Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor John ``Woody'' Wood, and his loving wife, Candice, or Candy, two long-time and dear friends of mine.

John, affectionately known as ``Woody'' to his friends and family, is a true inspiration to all. Woody has endured more than his share of challenges throughout his life. Woody boldly fought the status quo as a citizen and, later on, as an elected official in our community.

As a community servant, his creed was no different. He fought for the truth in government and he never compromised his integrity, and his word was worth his weight in gold. Most importantly, he made a difference for all the people that he served in our community.

Woody bravely battled liver cancer, which resulted in a liver transplant, and now, unfortunately, our dear friend Woody is fighting pancreatic cancer.

Despite the hardships Woody has faced throughout his life, he has always remained courageous in the face of every foe, including cancer. Woody's integrity, compassion, and eternal sunny outlook on life have been an inspiration to all of us.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in praying for Woody and Candice and their entire family as they fight the next battle in Woody's life.

Mr. Speaker, it was certainly an honor and a privilege to serve in the prestigious Financial Services Committee as a Member of the 115th Congress. It was a distinct privilege to be selected to serve on that committee by our chairman, Jeb Hensarling, who recognized the urgent need to reignite our economy and to give small businesses like ours and millions like our family business around the Nation a chance to thrive again against the oppressive weight of government overregulation.

As a small manufacturing business owner and as an attorney to small community banks and credit unions in my community, I am acutely aware of the challenges that small businesses and families face concerning Big Government overreach in the financial realm.

Families were not able to save for their future, small businesses were laying off employees instead of hiring, and community banks were closing at a record pace. The policies we championed and the incredible work we have done on the Financial Services Committee this year under the leadership of Chairman Jeb Hensarling has turned all of that around. For the first time in over a decade, I am witnessing growth and renewed enthusiasm in our economy, thanks to the work of our committee.

The jurisdiction of the Financial Services Committee may seem esoteric to some; however, the work that we do is vitally important to this Nation. We have the power, of course, if used correctly, to open up markets, to unleash free enterprise, and to give citizens the opportunity to pursue the American Dream.

In May, President Trump signed S. 2155, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, into law after House passage. Our committee, through numerous hearings and markups, originated most of this legislation. The ultimate work product, S. 2155, made much-needed reforms to Dodd-Frank that directly impact the ability of small community institutions to conduct business and to drive the economy in a positive direction.

As a freshman member, I was honored to be one of the only members to have two bipartisan bills included in this package: the first, the Small Bank Exam Cycle Improvement Act, and, the second, the Community Institution Mortgage Relief Act. These bills are vitally important because community banks are the lifeblood of New York's upstate economy.

Community institutions provide access to capital for entrepreneurs starting or growing their small businesses, for families and farmers acquiring new equipment or assets, for loans to new car buyers, and for mortgages to families purchasing a home, especially for the first time.

In rural areas like the 22nd District in New York, consumers and small businesses often rely on lending with local institutions in order to gain access to capital. These reforms ensure that small community institutions like Tioga National Bank, the Bank of Utica--my personal bank--Adirondack Bank--another bank that I use--and many others throughout the country can keep their doors open and continue to lend to people in our communities.

I am grateful to Chairman Hensarling and the expert and professional staff on the committee who worked with our office and leaders in

the financial services community in our region to ensure that we had the opportunity to pass meaningful legislation that will benefit the constituents of New York's 22nd Congressional District for many years to come.

I thank Chairman Hensarling for his unparalleled integrity, tremendous leadership, sage advice, and deep friendship. I am so honored and privileged to have played a small role in Chairman Hensarling's noble mission of empowering all Americans through freedom and economic opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize two outstanding members of our community and my dear friends: Peg Roberts, a retired teacher, and Fran Henry, a retired nurse.

Peg and Fran embody the American patriotic spirit through their musical talent. The two sisters were inspired by the famous duo, Diamond and Silk. They refer to themselves as Ruby and Lace. Some of us in the country affectionately refer to them as Coal and Flannel. These darling songstresses, retirees, have also been known by the moniker, ``the two Hotties.''

