Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Fire Chief David Skoryi who is retiring after serving the Lockport Township community for over 25 years.

Chief Skoryi was raised in Lockport and attended Taft Grade School and Lockport Township High School. He joined the Lockport Township Fire Protection District in 1980 as a firefighter and quickly rose through the ranks. He became a Lieutenant in 1993, Battalion Chief in 1998, and Assistant Chief in 2001. In 2010, Skoryi was named Lockport Township Fire District Chief.

During his time with the fire district, Chief Skoryi reached a number of milestones. He was the first Battalion Chief in the department's history and the first full time Training Officer. He also served as the Operations Chief, the Technical Rescue Team Leader, and the Swift Water Rescue Technician. Chief Skoryi has also overseen five fire station construction projects in the district.

Chief David Skoryi is married to Deb Skoryi and has three grown children, two of whom still live in the area. He plans to spend his retirement with his wife, tending to a small farm the couple purchased and traveling in their motor home.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Chief David Skoryi for his public service and congratulate him on his achievements. He has spent many years protecting the people of Lockport and the surrounding areas. His dedication is greatly appreciated by the residents of the Third District of Illinois. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment, and I want to make one thing perfectly clear. American taxpayers want their tax dollars to go to putting Americans to work. This amendment means buy American and hire American. So I just want everyone to be clear. We hear a lot about Buy American, Hire American. This is what this amendment would do, and I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the findings of a recent report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine entitled: ``The Value of Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences to National Priorities.'' This report was requested by the National Science Foundation to examine whether the Federal Government should continue funding research in these disciplines. The resounding answer is: yes.

The report found that SBE funding furthers the mission of NSF and helps other agencies achieve their missions, and this funding provides tools and methods that have helped business and industry grow the U.S. economy and create jobs.

The report also highlights that virtually every major challenge the country faces today requires understanding the causes and consequences of people's behavior. The way we do this is by funding research in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences.

Mr. Speaker, investments in SBE are critical for our Nation's future, and we must continue this robust investment.

Mr. Chair, I want to start off by thanking the chair and ranking member for supporting these two amendments, one in this bloc, one in the next bloc.

The first amendment will authorize the Hacking for Defense, or H4D, Program. This is an innovative program developed in Silicon Valley with the help of battlefield-experienced Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and it finds unique solutions to national security problems.

First taught at Stanford, H4D uses lean business startup methods to engage America's best and brightest in solving real security challenges faced by the DOD.

Rapid, low-cost technological innovation is what makes Silicon Valley revolutionary, but the DOD hasn't historically had the mechanisms in place to harness this American advantage.

Hacking for Defense creates ways for talented scientists and engineers to work alongside with veterans, military leaders, and business mentors to innovate solutions that make America safer. For example, a July 7 New York Times article details how an H4D graduate, Capella Space, is helping track North Korean nuclear capabilities, helping to try to make our world safer.

Mr. Chairman, I include in the Record this article, along with these letters of support from universities and tech communities---

[From the New York Times, July 7, 2017]

Tiny Satellites Will Track North Korea Missiles

(By David E. Sanger and William J. Broad; Eric Schmitt contributed

reporting)

For years before North Korea fired its first

intercontinental ballistic missile this week,

the Pentagon and intelligence experts had sounded a warning:

Not only was the North making progress quickly, spy satellite

coverage was so spotty that the United States might not see a

missile being prepared for launch.

That set off an urgent but quiet search for ways to improve

America's early-warning ability--and the capability to strike

missiles while they are on the launchpad. The most intriguing

solutions have come from Silicon Valley, where the Obama

administration began investing in tiny, inexpensive civilian

satellites developed to count cars in Target parking lots and

monitor the growth of crops.

Some in the Pentagon accustomed to relying on highly

classified, multibillion-dollar satellites, which take years

to develop, resisted the move. But as North Korea's missile

program progressed, American officials laid out an ambitious

schedule for the first of the small satellites to go up at

the end of this year, or the beginning of next.

Launched in clusters, some staying in orbit just a year or

two, the satellites would provide coverage necessary to

execute a new military contingency plan called ``Kill

Chain.'' It is the first step in a new strategy to use

satellite imagery to identify North Korean launch sites,

nuclear facilities and manufacturing capability and destroy

them pre-emptively if a conflict seems imminent.

