Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise before you today to share the heartbreaking stories from Americans around the country, including my own district, who were cut off from their loved ones in long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the next several months in this Chamber, I will share harrowing testimony submitted to my office from these families.

Essential caregivers were prohibited from entering nursing homes, group homes, and other long-term care facilities to provide an extra level of care and love, which is so desperately needed and deserved by those who call these facilities home.

Over the past year, long-term care facility residents suffered in isolation. Alone, many lost the will to live, and many others deteriorated physically and mentally.

While we cannot go back in time to fix what has been done, we can take steps today to prevent this from ever happening again. If Congress fails to act, we could see thousands more Americans die or suffer in isolation again.

I have introduced the bipartisan Essential Caregivers Act to fight for the rights of our seniors, our constituents living in group homes with disabilities, and anyone who resides in a long-term care facility. This also includes young children with developmental disabilities.

Under Federal law, residents in long-term care facilities have a right to receive visitors at any time. But during the pandemic, this right was curtailed completely. Many residents, including children with disabilities and seniors, were not allowed access to loved ones who had been caring for them prior to the pandemic. This took a tremendous toll on them.

My bipartisan bill addresses this issue by striking a commonsense compromise. It implements a new Federal standard that will end this indignity. This bill permits each facility resident to designate up to two essential caregivers who will be provided safe, reasonable, and transparent access to residents during any future public health emergency.

The Essential Caregivers Act is a compassionate step to ensure the most vulnerable among us never suffer alone again.

Why is this so important?

Because essential caregivers aren't just visitors; they are, as the name implies, caregivers who help with activities of daily living and provide emotional support and companionship.

This care enriches the lives of residents, enhances their well-being, and helps them thrive personally and socially. Without it, residents ultimately suffer. This is exactly what we saw during the 15-month lockdown.

The importance of the essential caregivers in no way diminishes the critical role that facility staff place in residents' lives, which during this pandemic was nothing short of heroic. Essential caregivers simply supplement the care provided by facility staff. They are a force multiplier that enhances the ability of residents to thrive and to live their lives fully.

Importantly, this bill upholds strict safety and health standards to protect residents, staff, and caregivers. Any essential caregiver must comply with whatever health standards are put in place by a facility. This includes requirements for testing, PPE, and social distancing.

In my home State of New York, one of the greatest tragedies of the COVID-19 pandemic was the suffering of those living in nursing and group homes. First, they suffered because of Governor Cuomo's negligent policy to return COVID-positive patients to long-term care facilities. Then they suffered by not being able to access the caregivers they depended on for so many years.

Today I want to tell their stories not only from the constituents I represent in New York, but also from those around the country who similarly suffered.

First, we remember the life of Ana Martinez. Vivian Zayas and Alexa Rivera are the cofounders of Voices for Seniors. Their mother is Ana Martinez, who was supposed to undergo a few weeks of physical therapy in West Islip, New York. But because of Governor Cuomo's COVID mandates, Vivian and Alexa were unable to tell their mother good-bye before she passed away after contracting COVID in the facility.

Vivian and Alexa has since made it their life's mission to see that no one else endures the hardships they experienced being cut off from their own mother.

We remember the life of Daniel Alvino. Tracey Alvino is the daughter of Daniel Alvino. Daniel was a veteran and a football fanatic. His family meant the world to him. His laugh was the highlight of all of their holiday parties.

In March 2020, Daniel was placed into a rehab facility in a New York nursing home after having neck surgery. Under Cuomo's nursing mandate, Tracey had no access to her father for a significant period of time. Daniel fell very ill and had to be rushed to a hospital and placed on a ventilator.

On April 14, 2020, Daniel Alvino passed away at the age of 76. It wasn't until a year later that his family finally held his funeral to commemorate his life that was cut far too short.

This evening, we remember Mr. Alvino.

We also remember the life of John Daly. John Daly was a husband, father of five, grandfather of nine, and a Marine veteran who served on the front lines in Korea. He and his wife, Mary, were together for 63 years until the day he entered the Gurwin Jewish Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center at the time lockdowns were put in place.

John spent 20 days at the facility after having been hospitalized with pneumonia. Having suffered a minor stroke previously, John had limited use of his left arm and needed assistance.

Madam Speaker, his wife was the one who was normally there to help him in the facility, but she was cut off from him completely. She was no longer able to see John and received only infrequent phone calls.

Once his rehab was over, the family picked him up to find that he was no longer able to walk. His condition had deteriorated significantly. In a matter of days, the family had to choose between hospice or fighting for his life. They chose to fight.

Sadly, because of the isolation he faced, John was not eating enough to live. Sadly, John lost his life on May 24, 2020.

The family feels strongly that if his wife had been by his side, giving him the love and care that he needed, he would be with us today.

This evening, we remember John Daly.

Madam Speaker, we also remember the life of Rosemary Abraham. Karla Abraham-Conley is the daughter of Rosemary Abraham. Rosemary was admitted to a long-term care facility in September 2019.

Before the pandemic, Karla was by her mother's side as a caregiver. She took her to lunch, brought her to family dinners, and provided help with the day-to-day activities.

When March 2020 arrived, Karla was cut off from her mother completely. After months of isolation, speaking only over the phone, Karla noticed the toll that it was having on her mother's health.

