Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, in this Nation's great history, the life of Harriet Ross Tubman is certainly a life worth recognition by this Congress and this country.

Harriet Tubman, born Araminta Ross in 1822, dedicated her life to the emancipation movement as a leader of the Underground Railroad that provided enslaved African Americans a pathway to freedom in the North. She served for the Union Army during the Civil War and as a caregiver for the elderly by establishing the Tubman Home for the Aged in Auburn, New York, where she lived out her life.

She suffered from traumatic brain injury throughout her life after she was hit as a teenager with a heavy weight by a slave overseer who was trying to subdue another enslaved person. She was an advocate for women's rights and worked to get women the vote. After settling in Auburn, she dedicated much of her life and effort to the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church there.

In 2008, the National Park Service completed a special resource study to determine the most appropriate way to recognize the life of Harriet Tubman. The Park Service eventually came to the conclusion that a park should include two geographically separate units. One would be a tightly clustered set of buildings in Auburn, New York, and the other would include large sections of landscape that are evocative of Tubman's life both as a slave and as a conductor of the Underground Railroad on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

The Harriet Tubman National Historical Parks Act, which I introduced, aims to further commemorate the life of Harriet Tubman by establishing the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Dorchester County, Maryland.

Harriet Tubman Historical Park is located in Auburn, New York, and the part of that that includes historical structures like the Tubman home, the Tubman Home for the Aged, the AME Zion Church that she went to, and the Fort Hill Cemetery where she is buried.

Mr. Speaker, last week this House passed legislation as part of the armed services authorization bill to establish a park in Tubman's honor. This week I hope the Senate will also pass this legislation and send it to President Obama for his signature.

It is completely appropriate that this provision should be included, for, though not as well known as her activity on the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman was one of our first African American women military veterans. She volunteered her time and efforts, traveling to the South to help the Union war effort by helping fugitives and serving as a nurse to Union soldiers in Port Royal, South Carolina.

Eventually she was leading bands of scouts through the land around Port Royal, where her ability to travel unseen and fool her adversaries made her an ideal spy. Her group, working under the orders of the Secretary of War, made maps and collected important intelligence that aided the Union capture of Jacksonville, Florida.

Subsequently, Tubman became the first woman to lead an armed assault during the Civil War. When Union Colonel James Montgomery and his troops attacked plantations along the Combahee River, Tubman went with them and guided three steamboats around confederate mines in the waters leading to the shore. More than 750 enslaved African Americans were rescued in the Combahee River raid and, according to the newspapers at the time, most of those newly liberated men went on to join the Union Army, largely due to Tubman's recruiting efforts.

Mr. Speaker, Harriet Tubman lived for freedom and worked hard to extend freedom to hundreds of others. In doing so, she earned the Nation's respect and honor. A century after her death, I am proud to have worked so hard to establish a fitting memorial to her.

I truly believe that Harriet Tubman's example of inner strength, persistence, her love of freedom, and her dedication to the Nation based on the principles of freedom makes her as relevant today as she was in her own time.

Mr. Speaker, our time is filled with too much cynicism and people feeling powerless to do much to better our society. We should look to the example of Harriet Tubman, a true American patriot. She was someone for whom liberty and freedom were not just concepts but were principles worth working for and fighting for.

According to Tubman's authorized biographer, Sarah Bradford, when Tubman had escaped from slavery in the Northern States, she said, ``I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything. The Sun came up like gold through the trees and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven.''

We, Mr. Speaker, should look to Harriet Tubman, an enslaved African American woman of slight physical stature and suffering from head trauma, and realize that the glory and heaven that is American freedom is there for us all if we are willing to work for it and to fight for it and to believe in it, as Harriet Tubman did.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Thomas McNabb on his completion of 30 years as the National Secretary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians of America (AOH).

Thomas McNabb was born and raised in Auburn, New York, where he joined the Auburn Hibernian Division in 1955. Known as ``Mr. Hibernian'' around town, Tom has served his division in every capacity. He started many local Irish-American traditions such as the Friends of Ireland Annual St. Patrick's Day Luncheon; he was also the founder of Auburn's Irish Festival.

