Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure be discharged from further consideration of the bill (S. 2377) to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 200 West 2nd Street in Dayton, Ohio, as the ``Walter H. Rice Federal Building and United States Courthouse'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the achievements of the Bedford High School girls soccer team of Bedford, Pennsylvania.

The Lady Bisons capped off an unbeaten season by bringing home the PIAA Class AA State championship on Saturday, November 17.

This is a monumental accomplishment for the school. It is Bedford High School's first State championship in any sport. It is the first school from District 5 or 6 to win a State championship in their history.

The Lady Bisons defeated the Lewisburg Green Dragons in overtime 1-0, finishing their season with a perfect record of 22-0.

The Lady Bisons, coached by Jeff Thomas, were led to victory by their five seniors--Jenna Brown, Bailey Donaldson, Brooke Lankey, Hallie Sisk, and Amber Thomas--who scored the winning goal on a penalty kick just 52 seconds into overtime at Hersheypark Stadium.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to congratulate the players, the coaches, and the families of the Bedford High School girls soccer team on their Pennsylvania State championship.

The passion, commitment, and teamwork shown by these young women will surely follow them in their future endeavors as well as inspire the Bedford community for years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the bill (S. 140) to amend the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2010 to clarify the use of amounts in the WMAT Settlement Fund.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on S. 140.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to come to the floor tonight, not only with another Coast Guard reauthorization bill, but it will be the last bill I will pass and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will pass, as my chairmanship expires and I leave Congress here at the end of the year. So it is a proud moment for me.

I am especially proud that S. 140 was named the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018.

This is a product of bicameral and bipartisan efforts. The Coast Guard is an armed service with a very difficult mission: to enforce all Federal laws on, under, and over the high seas in the jurisdiction of the United States.

This bill supports the Coast Guard and its servicemembers by authorizing funding for fiscal year 2018 and 2019.

The legislation includes three bills reported from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee: the Coast Guard Improvement Reform Act of 2017; the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2017; and the Federal Maritime Commission Authorization Act of 2017.

The bill promotes commercial and recreational vessel safety, protects the environment, modernizes Coast Guard administration laws, and provides protection for American business in regard to foreign shipping alliances.

Once again, it authorizes a heavy icebreaker to be purchased by the Coast Guard. We just hope the appropriators find the funding to do that for a much-needed icebreaker.

The bill is named for our colleague, Frank LoBiondo, who previously served as chairman and ranking member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee during five different Congresses. His leadership on the subcommittee translated into many legislative victories for the Coast Guard and their hardworking Coast Guard members. So it is absolutely fitting to name this after Frank LoBiondo.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Reauthorization Act by voting ``yes'' on S. 140, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast), who is the chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), who is the current chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation, the former chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, and the namesake of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), who is the former chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and an advocate for the Coast Guard.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot).

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support S. 140, the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018. It is a good bipartisan bill. I urge all my colleagues to vote for it.

Finally, I would like to thank the staff on both sides of the aisle. On our side, especially, I thank the Coast Guard Subcommittee staff and John Rayfield, who heads up that staff, for his tremendous work. He just informed me that, under the subcommittee's jurisdiction, we will have authorized every single program under that committee's jurisdiction. Great work by John and his team on the subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the names of the staff on the committee.

From Chairman Shuster's Staff:

John Rayfield

Bonnie Bruce

Lt. Commander Luke Peterson

Kevin Reig

Maggie Chan

Kathy Loden

Brittany Smith

Hannah Matesic

Fred Miller

Geoff Gosselin

Chris Vieson

From Ranking Member DeFazio's Staff:

Dave Jansen

Kathy Dedrick

Alex Burkett

From the Office of Legislative Counsel:

Hank Savage

Tom Dillon

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank all my members for the great support they have given me on both sides of the aisle to move a lot of bipartisan legislation. I want to thank them for that. I thank my subcommittee chairmen for their leadership in working with me.

Finally, I thank my counterpart, the leader of the Democrats on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, sometimes being a worthy foe, most of the time being a dependable and able ally. I thank him for all his work. I also thank him for the very, very thoughtful small going away gift that he gave me. I appreciate that greatly. Again, I finally thank him for all his effort and work.