Window visits were brutal and confusing for her mother. Karla's mother simply did not understand why Karla wasn't allowed in to see her.

As they spoke over FaceTime, Karla watched her mother deteriorate. Only after Karla pleaded for someone to care for her mother was she eventually sent to the emergency room due to poor health.

Sadly, Rosemary Abraham died 7 days later, on October 4, 2020. She died from isolation, failure to thrive, and neglect.

If Karla had been allowed to be in the facility with her mother, she would likely be alive today.

This evening, we remember Rosemary Abraham and remember that Karla Abraham-Conley was one of the people who inspired us to put together and to draft the Essential Caregivers Act.

Madam Speaker, we also recognize the suffering of Susan Wilson. Robert Wilson is married to Susan Wilson. She is a retired pediatric nurse who suffered a major hemorrhagic stroke that left her paralyzed on the right side. Her speech was limited, as was her ability to perform daily living activities.

She did not get COVID, nor did she die in the long-term care facility, but she has suffered severe damage by the extended lockdown.

For a full 7 months, he was excluded from seeing her. Even though she was in an excellent nursing home, her care and her emotional, physical, and mental state deteriorated significantly.

No staff, no matter how good, can provide only what an essential caregiver can provide. His wife was admitted to the hospital twice. Her speech deteriorated. She lost the ability to use her nondominant hand. She lost progress on relearning how to walk and is now confined to a wheelchair.

In his formal testimony, Robert said: ``I am not a visitor. I am Susan's voice, her only voice. She should never have been subjected to the isolation, and you all have the ability to keep it from happening again.''

This evening, we recognize Susan's suffering. The Essential Caregivers Act would have protected Susan's rights and allowed critical access for John to continue for her care.

Madam Speaker, we also recognize the suffering of Gina Zanchelli. Dolores Zanchelli was the caretaker of her mother, Gina, who lived in a skilled nursing facility in Long Island, New York.

Dolores visited her mother every day to provide the extra care that the facility was not able to deliver each day. Having access to her mother allowed Dolores the chance to monitor her mother's health closely.

Once lockdowns went into effect, Dolores was cut off from her mother, who became depressed from being isolated. Physical therapy stopped, and the necessary care she needed was deemed unessential in the facility.

Delores and her mother were limited to only video calls during the lockdown. After Dolores went through a rigorous process to see her mother, she was able to have three socially distanced visits over the course of 13 months, about 10 to 15 minutes each, but the isolation had already taken its toll.

Gina's rights were violated, and the damage that resulted physically and mentally has been irreversible. In Dolores' words: ``This should never be allowed to happen again.''

This evening, we recognize the suffering of Gina Zanchelli.

Madam Speaker, we also recognize the suffering of Lynn Ray Leljedal. Prior to COVID, Carrie had never been away from her son, Lynn, for more than 9 days. He was 32 when COVID shut down all the long-term care facilities.

Lynn was born with a rare seizure disorder called Sturge-Weber syndrome. At 16 years old, he had to have the right side of his brain disconnected to control seizures.

Lynn moved into a long-term care facility in 2013. His mother, Carrie, has always been a hands-on mom. She never just went to visit; she would spend hours with her son, cleaning his room and eating meals with him and the other residents. Some nights, she would just go over to help him get ready for bed.

In March 2020, Carrie was told that the facility was closed to all visitors. Her heart dropped. For over 4 months, she was only able to see Lynn through a window or through a virtual visit.

When she was finally allowed to see Lynn, it was only at doctor's appointments. The distance took its toll on them.

As Carrie said in her testimony to me: ``There is only one way to ensure that any resident of long-term care never faces this again. This is by passing H.R. 3733, the Essential Caregivers Act.''

Madam Speaker, these are heart-wrenching stories that show exactly why we need to pass the Essential Caregivers Act. Had this law been in place, these residents would not have suffered alone in isolation, and their caregivers would have been there to safely provide the supplemental care that is so critical. Individuals we lost may have been with us today.

This bill is about protecting the rights of the most vulnerable among us.

Madam Speaker, the stories I shared with you this evening only scratch the surface of the suffering individuals and families endured around the country.

Madam Speaker, I have personally received hundreds of pages, and I will show them to you. This is just some of the gut-wrenching testimony from families who have been through excruciating circumstances fighting for their loved ones' rights.

To read it all would take hours, which is why I will post every page of it on my website. Let it be a permanent reminder of the need for this body to pass the act.

Each of these stories, we will try to get them through. We have another year and a half left of the term to try to get them through Special Orders or other ways on the floor so that these people can be properly recognized.

Before I close, I want to share some additional names of people who also submitted their stories, so that their names are in the Record:

Bill Borelle, essential caregiver to his 96-year-old mother.

Tamra Holland, essential caregiver to her mother, Darlene.

Debbie Manderville, essential caregiver for her father, Wallace McTaggart.

Elmer Dengler, essential caregiver to Sara Dengler.

Kim Eastmann, essential caregiver to Eulala Dade.

Ginger Vukas, essential caregiver for Virginia Ross.

Irma Rappaport, essential caregiver to Lillian Felix.

John Barabas, essential caregiver to his wife, Patricia.