Even a few extra minutes of warning might save the lives of

tens of thousands of Americans--and millions of South Koreans

and Japanese who already live within range of the North's

missiles.

``Kim Jong-un is racing--literally racing--to deploy a

missile capability,'' Robert Cardillo, the director of the

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which coordinates

satellite-based mapping for the government, said in an

interview days before North Korea's latest launch. ``His

acceleration has caused us to accelerate.''

The timeline for getting the satellites in orbit, which

defense officials have never discussed publicly, reflects the

urgency of the problem. The missile launch by North Korea on

Tuesday was initiated from a new site, a mobile launcher at

the Pang Hyon Aircraft Factory. Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon

spokesman, said the missile ``is not one we have seen

before.''

That mobility is the problem that the new satellites, with

wide coverage using radar sensors that work at night and

during storms, are designed to address. Less than one-third

of North Korea is under spy satellite coverage at a given

moment.

American intelligence analysts detected indications of an

impending launch in the days before the missile firing,

according to a spokesman for the Defense Intelligence Agency,

Cmdr. William Marks. But even after the launch, the Pentagon

misjudged what it was looking at. Minutes after its 37-minute

flight ended, the United States Pacific Command described the

missile as an intermediate-range model, often seen.

Hours later, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson issued a

very different conclusion: that the North had tested its

first intercontinental ballistic missile, able to reach

Alaska.

The commercial radar push is one of several new ways the

administration is seeking to counter the North Korean threat.

President Trump inherited a secret effort to sabotage the

North's missile launches. But its success has been spotty at

best, especially of late.

And joint American-South Korean missile tests, conducted

hours after the ICBM test, appeared to be part of the new

strategy that includes Kill Chain--the missiles were designed

to reach Pyongyang, where the country's leadership lives.

Kill Chain was also mentioned in a joint statement issued

last week by the United States and South Korea, a notable

shift for the South's new president, Moon Jae-in. He has

rejected public discussion of pre-emptive military action,

arguing it plays into the North Korean paranoia that the

United States and its allies are plotting to end the Kim

government.

Mr. Moon has spoken of reviving direct talks--a so-called

sunshine policy, which he advocated as chief of staff to an

earlier South Korean president.

But Mr. Trump has tried to build pressure, using warships,

sanctions and missile defenses. He was recently presented

with new options, including military ones, for responding to

a sixth nuclear detonation by the North or a test of a

missile that could reach the United States.

``The threat is much more immediate,'' H.R. McMaster, Mr.

Trump's national security adviser, told a conference last

week at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

``So it's clear that we can't repeat the same approach--

failed approach--of the past.''

The new satellite initiative builds on technology created

more for Wall Street than the Pentagon. From an office in an

old Defense Department building within view of the Google

campus in California, Raj Shah, the director of the Defense

Innovation Unit Experimental, or DIUx, is already investing

in companies that exploit tiny civilian radar satellites,

able to pierce darkness or storms, in hopes that the Pentagon

can use them by the end of the year, or early in 2018.

``It's a very challenging target,'' said Mr. Shah, a former

F-16 pilot in Iraq whose extensive experience in Silicon

Valley appealed to Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, who

set up the unit during Mr. Obama's second term and recruited

Mr. Shah.

``The key is using technologies that are already available,

and making the modifications we need for a specific military

purpose,'' Mr. Shah said.

His unit made an investment to jump-start the development

efforts of Capella Space, a Silicon Valley start-up named

after a bright star. It plans to loft its first radar

satellite late this year. The company says its radar fleet,

if successfully deployed, will be able to monitor important

targets hourly.

``The entire spacecraft is the size of a backpack,'' said

Payam Banazadeh, a founder of the company. Born in Iran, he

learned satellite design at the University of Texas and

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, specializing in

miniaturization.

Once in orbit, the payload, he added, would unfurl its

antenna and solar panels.

``Everything is getting smaller,'' Mr. Banazadeh said of

the craft's parts. ``Even the next version of the satellite

is getting smaller.''

Seeing the early fruits of the Pentagon experiment, the

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is opening its doors

to companies that can supply it with satellite radar data in

addition to traditional images. Its outpost, set up this

year, is in San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley.

