Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that public servants should be commended for their dedication and continued service to the Nation during Public Service Recognition Week, May 5 through 11, 2008.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 1073, ``Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that public servants should be commended for their dedication and continued service to the Nation during Public Service Recognition Week, May 5 through 11, 2008,'' introduced by my distinguished colleague from Illinois, Representative Danny K. Davis. This important legislation illustrates a nation's commitment to recognize the work and fortitude of public service and the numerous citizens who are employed in that division.

Government workers have much to offer, as demonstrated by their expertise and innovative ideas, and serve as examples by passing on institutional knowledge to train the next generation of public servants. The Public Service Recognition Week encourages a new generation to consider a career in public service as an admirable profession. The week also serves to promote the significant contributions of public servants and to honor men and women at all levels of government.

During Public Service Recognition Week, Federal, State, county and local public employees take part in events such as job fairs, student activities, and agency exhibits that celebrate the broad variety of services performed by employees at all levels of government. Public Service Recognition Week, celebrated the first Monday through Sunday in May since 1985, is a time set aside each year to honor the diverse men and women who meet the needs of the Nation through work at the Federal, State and local government levels.

Throughout the Nation, public employees use Public Service Recognition Week to educate citizens about the many ways in which the Federal government serves the people and how Federal government services make life better for all of us. Public service employees are the educators who instruct us in complex academia, the policemen and firemen who fight crime and fires, the physicians who fight disease and promote better health, and the military who consistently defend our freedom and advance United States interests around the world. Public service employees encompass the fields of public transportation, waste management, social services, housing, electricity and more. These hard workers deserve the care and benefits they have earned through their honorable service.

The Nation benefits daily from the knowledge and skills of these highly trained individuals. The services that these workers provide are a necessity to modem life and is understood that its universal provision should be guaranteed. It is imperative that Congress recognizes the magnitude of the worker's job and its subsequent effects on environmental integrity, human health and overall quality of life in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, we should continuously honor our government employees who have given their lives in service to this country. The most important reason for Public Service Recognition Week is the need to celebrate and recognize the valuable services that millions of public servants provide to the Nation. All too often, the contributions made by America's public employees to our democracy are forgotten--not only by our fellow citizens but even by those of us who serve. Public servants alert Congress and the public to government waste, fraud, abuse, and dangers to public health. The Federal, State, and local governments are responsive, innovative, and effective because of the exceptional work of public servants, and this involvement should not be disregarded.

Public service employees playa significant role in the greatness and affluence of the United States. I humbly commend public servants for their outstanding contributions to this great Nation during Public Service Recognition Week and throughout the year for their unyielding dedication and spirit for public service. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation, and, in-so-doing, giving our public service personnel the respect and recognition they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1073) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that public servants should be commended for their dedication and continued service to the Nation during Public Service Recognition Week, May 5 through 11, 2008.

Mr. Speaker, all those of us who chose to be in elected office realize that we can't do our jobs unless there is a vast array of people who are in every category of employment, doing their jobs. And those workers in many cases, are people who are public employees.

Public employees may be people who are working in the streets. They may be people who pick up the garbage; they may be people who are working desk jobs. There are people who perform so many different functions.

At a Federal level, public employees are involved in providing direct service to people, whether it's making sure that people get their Social Security checks, their Medicare benefits, making sure that people have the opportunity to be able to have access to important government services.

Public service is a worthy profession. It's one that we ought to be encouraging young people to be involved in. It's one that needs to achieve more appreciation, not less. In this era where people try to attack government, they're actually attacking the people who do the work of government. We need to lift up the position of government workers. This resolution of Public Service Recognition Week is certainly one way to do it. And it allows us to demonstrate the involvement of public employees in the daily life surrounding our communities and, in turn, we're reminded that we live in the United States of America, relying on each other to ensure the stability and greatness of our country.

This is an important moment when we can recognize, through this resolution, everyone who serves. Each person who serves is worthy of respect. There is no level of service which is not worthy of respect. Dr. King pointed that out in some of his speeches when he talked about the street sweeper, how that street sweeper should sweep streets in a way that would reflect a great virtuoso performance.

We need to have that kind of awareness that those who perform the daily work of government, at a local, county, State and Federal level, and also at regional levels, are people who love their country, love their community and ought to be honored.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I would like to take this opportunity, before we close the debate, to thank those who are involved in public service in my own community, in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Having served in municipal government for many years, I understand how important the daily work of a city is. And I know that its people who repair the streets, who pick up the garbage, who make sure that the lights are repaired, who make sure the traffic signals work, who answer calls for fire or police protection, I know that all of those individuals love their community and they deserve to be appreciated.

Also, on a county level, in Cuyahoga County, you have many workers who are unsung for their service as clerks, people who work in recording deeds, people who work in collecting taxes, people who work in seeing that welfare services are given, case workers and others, they're all public servants and all public employees. This resolution is a fitting way to honor those individuals.

And I just wanted to cite specifically Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, because, having been involved with that constituency for so long, I understand the workers who make possible the work of those various governmental jurisdictions.

At this time I would reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise today in support of H. Res. 1073, honoring the millions of dedicated public employees who serve our Nation. Our country would have a difficult time functioning without its innovative, professional, highly trained public service employees. At all levels of government, you will find hardworking

staff implementing policies that make our country prosper and thrive through their contributions.

The expertise and work ethic offered by these individuals sets an honorable example for future generations of public employees, as well as those in the private sector.

From emergency responders to librarians and educators, public servants span the spectrum of jobs. They keep our country efficient and safe. Beyond the tremendous work of civilian employees, uniformed service personnel and the members of our Armed Forces are those on the front lines in the fight to maintain national security. They provide vital strategic support for our Nation's military, both at home and abroad. Additionally, their tremendous accomplishments in providing support to our 50 States, as well as countries overseas with natural disaster relief, is to be commended.

Once again, I congratulate these employees who help make up the fabric of our country and government for performing the challenging and oftentimes thankless jobs with honor and dedication. I appreciate them for moving our country forward, as well as maintaining our safety and security.

For these reasons, I express my support of Public Service Recognition Week.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H. Res. 1073, and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1073 and the hard-working public servants it so deservedly recognizes today.

As the son of a career foreign service officer and a State Department analyst, public service--in all its forms--has always been a value in my family. Whether you're talking about soldiers putting themselves on the line for our nation, police and firefighters protecting our communities, scientists and researchers developing breakthrough medicines, or teachers and librarians educating our children, it should be clear to all who stop and think about it that America simply could not be its best without the ongoing courage, intelligence and efforts of its public servants.

That is why I believe so strongly in the enduring value of a robust, highly trained and dynamic civil service--and in pursuing public policies that can recruit and retain that kind of workforce. For me, that means pay parity for civil servants, a decent and dignified workplace across the government, genuinely fair rules for outsourcing competitions and benefit packages that will enable more of our best and brightest to pursue careers in public service over otherwise potentially more lucrative opportunities in the private sector. It also means generating a renewed sense of excitement and respect for public service careers in the culture.

Mr. Speaker, towards that end, I believe this resolution is well- deserved and a terrific place to start. I look forward to working more closely with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to put the spirit of today's resolution into action as we deliberate policy affecting our public servants throughout the rest of the year.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on House Resolution 1073 and House Resolution 49.