It is a true honor to represent such determined and patriotic people. Mr. Speaker, I hope you and all my colleagues can laugh a little and enjoy the humorous lyrics of our upstate Hotties, affectionately known as Ruby and Lace, or as I like to call them, Coal and Flannel.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize my dear friend, John Scarano, who recently retired as the executive director of the Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce after 12 years at the helm.

John, a native of Little Falls and also a twin, returned to Herkimer County after serving in the U.S. Army for 6 years. Upon his return, John spent 23 years at Mohawk Data Sciences Corporation in East Herkimer before his appointment to the chamber in 2006.

During his tenure, John has played a pivotal role in revitalization projects, which have made significant contributions to Herkimer's budding economy, including the Frankfort 5S South Business Park, a new Tractor Supply Distribution Center in Frankfurt, the new Heidelberg Bakery facility, and the emergence and support of countless new small businesses.

Along with his work at the chamber, John has served on the boards of the Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency, the Herkimer County Historical Society, and the Herkimer County HealthNet.

John is a generous, deeply caring, and honorable person, and I know he will continue to do the best for our community in retirement. John is also one of the most relentlessly fun, enthusiastic, and patriotic people I have ever known.

To my dear friend John Scarano, thank you for your many years of dedicated service to our community and our Nation. We are grateful to you, and we wish you the best in retirement.

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend our country reflected on the bravery and sacrifice of veterans who answered the call to defend our Nation.

New York's 22nd District is home to more than 55,000 veterans, and it is a true honor to serve each and every one of them in Congress. Whether part of the Marine Corps, Navy, Army, Air Force, or Coast Guard, our men and women in uniform have served and sacrificed greatly to secure the freedoms we enjoy at home.

When our veterans come home from serving our Nation, it is our responsibility to ensure they receive quality healthcare, provide them with the tools to start their own business, and find educational opportunities for them following their great service.

They stood for us, and now we must stand for them. To all of our veterans: Thank you for everything you have sacrificed for our freedom. You truly represent the best in America.

Mr. Speaker, I also have a special thank you to every veteran who has continued to serve in this great body on both sides of the aisle, and with a special thank you to our presiding Speaker today, who has also served in our military honorably.

A final thank you to all of my friends in the Marine Corps for a happy 243rd birthday, and especially to my dear son, Captain Trey Cleary, who is also a U.S. Naval Academy graduate.

Thank you so much to all of you who serve. We are indebted to you and grateful to you for your service to keep our freedoms and to continue making this a great Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to highlight a couple of things. First of all, I will comment on a really important issue in my region. Upstate New York communities have suffered tremendously from the opioid crisis ravaging our Nation.

In 2016, opioid overdoses rose by 121 percent in New York State and opioid deaths doubled in Broome County,

which is part of New York's 22nd District, during the very same time.

During the most recent district work period, the President signed into law the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention Act that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment--SUPPORT--for Patients and Communities Act, which included the Expanding Oversight of Opioid Prescribing and Payment Act, which I coauthored.

This bipartisan legislation directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, or MedPAC, to issue a report regarding perverse incentives that lead to overprescription of opioid-addictive drugs.

This legislation is important in my district because studies have shown that 29 percent of patients prescribed an opioid for pain, go on to misuse the drug. The Federal Government should be doing all it can to prevent overprescribing. Enacting this important bill is a critical first step in this process.

Recognizing Small Businesses

Mr. Speaker, I also wanted to recognize a very important industry in my region, and it is a great honor for me to be able to represent a place called Revere Copper Company in Rome, New York. Yes, Revere was actually founded by none other than the great Paul Revere of our great history in this country.

This great company was North America's first copper rolling mill and it was founded, again, by our great patriot, Paul Revere, in Rome, New York.

It still resides in Rome, New York over 200 years later. Small businesses like this are the backbone of employment in New York's 22nd District, accounting for 98 percent of jobs created in our private sector. While everyone thinks all jobs are created by big companies, in fact, our small business community has 98 percent of those jobs created.

