Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the extraordinary service of Capt. Christopher L. Roberge, who is retiring after nearly 30 years in the United States Coast Guard.

For the last two years, Capt. Roberge has shown incredible leadership as the Commander of Coast Guard Sector New England, overseeing 1,100 personnel in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and northern New York. His tenure there has capped an extremely distinguished career with over 30 military decorations, including four Meritorious Service Medals.

Since taking command, Capt. Roberge has strengthened Coast Guard operations in the sector and around the country. He identified key vulnerabilities in the sector's emergency communications system and implemented vital changes to make the system less susceptible to outages--his recommendations paved the way for similar upgrades around the country. The Reserve Readiness Assessment Program he developed has moved the sector's Reserve unit to the number one position in the nation for readiness. And while supporting the planning for the first- ever tidal power generator in a U.S. waterway, Capt. Roberge's guidance has put the Coast Guard in a better position to handle future energy projects.

Capt. Roberge's day-to-day management of the sector also served to distinguish him. His leadership and expertise ensured the flawless execution of 1,690 vessel boardings, 213 pollution responses, and 1,058 Search and Rescue cases, with over 2,000 lives saved or assisted and $38.9 million in property preserved.

As an island resident who regularly makes ferry trips across miles of water, I have a personal appreciation for the men and women of the Coast Guard. I feel safer knowing that they stand ready to respond to an emergency with skill and courage, and deeply appreciate their willingness to risk their lives to save others. My special thanks to Capt. Roberge for the many ways he has better prepared the Coast Guard to answer the call when we need them, and for his exceptional service to the country. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate an organization based in my district on reaching an important milestone. With its beginnings in Portland, Maine, the senior transportation service ITNAmerica provided its half-millionth ride in March 2013.

Designed to recreate the comfort, convenience, and independence of private automobile ownership, ITNAmerica offers rides to seniors who can no longer drive their own vehicles. Using a network of paid and volunteer drivers, the organization offers ``arm-through-arm and door- through-door service'' seven days a week, 24 hours a day. With an average age of 85, riders use the service for anything from shopping trips to doctor's appointments.

Reading the stories of its riders, it's clear that ITNAmerica's service is not just about getting seniors from Point A to B.

Without the ability to drive, seniors can find themselves suddenly shut off from services, friends, and the world--with terrible repercussions for their health and wellbeing. Just as sadly, our communities can also lose out on the many things they have to offer. This service allows seniors to keep their freedom and quality of life while maintaining their connections to businesses, churches, and volunteer commitments. And along the way, they develop lasting friendships with their drivers and fellow riders.

Executive Director Katherine Freund founded the organization in 1995 after her 3-year-old son was injured by an elderly driver. Katherine decided the accident was less the fault of the driver than of a system that does not adequately meet the transportation needs of seniors who live past their driving years. From humble beginnings, ITNAmerica has grown to 23 affiliates in 18 states across the country and Katherine has earned numerous awards and accolades for the difference she has made in the lives of seniors.

While it took 18 years to reach the first half-million rides, ITNAmerica expects to deliver its millionth ride in only three years from now. With millions of baby boomers soon retiring, this service is more important than ever. My sincere congratulations and appreciation go to Katherine Freund, ITNAmerica, its affiliates, staff, volunteers, and, indeed, riders on reaching this incredible milestone.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a corporation based in my district, L.L. Bean, for achieving the highest standards of workplace safety through OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) at its Desert Road Service Center in Freeport, Maine.

VPP is OSHA's official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health. Achieving the status requires a rigorous onsite evaluation to ensure that a workplace meets high performance-based standards of preventing occupational safety and health hazards. With missed workdays well below their industries' averages, VPP worksites are some of the safest places to work in the country.

L.L. Bean has shown an incredible commitment to the program and its employees. Since 2007, the company has achieved VPP status at it Brunswick, Maine, manufacturing facility, its call centers, Freeport outlet store, and now Star Status at the Desert Road Service Center, which employs 200 people and handles returns for its vast global business. The company continues to work toward VPP status at all its facilities.

I am not only proud of L.L. Bean for these accomplishments, but also for the way it has involved its employees in achieving them. By fully engaging them in the process, the company has made employees feel safer at work, as well as more appreciated, prized, and respected.

My congratulations and appreciation go to all of the company's owners, managers, and staff for their incredible leadership in workplace safety.