Federal officials rarely, if ever, acknowledge the poor

reconnaissance coverage of the North from traditional

military satellites. But William J. Perry, the former

secretary of defense, recently said in Washington that if the

North rolled out a missile to hit the United States or its

allies, ``there's a good chance we'd never see it.''

The threat grew worse last year as North Korea began using

solid fuels after decades of relying on liquid propellants to

power its big rockets and missiles. While liquid-fueled

missiles can take hours or even days of preparation, solid-

fueled missiles can be fired with little or no warning.

Mr. Kim has made the effort a personal project, posing next

to a large solid-fueled motor after a successful ground test

last year. The North followed that firing with four

successful flight tests, twice last year and twice this year.

The advances, said Young-Keun Chang, director of the Global

Surveillance Research Center at the Korea Aerospace

University in Seoul, moved the North significantly closer to

a mobile intercontinental missile that could eventually pose

``a serious potential threat to the United States.''

The key to detecting launch preparations is the near-

constant presence of satellites that can see through clouds,

rain, snow, foliage and camouflage and can detect the

movement of military gear, including missiles. That requires

space-based radars, which over the years have been highly

expensive, with their big antennas and tendency to use large

amounts of power. Like any radar, they fire radio waves at

targets and gather faint echoes.

Space-based radars can also detect changes in ground

elevation that signal hidden tunnels, bunkers and even

radioactive cavities left by nuclear blasts, experts say,

because such hollows cause the surface above them to subside

ever so slightly.

But building the radars has historically been expensive for

the government.

In 2007, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that a

constellation of 21 radar satellites would cost the nation up

to $94 billion--or more than $4 billion each. The report,

published shortly after the North's first nuclear detonation,

zeroed in on whether the satellites could track Korean

missiles on mobile launchers. It called the goal ``highly

challenging,'' and said 35 to 50 spacecraft would be needed

to make such detections rapidly.

The new generation of tiny, cheap satellites has made that

outcome more achievable. Capella plans to loft its first

radar satellite late this year and build up to 36 orbital

radars, within the range the congressional report

recommended.

In addition to Capella, private companies rushing to make

and exploit new generations of small radar satellites include

Ursa Space Systems in Ithaca, N.Y.; UrtheCast in Vancouver,

Canada; and Iceye in Espoo, Finland. Like many new companies

seeking to make small satellites, most have strong ties to

Silicon Valley.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's initiative,

known as the Commercial Geoint Activity, builds on programs

in which the agency bought radar-satellite data from Canada,

Italy and Germany as part of its evaluation of the new

civilian technologies.

Mr. Cardillo said the new partnerships could help the

United States close the gaps in tracking Mr. Kim's rapidly

expanding arsenal of threatening missiles.

``If any of these companies, new or old, can help fill

those gaps,'' he said, ``then I'm interested.''

Mr. Chair, the second amendment deals with cybersecurity standards.

At the end of 2016, the DOD issued important updated cybersecurity standards for defense contractors. Companies must implement these new standards by January 1, 2018. However, I have heard from a number of small manufacturers in my district that it is very difficult getting the information and expertise necessary to institute these standards. They fear this may mean the end of their companies.

America cannot afford to lose these small businesses, so my amendment encourages the Secretary of Defense to establish a cooperative program between the DOD and MIST to educate and assist small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms in achieving compliance with the updated cybersecurity standards.

This would help improve cybersecurity access across the defense supply chain while also preserving competition for DOD contracts. It has received broad support from the business and technology community.

Mr. Chair, I thank the chair and ranking member for supporting these two amendments in this bloc and the next.

I ask my colleagues to support these amendments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sadness to commemorate the life of a brave hero, Fire Chief Edward Switalski, Jr., who tragically lost his life in the line of duty. Chief Switalski died while serving others, just as he had selflessly done for over 35 years.

I want to begin by extending my heartfelt condolences to Chief Switalski's family, his wife Holly, two daughters Alison and Emily, his brother and sister and many nieces and nephews, and fellow members of the fire communities in which the Chief served. May you find comfort in the fond memories you share together.

Chief Switalski served the Pleasantview Fire Protection District in my district for over 34 years. Soon after he became a firefighter, he was quickly promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, then rose to be a Captain, and in 2013 he retired as the Battalion Chief. After retiring from the Pleasantview Fire Protection District, Chief Switalski joined the Comstock Township Fire Department in Michigan where he served from 2013 until he died at the scene of an accident on June 14, 2017.