In Congress, we need to make sure that we keep empowering our small businesses, creating a fair tax and regulatory environment that allows them to grow, to hire more workers, and to reinvest in our communities. Too many of our local businesses are held back by skyrocketing healthcare costs which cut into their bottom line, and our regulatory code, which requires a team of lawyers to decode, just to comply with the endless amounts of bureaucracy--something that I have experienced personally as the owner of a small manufacturing business in upstate New York.

The time for debate and verbal platitudes need to end when it comes to our small business community, our employers need solutions. We must work to make the middle class and small business tax cuts permanent.

I am very proud to be a person who voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which tremendously helped our community. We have seen an unprecedented amount of gains in our economy locally; a glimmer of hope in an area where we have seen very little progress over the decades because of some of the policies that have been enacted that really have hurt our small business community and have caused New York to have the highest out-migration of people in the entire Nation. Over 1 million New Yorkers have left New York State because of these policies just since 2010.

We must fight to continue to contain healthcare costs, to provide for a public healthcare system, but also an affordable care system for people who are just simply not able to see their doctors.

We must stand for a country that represents everyone and not just the powerful. That is something I have done as a corruption fighter. As a person who stood up to the leaders in both parties, to the most powerful and wealthiest people in our community, I stood up to them and fought for the middle class, and fought for the average worker, people across our Nation.

To our small businesses, I just want to say thank you so much for all you do every day. As a small business owner, I know how difficult the fight is, how difficult the struggle is. You are the American Dream in our communities. You provide the hope for our future, and you provide the most jobs that we are going to see as we grow into the coming years, and hope that we can keep our economy moving.

To my small business community, I just want to say thank you so much for all that you have done in adding jobs, in providing responsible employment for our communities, for individuals, for giving hope, for giving people first starts, for everything you have done in our community.

It has been an amazing opportunity for me to represent a community that really cares. My community is well-known for its generosity. I find that in our small business community, much like the business I own, we do so much for our communities that doesn't get recognized. We don't have big profits. Many of us operate at less than profit.

But what we do is we give dearly to our communities. We provide for the Little League teams, and for the people who are struggling from diseases that cannot be cured.

We provide in greater numbers. While, yes, big companies can provide a large check, our small-business community does what it can on a scale that is much greater by proportion.

So I am really grateful to all the people I have served in my community who do so much to help all of us. I want to make sure that our small-business community is recognized. Often in government, we hear an awful lot about the big businesses. But it is really the small businesses that are the backbone of our community. They are the heart of entrepreneurship.

I just want to say that, as a small-business owner, I am deeply grateful for all the work that you do, the late nights, the hard work of your employees to put out a beautiful product. It is something that you are helping your local and fellow citizens, even across the country. I am just really grateful.

Recognizing Jason Gray

Mr. Speaker, on another issue, I would like to make sure we recognize a man named Jason Gray. He is a paramedic from Norwich, New York.

Last month, when Hurricane Michael left Florida's homes, beaches, and businesses in ruins, Jason Gray uprooted his life in Norwich to assist in medical relief efforts.

What Jason Gray and his team at the National Disaster Medical System did to help the most vulnerable Florida residents is simply incredible. He provided on-the-ground medical help to hundreds of victims devastated by Hurricane Michael.

Our community is really lucky to have a selfless person like Jason Gray and so many others. I would like to give him special recognition for his willingness to go help others in need outside of our own State and to really use his skills and his talent to bring relief and some sense of sanity to people who are really suffering in the panhandle, in the tough parts of Florida.

I want to say thank you again to Jason for what he does for our communities and what he has done for Florida. It is a tremendous honor to represent him, and it is my distinct honor to represent him here on the floor of the House of Representatives.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor firefighters from across our community. They recently traveled to Albany to honor the life and legacy of Merle Nell, a fire police captain and former chief of the Vernon Fire Department in upstate New York. Family, friends, and fellow firefighters watched as Merle's name was inscribed in the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial.

