Recognizing Beverly Eckert's service to the Nation and particularly to the survivors and families of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Madam Speaker, from February 3, 2009, to March 4, 2009, I missed Roll Call votes 47-96. Unfortunately, I underwent a surgical procedure and was in California recuperating. Had I been here, I would have voted the following:

Roll Call Vote 47: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 82, raising awareness and encouraging prevention of stalking by establishing January 2009 as National Stalking Awareness Month;

Roll Call Vote 48: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 103, supporting the goals and ideals of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week;

Roll Call Vote 49: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 559, The Fair, Accurate, Secure, and Timely (FAST) Redress Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 50: No on the motion to concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 51: Yes on the motion to commit with instructions S. 352, the DTV Delay Act;

Roll Call Vote 52: No on passage of S. 352, the DTV Delay Act;

Roll Call Vote 53: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 738, the Death in Custody Reporting Act;

Roll Call Vote 54: Yes on the motion to instruct conferees on H. R. 1, Making Supplemental Appropriations for Fiscal Year Ending 2009;

Roll Call Vote 55: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 114, Supporting the Goals and Ideals of National Girls and Women in Sports Day;

Roll Call Vote 56: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 60, Recognizing and commending University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford for winning the 2008 Heisman Trophy and for his academic and athletic accomplishments;

Roll Call Vote 57: No on the motion to table H. Res. 143, Raising a Question of the Privileges of the House;

Roll Call Vote 58: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 128, Honoring Miami University for its 200 years of commitment to extraordinary higher education;

Roll Call Vote 59: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 134, Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit to India and the positive influence that the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi had on Dr. King's work during the Civil Rights Movement;

Roll Call Vote 60: No on agreeing to H. Con. Res. 47, Providing for an adjournment or recess of the two Houses;

Roll Call Vote 61: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 154, Honoring John D. Dingell for holding the record as the longest serving member of the House of Representatives;

Roll Call Vote 62: No on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 448, the Elder Abuse Victims Act;

Roll Call Vote 63: No on the motion to agree to H. Res. 157, providing for the consideration of motions to suspend the rules, and for other purposes;

Roll Call Vote 64: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 117, Supporting the goals and ideals of National Engineers Week;

Roll Call Vote 65: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 35, Honoring and praising the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the occasion of its 100th anniversary;

Roll Call Vote 66: No on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 168, providing for consideration of the conference report to H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 67: No on H. Res. 168, providing for consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 68: No on the question of consideration of the conference report to H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 69: Yes on the motion to recommit the conference report to H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 70: No on agreeing to the conference report to H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 71: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules agree to H. Res. 139, Commemorating the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln on the bicentennial of his birth;

Roll Call Vote 72: No on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 911, the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act;

Roll Call Vote 73: No on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 44, the Guam World War II Loyalty Recognition Act;

Roll Call Vote 74: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 601, the Box Elder Utah Land Conveyance Act;

Roll Call Vote 75: No on approving the journal;

Roll Call Vote 76: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and H.R. 80, the Captive Primate Safety Act;

Roll Call Vote 77: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 637, the South Orange County Recycled Water Enhancement Act;

Roll Call Vote 78: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 83, Recognizing the significance of Black History Month;

Roll Call Vote 79: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass S. 234, the Colonel John H. Wilson, Jr. Post Office Building;

Roll Call Vote 80: Yes on approving the journal;

Roll Call Vote 81: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 47, Supporting the goals and ideals of Peace Officers Memorial Day;

Roll Call Vote 82: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 180, Supporting the goals and ideals of the third annual America Saves Week;

Roll Call Vote 83: No on the consideration of H. Res. 184, providing for consideration of H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations for 2009;

Roll Call Vote 84: Yes on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 184, providing for consideration of H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations for 2009;

Roll Call Vote 85: Yes on H. Res. 184, providing for the consideration of H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 86: No on passage of H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations of 2009;

Roll Call Vote 87: No on the motion to table H. Res. 189, raising a question of the privileges of the House;

Roll Call Vote 88: No on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 190, providing for consideration of H.R. 1106 to prevent mortgage foreclosures and enhance mortgage credit availability;

Roll Call Vote 89: No on H. Res. 190, Providing for consideration of H.R. 1106 to prevent mortgage foreclosures and enhance mortgage credit availability;