I have no say in who is going to be the next chairman of the committee, but I can tell you that nobody is more able and knowledgeable about the transportation and infrastructure world than Peter DeFazio. I wish him the best and look forward to seeing him down the road.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of S. 140, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and service of Joseph C. Calio, Jr. of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, a decorated World War II Hero who recently passed away peacefully at the age of 96. Mr. Calio was emblematic of the young soldiers who fought and won that great conflict, then humbly returned home to lead productive lives and raise solid families as part of our country's so-called ``Greatest Generation.''

Joe grew up in the deprivation of the Great Depression and was called to duty in World War II with the 95th Infantry Division of the United States Army. For his courage and valor in battle, he was honored with several awards including the Bronze Star Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, and Honorable Service Lapel Button.

Upon returning back to Ohio, Joe served for 40 years as an Auxiliary Policeman in the town of Lyndhurst where he was also a longtime participant, quarter master, and post commander of a local VFW Post. Along the way, he and his late wife Susan raised four children--Mary Ann, Joseph C. III, Nicholas, and Susie--who blessed their lives with 11 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

Sadly, we lose nearly 400 veterans per day, like Mr. Calio, who bravely served our great nation in World War II. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, less than 500,000 of the 16 million Americans who served in that War remain alive. We owe them a great debt of gratitude for their efforts, and shall never forget the sacrifices they made.

So I am honored to help celebrate the noble and meaningful life of Joe Calio, as I believe his selfless dedication to country and community is something many of us can learn from in our own lives. The impact of his service is sure to continue through the achievements of his remarkable family who, while saddened by his passing, proudly carry on his distinguished legacy.

Mr. Speaker, since September 11, 2001, Congress has recognized that mass gatherings of people may require special protections from threats, including threats from unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Following the attacks that Tuesday morning, the FAA created temporary flight restrictions (TFR) over stadiums and other large gatherings, which Congress later codified. Today, TFRs are in place during NFL games, Major League Baseball games, NCAA Division One football games, and NASCAR Cup Series, Indy Car, and Champ Series races. These restrictions apply to all aircraft--commercial airliners, private aircraft, and UAS.

In recent years, however, there have been increases in UAS operations over stadiums (and arenas) in violation of these restrictions. For example, in November 2017, a UAS dropped leaflets into Levi's Stadium during a San Francisco 49ers' football game. That same UAS operator then tried to repeat the stunt later that day at the Oakland Coliseum, but local law enforcement intervened and arrested him. Had this been a nefarious UAS operation, the harm could have been much worse since local law enforcement lack the authority and proven technology to take counter-UAS measures.

During consideration of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-250), Congress and the Administration worked together to address the growing concern that UAS could be used to attack the United States and its citizens. Division H, ``Preventing Emerging Threats'' grants the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) limited and narrow authorities to protect the safety or security of a covered facility or asset as defined by the bill. Further, section 210G(k)(3)(C)(iii)(II) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by this Division, allows for the Secretary of DHS to work with state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials to mitigate threats from UAS ``upon request of the chief executive officer of the state or territory, to ensure protection of people and property at mass gatherings, that is limited to a specified timeframe and location, within available resources, and without delegating any authority under this section to State, local, territorial, or tribal law enforcement.''

I believe that this provision is narrow in its intention: that the federal government, acting through DHS, may provide assistance to state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials to protect mass gatherings from UAS operations that pose a threat to the safety or security of people in attendance. I also believe that this provision represents an opportunity for DHS to partner with state, local and tribal law enforcement officials on best practices to prevent an incident at stadiums or arenas at the request of a State. As Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I encourage DHS to seek input from sports organizations, local law enforcement agencies, and others on the use and deployment of the authorities provided in this legislation, including the development, testing, and use of countermeasures for unmanned aircraft systems.

If DHS does enter into partnerships to protect stadiums or arenas, then the safety of the airspace must not be put in jeopardy. Any measures used by DHS to counter potential UAS threats must not interfere with the aviation safety, civilian aviation and aerospace operations, aircraft airworthiness, or the legal use of the airspace.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following letters of exchange which were to have been placed during consideration of S. 756 on July 25, 2018.

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of

Representatives,

Washington, DC, July 10, 2018.

Hon. Rob Bishop,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Bishop: On June 27, 2018, the Committee on

Transportation and Infrastructure ordered reported with

amendment S. 756, the Save Our Seas Act of 2017. The bill was

referred primarily to the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure, with an additional referral to the Committee

on Natural Resources.