Mr. Speaker, today, thousands of Federal workers across the country, including nearly 5,000 at the Portsmouth Navy Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, will start getting furlough notices. These men and women in Kittery are some of the hardest working, most skilled and dedicated shipyard workers in America. Year in and year out, they repair and refit submarines to the highest standards, on time and on budget. Last year, some of them even risked their lives to put out a fire on board the USS Miami and save it from becoming a total loss.

Now the Federal Government is telling them they could have to take what could amount to a 20 percent pay cut. That is going to be a real hardship for working families in Maine and New Hampshire. And to add insult to injury, they could even have their security clearances suspended if they fall behind on their finances.

It is outrageous that Congress has not done its job and passed a balanced debt reduction package. It is outrageous that Congress has resorted to these arbitrary and extreme budget cuts. The public workers in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and around our country deserve our thanks, not a 20 percent pay cut.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to remember an exemplary individual and member of the Maine Warden Service whom we lost much too early in life.

Raised in Fryeburg, Major Gregory ``Gregg'' Sanborn rose through the ranks over 20 years to become second in command of the Maine Warden Service. For those who don't know, wearing the badge of a Maine Game Warden has to be one of the toughest jobs in the world. These highly trained law enforcement officers are responsible for patrolling miles of remote lands with little or no back up. A day on the job could require anything from braving extreme elements and rugged territory in search of lost hikers to catching and arresting well-armed poachers. Whether we hike, hunt or fish in the Maine woods, we all owe them a debt of gratitude for working so hard to protect our natural resources and keep us safe.

Being a Maine Game Warden was Sanborn's dream job and, throughout his career, he proved exemplary at it. As his colleagues eulogized at his memorial service, he earned the respect of all he came in contact with. On search-and-rescue missions, he wouldn't go home until the party was found. He would drive through the middle of the night and across the state to aid a fellow warden.

And few--if any--could break the law with him on the job. He issued more summons and warnings than any warden before him. Yet his fairness, calm demeanor and evenhandedness earned him the respect even of those he penalized. In his career, no one ever filed a complaint against him.

Sanborn also proved to be an effective leader and administrator. As Major, he strengthened the Maine Warden Service in the face of budget cuts while tightening recruiting standards to ensure that only the most qualified and passionate men and women were hired.

It goes without saying that Sanborn fought cancer bravely and honorably. As he said shortly before his death, ``I lost, but I did not quit.''

The loss is ours and his death at the age of 47 is tragic. Few Mainers will ever be missed by more. Over a thousand people attended his memorial service, and over a thousand people participated in a stem-cell drive in hopes of finding a match for his transplant.

I have no doubt the Maine Warden Service will carry on Sanborn's spirit and continue to do our state proud. But he was indeed a very special person whose loss will be felt for a long, long time. My thoughts go out to his wife and son, his family, and his brothers and sisters in the Maine Warden Service. I am truly grateful that our state had the privilege of benefiting from such a capable, committed, and good-hearted public servant.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate a school in my district for being selected by the U.S. Department of Education as one of only 269 Blue Ribbon Schools nationwide this year.

With 176 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, Hope Elementary in Knox County, Maine, is a small school doing big things. Foremost, the school has consistently met high standards of academic excellence. In itself, this achievement is worthy of honors.

But Hope Elementary has also excelled in teaching lessons in leadership. The school has an active student council, a leadership group that focuses on community service, and a culture where older students are expected to be leaders for their younger peers. Moreover, staff and administration set a strong example of collaboration. Immersed in this kind of environment, Hope students learn from an early age the importance of working together to move the whole community forward. This is an essential lesson for our next generation of leaders, and I truly appreciate the school's commitment to fostering it.

Being named a Blue Ribbon School is a prestigious honor, and the entire Hope Elementary community should be proud. This achievement belongs to the administration, teachers, students, families, and town as a whole. I am proud to have this excellent school in my district and they have my warmest congratulations.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor a college in my District that is celebrating 100 years of teaching students and instilling in them incredible ethics about service to others.

St. Joseph's College was founded in 1912 by the Portland Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, with classes taking place in the Motherhouse in Portland, Maine.

Much has changed in the last hundred years. Today, over a thousand students attend the college. Many live at a beautiful campus overlooking Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine, while many others take classes online--something that would probably be difficult for the Sisters to imagine in 1912.