Thomas McNabb also served on the AOH New York State Board as Secretary, Treasurer, Organizer, State Director, and Vice President. Tom rose through the ranks to become the youngest AOH state President in 1975.

Tom's unwavering commitment to the AOH was recognized nationally when he was elected National Vice President in 1976 and then later became the second youngest National President in 1978.

Thomas McNabb was elected to his current position of AOH National Secretary in 1984.

During his years in National Hibernian leadership, Tom met with numerous elected officials and prominent figures to promote and support Irish causes. Notable meetings included President Jimmy Carter, Members of Congress, as well as Catholic Bishops, Cardinals and Archbishops.

In addition to Tom's great work in the United States, he has traveled to Ireland numerous times in support of the nation's causes. Tom was instrumental in the funding, building, and dedication of the Great Hunger Memorial in County Clare in 1995. This monument was the first memorial in Ireland to honor those who suffered and were lost during The Potato Famine, now renamed The Great Hunger.

On top of his distinguished and devoted work for the AOH, Tom had worked as the Safety Inspector for the City of Auburn and served as an Auburn City Council member from 1995 to 2011.

Throughout his life, Thomas McNabb has fully embodied the AOH Motto--``Friendship, Unity, and Christian Charity''.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I recognize Thomas McNabb on his completion of 30 years as the National Secretary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians of America (AOH). May he continue to be a leading force for good in an ever-changing world.

Thank you, Ranking Member Jose Serrano.

Mr. Chairman, I am here because, on March 14, 2013, in my upstate New York district, a school librarian named Lori Bresnahan and a 10-year- old child were attacked in a mall parking lot.

The attacker was facing Federal child pornography charges and was out on bail and ordered to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. He disabled the bracelet, left his home, stabbed Mrs. Bresnahan to death, and sexually assaulted the young girl.

In the days following the attack, it was revealed that the attacker had been removing and reassembling the GPS monitoring bracelet. The device sent out tamper alerts every time he disabled the device, but the Federal probation office responsible for monitoring this defendant before his trial failed to respond to 46 total tamper alerts.

On the day of the attack, he again disabled his bracelet, and the office again ignored the alert. If they had investigated any of these 46 tamper alerts, maybe this tragedy could have been avoided.

This appropriations bill funds the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the organization tasked with overseeing the system of Federal probation offices all over this country.

After this case, I wrote to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, asking them to investigate this gross negligence. In their response was, ``Nothing can excuse the deficiencies in the supervision of this case,'' but it also said, ``Reduced resources due to the sequester is harming the efforts to keep it from happening again.''

Mr. Chairman, we have addressed the sequester for now, but serious funding issues remain. The administrative office is continuing to use their funding to backfill cuts they have had to make in previous years.

We cannot allow funding issues to hamper efforts to prevent cases like this from happening again, and to be clear, this has happened again around the country.

I ask that the committee take note of the serious problem and ensure that the administrative office gets the funds it needs to enact real reform and protect our communities.

I want to thank particularly the ranking member's willingness to work with me, Chairman Crenshaw and your staff and the minority staff, your willingness to work with me on this.

Tragedies do happen, but this one could have, should have been avoided, and I am dedicated to help Congress do anything in our power to make sure it never happens again in central New York or anywhere in this great country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Karen DeCrow, a constituent of mine who passed away last Friday at the age of 76. Karen DeCrow was a trailblazer who fought tirelessly for women's equality and justice for all.

Among her many accomplishments, Karen was a civil rights lawyer, a columnist for the Syracuse Post Standard, and a founder and president of the National Organization for Women, also known as NOW. She was the first woman to run for mayor in a major city in New York and was the only woman in her graduating class at Syracuse University College of Law.

Karen championed the Equal Rights Amendment, which would have made discrimination against women unconstitutional; and she led the fight against gender discrimination in workplaces, educational institutions, and sports.

I had the privilege of working with Karen as she remained active in NOW, serving as the vice president of the Greater Syracuse chapter up until her passing.

Mr. Speaker, Eleanor Roosevelt was remembered as having lived by the phrase:

It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

For those of us who strive for women's equality, Karen DeCrow lit a bonfire.

Mr. Speaker, it is with pride that I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of Emma L. Johnston.