While serving the communities of the southwest suburbs of Chicago, Chief Switalski was awarded with the Medal of Valor for saving a fallen firefighter, and named the Pleasantview Firefighter of the Year. Chief Switalski was a dedicated and spiritual man. He knew at a very young age that he wanted to be a firefighter, just like his grandfather. He also served his community as a volunteer with numerous organizations and was chairman of his congregation at Peace Lutheran in Illinois before becoming an active member of the Zion Lutheran Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Following Hurricane Katrina, Chief Switalski was honored for his efforts in New Orleans in assisting those who lost everything. This experience awakened a renewed sense of giving back and the chief's love of mission work. It was through mission work where the chief embraced a strengthened bond with his daughters Alison and Emily.

Chief Switalski's death is a great loss for his family and for the communities he served. He was a generous and selfless man, who cared deeply for his wife, daughters, and all his loved ones, including the people he served. He enjoyed being outdoors fishing and boating and being with his family and friends. And like many of us, Chief Switalski was a huge Chicago Cubs fan and loved watching them finally win the World Series last November.

I ask my colleagues today in the House of Representatives to honor the life of Chief Edward Switalski, Jr. He gave so much to others and will be greatly missed.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his great work on this bill that would reauthorize a program that is critical to both American workers and businesses, and the future of our American economy.

I am continuously hearing from family-owned manufactures across my district, such as Atlas Tool and Die and ODM, that they cannot find workers with the skills they need to fill good-paying jobs. I hear this from companies also like Boeing, Intel, and Abbott. At the same time, millions of Americans are struggling to find jobs, but they don't have the skills that they need.

This bill addresses this problem by supporting career and technical education programs that are matched to regional, State, and local labor markets. These applied science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM education programs, are an important component of the innovation engine that drives our economy.

As we work to move innovative technologies into the marketplace, we need a skilled workforce to build and implement them. We also need to make sure that our innovation economy benefits all Americans, especially the middle class.

I thank my colleagues for this bill and urge all my colleagues to support it.

I want to thank Mr. Krishnamoorthi for all his work on this bill, and I thank the Republicans for their work. It is a good, bipartisan bill. It is something that America needs to help strengthen our economy and help strengthen America's middle class.

Mr. Speaker, I want to say, first of all, it is an honor to follow Mr. Norcross. As Mr. Boyle said, one of the very few in this body who is an actual member of the building and construction trades. I didn't intend to talk about this originally, but I just want to say it is very important that all of us in this Nation give more respect to the building and construction trades, and all the men and women in the trades who have built this Nation. These are great jobs that provide a good living for families, and they are building our Nation. We need to encourage more young people to go into the building and construction trades.

I used to teach college. I was a college professor, but I know we need to make sure that young people today understand what a great life they can have, what great jobs these are in the trades.

I want to thank Mr. Norcross for the work that he has done helping to build this Nation and now working here in Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Boyle and Mr. Veasey for their work on the Blue Collar Caucus. There are a lot of people in this country who think Washington has forgotten them, many blue-collar men and women who turned out in the election and I think were motivated in many ways by that feeling that they have been forgotten. Many of these are the blue-collar men and women who work so hard every day.

We are here tonight to say we have not forgotten. We understand how important you are to our Nation and the work that you do, and especially tonight to talk about how important the work you do building and repairing our infrastructure is to all of us.

There is a lot of infrastructure we have in this Nation that needs to be fixed, to be built. Ms. Kaptur talked about many of these different areas. One of them, of course, is in drinking water and sewers. So much of it was built right after either the early part of the 20th century or after World War II, and now it is deteriorating. I hear the stories all the time from some of my municipalities back home, saying that they are afraid that the pipes are completely gone, the water right now is just running through the hole that was left from the pipes. There is so much infrastructure we need to build.

I want to focus especially tonight on transportation. I sit on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. President Trump promised that he would have a $1 trillion bill to fund infrastructure. I think it is critical that, in these days where we have so many other things that we are focused on, we don't forget--and we have not forgotten--the fact that we need to do this infrastructure bill.

Focusing on transportation, we all know we need our transportation infrastructure to get anywhere we are going. You get up in the morning, you take your kids to school, you go to work, you are going to the store, you are going to church on Sunday, anywhere you go, you need the transportation infrastructure. If it wasn't there, you couldn't get there.

