To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 111 Market Street in Saugerties, New York, as the "Maurice D. Hinchey Post Office Building".

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of the late Congressman Maurice Hinchey, our beloved colleague. He departed this life on November 22, 2017 after honorably serving two decades in the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2013, and serving in the New York State Assembly from 1975 to 1992. He was a Navy veteran, an honorable and dedicated public servant, and stalwart for the working class people of New York. Of Ukrainian-American heritage, he was a founding member of the House Ukrainian Caucus.

Recently, we were reminded of Congressman Hinchey's contributions to his people and our country. On Tuesday, July 24, 2018, President Trump signed into law H.R. 4722-A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 111 Market Street in Saugerties, New York, as the ``Maurice D. Hinchey Post Office Building''. With the naming of this USPS office building, Maurice's family and his grateful constituency will proudly honor and remember a treasured son of Saugerties.

I had the distinct honor and privilege of working alongside Maurice on the House Appropriations Committee. Through the Committee, he fought to protect student aid by supporting higher education for all worthy students and championed Pell Grants. He secured funding that would help art revitalization for the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz. He understood governing started at the local level, and did all he could to direct federal support for a more prosperous life for his people.

A fierce and notable environmental advocate, Maurice was dedicated to protecting his area's powerful and precious natural resource, the Hudson River. Through his dedicated work on the Appropriations Committee, he secured funds to modernize and develop environmental science laboratories at his district's local colleges. He also fought against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's lax initiative on cleaning up polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) pollution in the Hudson River. As a member of the House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee, and having my own congressional district surrounded by the Great Lakes, I found his leadership on renewable energy and cleaning up water ways both exemplary and inspiring. We are in his debt for his tireless environmental advocacy as he moved America along the path of progress.

A man to stand up for blue collar workers, Maurice was very loyal and adored by the labor community. Having worked as a toll collector to pay his college tuition, and then a cement plant worker, he understood the economic difficulties of the working class people in his district. In the 106th Congress he introduced H.R. 2759, the Older Workers Pension Protection Act of 1999. This bill would have helped safeguard employees from age discrimination against their benefits. He also fought against funding cuts to Job Corps, a vital entity for young people in his area who need skill and job assistance. As we continue to fight for the rights and protections of our working women and men, may we continue to be inspired by Maurice's spirit and vision.

Maurice and I shared a deep love for Ukraine and our central European roots. We served in the bipartisan Ukrainian Congressional Caucus and trumpeted a vision of an independent Ukraine, free of Russian aggression. Maurice uniquely understood the importance of a democratic, prosperous, and free Ukraine, as the edge of liberty on the European continent. He was a true champion of democracy both home and abroad.

Maurice's leadership and indefatigable efforts on behalf of working people are sorely missed. May his life's work be an inspiration to the people of the Hudson Valley and his memory be cherished always. Rest well, my dear friend and colleague. May the angels of mercy usher you to a peaceful place where your genius and goodwill shower our planet.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Oklahoma, and my colleague, the gentleman from Illinois, as well, for their fine comments in relation to this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer support for H.R. 4722, a bill to designate the postal facility at 111 Market Street in Saugerties, New York, as the Maurice D. Hinchey Post Office Building.

Congressman Hinchey was a lifelong New Yorker and a true public servant. He passed away in his home in Saugerties, New York, on November 22, 2017. He is survived by his wife, Ilene Marder, and his three adult children.

He is fondly remembered as a staunch advocate for what he believed, including care for our military veterans and the environment through his support of the Clean Air Act and the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, among many other accomplishments.

The week of his passing, I took to the House floor with the entire New York delegation to mourn the death of our colleague. Today, I stand here with this legislation as a token of remembrance for a father, a husband, a veteran, and a distinguished Member of this House who was dedicated to his constituents and all the people of our Nation.

Mr. Hinchey served 3 years in the U.S. Navy, 18 years in the New York State Assembly, and 20 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, during which time he represented a broad swath of New York State from the Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains over to the southern tier of our State as well.

Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to have served 6 years in the New York State Assembly with Mr. Hinchey, and I am also honored to represent many of the same areas of upstate New York here in Congress as Maurice Hinchey did. I am joined by 27 bipartisan cosponsors, including the entire New York congressional delegation, to offer this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I especially want to thank Liam Fitzsimmons, who served on the staff of Congressman Hinchey as well as on the staff of the late Congresswoman Louise Slaughter. Congresswoman Slaughter assisted and was a colead on this legislation, and I know she would be pleased by the House passage today of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill

(H.R. 4722) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 111 Market Street in Saugerties, New York, as the ``Maurice D. Hinchey Post Office Building''.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to support H.R. 4722, introduced by my friend and colleague Mr. Faso. The bill names the United States Post Office at 111 Market Street in Saugerties, New York, after Maurice D. Hinchey.

Maurice Hinchey served in the United States Navy and subsequently entered a life of public service. He started his political career in 1975 as a State assemblyman and served for nine terms until he was elected to the United States Congress.

He served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 10 terms. I thank my colleagues for supporting the effort to name a post office after Maurice Hinchey, who spent his life serving his country and community. I look forward to hearing more about Maurice Hinchey from the sponsor of the bill, Congressman Faso, in a few minutes, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Faso), my friend and colleague and the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 4722, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 111 Market Street as Maurice D. Hinchey Post Office Building.

For two decades, Maurice Hinchey served in this Chamber representing New York's 22nd Congressional District after beginning his political career 4 years earlier as a State assemblyman. Representative Hinchey was a strong advocate for the environment, conducting an investigation into the Love Canal toxic waste site in New York and leading the charge that passed the Nation's first regulations related to acid rain.

Throughout his career, he fought for the preservation of the Hudson River, and worked to better the lives of his constituents through his focus on agriculture, economic development, and veterans' issues.

Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to recognize the contributions Maurice Hinchey made to this House and to the lives of those he represented here. I urge the passage of H.R. 4722, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge the passage of H.R. 4722, and I yield back the balance of my time.