Merle passed away in November 2016 while on the scene of a fire in Vernon Center, New York. His name is now etched on a wall with 2,551 other fallen firefighters from our great State who have given their lives in the line of duty.

Affectionately known as ``Skippy'' to his family and friends, Merle's legacy of service lives on through his sons and grandsons. Merle's sons, Scott and Mark, serve as fire chiefs in both Verona and Vernon; and his grandsons, Adam and Matthew, are active firefighters in Vernon, and Zachary is a junior firefighter in Verona.

A marine, a father, a postal worker, and a firefighter, Merle's life of service is a true inspiration to everyone in our community. His memory will live on in the hearts of our grateful community both in central New York and in New York State.

Mr. Speaker, Army Specialist Ryan Wilcox heroically served our Nation in two combat tours.

Specialist Wilcox first deployed to Iraq as a combat engineer with the 479th Engineer Battalion. In 2007, he suffered a gunshot wound to his leg at that time.

In 2012, he returned to Active Duty in Afghanistan with the 444th Engineer Battalion. During this tour, he suffered chronic pain resulting, ultimately, in the amputation of his right leg.

Now retired, Specialist Wilcox is looking to start a new life in upstate New York with his fiancee, Sara, and their two children, Nicholas and Juliana.

This Saturday, a terrific organization known as Homes for Our Troops will donate a specially adapted home in Mexico, New York, for Specialist Wilcox and his family. This home will allow him to navigate easily throughout his home so he can focus more on his family, finishing college, and continuing his work to help fellow veterans in need.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in thanking Specialist Wilcox for his heroic service to our Nation, as well as honoring, congratulating, and thanking Homes for Our Troops for helping transform the lives of our Nation's heroes like Ryan Wilcox and his family.

Mr. Speaker, this September marks Kenneth Palmer's 60th anniversary as a member of the Mohawk Fire Department.

A courageous fighter, a teacher, and a survivor of quadruple bypass surgery, Ken has inspired our community through his deep passion for service. Ken has left his mark on firefighters and first responders in Herkimer County through his leadership as the Mohawk Fire Chief, Department Training Officer, president and vice president of the Herkimer County Fire Chiefs Association, Chaplain for the Mohawk and Newport Fire Departments, and Chief Fire Chaplain for New York State.

Now, even at the age of 80, Ken remains ready for the fire alarm to sound. But his journey hasn't always been easy.

On February 25, 2000, Ken underwent successful quadruple bypass surgery. Despite the hardships he endured during this stressful time, Ken had a strong support system. He often credits his beautiful wife, Sharon, and so many family members and friends praying for him from New York to California during his enduring struggle.

Now, as a Red Cap Ambassador for the American Heart Association, Ken provides compassionate support to others suffering from heart disease and heart-related illnesses.

Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to recognize a dear friend, Kenneth Palmer, such a strong force for good, who has risked so much to protect our families. I ask all my colleagues here today to join our community in extending our gratitude to Kenneth Palmer for his incredible 60 years of service.

Mr. Speaker, 343 firefighters, 70 law enforcement officers, and 8 emergency medical technicians. Seventeen years ago our Nation was changed forever. While the Twin Towers burned, thousands of first responders rushed to save the lives of their fellow citizens, knowing the dangers ahead; 421 first responders made the ultimate sacrifice that day. Side by side, they climbed 110 flights of stairs, in nearly 70 pounds of gear. It was the largest high-rise rescue operation in history.

``We climb because they climbed.''

In an inspiring, touching tribute this Saturday, hundreds of our local first responders will take part in the annual Central New York Memorial Stair Climb. Wearing the same 70 pounds of gear, they will make the same climb at the Utica State Office Building to keep the memory of our fallen heroes alive.

Mr. Speaker, in the face of the worst of humanity, our Nation saw the best of humanity in those brave men and women. Let us never forget their selfless sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, our dairy farmers are facing a crisis. Family farms have shaped our upstate communities, built our local economies, and put food on our tables, but the great tradition of family farming is in jeopardy.