Roll Call Vote 90: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 183, expressing condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the crash of Continental Connection flight 3407;

Roll Call Vote 91: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 146, the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act;

Roll Call Vote 92: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 548, the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act;

Roll Call Vote 93: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 77, congratulating the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA for more than 100 years of service and leadership to the United States;

Roll Call Vote 94: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 201, recognizing Beverly Eckerts service to the nation and particularly to the survivors and families of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Roll Call Vote 95: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 195, recognizing and honoring the employees of the Department of Homeland Security on its sixth anniversary for their continuous efforts to keep the nation safe; and

Roll Call Vote 96: Yes on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H. Res. 45, raising awareness and promoting education on the criminal justice system by establishing March as National Criminal Justice Month.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 201) recognizing Beverly Eckert's service to the Nation and particularly to the survivors and families of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H. Res. 201, which recognizes Beverly Eckert's service to the United States of America, particularly the survivors and the families of the attack on September 11, 2001.

Ms. Eckert was the widow of Mr. Sean Rooney, who was killed in the World Trade Center on September 11. For many, the devastating loss of a partner, of a husband, would lead to a state of grief, anger, fear, paralysis.

But Beverly Eckert turned the September 11 attacks into a clarion call of government accountability and transparency, Mr. Speaker. When there were questions about what led to the attacks, Beverly Eckert demanded answers.

When some tried to dismiss her call for answers, she pressed on and cofounded the ``Voices of September 11,'' an advocacy group for survivors which now claims more than 5,500 members.

This led to the creation of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States--or the 9/11 Commission--and we all remember that commission led by former Congressman Lee Hamilton and, of course, Governor Tom Kean of New Jersey. Beverly Eckert did not stop there. She attended the 9/11 Commission hearings and was there when the 9/11 Commission published its findings and recommendations.

Mr. Speaker, I want to allow, because of time factors with some of the Members, two young ladies who are Members of this great body, who are always there first to recognize and sensitive to those people, the real heroes of America.

I yield 2 minutes first to Ms. Slaughter from the State of New York.

I yield the gentlelady an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

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

Instead of letting leaders in Washington pat themselves on the back for the 9/11 Commission, which we are apt to do, Beverly Eckert insisted on the implementation of the Commission's recommendations. When Ms. Eckert was told that the recommendations would be difficult to implement, she was not deterred. Where she saw there were problems, she demanded and worked tirelessly for solutions. She traveled to Washington and pushed for the passage of the implementation of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act, as Mrs. Maloney and Ms. Slaughter pointed out.

To sum up, Beverly Eckert was a tenacious citizen who nudged and prodded the leaders of this Nation to look at their mistakes and implement the steps to correct them. Ms. Eckert was not interested in partisanship, fear-mongering or saber rattling. Beverly

Eckert was a woman who made sure that the death of her husband and those who died on September 11 would not be in vain. In that process she taught us all why we should not give into the fear of terrorism.

I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution honoring, Beverly Eckert, a great American. As a 9/11 widow, Beverly Eckert rose above a daunting challenge. America has asked her to not only overcome her grief over losing her husband, but to take on a leading role as a advocate for other victims.

Beverly Eckert, who died on February 12 in the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 in Clarence Center, N.Y., was co-founder of Voices of September 11, a group representing the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Her husband, Sean Rooney, died in the World Trade Center. Under Eckert's leadership, Voices of September 11 grew into an influential advocacy group of more than 5,500 members. Eckert supported the work of the 9/11 Commission and urged Congress to adopt its recommendations. Less than a week before her death, she met with President Barack Obama at the White House with other terrorist victims' families to discuss changes in the government's handling of terror suspects.

As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and the Chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure I am well aware of the importance of keeping the memory of September 11, 2001 at the forefront of our conscious.

This resolution honors Beverly Eckert for her service on behalf of September 11 victims and their families and recognizes her work to bring about the implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations to prevent and respond to acts of terrorism. It extends condolences to Eckert's family and the families of all those who lost their lives in the Continental Connection Flight 3407 crash.

Certainly the irony of Beverly Eckert dying in a plane crash that appears to be weather-related is not lost on us. That does not diminish the breadth of her work over the last eight years. It is fitting that Beverly was greeted at the White House by President Obama just a week before she perished.