While the college has successfully seized opportunities to grow and adapt with changing times, its core values are completely intact. Service to others remains a defining characteristic of its culture. St. Joseph's students take part in an impressive number of service projects, including volunteering at health clinics in Guatemala, an active chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and Catherine's Cupboard, a local food pantry run by the college and the Town of Standish.

Another aspect of the school that is close to my heart is the college's commitment to serving healthy, local food to its students. Bon Appetit, the school's food service provider, has demonstrated that locally sourced products can work even for large institutions. Among their pursuits at St. Joseph's are featuring meals with ingredients only from the surrounding area and helping operate a small farm on the campus.

I extend to St. Joseph's College--along with its staff, students and alumni--the warmest congratulations on its first hundred years, and best wishes for a hundred more.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a young constituent of mine who has proven that vegetables aren't just healthy, but delicious.

In August, the White House invited children from across the country to a ``Kids State Dinner'' to highlight healthy recipes that they submitted. Twelve-year-old Annalee Carroll from Appleton, Maine, was selected to represent our state with her recipe for turkey dumplings.

Full of healthy ingredients, Annalee's turkey dumplings can be made in a flash--and look tasty enough to disappear from dinner plates just as quickly.

While parents have been the ones historically to tell their children to eat vegetables, we all have something to learn from Annalee and her peers. Go into a school cafeteria in Maine these days and you're likely to see kids happily gobbling up kale instead of French fries. In between classes, they're tending to the school garden. On the weekends, they're introducing their parents to the local farmers market.

What's behind the change? For years, children learned little--if anything--about what they ate and where it came from. Today, though, more schools are connecting students directly with their food sources. Children are literally getting their hands dirty while learning about the places and people producing their food. With that first-hand information, students more often opt for fresh, healthy foods, many of which can be grown locally or even in school gardens.

I am grateful that the White House, and in particular the First Lady, has done so much to raise awareness about eating healthy, and to celebrate kids who are leading this positive change. Congratulations to Annalee on her excellent recipe!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call my colleagues' attention to an art exhibit on display at the Pentagon.

Over the course of ten years, for one week each summer, a camp in the Berkshires of Massachusetts became ``America's Camp.'' This camp welcomed children whose parents or relatives were killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on American Airlines Flight 93. America's Camp was a place for these children to experience a traditional recreational summer camp--swimming, canoeing, and singing camp songs. But more importantly, it provided a peer-supported environment where these children could memorialize their lost loved-ones among other children who experienced similar losses. It was a place where the kids could be kids, without the label of being a ``9/11 kid,'' as was the case in so many other aspects of their lives.

I am extremely proud of an organization in my district--The Center for Grieving Children--for the contribution they made to this special camp. The Center, based in Portland, Maine, has provided loving support to children and families during times of loss through peer support, outreach, and education. It has done so for 25 years and has provided its services free of charge for as long as families have needed them. The Center for Grieving Children has played a role in America's Camp since its founding. Each year, the Center sent staff and volunteers to camp where they provided ``Buddy Central,'' a drop-in center where grief facilitators offered support to campers.

An annual art project offered children the opportunity to express their grief as well as their hope at camp. There was a quilt project, a tapestry of loss and love, anger and joy; a ``Sky Project,'' with stars from each child with their own tributes to loved ones; and the amazing ``Feathers of the Phoenix,'' with feathers made by the children with images of a person they wished to honor. A collection of these and other art projects has been on display for the past year or so at the Pentagon.

I encourage my colleagues to view this exhibit if given an opportunity to do so. The strength and hope shared by these children hold great power for moving us toward a more peaceful world.

Mr Speaker, I would like to recognize a Maine State Trooper in my district who literally put his life on the line to prevent what could have been a terrible tragedy.

While performing a traffic stop on Interstate 295 in Portland on the afternoon of July 1, Trooper Douglas Cropper received a call that a motorist was driving northbound in the southbound lane of Maine's busiest highway. Seeing no other options to stop the wrong-way driver, Trooper Cropper raced ahead of the car and nosed his cruiser into the travel lane. The driver hit the cruiser and came to a stop just in time for oncoming motorists to avoid a collision. A dramatic dashboard video from the cruiser shows just how quickly the incident unfolded.

