Betty McCollum

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the employees and many fans of Pearson's Candy Company, the 117-year old candy producer which has been making its iconic Nut Goodie and Salted Nut Roll candies at its manufacturing facility in Saint Paul since 1957. Last month, Pearson's announced that it will be closing its West Seventh Street Saint Paul factory at the end of September, eliminating approximately 80 jobs.

Founded in 1909 by P. Edward Pearson and his brothers, Pearson's Candy Company introduced its famous Nut Goodie in 1912. Featuring maple nougat, roasted peanuts, and a milk-chocolate coating, the Nut Goodie was a hit and has been enjoyed for generations. In 1933, during the depths of the Great Depression, Pearson's debuted the Salted Nut Roll. Its vanilla nougat center, caramel layer, and salted peanut coating gave people something sweet yet filling for only 5 cents. In 1957, production moved to the current location on West Seventh Street in Saint Paul, where the beloved treats have been produced ever since.

Sadly, Pearson's Candy Company has now announced that its Saint Paul factory will end production and close its doors at the end of September, leaving about 80 employees without their jobs. The layoffs will affect positions across production, maintenance, quality control, shipping, and management. Jobs being eliminated include candy makers, packers, maintenance mechanics, boiler operators, machine operators, quality control technicians, HVAC technicians, shipping and receiving clerks, production managers, and the IT manager. While Pearson's parent company, Promise Confections, has stated that production of these iconic products will continue elsewhere, the closure marks the end of more than a century of candy manufacturing in Minnesota and will leave about 80 Saint Paul workers without jobs.

In my role as a United States Representative, I have often purchased Pearson's candies to share at special events, including with visitors, ambassadors, and dignitaries from around the world. I have lost count of how many times someone has tried one and immediately asked for another--a small testament to the enduring appeal of this Minnesota- made treat.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in celebrating the Pearson's Candy Company's 117-year history of candy production in Minnesota, nearly seven decades of Nut Goodie and Salted Nut Roll production on Saint Paul's West Seventh Street, and the generations of workers and families who produced these iconic Minnesota treats.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 4795, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2025. This bill would condition federal funding based on a university's choices regarding investments, procurement, partnerships, and other institutional activities in Israel and the West Bank.

Peaceful dissent and the protesting of injustice are the right of all Americans guaranteed by the Constitution. It is called freedom of speech. H.R. 4795 would infringe on that right to free speech. In a political environment where the President of the United States is canceling federal grants for academic institutions that do not align with his views or his policies, H.R. 4795 would give President Trump one more tool to infringe on that right to free speech and retaliate against our colleges and universities where he sees fit.

My Republican colleagues are advancing this bill to punish academic institutions that divest from Israeli companies or end partnerships with Israeli universities. But this bill will

not punish the institutions. It will punish the students at those institutions who rely on federal student loans or Pell Grants to afford college. In my District and across the country, many low- and middle- income students rely on financial aid to afford a college education. Congress should be working to make higher education more affordable for students, not less affordable.

Rather than considering H.R. 4795, the House should take up legislation that would actually protect students on college campuses and condemn all forms of hate. Threats, harassment, and hate based on race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or any other identity have no place in our communities, on our college campuses, or in our society. But this bill does not even attempt to address the recent rise in antisemitism, nor does it address the rise in Islamophobia. Instead, it does real harm to Jewish students by conflating antisemitism with criticism of the state of Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the distinguished career of Minnesota State Senator Sandy Pappas on the occasion of her retirement after 42 years of public service in the Minnesota Legislature. First elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1984 and to the Minnesota Senate in 1990, Senator Pappas has dedicated more than four decades to serving the people of Minnesota, especially the residents of her district in Saint Paul.

During her 42 years of legislative service, Senator Pappas has made lasting contributions on issues including education, health care, workers' rights, women's economic security, public safety, transportation, pensions, and economic and social equity. She has chaired the Senate Capital Investment Committee, the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement, the Senate State and Local Government Committee, the Senate Higher Education Committee, and the Senate Education Committee. From 2013 to 2016, she served as President of the Minnesota Senate, a testament to the trust placed in her by her colleagues.

The Senator's legislative accomplishments have touched the lives of so many Minnesotans. She was instrumental in advancing the Minnesota DREAM Act, the Women's Economic Security Act, statewide Earned Sick and Safe Time, and the creation of the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board. She championed legislation to eliminate the statute of limitations for sexual assault and helped secure Minnesota's ban on child marriage. As a longtime leader on pensions, she helped strengthen retirement security for public employees.

Senator Pappas has been a tireless champion for the city of Saint Paul and even ran for mayor in 1997. She helped secure state funding for projects throughout the city, including the Union Depot, the Minnesota Children's Museum, the Ordway, the Victoria Theater, Pedro Park, the North End Community Center, Reconnect Rondo, the reconstruction of the Third Street/Kellogg Bridge, and Shoreline reinforcements on the Mississippi River, Raspberry Island, Upper Landing and Harriet Island. In 2023, as chair of the Senate Capital

Investment Committee and chief author of the legislation, she helped deliver a historic $2.6 billion capital investment package supporting critical infrastructure for communities across Minnesota.

Beyond her legislative accomplishments, Senator Pappas has devoted considerable time and energy to public policy and community service. In 2011, she co-founded Forward Global Women, a nonprofit organization that convenes and trains women leaders from Middle Eastern and North African countries and the United States to step into public leadership positions and build the next generation of women peacemakers. She also taught public policy at Metropolitan State University for 20 years. She earned her bachelor's degree in public policy from Metropolitan State University and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government as a Bush Fellow. Throughout her career, Senator Pappas has exemplified a steadfast commitment to public service, human rights, equality, and expanding opportunities for women to lead.

It has been an honor to know and work with Senator Pappas. When I was first elected to the Minnesota House in 1992, Sandy was already a force in the state legislature. Over the years, our paths took us in different directions. I eventually went to Congress, while Sandy continued her work in the Minnesota Senate. But we never stopped working together because we both care deeply about the communities we have the privilege to represent. I had the pleasure of working with her on many projects for Saint Paul that brought together local, state, and federal government, including the historic Union Depot. Her legislative expertise, dedication to Saint Paul, and commitment to public service have made her a trusted partner and friend. She leaves public service having made Saint Paul and Minnesota stronger.

I am grateful for Sandy's friendship and for all she has done for our communities. I wish her, her husband Neal, their three children, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren all the best in this next chapter.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in this well-deserved tribute to Senator Sandy Pappas on the occasion of her retirement after 42 years of distinguished public service in the Minnesota Legislature.