Ms. Johnston is a native of Syracuse, New York, and one of the founders of PEACE, Inc. (People's Equal Action and Community Effort, Inc.). On Wednesday, May 28, 2014, the Southside Family Resource Center in Syracuse, New York, will be renamed in honor of Emma Johnston.

As a single mother, Ms. Johnston was able to lift herself out of poverty with the help of her community. The kindness and ready aid of her neighbors inspired Ms. Johnston to become one of the founding members of PEACE, Inc. in 1968, when it consisted of twenty employees and three programs.

Today, PEACE, Inc. boasts fifteen programs, 400 employees, and fifty sites across New York. Its mission--helping disadvantaged individuals attain self-sufficiency--is visibly accomplished every day in Syracuse. This progress would not be possible without Ms. Johnston's pioneering work.

Thanks to Ms. Johnston's tireless years of service, PEACE now includes services ranging from Big Brother, Big Sister to Energy and Housing Services, and from Men in the Lives of Kids to tax assistance. As PEACE has grown and developed, so has the New York community--a feat for which we truly cannot thank Ms. Johnston enough.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Emma L. Johnston for her tireless work with PEACE, Inc., and to wish her the best of health and luck in all her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a very heavy heart to honor and remember Jenna Hinman. Jenna Hinman was 26 years old. She and her husband, U.S. Army Sergeant Brandon Hinman, were thrilled to learn she was pregnant last year while Brandon was stationed at Fort Drum in New York State.

But tragically this past month, during an emergency cesarean section to save the lives of their twin girls, doctors learned Jenna was suffering from a rare and very serious form of cancer. She and the medical teams at Cross Hospital and Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse fought the disease heroically for 2 months, but on May 5 she passed away.

Jenna and her family's story touched the lives of so many people, strangers and friends alike, from around the world who were devastated to hear of Jenna's passing.

There is no way to truly express the deep sadness that comes from losing someone so young with such a bright future ahead, to think about the beautiful baby girls that will have to grow up without their mother physically on this Earth.

Mr. Speaker, the family gave me this bracelet to remind me to pray for Jenna Hinman while she was still alive. It says: ``Prayers for Jenna, God protect this family.''

Mr. Speaker, I pray that God will protect Jenna's husband, her parents, her brother, and particularly these young girls, and may God bless Jenna Hinman, a true American hero.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lt. Col. Edward Cook as the 2014 recipient of the Exceptional Community Volunteer Award at the United Way of Central New York Achievements in Caring Celebration at the Palace Theatre in Syracuse, New York.

Lt. Col. Edward Cook, a member of the 174th Attack Wing based in Syracuse, is the standard bearer of dedication and commitment in serving his local community. Lt. Col. Cook lead a team of volunteers to collect food and toys during Drop Off Day for the Salvation Army's biggest event of the year--Christmas Bureau. Lt. Col. Cook coordinates all the logistics with his team to deliver food and toys, first to the Salvation Army, then to the Oncenter distribution point. The process culminates with Distribution Day, where Lt. Col. Cook once again leads his team to serve over 2,700 families who are most in need in Central New York.

The level of commitment shown throughout the Christmas Bureau process is remarkable, particularly this past year's Drop Off Day, where Lt. Col. Cook and his team braved below zero temperatures outside to make sure the logistical intake of food and toys ran smoothly.

This operation would simply not happen without Lt. Col. Edward Cook and his team. Lt. Col. Cook is present at every planning meeting throughout the year, and is always one of the first to step up to the plate for any other volunteer opportunity that may arise.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I recognize Lt. Col. Edward Cook as this year's recipient of the Exceptional Community Volunteer Award. We can only hope that all of us strive to have the same selfless dedication that Lt. Col. Edward Cook exhibits not only in protecting our freedom with the 174th Attack Wing, but in and around the community that we call home.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate Workers' Memorial Day, which is today, and honor those Americans who have lost their lives.

From steel mills to nursing homes, offices to construction sites, we must work to strengthen safety measures for all those who still face hazards in the workplace. We must ensure that workers in all areas are able to do their jobs in a safe environment. That includes agriculture.