Our farmers need help. Unfair trade agreements; rising regulatory costs; high taxes, especially in New York, which has some of the highest property, sales, and income taxes in the Nation; and distortions in the labor market have pushed our farmers to the brink of bankruptcy. Sadly, many have chosen to close in New York altogether, the third largest dairy-producing State in the Nation.

I am grateful that the Trump administration is hearing our desperate call. In a recent visit to Trinity Valley Farm and Brabant Farm in New York's 22nd District, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue heard our farmers' pleas for help.

He visited our district, the first time a sitting Secretary of Agriculture has visited our district in over 20 years. He provided insight and took our concerns back to Washington.

It is time to turn the tide and end this crisis. Preserving the great tradition of farming is vital to preserving our heritage, our families, and our economy.

Mr. Speaker, sometimes we don't even realize that we are surrounded by heroes. Today I rise to celebrate the courageous actions of a Yorkville resident, Lieutenant Timothy Corey from my district. He was recently honored with the New York State Senate Liberty Medal, one of the highest civilian honors in New York State.

While on vacation in North Myrtle Beach, Lieutenant Corey discovered a young boy stuck in an outdoor pool intake pipe. In an instant, he jumped into the water and rescued the young man and for 8 minutes breathed air into the drowning boy, ultimately saving his life. The young boy was released from the hospital just 6 days later.

The bravery displayed by Lieutenant Corey often goes unrecognized, so, Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to now recognize Lieutenant Timothy Corey as a true hero in our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dan Carson from Norwich, New York, who started an adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical and intellectual challenges.

Seven years ago, Dan Carson started the Baseball Buddies game at the Norwich Little League field behind the middle school, and now it has grown into a huge community event.

The program recently hosted its annual game, where about 25 past or present players from the Norwich Purple Tornados were paired with special needs students. For these kids, the game is about more than baseball. The players and buddies form lifelong friendships and learn valuable lessons from each other.

Most students with special needs do not have the opportunity to participate in team sports in high school, but this game is an exception.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in thanking Dan for all his work that he has done to create a place where, regardless of ability, children can participate in the great American pastime. I know I speak for everyone when I say, ``Play ball.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the special day that today is. It is the National Day of Civility, #nationaldayofcivility.

I wanted to recognize this day because last year, as a freshman Member,

even before we were sworn in, my freshman colleagues and I were stuck in Williamsburg in a snowstorm. When we were stuck together, we decided to come up with a new course for our class and a new initiative called the Commitment to Civility--thanks to my colleagues, Mike Johnson especially, for this brainchild.

From that day forward, we all agreed, and all of us except, I think, I believe three Members on the Democratic side, signed this with the hope of us finding a different course, finding some more civility and some more work across the aisle.

To this day, I have tried to live up to that commitment. Every bill that I have introduced that is originally sponsored, I have done with the bipartisan support of my Democratic colleagues. We have endeavored to work together on a number of initiatives, whether it is soliciting advice from other committees or the President or any kind of letter to the agencies that we represent.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to say thank you to all my colleagues who signed this and who continue to live up to our commitment to civility.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in encouraging that H. Res. 400, Creating a National Day of Civility, be recognized.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on my Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to stand here with my colleagues to honor our friend and our great colleague, Representative Ileana Ros- Lehtinen, who will be retiring at the end of the 115th Congress after more than 35 years in public service.

I know I speak for everyone on both sides of the aisle when I say that we will sincerely miss Ileana's bright smile, strong leadership, and fierce advocacy for her constituents.

Today, we look back on her service with gratitude. We recognize her commitment to human rights, providing equal opportunity to all, supporting public education and especially our Nation's veterans. We recall our memories of her great sense of humor and wish her a fond farewell as she begins her next journey in life.

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen broke through barriers, becoming the first Hispanic woman to serve in the Florida statehouse and senate, later rising to become the first woman to chair the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Her record of service is beyond reproach.

At the age of 8, Ileana's family fled the oppressive communist regime of Fidel Castro in Cuba. This life-changing experience has guided her journey in public service and led her to remain committed to protecting human rights.