Karen Klink, essential caregiver to her mother, Cynthia.

Katie Zaba, essential caregiver to her Uncle Jack.

Laughing Womyn Ashonosheni, essential caregiver to her 86-year-old parents.

Laurette Klier, essential caregiver to her mother-in-law.

Laurie Kruithof, essential caregiver to her mother.

Lucille Powell, essential caregiver to her husband, Jack.

Amy Saunders, essential caregiver to her mother, Gloria Kravetz.

Beth Segessenman, essential caregiver to her mother.

Cindy Goodloe, essential caregiver to her father, Major John Preston Roden.

Denise Holt, essential caregiver to her husband.

Diane McMillen, essential caregiver to her mother, Joanne.

Kathi A. Vanbenschoten, essential caregiver to Karl Landherr.

Emily Main, essential caregiver to her mother, Nancy Proudfit.

Felicia Knary, essential caregiver to her mother, Joyce.

Joyce B., essential caregiver to her mother.

Margaret Melzer, essential caregiver to her mother, Elfried Mach Melzer.

Martha Rhodes, essential caregiver to her 91-year-old mother.

MarySue Phipps, essential caregiver to her mother, Lucille Harris.

Maxine Schwartz, essential caregiver to her mother

Melody Taylor Stark, essential caregiver to her husband, Bill

Merrily Caldwell, essential caregiver to her mother

Mindy Cain, essential caregiver to her father

Nancy Klein, essential caregiver to her son

Paula Fowler, essential caregiver to her father

Rachel Sanchez, essential caregiver to her mother

Regina Clemmer and Ashley Patrick, essential caregivers to their sister

Veronica ``Roni'' Ferraro, essential caregiver to her husband

Sam Kukich, essential caregiver to her grandmother

Sandra Waters, essential caregiver to her mother

Sharon Echtmann, essential caregiver to her husband

Sherri Ustich, essential caregiver to her special needs daughter

Sommer Reider, essential caregiver to her mother

Susan Groseclose, essential caregiver to her husband, Dennis

Suzanne Von Bargen, essential caregiver to her mother

Todd and Marla Carter, essential caregivers for Tanya, Freddy, and Linda

Victoria Cerrone, essential caregiver to her father, Vittorio

Bridgette Gianturco, essential caregiver to her mother, Joy Preston

Jaime, essential caregiver to their mother, Jeanette Hohler

Bernadine Chapman, essential caregiver to her brother

Courtney Templeton, essential caregiver to her mother

Cynthia Hadden, essential caregiver to her father

John Carlone, essential caregiver to his mother

Lynn Norman, essential caregiver to their mother, Connie Power

Denise Bogan, essential caregiver to her mother, Gabrielle Lewis

Sally Raque, essential caregiver to her 90-year-old mother

Julie Lewis, essential caregiver to her 80-year-old father

Amy Mcguire, essential caregiver to her mother, Frances Dowell

Rick Winter, essential caregiver to many through the years

Karen Basso, essential caregiver to her husband, Derek Franklin Basso

Erma Hall-Thomas, essential caregiver to her older sister

Roietta Combs, essential caregiver to her father

Stacey Palant, essential caregiver to her mother and late father

Deborah Buchanan, essential caregiver to her mother

Catherine Carlton, essential caregiver in northern New Jersey

Virginia Andreoli Muscarella, essential caregiver to her father, Fred Andreoli

Cindy Tate-Gibson, essential caregiver to her mother

Beth Nelson, essential caregiver to her husband, Stanley Fullwood

Kathleen McCartney, essential caregiver to her mother, Mary

Cindy, essential caregiver to her 91-year-old mother

Patricia Cladek, caregiver to her mother, Doris

Crystal Ton, essential caregiver to her son Jackson

Patricia Medeiros and Maria Tavarozzi, essential caregivers to their mother

Mariam Barakzoy, essential caregiver to her mother

Marilynn Lester, essential caregiver to her 87-year-old mother, Ruth Lester

Teresa Trimpler, essential caregiver to her parents, Maria and Enrique Hernandez

Simone Kraemer, essential caregiver to her mother

Ila Haymaker, essential caregiver to her mother

Tim Wall, essential caregiver to his mother, Peggy Martin Wall

Maitely Weismann, essential caregiver to her mother, Celia Weismann

Charles Galligan, essential caregiver to his father, Jack.

Each of these individuals submitted testimony to my office that is just as powerful and compelling as the seven stories I shared with you this evening.

As I said, I will post these testimonies on my website and, hopefully, throughout the next year and a half, I will be able to speak about each one of these people who have given essential care on behalf of a family member and the loss that these people suffered over the next several months.

I encourage each member of this body to take time to read these stories and hear the pleas of those who suffered. The one bit of solace I take from these stories is that the elected Members of Congress here tonight can do something to prevent these tragedies from ever happening again.

We stand together and support passage of the bipartisan Essential Caregivers Act. It will protect these individuals and their loved ones from any future harm.

I want to close by thanking Congressman Larson from Connecticut for leading this bipartisan effort with me. I also want to thank the bill's other cosponsors: Elise Stefanik, John Rutherford, Yvette Herrell, Madison

Cawthorn, Abigail Spanberger, Ted Budd, Jeff Van Drew, and Steve Cohen.