I ask that you allow the Committee on Natural Resources to

be discharged from further consideration of the bill so that

it may be scheduled by the Majority Leader. This discharge in

no way affects your jurisdiction over the subject matter of

the bill, and it will not serve as precedent for future

referrals. In addition, should a conference on the bill be

necessary, I would support your request to have the Committee

on Natural Resources represented on the conference committee.

Finally, I would be pleased to include this letter and any

response in the bill report filed by the Committee on

Transportation and Infrastructure, as well as in the

Congressional Record during floor consideration, to

memorialize our understanding.

Thank you for your consideration of my request.

Sincerely,

Bill Shuster,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1082) providing for the concurrence by the House in the Senate amendment to H.R. 302, with an amendment.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, this will be one of the last Transportation and Infrastructure bills this House will consider this Congress and the last during my chairmanship. I am extremely proud to bring a bill to the floor that has bipartisan and bicameral support today.

H.R. 302 includes the FAA Reauthorization Act, the Disaster Recovery Reform Act, the National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act, and other priorities from multiple House committees.

The FAA Reauthorization Act provides for 5 years of critical stability for our aviation programs and infrastructure. This is the first time since 1982 that we will be passing a 5-year bill. Again, as I said, it brings the stability and certainty to the aviation industry that it needs to produce and perform the way it needs to.

This bill cuts red tape in the certification process, which means that our manufacturers of avionics and aviation airframes will be able to move forward faster, bringing those products to market faster, quicker, and more efficiently.

It encourages American innovation and improves aviation safety, and it provides long-term funding to the Airport Improvement Program. Many Members' small- and medium-sized airports are going to benefit greatly by this.

This bill also includes the Disaster Recovery Reform Act. It is the largest FEMA reform package since 2006 post-Katrina law. In particular, DRRA focuses on predisaster mitigation. Building better and building smarter before disasters strike is a wise use of our resources. This will save lives, will save money, and will bend the cost curve by spending a little bit of money up front to make sure these disasters don't have the devastating effects that they possibly could have.

My mother used to say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That is what this bill does.

I want to thank the members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and other committees who worked on this bill. I especially want to thank Chairmen LoBiondo and Barletta, Ranking Members DeFazio, Larsen, and Titus, and Senators Thune and Nelson for their hard work on this bill.

I, finally, want to thank the staff of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the legislative counsel for working tirelessly for months and late nights, often on weekends, to complete this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support today's legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Homeland Security,

Washington, DC, September 26, 2018.

Hon. Bill Shuster,

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Shuster: I write concerning the House

Amendments to the Senate Amendments to H.R.302, the ``FAA

Reauthorization Act of 2018''.

I appreciate you working with me to include matters in the

House Amendments that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of

the Committee on Homeland Security. Several provisions

included in the House Amendments will go a long way to better

protect Americans and our Homeland.

Please place a copy of this letter and your response

acknowledging our jurisdictional interest in the House

Amendments in the Congressional Record during House Floor

consideration of the ``FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018''. I

look forward to working with the Committee on Transportation

and Infrastructure on additional legislative initiatives this

Congress.

Sincerely,

Michael T. McCaul,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen), who is the chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), who is the chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta), the chairman of the Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves), chairman of the Highway Subcommittee, a great ally and someone who understands the aviation industry and general aviation like nobody else in Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), who truly is an expert when it comes to emergency management and disaster recovery.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), a great friend and one of the hardest working members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer), a hardworking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin).

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I have no more speakers. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

I want to thank the leader of the Democrats on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for his efforts and his willingness to work with me. Mr. DeFazio has been a great partner over the last 4 years. I want to thank him for that.

I also want to thank the chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation, Mr. LoBiondo, and Ranking Member Larsen, for their hard work and bipartisan efforts on this bill. I also want to thank Chairman Barletta, chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development and Emergency Management, and Ranking Member Titus, again, with the DRRA bill, working closely with those folks.

Also, we want to mention Garret Graves, who really is a true leader and one of the true experts, not only in Congress but in the United States, when it comes to disaster recovery. I thank him for his efforts.

I also want to thank the Democratic staff for their efforts in working with our staff. I know it was a lot of late hours. I thank them so much for those efforts that they put in.