It is my hope Mr. Speaker that we continue to honor Beverly Eckert and the other victims of Continental Connection Flight 3407 and the terrorist attacks of 9/11 by energizing our pursuit of the terrorists who hurt our nation. We can do this by bringing to justice the perpetrators of those attacks and the forces behind them.

Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to our nation at this poignant time but also a moment where we can be reminded of the arduous task that this new administration faces in pursuit of terrorists and seeking to raise our profile as a nation of peace. We can be a leader in the fight against terrorism and still saving the world. We can only hope that Sean Rooney and Beverly are reunited in heaven.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 201, which recognizes the life of Beverly Eckert, a co-founder of ``Voices of September 11th'' and the widow of Sean Rooney, who was killed in the Twin Towers on September 11th.

Ms. Eckert worked tirelessly for ``Voices of September 11th,'' an advocacy and support group of widows, mothers, and children of the victims of 9/11, which served as a driving force for intelligence and homeland security in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001. After the attacks, Beverly Eckert focused all of her emotions into organized advocacy for government accountability and future transparency to make our Nation more secure. Ms. Eckert was faced with opposition and indifference, but she continued to press forward in her fact-finding and preventative efforts.

Her strong, constant voice led to the creation of the National Commission on Terrorists Attack Upon the United States--or the 9/11 Commission. After the Commission's formation, Eckert continued her mission by participating in hearings and demanding implementation of the Commission's recommendations. During testimony as a member of the 9/11 Commission's Family Steering Committee, Eckert praised the Commission for their efforts to completely inform the public as to the failures on September 11th through public hearings and reports. She also warned Congressional members and the White House in regards to the Commission's recommendations that, unlike other commission recommendations, implementation of 9/11 Commission recommendations would be necessary because ``there is no shelf on which they can be hidden.'' To that end she successfully pushed for the passage of the ``Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007.''

In conclusion, Beverly Eckert was a tenacious citizen who nudged and prodded the leaders of this Nation to look at their mistakes and implement the steps to correct them. Ms. Eckert was not interested in partisanship, fear-mongering, or saber-rattling. She was a woman who made sure that the death of her husband and those who died on September 11th would not be in vain. In that process, she reinforced the message that you can make a difference and that we, as a nation, should not give into the fear of terrorism.

I urge my colleagues to support the resolution and formally recognize Ms. Beverly Eckert for her continued work to ensure that the victims and families of the September 11th attacks are never forgotten and to ensure that our country is protected from such attacks in the future.

I thank both gentlemen for the time.

As a New Yorker, obviously the events of September 11, 2001, are really seared in our memory, as I am sure they are in the memory of all Americans.

On February 12, this year, 2009, the Nation was shocked and saddened by the devastating plane accident in Clarence, New York, a few miles outside of Buffalo. Our thoughts and prayers will always be with the family and friends who lost loved ones on Continental Connection Flight 3407.

Today, we are here to recognize one of the persons on that plane, Beverly Eckert, who also lost her life on that day. We thank her for her tremendous service to our Nation and particularly to the survivors and families of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Mr. Speaker, Beverly Eckert, as mentioned, was the widow of Sean Rooney, who died in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and had been among the most visible faces of the victims' families in the aftermath of the attacks. Following her husband's death, she cofounded Voices of September 11, one of the first advocacy groups for the survivors of 9/11 and families.

Beverly was instrumental in the development and growth of this important group, which is now supported by more than 5,500 members. Along with other members of the Voices of September 11, she testified before the 9/11 Commission to help report on the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Beverly worked with the 110th Congress tirelessly, and she was a key proponent in enacting the 9/11 Commission's recommendations to prevent, prepare and respond to acts of terrorism. Simply put, Beverly's work helped to make our Nation safer and more secure.

Beverly was a passenger on Flight 3407 on her way to Buffalo to mark what would have been her husband's birthday and launch a scholarship in his memory. We lost an inspiring and tenacious champion in Beverly, and we must continue to honor her memory and accomplishments.

We must continue to honor her memory and accomplishments while carrying on her mission. Today we consider a resolution to acknowledge her service on behalf of the survivors and to recognize her work to help protect our Nation.

The resolution also extends condolences to the families of all those who were lost on the Continental Connection flight.

I urge my colleagues to support the resolution to honor the life of Beverly Eckert, commemorating her valuable service to the 9/11 survivors and families in this country.