Tomorrow morning, I will be joined by caregivers from all over the country at the Capitol steps to call for the House to take up our bill and make right this injustice. No individual deserves the indignity of suffering alone. We can fix this, and we must.

May God bless all of those who suffered and all of those essential caregivers around our Nation. We are grateful to you.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for hosting this great Special Order on a fundamental right.

Madam Speaker, our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self-protection is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

However, many States, including my own home State of New York, home to Remington Arms, of all places, unconstitutionally restricts our right to carry concealed outside of our home. In most New York jurisdictions, an applicant must justify their need for such a concealed carry permit.

Despite the plain words of the Second Amendment enshrined for centuries in the Bill of Rights, State and local authorities in New York continue to reject applications for law-abiding Americans for entirely arbitrary reasons or for no reason at all. States like California and Massachusetts do exactly the same thing.

This arbitrary standard must be rejected. That is why I am leading the amicus brief for an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Corlett. This case will decide if New York's burdensome concealed carry law violates the Second Amendment.

A little background on the case: In 2016, Rensselaer County, New York, officials denied the concealed carry permit of Robert Nash for the purpose of self-defense. Later, in 2018, they also denied the concealed carry application of Brandon Koch for the same reason.

Both these individuals are honorable, upstanding, and law-abiding citizens. They met every requirement of New York's rigorous concealed carry license application. These two men simply applied for a concealed carry permit for personal protection after a rash of robberies in their neighborhoods and their community.

New York State is now witnessing the highest crime rate that we have had in the history of our State. However, even after all of that, the county licensing officers did not believe that self-defense was a valid exercise of constitutional rights under the Second Amendment.

The gun control measures being considered by the Supreme Court in this key case amount to a blanket ban on the right to keep and bear arms outside the home. The amicus brief I am submitting, with the support of more than 50 Members of the House of Representatives so far, defends citizens' rights against elected officials and government bureaucrats who are attempting to deny these fundamental constitutional rights to all Americans.

We argue that it is unconstitutional for the government to apply a balancing test for a fundamental right such as the Second Amendment under our Constitution. The Bill of Rights was drafted and passed to protect citizens from government overreach.

It is worth noting that New York is an original colony with a very strong history of citizens who stood up for our basic rights. In 1788 and 1789, before and during the Constitutional Convention and the founding of our Federal Constitution, New York's leaders refused to sign on to our Federal Constitution until--until--the Bill of Rights was added to our founding document. They knew how important Second Amendment rights were then, and how important they were to a self- governing constitutional Republic such as ours.

The success of the plaintiff, law-abiding gun owners in this case, will end this improper interpretation of our constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and will be the first major pro-Second Amendment decision considered by the U.S. Supreme Court since Heller v. District of Columbia.

Madam Speaker, I urge all Members who take their oath to uphold the Constitution seriously to sign on to this amicus brief. Together, we can all protect our Second Amendment rights for all Americans.

I, again, want to thank Mr. Clyde for his tenacious advocacy on behalf of our God-given constitutional rights, and all of my colleagues here today who are standing up for all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the incredible life and military career of one of New York State's most decorated World War II veterans, U.S. Army National Guard veteran Private First Class Kenneth C. Thayer, the handsome man you see pictured behind me.

Mr. Thayer is part of a distinguished National Guard unit that displayed heroic and patriotic service in defense of the United States. In recognition of his unwavering service to our Nation, I recently had the opportunity to present Mr. Thayer with the Presidential Unit Citation, one of the highest honors a military unit can receive. Here is the picture of me meeting Mr. Thayer this weekend.

The Army has requested this Presidential Unit Citation for the 30th Infantry Division since 1946. It wasn't until last year, nearly 75 years later, that President Trump recognized this unit and the well- deserving group of men for their selfless acts of bravery and devotion to our country.

Mr. Thayer was a soldier in the National Guard's 30th Infantry Division, a unit known for their exemplary conduct in both World War I and World War II. The 30th Division was formed in 1917, soon after the United States had entered World War I. They fought heroically in France against the German Army, and once the war ended, they returned to their prewar status in the National Guard.

Then, on September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, initiating World War II. The 30th Division was quickly reinstated by 1940 and called upon to fight. They first saw combat on Omaha Beach on June 11, 1944.

Mr. Thayer entered Active service on December 9, 1943, just 2 years after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. A Utica native, Mr. Thayer was sent to the 30th after recovering from an injury he sustained in 1944. His division was nicknamed ``Old Hickory'' because the majority of the men were from Southern States closely associated with President Andrew Jackson, and Mr. Thayer would grow very close with many of them.

The 30th would go on to become one of the most important forces in the United States' European Theater Operations. The 30th Division was in active combat from June 1944 to April 1945, a total of 282 days.

One of its most challenging battles was fought at Mortain, France. From August 6, 1944, to August 12, 1944, the 30th Infantry Division was faced with continuous attack from German forces, who were attempting to break through Allied lines.

Over 2,000 men in this division alone died while fighting to drive Germans from France, but the courage of this division helped turn the tide of the war and will be remembered for generations to come.