To my staff, T&I staff, they did an unbelievable job on a very, very complicated FAA bill, but they also were negotiating the disaster relief bill. There were many long nights. I can't thank them enough for their hard work and their intelligence and, many times, sort of making magic happen when we went through this. So I thank those folks for that effort.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a list of all the staff whose great work got us to this point today:

Matt Sturges, Chris Vieson, Geoff Gosselin, Fred Miller, Holly Woodruff Lyons, Naveen Rao, Hunter Presti, Cameron Humphrey, Max Rosen, Avery Katz, Johanna Hardy, Pam Williams, Tyler Menzler, Kathy Dedrick, Alex Burkett, David Napoliello, Rachel Carr, Michael Tien, Luke Strimer, Janet Erickson, Nick Rossi.

Adrian Arnakis, Mike Reynolds, Simone Perez, Isaiah Wonnenberg, Misseye Brickell, Kim Lipsky, Christopher Day, Mohsin Syed, Tom Chapman, Christopher Mulkins, Alexia Noruk, Michael Lueptow, Barrett Percival, Karen Anderson, Rosemary Gallagher, Stephen Hagenbuch, Jaclyn Keshian, Hannah Matesic, Kathy Loden, Brittany Smith, Collin McCune.

I want to mention, call out here today, Aviation staff Holly Woodruff Lyons, Naveen Rao, Hunter Presti, Cameron Humphrey, Hannah Matesic, and Avery Katz for their efforts on this FAA bill, but also Johanna Hardy, Pam Williams, and Tyler Menzler for their efforts on the Disaster Recovery and Relief Act.

And on the full committee: Chris Vieson, Geoff Gosselin, Fred Miller, Kathy Loden, Brittany Smith, Jeff Urbanchuk, Justin Harclerode, and Nico Alcalde for their tireless efforts.

Also, not on our staff anymore, but I need to do a shout-out for him, is Matt Sturges, who was the staff director. He has gone down to be the Deputy Administrator at the FRA. Much of the legislation that we passed over the years wouldn't be possible without Matt's leadership and his hard, hard work, and I want to thank him for that.

Finally, I thank the leadership and their staff for working so closely with

us to get this long-term FAA bill, this disaster bill passed.

I thought this FAA bill would be the legislation that eluded me. In the last 5\1/2\ years, in a bipartisan way, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has enacted legislation on every mode of transportation, and, today, we are going to pass a 5-year bill, which I mentioned earlier. It hasn't been done since 1928.

But I would be remiss if I didn't point out and show the true competitive nature of the Shuster family. My father, Bud Shuster, the chairman in 2000, passed a 4\1/2\-year bill.

So, Dad, if you are watching, I just wanted to make sure that was in the Record.

Being chairman has been one of the great honors of my life, and I want to thank my Republican colleagues for putting their trust in me and electing me to be chairman of this committee.

Most importantly, I want to thank the people of the Ninth Congressional District for putting their faith in me. I would not be chairman today if they wouldn't have supported me as strongly as they did over the years, and I owe them this chairmanship. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

I thank my family: my brother and three sisters; my two children, Ali and Garrett, for their love, support, and for tolerating me over the years. And, finally, to my mother, who passed away 2 years ago, we passed a WRDA bill the day she passed away. I can remember the ringing in my ears of her saying, ``Go to work. Do your job.'' And I did just that.

And to my father, whom I mentioned earlier, I thank him and my mother for the love, the guidance they have given me and, most importantly, for the life that they gave me.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to support H. Res. 1082, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Ways and Means be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 6897) to extend the authorizations of Federal aviation programs, to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 3383) to designate the flood control project in Sedgwick County, Kansas, commonly known as the Wichita- Valley Center Flood Control Project, as the ``M.S. `Mitch' Mitchell Floodway'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure be discharged from further consideration of the bill (S. 1668) to rename a waterway in the State of New York as the ``Joseph Sanford Jr. Channel'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mindy Dye, one of the winners of the 25th annual Personal Achievement Award from the HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Altoona. This award is given to encourage and recognize those who have made an outstanding effort to deal with or overcome a disability. This year, Mindy has earned that distinction.

Mindy suffered a major stroke in December 2017 that affected her speech and body. She could not walk, talk and lost all muscle control on her right side. Every day was a struggle in therapy as she tried to regain her strength, balance, ability to walk and her ability to speak. Another setback occurred a few months later during her cranium replacement surgery when she ended up with an infection that required an emergency procedure and several months of antibiotics. Ultimately, Mindy resumed her therapy, was always willing to do her best, maintained a positive attitude, and was motivated to get better.