So we are talking not just about roads and bridges, we are talking about public transit. Public transit systems in many of our big cities are crumbling. We know that in Chicago. We know all the problems right now from that crumbling infrastructure. Something we oftentimes don't think about is that public transit, how critical it is, how important it is. So let's remember all of that. Let's remember the sidewalks, the bike and pedestrian paths, everything that gets people to where they need to go.

Everybody knows the problems that we face. Everyone knows in their daily lives what we need to do, how much transportation infrastructure needs work. Chicago is oftentimes labeled the most congested city in America. If it is not number one, it is in the top three. We know it, but people all across the country know it. We need to do this work. If we do this work, first of all, we are putting people to work immediately building the roads, bridges, repairing the infrastructure, the rails.

We also need to talk about the locks and dams on our inland waterways, things that many of us never see because we just pass over our waterways on the road, on bridges, and don't even see the vital waterways that also serve important roles in our country. And the ports. We need to invest in all of these.

We put people to work immediately. But also what is important, besides the fact it helps us get around, helps us get to wherever we are going every day, is it also makes our economy more efficient. It makes American business more efficient. If we have an efficient transportation system in our country, American business is more efficient. And that is why so many of them, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have been on this for a number of years, that we need to improve our transportation system so American business can thrive. And if American business thrives, more Americans get hired by businesses. Not just building the transportation infrastructure, not just working on it, but all businesses in America are more efficient, can hire more people. It makes our economy run.

This is something critical. With everything else that is going on right now--and we know what that is, and we never know what is coming day-to-day--all these other things are important that we are talking about and that we are looking at. But we cannot forget--and the American people know this--that we need to do our work here and we need to pass an infrastructure bill, including a big transportation component to that.

We are going to continue to fight for that. No matter what else is going on here, no matter what else you hear people talking about, we are here to say we need to do this. The American people know we need to do this. It helps all Americans, but especially the blue-collar Americans, the ones who have been suffering for many years in our country.

One other thing. President Trump talks about buy American. I am happy that he came out last month and said the administration is going to look at how we can improve our buy American law so that when the Federal Government buys things, they are going to buy American-made products.

But I have to say, if we want to do something immediately, I have a bill that I introduced, the Buy American Improvement Act, which closes a lot of the loopholes that exist right now in our domestic content, buy American laws. It extends buy American laws, domestic content laws to Federal spending that it is not applied to right now. For example, Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for drinking water.

It is important that we use American tax dollars to put Americans to work. It is great that the administration is looking at what can be done; but I have to say, this bill, the Buy American Improvement Act, we can get this done, get this passed, get this into law. When we pass that infrastructure bill, we will make sure Americans are being put to work with American taxpayer dollars.

Mr. Speaker, I want to again thank the Blue Collar Caucus and Mr. Boyle and Mr. Veasey for all the work that they are doing, and the most important thing is for the American people. The American people need to know that we are here fighting for them, especially those blue-collar workers who think they have been forgotten.

You have not been forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mayor Harry Klein who is retiring after serving the City of Burbank as their mayor for 26 years.

Mayor Klein was first appointed mayor in 1991 after the previous mayor resigned due to health concerns. He was subsequently elected to six consecutive terms starting in 1993. He has been a resident of Burbank since 1964 and raised three children in the community. He now has seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

As the Mayor of Burbank, Harry has been especially active on infrastructure issues, a priority for the residents of Burbank. He was instrumental in paving sidewalks all throughout the community. He also prioritized the installation of street lights in Burbank, significantly increasing the walkability and safety of the city.

Mayor Klein has represented the interests of the residents of Burbank very well over these 26 years. He personally answered his constituents' phone calls and did his absolute best to solve whatever problems they had. In his city of 29,000 he knows many residents by name and will speak with them on the street whenever he can. Just recently I witnessed the love that residents have for Harry as they greeted him at Opening Day at Burbank American and Burbank National Little Leagues.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mayor Harry Klein for his public service and congratulate him on his achievements. He is well deserving of praise for the energy he has dedicated to improving the lives of the residents of Burbank. I wish him the best in his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mayor Dan McLaughlin who served the Village of Orland Park as an elected official for 34 years.