Mr. Thayer coauthored two volumes titled ``The Young Liberators: From Civilian to Soldier''--I have the book here, a wonderful account--with historian Allan Foote, whose father also served in the 30th Infantry Division during World War II, Master Sergeant Arthur A. Foote.

Writing about one of the artillery barrages during that period, Mr. Thayer states in his book: ``I kept on scrambling around in a futile attempt to find someone, anyone I could help. . . . Out of 220 men, I was the only survivor. It was an absolute nightmare.''

It is almost impossible to imagine the atrocities that these men witnessed. As Americans, we remember the bravery and sacrifice that Mr. Thayer and so many of the 30th endured.

Between June 1944 and May 1945, the men of the United States 30th Infantry Division participated in every major Western European campaign, from Normandy to the Elbe River. Known as the ``Workhorse of the Western Front,'' the 30th was ranked as the top infantry division by a team of historians who worked under General Eisenhower. His chief historian, Colonel S.L.A. Marshall, declared the 30th ``the finest infantry division in the European Theater of Operations.''

The reputation of Old Hickory is that of resolute dedication and valor. They are viewed as heroic not only to Americans but to those whom they saved overseas.

For instance, in the Netherlands, where the 30th Division liberated the town of Maastricht, the townspeople created a cemetery for these lost souls. To this day, the community continues to place American flags at the gravesites every May in their memory. The town officials still keep in touch with Mr. Thayer even though he is living in assisted living.

For this service, Mr. Thayer has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, two Bronze Stars, and three Purple Hearts.

A man of incredible courage and personal fortitude, Mr. Thayer is a true hero. He served our Nation through tremendous strife, yet he remains humble, gracious, and incredibly sharp.

It was an honor to meet Mr. Thayer, along with his coauthor, Allan Foote, this past weekend and present him with this well-deserved recognition. His life of courage and commitment to our Nation is unparalleled. It would have been easy for him to give up in the face of evil, but Mr. Thayer and the men of the 30th Infantry never gave up. They were fiercely dedicated to changing the course of the war, and they worked fearlessly to ensure that America and freedom would prevail.

It is truly an honor to share Mr. Thayer's unique story in this historic Chamber today. It was the opportunity of a lifetime to spend time with Mr. Thayer and hear his firsthand account of his experiences as a critical player in this major event of human history.

At age 95, nearly 96, he is the last survivor of this venerable group of heroes. We will remember him, and we thank him for his great service.

I highly recommend this wonderful book by this great veteran of World War II.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor New York Mills Police Officer Guy Danella, who retired from law enforcement after 23 years this past month.

Guy, a native of my hometown of New Hartford, began his service in law enforcement in 1998, with the Oneida County Sheriff's Department as a corrections deputy. During that time, Guy realized he wanted to continue his career as a police officer and became a deputy sheriff with the road patrol in 2000, where he spent 2 years on the DWI patrol.

In 2004, Guy began his career with the New York Mills Police Department, where he would serve for the next 17 years. During his service with New York Mills, Guy became a field training officer, helping to mentor new officers, and was honored with a number of service awards, including the Meritorious Service Award, Exceptional Service Award, and the Patriot Award.

It was an honor to meet with Guy and his amazing daughter, Alex. I hope she fulfills her dream to go to law school someday.

Guy, we thank you for your many years of service to our wonderful community and for helping to train our next generation of heroes. Our community is truly grateful.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Richard J. Furlong, a wonderful member of our community who passed away late last year.

Mr. Furlong was born in 1926 in Utica, New York, my hometown. He grew up on the Seminole Farm in Holland Patent.

He was called to serve his country at the age of 19 when he enlisted in the United States Army during the World War II era. After he left service, he returned home to Holland Patent. He would later go on to marry Neva Millias, who was his beloved wife of 37 years.

Mr. Furlong was a very proud son of Irish immigrants. He enjoyed sharing his heritage with those around him and made several visits to Ireland over the course of his life.

Friends and family remember him as a jovial and hardworking man. Mr. Furlong was the oldest living member of The American Legion Leon R. Roberts Post 161 and a past member and president of the Holland Patent Hose Company.

He was beloved by his siblings, 12 nieces and nephews, and many great-nieces and -nephews. I extend my condolences to his family and also his great friends.

Richard was larger than life, with a vibrant and fun personality. While we all miss him dearly, we will always remember his great legacy with a big smile.

Madam Speaker, I join my colleagues today urging commonsense policies to carry out the goals of the Endangered Species Act while allowing our communities to flourish.

As stewards of our planet, we each have a responsibility to care for the environment and protect our wildlife while also caring for and addressing the needs of our human environment, which often gets left out in this conversation.

However, today it seems more difficult than ever to have balanced discussions. Deeply entrenched special interests are increasingly using our small communities as pawns for their larger political ambitions. Unfortunately, the bureaucrats in both the Federal and State Government, especially in New York, have become more powerful than the people, and that is unacceptable.

I want to bring to your attention what is happening in my community today. I represent New York's 22nd District, which stretches all the way from Lake Ontario, yes, a Great Lake, to the Pennsylvania border in the heart of beautiful, pastoral, upstate New York.