Today, Mindy has made an amazing recovery through her hard work and determination. Her extremity strength, balance and functional mobility have returned, and she continues to make progress in therapy. She is now able to enjoy gardening, hiking and spending time with her family.

I am humbled to recognize the truly impressive recovery Mindy has made. Her strength and positivity in the face of such adversity is remarkable. As such, it is my pleasure to wish Mindy the best as she continues to reclaim her health and life

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Gary Green of Huntingdon, PA, one of the winners of the 25th annual Personal Achievement Award from the HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Altoona. This award is given to encourage and recognize those who have made an outstanding effort to deal with or overcome a disability. This year, Mr. Green has earned that distinction.

Mr. Green suffered a stroke in October of 2017 that affected his speech and body. Among his many challenges were numbness and weakness on the left side of his body, difficulty in performing daily tasks, and impaired memory. Mr. Green, aided by a positive attitude and the strong support of his wife, followed the therapy plan established at HealthSouth with tremendous success. Today--nearly a year later--he is able to walk, complete his daily living skills, speak clearly and swallow safely.

It is my honor to congratulate Mr. Green on his remarkable progress and promising improvements, as I believe that it is through role models like him that we all can learn to overcome our hardships. Furthermore, I am happy to recognize him for his perseverance, and I wish him the best as he continues to overcome this adversity.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Michael Kline, one of the winners of the 25th annual Personal Achievement Award from the HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Altoona. This award is given to encourage and recognize those who have made an outstanding effort to deal with or overcome a disability. This year, Dr. Kline has earned that distinction.

Dr. Kline has been serving the community as a primary-care physician for more than two decades. In this capacity, Dr. Kline is known for his attentive care for his patients. However, he was admitted to HealthSouth Rehab Hospital for Physical Therapy in April of this year with a long list of problems that prevented him from being able to walk unassisted. These included pelvic fractures, multiple rib fractures, leg weakness and decreased balance.

Dr. Kline maintained a positive attitude and work ethic, and displayed the determination for recovery he has always encouraged with his patients. Through these efforts, he has regained his ability to walk without any devices, is driving once again and recently returned to work.

It is my pleasure to congratulate Dr. Kline on his successful progress. His accomplishments are a testament to us all that with hard work and persistence, we can overcome any hardship. I honor him for his perseverance, and I wish him the best as he continues to overcome this setback.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jerre Sell of Imler, PA, a winner of the Patient Advocate Award from the HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Altoona.

Jerre's son, Troy, endured a catastrophic event in 2016 when he suffered both Anoxic and Traumatic Brain Injuries. Throughout this immensely challenging time, Jerre has always supported his son and has been heavily involved with his care--all while continuing to work at his present job that he's held for more than 40 years. He has been with Troy during his inpatient stays, transported him to every Outpatient therapy visit, and has pushed for the many medication changes and ongoing therapies for his son.

Jerre, himself, recently underwent back surgery, but is back to work and continuing to be Troy's caregiver. He has displayed a strong character and stayed positive despite the many challenges he has overcome.

While his son's efforts to recover are worth celebrating in their own right, there can be no doubt that Jerre has provided exemplary care. Given his admirable actions in support of his son and family through a time of tremendous hardship, Jerre is unquestionably deserving of this recognition. As such, it is my honor to help celebrate his having received this award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Matt Summers of Claysburg, PA, one of the winners of the 25th annual Personal Achievement Award from the

HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Altoona. This award is given to encourage and recognize those who have made an outstanding effort to deal with or overcome a disability. This year, Mr. Summers has earned that distinction.

Matt was involved in a motorcycle accident in September 2017 that left him with multiple fractures, a spinal cord injury and a Traumatic Brain Injury. Since the fateful day of that crash, he has made tremendous gains in his recovery. During his time in rehab, Matt was dependent on a wheelchair due to little muscle activity in his legs as well as nerve damage in his right arm from a vertebrae fracture. However, he worked hard in therapy to overcome many of his challenges, and regained his ability to walk and complete his daily activities independently. Matt returned to work in the construction industry in June, and continues to push himself to new limits.

I am honored to celebrate Matt's impressive efforts, as I believe that his dedicated and positive attitude is something many of us can learn from as we attempt to overcome the hardships in our lives. Furthermore, I am happy to recognize Matt for his perseverance, and I wish him the best as he continues on the road to full recovery.