Dan McLaughlin was elected mayor of the village six times beginning in 1993. Prior to his election as mayor he served eight years as a Orland Park Trustee, starting his service to the community in 1983.

During his 34 years serving Orland Park, Dan McLaughlin has seen the population of the village expand from around 25,000 to nearly 59,000. As mayor, he helped drive significant commercial and public infrastructure development. He recently oversaw the construction of the ``Main Street Triangle,'' a 27-acre site in the center of the community. This includes the 108,000-square-foot University of Chicago Medicine Center for Advanced Care. Significant improvements to La Grange Road were also completed under Mayor McLaughlin.

Dan McLaughlin has been a champion of veterans during his public service, honoring those who have served our nation. He was also instrumental in Orland Park's Special Recreation programs for the handicapped and was a leader in open lands preservation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mayor Dan McLaughlin for his public service and thank him for all that he has done for Orland Park and the region. I wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I want to recognize the 80 social scientists from the Consortium of Social Science Associations, who are visiting Washington, D.C., today, and to thank them for their hard work keeping our STEM enterprise strong.

They are here to highlight the value of social science research to the Nation, and to support funding for the social, behavioral, and economic sciences in the National Science Foundation budget.

Social science research has provided us with numerous benefits. Some of these include: strengthening cybersecurity by showing us how changes in behavior can eliminate cyber vulnerabilities; making our soldiers safer by working with the Army to improve its cross-cultural training; and saving lives by improving the system of matching kidney donors with patients.

Madam Speaker, we must have strong Federal funding for social science research. Cuts would make America weaker, not greater.

I urge my colleagues to oppose any cuts to social science funding in the NSF budget.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Western Springs Chief of Police Pamela Church, who is retiring after 33 years of service in law enforcement.

Chief Church started out as physical education teacher in the Decatur School District. After seven years in education, she decided to switch careers and become a police officer in 1983. She started as a patrol officer for the Downers Grove Police Department where she developed an award-winning community oriented policing program. Chief Church spent more than 20 years serving and protecting the Downers Grove community and rose through the ranks to Deputy Chief.

In November 2005, Chief Church was hired as Chief of Police for the Western Springs Police Department. Upon becoming Chief, she became one of seven female police chiefs in the State of Illinois. Chief Church honorably protected the Western Springs community for over a decade.

In addition, Chief Church has been recognized by a variety of organizations for her exemplary efforts as Police Chief. In 2010, Church became the 50th president and first female president of the West Suburban Chiefs of Police Association, an honorable testament to her work outside of Western Springs and her dedication to law enforcement. She was also given the Illinois State Bar Association Law Enforcement Award in 2009, among countless other awards honoring her commitment to her community. Thanks to her work as Chief, she has made Western Springs a better and safer community.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Chief of Police Pamela Church for all she has done in her years of service to her community and to congratulate her on her retirement. Her contributions have made an important impact in Western Springs and she will surely be missed.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of National Catholic Schools Week and to recognize the outstanding contributions that Catholic schools have made and continue to make to our Nation.

As a proud graduate of St. Symphorosa Grammar School and St. Ignatius College Prep and as a strong supporter of Catholic education, I have introduced H. Res. 57, honoring January 29 through February 4 as National Catholic Schools Week. I would like to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for working with me on this resolution and on other issues. Following his Catholic faith, Mr. Smith is one of our greatest defenders of freedom and human rights around the world.

This year marks the 43rd anniversary of Catholic Schools Week. Since 1974, Catholic Schools Week has celebrated the important role that these institutions play in America and their excellent reputation for providing a strong academic and moral education as well as teaching community responsibility and outreach.

This year's theme, ``Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service,'' highlights the values that are the centerpiece of a Catholic education.

Today, over 2 million elementary and secondary school students are enrolled in over 6,600 Catholic schools. These students typically surpass their peers in math, science, reading, history, and geography in the NAEP test. The same is true for SAT scores. And the graduation rate for Catholic high school students is 99 percent, with 85 percent of graduates enrolling in a 4-year college. As we continually hear disturbing reports about our national test scores, these statistics are truly remarkable and should be commended.