On April 16, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ordered an immediate halting of a routine annual dredging project to clear ingress and egress into the lovely inlet of Sandy Pond, which is on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario, due to the sighting of a piping plover, a small shoreline bird that weighs less than 2 ounces. Even though there are over 10,000 of these birds today throughout the Great Plains and eastern seaboard, they remain listed as an endangered species in the Great Lakes region.

The annual dredging project maintains safe ingress and egress into Sandy Pond. The seasonal dredging was one week from completion before the forced government closure. There are several hundred homes and campsites along this beautiful spot on Lake Ontario known as Sandy Pond, where people from around the Northeast have enjoyed this incredibly beautiful and unique place for over a century.

The closure has been devastating to local businesses, residents, and visitors, who have already been suffering from the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic last summer. Property values alone in this region are in excess of $150 million, not including all the business revenues and sales tax lost from people coming to this region from really all around the Northeast and Canada.

Despite this harsh Federal action, the two--there are now two--piping plovers' nests are not even close to the dredging site. I know because I went to the site, and I walked off the distance from the dredging site to the beginning of the designated habitat. The distance was clearly over 3,000 feet, just to get to the beginning of the site, where the birds are much farther down.

I want to emphasize that the community cares deeply about the natural environment. They seek to preserve this natural environment and its natural splendor for generations to come, and they deeply care about the continued growth and continued population of this piping plover.

The community has proposed a simple dredging, an economy-mode dredging, which would be less intrusive, to dispose of the sand in an alternative location that would be far away. This is a very modest and safe proposal. It is respectful and preserves the nesting site to the bird, and it is a perfectly reasonable accommodation.

Unfortunately, the Federal and State bureaucrats have dug in and refuse to compromise, despite the fact that dredging can begin again safely and responsibly without threatening the life or the habitat of the birds.

The Federal and State agencies have been unable to support their position yet with data or facts. We have had numerous conversations with them, public meetings, and press conferences, and they refuse to offer any opportunity for the residents to have some relief.

All the while, the community at Sandy Pond continues to suffer, and the harm could be irreparable harm as the situation grows more dire each day, as the safe passage into Sandy Pond to and from Lake Ontario becomes impossible.

The piping plover, interestingly, has not been seen in this part of Sandy Pond. Really it is sort of a rare resident. And it has been determined that actually piping plovers like dredged sand. It unearths minerals and nutrients for them, and they tend to be flocking now to these nesting sites. Sadly, a few years ago one of the pairs that did show up was killed by a fox, so we were unable to save that particular pair.

There are far too many communities that have suffered from the whims of bureaucrats in Washington and Albany who just don't seem to care and seem to be hiding behind many of these rules and regulations when there are reasonable alternatives that will preserve the natural environment as well as the human environment.

I am concerned that to make matters worse the Biden administration is barreling down a path of appeasement to the left lobbyists and special interests.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has already announced they are repealing recent reforms to the Endangered Species Act put in place under the last administration--and thank you for acknowledging the changes that were made. These changes will enact greater economic costs while doing very little to offer any additional conservation protections for the environment.

Our communities need reasonable compromises to ensure the prosperity and enjoyment of our natural environment for all. This includes the economy as well as the wildlife and the natural environment. The Federal Government must be committed to this outcome as well as the State government.

That is why I rise today, in support of targeted reforms to the Endangered Species Act that provide for commonsense solutions that will protect the natural environment for all species.

Madam Speaker, it is my great honor to recognize my constituent services director, Jason Phelps, of New Hartford, New York, for 20 years of outstanding service to the people of upstate New York.

Jason began his service as an intern for former Congressman Sherry Boehlert in Washington, D.C., and, after a short time working for a nonprofit, became a member of Boehlert's Utica staff, where he dedicated himself to veterans' case work. Jason has worked for five different Members of Congress in the Mohawk Valley and has served countless veterans across the region.

No matter how complex the case, Jason is always ready to jump in to assist our veterans. From cutting through VA red tape, to making sure a veteran and their family receives the Purple Heart they earned through their service, Jason approaches each case with determination and compassion.

Not only is Jason an amazing veterans' advocate, he is also a role model and an inspiration to the many staff and interns he has worked with in all these offices throughout the years.

Jason, thank you for your many years of service to our brave veterans and for also being the guiding light for our staff and our community. We all look forward to working with you for many more years to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding work of the Civil Air Patrol, otherwise known as CAP. I have had personal experience with Civil Air Patrol, as my son, Trey, was a member of the Civil Air Patrol while in high school. He gained valuable leadership skills that led him to graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy and now serving as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Civil Air Patrol protects our homeland by serving as the Air Force's official auxiliary. CAP is active in all 50 States.

Last year alone, the Civil Air Patrol saved 130 lives while responding to devastating natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires. CAP also helped States distribute COVID-19 test kits, personal protective equipment, and other essential goods, making it their largest mobilization effort since World War II.

Greater funding for the force will allow the Civil Air Patrol to train more pilots, continue its cadet program, and purchase much-needed equipment. I want to thank the Civil Air Patrol national legislative coordinator, Dr. Gerald Marketos, for his strong leadership and compassionate commitment to our Nation. I urge my colleagues to join me and Representative Mike Thompson to support Civil Air Patrol funding appropriation requests for fiscal year 2022.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Johnson so much for holding this very important evening of Special Orders to honor National Police Week. I am so honored to be here on behalf of our men and women in blue, who do such a great job supporting us.

Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to put out a few facts on this that I thought would be interesting to our listeners. There are over 800,000 law enforcement officers across the United States serving and protecting our communities, and I commend them as they serve at great personal risk.

These public servants intervene daily in dangerous and life- threatening situations to deescalate tensions, to provide emergency care, to apprehend criminals, to defend the most vulnerable, and to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans.

Over the past year, law enforcement officers have faced unprecedented challenges in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising violent crime. In 2020, 264 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty. In my community alone, we have tragically lost friends in law enforcement, over a dozen in just my community who were killed in the line of duty. That is just way too many.

In 2021, across the Nation, 49 law enforcement officers have died, making it the deadliest period for law enforcement in decades.

Amidst these unparalleled challenges, unfortunately, politicians in Washington and around the country have perpetuated this idea that law enforcement officers are the enemy. If any of you watched or saw the wonderful law enforcement officer, who is also the mother of a young child, saving that toddler shot in Times Square, carrying this young child to safety, it would warm anyone's heart.

We know how hard they work and how much they care for their communities.

But, unfortunately, some have gone so far as to create a dangerous movement, known as defund the police, that demonizes the police, imperils our public safety, and needlessly divides our communities.

My priorities in Congress are to support law enforcement and bring our communities back together. We must move beyond the divisive and damaging rhetoric, mend the relationships between police and the communities they serve, and give our police officers the legal protections and tools they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.

We have done some of this in our community, and I want to highlight just one chief of police, Mark Williams, from the city of Utica, who has worked extensively in community policing programs, which has tremendously brought down the crime rate in terms of interactions with police. We still have challenges out there, but he is working hard to try to invest in community policing programs.

We need money and resources to do that, and we would not be successful if we actually defunded the police and didn't give them the opportunity to work with these communities to recruit people, people in the neighborhoods who want to protect their own communities and who actually care.

Toward these objectives, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. We have to solve these problems. It is essential to our safety. It is an essential role of government to keep us safe. Our constituents are depending on us.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Louisiana for doing this. I really appreciate the effort.

Mr. Speaker, it is a tremendous honor for me to recognize Eileen Ucekay, a hardworking and outstanding constituent of the 22nd Congressional District in New York. She retired on May 9 of this year after working 45 years as the village clerk and treasurer of West Winfield.

Eileen hails from the nearby city of Utica, where she grew up with her two sisters and attended high school there before moving to West Winfield.

Eileen married her late husband, Jack, and had three wonderful children in our community, all while continuing to work for the village.

In addition to her many decades of public service, Eileen serves the West Winfield community through her

church, the Greater West Winfield Historical Society, the Red Cross, and the Red Hat Society.

She is truly a role model for all. Her remarkable life, strong character, and deep dedication to public service have gained her the respect of everyone in our community.

We are grateful for Eileen Ucekay's service and her compassion for our community.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 119.

Mr. Speaker, I would have voted by proxy today for Ms. Stefanik of New York District 21. Had I been present, she would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 119.

Madam Speaker, there is a crisis at our Nation's southern border, as you heard when our minority whip Steve Scalise outlined it earlier.

Last month, more than 170,000 illegal immigrants were encountered and rescued by border agents at our southern border, and almost 19,000 of them were children, the most ever in a single month.

This is a humanitarian catastrophe, as cartels are profiting at record levels from this egregious human trafficking scheme.

I visited the border, including a child processing center at the El Paso Sector, and witnessed this firsthand. I left with an even deeper sense of respect and admiration for the men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

agency and those other agencies tasked to assist them.

Chief Gloria Chavez leads her force along the El Paso Sector with incredible tenacity, courage, compassion, and great energy. The team of agents under her command are doing an excellent job in a nearly impossible situation. These terrific people are overwhelmed because of the dangerous and inhumane policies now coming from Washington. I am grateful to Chief Chavez and her team for their insights.

Human trafficking is a nonpartisan issue. We must come together to stop it. We must finish the border wall, improve barrier technology around the wall, and we must reform this disastrous immigration policy.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding.

I just wanted a moment to take the opportunity to share something that I launched this week with Representative Garcia from California, and that is the Election Integrity Caucus.

In that caucus, our mission is to make sure that we have and preserve integrity in our election process, and that we have people understand just how important the right to vote is and why it is such a sacred act and a cornerstone of our constitutional Republic and the democratic principles that we hold dear.

A lot of people don't realize how important their right to vote is, and we just want to make sure that people understand that. We don't want it to be undermined.

We think that the Speaker's signature legislation, H.R. 1, undermines the integrity of the right to vote. We think every person who has a legal right to vote should vote in every election, but just once, not multiple times.

One of the things I wanted to mention because I just have a few minutes here, is that we would love to have all the Members join the caucus. Obviously, we would love to have a bipartisan caucus, but I am reaching out to everyone across the Nation to support our efforts to try to bring integrity to our election process and to understand how sacred the right to vote is.

I think it is really great that Mike Garcia, the Representative from California, who won by 333 votes, is joining me. I won by 109 votes in upstate New York in one of the longest election cycles in the Nation and did not even get sworn in until February 11.