Whether in a factory or on a farm, even one death on the job is too many. But in central New York, we are seeing far too many farmworkers being hurt and killed. In fact, two died in farm accidents in a single week recently. That is why I support the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's local emphasis program. My office and I have worked hard to ensure that dairies know the standards and have a reasonable time to comply.

But on this Workers' Memorial Day, let's dedicate ourselves to making our farms safe workplaces and support OSHA's efforts to do so.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition of the legislation H. Con. Res. 96, the budget proposed by the chairman of the Budget Committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan).

Unfortunately, this year's Ryan budget is more of the same recklessness and extreme partisanship that we have seen year after year from the House Republican leadership.

According to the Democrats on the House Budget Committee, under Ryan's plan, middle class families in my district in central New York will pay an average of $2,000 more each year.

Once again, the Ryan budget ends the Medicare guarantee as we know it, and it would turn Medicare, instead, into a privatized voucher program and would shift health care costs to seniors.

It threatens to cut off critical investments in job creation and infrastructure, and it slashes education at a time when local school districts in central New York are already struggling to find the resources necessary to provide our children with the high-quality education that they deserve.

This is not a balanced approach, and it is not a responsible solution. People in central New York and across the country need better. Congress must get serious about balancing the budget and about reducing the national debt and deficit, but not on the backs of our seniors and not on the backs of the middle class and certainly not on the backs of future generations of Americans.

At a time when many central New Yorkers are still struggling as the economy recovers, we simply cannot accept the irresponsible policies of the Ryan budget.

I call on my colleagues to reject the Ryan budget and to work together to create a bipartisan budget that gets our fiscal house in order and promotes economic growth, creates jobs, protects our seniors, and strengthens the middle class.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Vera House's 20th Annual White Ribbon Campaign.

For more than 35 years, Vera House has played a key role in combating domestic and sexual violence in Central New York.

Vera House provides a safe shelter and counseling services for victims of rape and sexual abuse and helps survivors rebuild their lives.

This organization also provides life-saving prevention and education services to people across my district.

Vera House serves over approximately 1,000 victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes in a year.

They also provide nearly 20,000 people in our local community with prevention and education services annually.

It is critically important that we continue to support Vera House's ongoing mission to end domestic abuse and sexual violence, to empower victims, and to promote equality and respect in relationships.

The White Ribbon Campaign is led by men and encourages all members of the community--men and women, young and old--to join these efforts.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand in support of Vera House's White Ribbon campaign to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate the Syracuse Housing Authority, celebrating its 75th Anniversary in providing quality, affordable housing to the residents of Syracuse.

Established as one of the first housing authorities in the nation, the Syracuse Housing Authority opened the doors to its first development, Pioneer Homes, in 1938. This development began the continued success of the Syracuse Housing Authority, which now owns and manages 15 housing developments and over 2,500 apartments throughout the City of Syracuse.

The Syracuse Housing Authority provides a home to over 15,000 individuals and families, while also supporting the health and well- being of its residents. Opportunities are available for residents of the Syracuse Housing Authority for education, medical services and homeownership.

Under the leadership of Director Bill Simmons, the Syracuse Housing Authority cares deeply about its role as a leader in the City of Syracuse and provides safe, affordable housing to many members in our community, from young families to those neighbors who are elderly or living with disabilities.

Aside from a place to call home, the Syracuse Housing Authority also offers a variety of programs to its residents to promote educational achievement, economic independence and job training. The Syracuse Housing Authority assists residents pursue their ambitions, building a stronger community for us all.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I recognize and commend the Syracuse Housing Authority on its 75th Anniversary of public service to our community. I look forward to its continued legacy and the exciting things yet to come from this outstanding organization.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, with what is left of my voice, to support Vera House's 20th annual White Ribbon campaign. For more than 35 years, Vera House has played a crucial role in combating domestic and sexual violence.

Located in the Syracuse area in my district, Vera House provides a safe shelter, counseling services, and other services for rape and sexual abuse victims and helps survivors rebuild their lives. It also provides life-saving prevention and education throughout central New York.

It is critically important that we continue to support Vera House's ongoing mission to end domestic abuse and sexual violence and to empower the victims to promote equality and respect in relationships.

The White Ribbon campaign encourages all members of the community to join those efforts and to demonstrate such support by wearing a white ribbon.

