman's last bill: a measure that would give federal law enforcement greater authority in combating cross-border drug trafficking. The bill passed. Giffords and a fellow Arizona lawmaker, Rep. Jeff Flake (R), this week introduced the measure, which is a new version of a Giffords bill that overwhelmingly passed the House in 2010 but was not taken up by the Senate. Wednesday's vote was Giffords's last official act before resigning. The Arizona Democrat, who a year ago was shot in the head at point-blank range by alleged gunman Jared Lee Loughner, announced her plans in a video on her Web site Sunday afternoon in which she pledged, "I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country." On Wednesday morning, Giffords offered her resignation from the House. A number of her House colleagues took to the floor to offer tributes to the Arizona Democrat, and several dedicated their floor remarks to Giffords during the time for debate on her bill early Wednesday. Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) called Giffords "the spirit of bipartisanship that we should all learn from." "My grandmother used to say that there is nothing more powerful than a woman who has made up her mind," Poe said. Gabby Giffords has always been that woman. She is compassionate, tenacious and relentless in her love for our country. Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) said that the House will deeply miss Giffords, but understands that she must focus on her recovery. "We want Gabby to go home and take care of herself and return to her highest level of ability because she has much to offer the people of Arizona and her husband and the country," McDermott said. So it's with a great deal of sadness that we say goodbye to her, but on the other hand we're very happy for her and we very much urge everyone to vote for this bill. And Flake, who together with Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sat alongside Giffords during Tuesday night's State of the Union, said that the Arizona delegation "will miss her in Congress deeply." "We are so appreciative of the service that she has rendered and we know that she will continue to serve -- whether in the future in elected office or whatever capacity -- she will continue to serve the people of Arizona and this country," he said. Wednesday's vote was the second one related to Giffords in recent months. In November, the chamber voted to name a conference room in honor of Gabriel Zimmerman, the Giffords community outreach director who was slain in the Tucson shooting.