Although I haven't had the opportunity to serve as long as other Members alongside Ileana, the time I have spent serving with her has been inspirational and an incredible honor.

One of my great memories with Ileana was a congressional delegation where we traveled to South Korea, Taiwan, and India to study the issues impacting the region and our Nation's relationship with our important allies in Asia. Together, we met with U.S. servicemen and -women near the demilitarized zone in South Korea. Then, later on, we were received by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the Tibetan community in exile in Dharamshala, India.

During our trip, Ileana shared with me her experience in Cuba and her family's struggle and journey to the United States. Although the struggle facing the Tibetan people is different than the suffering the Cubans faced under the Castro regime, Ileana has applied her experience and firsthand knowledge on human rights issues, including Tibetan autonomy and Taiwanese independence, which were highlighted on our trip.

While on the visit, Ileana was presented with a sash for the Order of the Propitious Clouds, with a special grand cordon for her significant contributions to strengthening U.S.-Taiwan relations.

I thought it would be fun to share a cute story about Ileana. As we were getting ready to give her this great award as the Propitious Cloud, the Taiwanese Government officials were placing her sash that she received on her. As they were adjusting it and putting it on her, she was so funny. She said: ``I haven't been through this since I was Miss America,'' which I thought was really cute.

She worked as a teacher and a principal in the Miami-Dade County schools. She saw firsthand stories of financial hardship, which eventually inspired her to run for office.

Throughout her time in Congress, she passed legislation that helped thousands of teenagers go to college, and she fought for LGBTQ rights. Ileana has a servant's heart and was a champion of issues that were of importance to her and the people of Florida.

Although Representative Ros-Lehtinen may be retiring from her post in this Chamber, we know that she will continue to look for ways to serve the State and country she so dearly loves.

Today, we join with her team and her family in recognizing her many years of service. We all wish Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, her husband, four children, and five beautiful grandchildren all the best in the next chapter.

For me personally, it was a deep honor to work with someone so committed to the greater good. The State of Florida, the United States, and countries throughout the world facing oppression are a better place because of Ileana's fierce advocacy and commitment to our most vulnerable.

I am joined today by some of my colleagues, although we changed our time. We will be getting to people as soon as we can. A number of colleagues wanted to be here, and, hopefully, they will catch up with us, those people who worked with Ileana over the years and even had more time with her.

I see in the Chamber we now have Congressman Charlie Crist, who will be getting up and saying a few nice things about Ms. Ileana and may be reflecting on his probably extensive experience serving side by side with her as a Representative in Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Charlie Crist, my colleague.

We are going to stand side by side for this one. Ileana would love it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman so much for his comments. I appreciate it.

I am a new Member, and the Congressman from Florida (Mr. Crist) is also a new Member, but we have been touched by Ileana. And part of the way I got to know her was through 1-minute speeches, which you all see us do on the floor of the House. We sit down in the front row. She is kind of the queen of 1 minutes. She gets to have position A on our side, and no one dares to sit in Ileana's seat, although she is the most loving, kind person you could ever meet. That is how I got to know her.

She got me so excited and inspired about coming to Asia and joining with her and kind of taking on her love and her portfolio on human rights, particularly helping the people in Taiwan, and especially fighting for the Tibetan Government in exile in Dharamshala, India, with the Dalai Lama.

It was such an honor for me to actually go to Dharamshala with Ms. Ros-Lehtinen and to be able to meet the Dalai Lama and sit there with him for an hour as he entertained us. He was really charming and just an incredible inspiration not only to the Tibetan people, but also to the world.

And we are now joined by our terrific colleague, the boy Congressman, our great freshman Representative from Florida's First District, Matt Gaetz. We are honored to have him.

I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gaetz).

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Gaetz for his absolutely perfect description of Ileana as a champion of human rights and the most vulnerable.