No one was injured, and I'm extremely grateful that this scary moment didn't end up being a tragic one. But it's very likely that this would not have been the case without Trooper Cropper's quick thinking and outstanding bravery.

Trooper Cropper says he was simply doing his job. But it's my belief that he went above and beyond to protect lives--and that he saved many in the process.

I want to thank Trooper Douglas Cropper for his actions, and for what he and other Maine State Police officers do every day in Maine: putting their lives on the line to protect people of our state. We owe them all a debt of gratitude for keeping us safe.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor the work of housing counselors across the country who have assisted homeowners during the hardships of the recent housing crisis--and one counselor in particular from Maine.

A constituent wrote to me about Diane Sherman, a housing counselor at Coastal Enterprises in Wiscasset, Maine, who helped this constituent in a four-year process to modify their mortgage. For all that time, Diane has been this family's constant advocate. She has helped them through multiple hearings, held their bank to their word, and guided them through the bank's maze-like bureaucracy.

But what has mattered to this constituent more than anything else is that Diane treated her family with dignity, respect, and sympathy. This was in stark contrast to an institution that dealt with them more like a number than a person. At every step of the way, Diane reminded all involved that this was not an inhuman transaction--the situation was about real people threatened with losing a home that meant so much to them.

Truly outstanding, though, is that Diane performed her services for this family and many others while she herself dealt with life- threatening cancer. When too sick to go to the office, she worked from home. She is still dealing with the terrible disease but I hope and pray for her recovery.

Across the country, thousands of housing counselors like Diane are working to keep families in their homes. They've only become more important in recent years as the housing crisis impacted millions of families. Combined with falling home values, unresponsive mortgage servicers, and long-term unemployment, these families have few places to turn. Thank goodness for housing counselors, who work to make sure consumers get a fair shot. They are not always successful, but they still make an incredible difference for families in very difficult situations.

My sincere gratitude goes to these housing counselors for their heartfelt work, and my best wishes to Diane Sherman for her recovery.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to highlight the outstanding accomplishments of a young woman from Maine's First District.

Eleanor Logan has been rowing since 2003. She has shown true dedication to the sport in her training and competition, and has won numerous awards for her rowing, both nationally and internationally. After winning gold in the 8-person shell at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she set her sights on completing her undergraduate degree from Stanford University while also training for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team. And now, within weeks, she will be representing our nation in the London Olympics.

I'm very proud to highlight Eleanor's success. She is a shining example of what can be accomplished with opportunity and commitment. Successfully balancing education and training, she has worked tremendously hard to achieve her Olympic dreams.

As Eleanor continues on her journey as an athlete and a leader, she is enabling Maine to shine on the international stage, as well.

Go Team USA!

Mr. Speaker, I want to express my gratitude and best wishes to a coalition doing very important work in my state to heal injuries of the past and find a better path into the future.

Today, Wabanaki Chiefs, officials, and citizens--along with members of the Maine Legislature, Truth and Reconciliation Convening Group, Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission, and Maine's governor--are gathering to sign the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Mandate.

This historic signing will begin work to seek truth and healing in how the state child welfare system has treated the families of these indigenous Maine tribes--including the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahlunikuk, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik, Penobscot Indian Nation, and the Aroostook Band of Micmacs. In recent decades, these groups have seen their children taken from them to be placed with non-native families through adoption and foster care.

Through this process, the commission will listen to stories of families affected by these practices and learn how the loss has impacted cultures that rely on their children for continued existence. The goal is not to injure, blame or shame anyone, but to bring these truths to the open air so they can heal, teach, and prevent future harm.

I'm so proud to live in a state that is willing to have these difficult, but crucially important, conversations with a spirit of honesty and reconciliation. I wish my best to this group and fervently hope it reaches a successful conclusion.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor the incredible public service of one of my constituents, Ron Newton of Manchester, Maine.

Mr. Newton has been a member of the Manchester Volunteer Fire Department now for 50 years. In that time, he has served as deputy to three different chiefs, and has put thousands of hours into training, fire calls, and meetings.

In Maine, our small towns often depend on volunteers to staff our fire departments. With their radios always close by, they routinely drop what they're doing to report to an emergency, whether they have to leave work or their families to do so. Just like full-time firefighters, they risk their lives for others, are passionate about their work, and are heroes.

Mr. Newton's five decades as a firefighter is an incredible statement of commitment to his community and its residents--he has something to teach us all about public service.