I urge my colleagues to support Vera House's White Ribbon Campaign to raise awareness of sexual and domestic violence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate Chief Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan, Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs of the Six Nations of the Iroquois, the Haudenosaunee, as the 2014 Wisdom Keeper Award Recipient.

The 2014 Wisdom Keeper award will be presented to Chief Lyons at The F.O.C.U.S. Wisdom Keeper Event on April 2, 2014 at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at Oncenter in Syracuse, New York. The Wisdom Keeper Award recognizes community leaders that have enriched our community with their wisdom, perseverance and passion. Award winners are commemorated with bronze plaques placed in the F.O.C.U.S. Wisdom Keeper Garden in the City of Syracuse.

Chief Lyons was an All-American lacrosse player at Syracuse University, playing next to the great two-sport All-American Jim Brown. Today, Chief Lyons is enshrined in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

Chief Lyons has relished in a spiritually rich and fulfilling life, and has contributed immensely to the cause of passing on a clean and fruitful earth to future generations. Chief Lyons is the recipient of The Earth Day International United Nations Award. Chief Lyons has also been awarded the National Audubon Award, the Elder and Wiser Award of the Rosa Parks Institute of Human Rights, as well as the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor.

Chief Lyons has been a tireless advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples. He worked to establish the Working Group of Indigenous Populations at the United Nations in 1982. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival. Chief Lyons recently was awarded Sweden's Friends of the Children Award, along with Nelson Mandela. In 1992, Chief Lyons addressed the U.N. General Assembly as he commenced the International Year of the World's Indigenous People.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I recognize Chief Oren Lyons as the 2014 Wisdom Keeper Award recipient. May he continue to be a leading force for all that is good and fair for our future generations in an ever-changing world.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to commemorate Black History Month and recognize the 150th anniversary of the National Convention of Colored Citizens of the United States in Syracuse, New York.

On September 9, 1864, the anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator included a call for the convention. Frederick Douglass, a writer, statesman and leader of the Abolition Movement, annotated an ``Address to the People of the United States.'' In his address to the people, Frederick Douglass explains, ``No notice should be taken of the color of men; but justice, wisdom, and humanity should weigh alone, and be all-controlling.''

The National Convention of Colored Citizens of the United States convened on October 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th of 1864 in Syracuse, New York.

In October of 1864, Frederick Douglass came to Syracuse to discuss the state of the ex-slave following the Civil War. Douglass served as convention president, which drew nearly 150 delegates from all across the nation. During the meeting, the delegates crafted a document modeled after the Declaration of Independence, entitled ``Declarations of Rights and Wrongs'', which was read during the Convention in Syracuse.

Central New York has a rich connection in history to the Abolition Movement. From Harriet Tubman and her tireless devotion to the cause, to Frederick Douglass with his Address to the People of the United States and ``Declaration of Rights and Wrongs,'' Central New York and the City of Syracuse have continued to lead the charge for equality.

Mr. Speaker, we recognize the 150th anniversary of the National Convention of Colored Citizens of the United States in Syracuse, New York. Let us never grow old or weary of the struggle that our predecessors led, and let us work every day to uphold the values that Frederick Douglass and so many others demanded us to do at the National Convention of Colored Citizens of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor one of my predecessors, former Congressman George Wortley, who served as central New York's Representative during the 1980s for four terms. Mr. Wortley passed away on January 21 at the age of 87.

Mr. Wortley was very well known as being a very friendly, kind, and personable man, an outstanding member of our community in central New York, a real neighbor to so many.

He was born and raised in Tully, New York. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1948. He served in the Navy and then began his career as a newspaper man, serving as president and publisher of seven weekly newspapers, spanning more than four decades.

He won his congressional seat in 1980 and went on to be a dedicated public servant throughout his time in the House. He was known for working with others in the best interest of our community. And while he served on the House Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs Committee, he was known for the development of the reverse mortgage annuity for seniors and was a significant force in reforming anti-money laundering laws to fight drug trafficking. He also served on the Ethics Committee, which is a service to all.

He will be remembered across central New York for his genuine dedication to service. Services will be held Monday; and if any colleagues want any information on that, please see my office.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask to have a brief moment of silence for Congressman George Wortley.