I would just like to mention her husband, Dexter. I haven't had the honor to meet him, but we talked about him quite a bit. Obviously, traveling to Asia, we had a lot of long flights, and it is really such an honor for me as a freshman Member--and you heard from me and Congressman Gaetz, Congressman Crist, two freshmen Members, and now three who are just so inspired by Ms. Ros-Lehtinen.

Now I am so honored to also invite one of our great women leaders in the U.S. Congress, Mrs. Barbara Comstock, Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, to say a few words about Ileana. She has had a little more time to serve, but we are so honored to have our great Representative from Virginia.

I yield to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock).

Mr. Speaker, we really appreciate Ms. Comstock's kind words.

And now Barbara is my mentor, as well as one of the early women Republicans who has been an inspiration and a hard worker and really instrumental in coming up with great legislation and really leading our communities.

One of the great honors, I got to be with Ileana, actually, in, as I said, the Tibetan Government in exile.

I know we have a couple of Members we are waiting to come in. We had to change our time, but we have another Member. Before we get to him, I just want to say a couple of things.

I got to travel to the amazing Tibetan Government in exile, and, obviously, to meet the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala, India, and was greeted by amazing students. It was just a life-changing experience, and to be able to go there with Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, our wonderful Congresswoman.

We were able to get these scarves. I am going to wear this in honor of Ileana. It is called the khata, and it is a Tibetan Buddhist scarf. When you are handed this scarf, the words are ``tashi deley,'' which the children in Tibet and everyone greets you with when you go there. It is such an amazing experience. I want to wear this scarf in honor of Ileana.

And, also, I might add, it is very long, and Ileana is not as tall as I am, so we had to fold her scarf up a couple of times so she wouldn't drag it on the floor.

But it was such a beautiful memory to be able to receive this scarf and to know how important her advocacy has been on behalf of the Tibetan people, who have been suffering under an oppressive regime in Beijing that has really bullied this amazing community and left them in exile in India, and her fight to bring the Tibetan people back to their home country some day.

We are going to continue on that front, and I hope to carry on the tradition and carry on the fight, as Ileana has, with compassion and with courage and the inspiration that we received from so many.

Now it is my great honor to yield to my colleague from California (Mr. LaMalfa) to say a few words about our great leader, Ileana Ros- Lehtinen.

Mr. Speaker, it is a beautiful tribute to a wonderful woman who has inspired us all. So much of what Mr. LaMalfa said about her sense of humor.

I always think of the great leaders that you meet. You think of some towering figure, but Ileana was a towering figure in her very small body, and I think of a few things about her:

Her courage and her tenacity and her willingness to be truthful and to fight the fight. And also a couple of things that I learned from my father that I find that, when I find people with these rare qualities, like Ileana, her unwillingness to succumb to victimhood.

She is a fighter. She has never felt sorry for herself. She is always fighting the good fight for other people who are less fortunate than she is. She probably doesn't even recognize that is one of her great, inspiring qualities that I saw in her.

And, also, her willingness to not hold a grudge and to be bipartisan and to reach across the aisle and to work with other Members without sacrificing her values and her integrity.

This may be the first Special Order that we are going to hear on the great Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, but I am not sure it is going to be the last. We still have, luckily, hopefully, a few more months, or several more months of her right to the end of the year, and we will be able to continue to honor this really amazing person who has graced this institution with leadership, with tenacity, with courage, with passion and compassion for those who are less fortunate.

I know that she is going to continue in her private life, outside of politics, on the same mission that she is on because that is who she is. She is going to fight the fight every day. She is going to stand up for the most needy and the most vulnerable in our communities.

And just on a personal note, I am so grateful for this position and the privilege of serving New York's 22nd District, that I had the honor of being able to be in the presence of greatness, to be with Ms. Ros- Lehtinen and her amazing inspiration. And I just want to say thank you so much to her and to her family and to Dexter, whom I hope I get to meet some day; and to her children and grandchildren, who are so lucky to be among someone and to be able to grow up with someone like Ileana; and her constituents, who I am sure are grateful every day for the work that she has done in this institution and to change it forever for the better.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you so much for this tribute to Ms. Ros- Lehtinen, and I yield back the balance of my time.