So we just wanted to make sure everyone understands that we want to expand the number of people that vote. You know, you hear all the time that the Republicans want to suppress the vote. Nothing could be further from the truth.

We know so many great Americans through our Nation's history that have lost life and limb for this sacred right to vote privately, and we want those people to exercise that right and feel that their vote actually counts.

I think one thing that my race and Representative Garcia's--also our colleague, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who recently was confirmed the winner again in Iowa's Second District--shows is that every vote does count. And it should be something that people joyfully do, is to exercise that right to vote because I think a lot of people don't realize, we have a self-governing constitutional Republic; it is by and for the people.

I think one of the enduring themes, one of the reasons I love our former President Lincoln was that he used to talk about: Can we save the Republic? Can we be self-governing? And we want to be sure that we preserve all of that and how great this country is by actually forming this Election Integrity Caucus to travel around the country and encourage people to register to vote, and to vote.

And I will add, I just visited the border. And we have a great community of refugees where my district is up in New York's 22nd District, and I can't tell you how excited so many of these people are when they finally get to be citizens, and when they have a chance to vote, and when they have a chance to vote privately without somebody looking over their shoulder or knowing how they voted.

We just want to make that act sacred, and we want to make everyone aware that they have the opportunity to vote, and their vote is secure, and no one is going to take their vote or dilute their vote. We need to make sure that we preserve the integrity of our voter rolls.

It is interesting; I come from New York, and people think of New York as being this liberal bastion, which it is. But Article II of New York's Constitution talks about the right of suffrage.

In my own district, the first women to vote in New York State voted in Lisle, New York, in my district of New York. So we know how sacred that right is for women to have the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton all hailed from New York State, so we have a great tradition of voting, and we want to lead the way toward that.

I know that we would love to have the gentleman join if he is interested in joining our caucus.

And we have many safeguards in place to reserve that right to vote, but also to encourage people to go out and realize that their vote does count. And wouldn't it be great if every legal citizen voted in every election? That would be a true self-governing Republic that we all aspire to maintain and preserve.

Once again, I cannot emphasize enough, we urge everyone to join the caucus, including our Democratic friends. I think they would like what we are going to be standing for. We are going to be preserving and protecting the votes in all districts across the entire Nation, and I think it is going to be an exciting initiative.

I thank the gentleman for being willing to join. I know my time is limited today, but I wanted to take advantage of this. And I want to also thank the gentleman for taking this opportunity to be in this amazing place.

It is an honor to be elected to this great body, with so many good Members on both sides of the aisle, and to be able to do the business here for the people of our country in such a tough time, in so many ways, as we are emerging, hopefully, from the pandemic.

I am grateful that you take this time and talk about the news and events of the day that may sometimes get missed in the mainstream media. I am grateful to you, and I want to wish you the best and everyone a great weekend.

Let's talk about election integrity.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Velazquez and Ranking Member Luetkemeyer for bringing forth this great bipartisan bill.

I rise today in support of H.R. 1490, the 504 Modernization and Small Manufacturer Enhancement Act. I am proud to cosponsor this bill with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle.

This bipartisan legislation improves the loan guaranty program and helps small manufacturers access capital by streamlining the loan process and providing support to manufacturers who apply for the loan from local Small Business Administration district offices.

As small businesses across the country and throughout New York's 22nd District continue to struggle with the devastating impacts of COVID-19, we must provide targeted support to our small businesses and manufacturers, and H.R. 1490 does just that.

This legislation increases the maximum loan amount to $6.5 million and requires SBA district offices to partner with SBA resource partners to provide entrepreneurial development assistance to small manufacturers, which are abundant in central New York.

This bill will also work to lower costs and streamline numerous administrative processes for small manufacturers, giving these businesses the tools and support they need to keep their doors open, something that has been said to me repeatedly through numerous townhalls with the small business community around the region.

As a member of the House Small Business Committee and, as the ranking member indicated, the owner of a small manufacturing facility that is in its 75th year in central New York, I am pleased to cosponsor H.R. 1490 and the other three small business bills on the floor today. These four bills will provide targeted relief to small businesses across New York's 22nd District and throughout the Nation. At a time when Americans seek true bipartisanship from its elected officials, I am honored to be part of that effort.

Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Craig from Minnesota and Representative Kim from California for their leadership on this issue. I look forward to continuing to work with them on this matter.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Bryce Sinclair, a senior at Maine-Endwell High School in New York's 22nd Congressional District. I am honored to announce that Bryce accepted his appointment to join the corps of cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Bryce was selected among a highly competitive pool of applicants from around the country. Bryce's decision to attend West Point comes as no surprise to those who know him well. He is a young leader with exceptional talent and potential and is already a dedicated member of our community.

I wish to congratulate Bryce on this tremendous honor. I wish him the best as he takes on this venerable challenge to serve our community and our Nation in line with the Army's core values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, and personal courage.

As the mother of a Naval Academy graduate, the service academies hold a special place in my heart, especially the friendly annual rivalry at the Army/Navy game.

Mr. Speaker, we wish Bryce all the best as he moves closer to his next incredible step in joining the corps of cadets. Good luck, Bryce. And go Army and go Navy.