Notably, the success of Catholic schools does not depend on selectivity. These academic achievements are realized by students from all walks of life. Catholic schools accept 9 out of 10 students who apply and are highly effective in providing a quality education to students from every socioeconomic category, especially the disadvantaged and underserved urban communities. Over the past 30 years, the percentage of minority students enrolled in Catholic schools has more than doubled, and today they constitute about one-third of all Catholic school students. In times of economic hardship, Catholic schools can provide an affordable alternative to other forms of private education.

In addition to learning reading, writing, and arithmetic, students also learn responsibility and how to become persons of character and integrity. America's Catholic schools produce graduates with the skills and integrity needed by our businesses, governments, and communities, emphasizing a well-rounded educational experience and instilling the values of giving back to the community and helping others. That is why ``service'' is in this year's Catholic Schools Week theme. My own decision to pursue a career in public service was fostered, in part, by dedicated teachers throughout my formative years at Catholic schools.

I celebrated Catholic Schools Week last week at a number of schools in my district. I visited St. Barbara Grammar School, which is located in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago. I met with Principal Nicole Nolazco and the student council, and I spoke to and took questions from an all-school assembly.

I visited Everest Academy in Lemont, where Principal Lori Broncato and Father Jason gave me a tour of the quickly growing school, and I answered questions from students before the whole school wowed me with an impressive version of the song, ``America.''

Finally, I visited my alma mater, St. Symphorosa, in the Clearing neighborhood in Chicago. I met with Principal Kathy Berry and Father Idzi and spoke to students about my experiences at St. Syms and how my Catholic education made it possible for me to serve in the U.S. Congress.

These are just three of the many wonderful Catholic schools in my district that are part of the Chicago Archdiocese and the Joliet Diocese.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in congratulating and thanking Catholic schools across the country, which provide first- class, well-rounded educations and contribute so much to our Nation.

Section 4:

``The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations, except as to the places of chusing Senators.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor St. Daniel the Prophet School, an exemplary Catholic school in Chicago, Illinois, which is celebrating its 65th anniversary.

Part of the Archdiocese of Chicago school system, St. Daniel offers a quality education to its students and teaches them the core pillars of the Catholic faith. The school's administration believes that parents, students, and teachers share in the process and responsibility of education. Parents and teachers are co-learners with the students and are encouraged to teach through example to provide an environment that encourages growth, communication, and Christian acceptance of all individuals. The collaborative effort of the parents and teachers provides for a supportive and nurturing environment in which students have unlimited growth potential.

The school offers many extracurricular activities as well as community-building events. Students can participate in chess club, choir, band, or sports among various other activities. St. Daniel promotes an environmentally friendly lifestyle by offering a recycling program. I commend St. Daniel the Prophet for going above and beyond by expanding their teachings outside the classroom.

The hard work of Pastor John Noga and Principal Mary Frances Porod has not gone unnoticed. They are well deserving of praise along with the outstanding teachers and administrative staff who work tirelessly for the benefit of their students.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing St. Daniel the Prophet School and congratulate them as they celebrate their 65th anniversary. May St. Daniel continue to exhibit excellence and create an outstanding learning environment for our future leaders.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lemont Police Chief Kevin Shaughnessy who is retiring from the force after 11 years as Chief of Police.

Chief Shaughnessy received his Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice from Arizona State University and his Master's Degree in criminal justice from Chicago State University. His first position in law enforcement was with the Illinois State Police and he served with that force for 25 years. During this time Chief Shaughnessy was selected to be Commander of the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force. With this position, he worked closely with area police chiefs to establish one of the largest and most successful violent crime task forces in the nation. In 2003, Chief Shaughnessy was selected from over 60 qualified candidates to lead the Lemont Police Department.

As chief, Kevin Shaughnessy has overseen various programs offered to Lemont residents including Neighborhood Watch, 911 Emergency Cell Phones, Prescription and OTC Drug Disposal, and his personal favorite-- Kops n Kidz Day. Chief Shaughnessy is committed to the concept of community policing and he considers the citizens served as partners in providing meaningful police service.

Friends and colleagues of Chief Shaughnessy say that he is a great mentor and friend, and someone who can be depended on. I know this also from my experiences with the chief since I have served as Lemont's representative in the House. He is a true example of a leader and has brought stability to the Lemont Police Department. I know that Chief Shaughnessy will truly be missed for he has greatly contributed to the department.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Chief Kevin Shaughnessy for his many years of service to his community and wish him the best in his future endeavors.