Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and privilege to recognize the life of fallen Kissimmee Police Sergeant Sam Howard III, who passed away August 19, 2017. Sam and his fellow officer, Matthew Baxter, were fatally wounded on August 18, 2017, while responding to a shots-fired call in the northern area of Kissimmee. Both officers sacrificed their lives in the line of duty protecting a woman, whose own statement said, ``without question,'' the two men were responsible for saving her life.

Sam was born on September 20, 1981, in Bartow, Florida. Raised in Central Florida, he graduated from Osceola High School in 2000. Shortly after graduating, Sam joined the Florida Army National Guard and served in Iraq from December 2003 to March 2005. Fulfilling a goal his wife, Billie Jo Howard, says was always on his mind; to serve and protect.

After his military service, Sam's desire to serve and protect led to his pursuit of joining the Kissimmee Police Department on January 22, 2007. Sam was a Detective Corporal, Street Crimes Corporal, Traffic Homicide Investigator, DUI Officer, Motors Officer, and S.W.A.T. Sniper. On July 7, 2017, his impressive work effort and dedication led to his promotion to the rank of Sergeant.

Sam's sense of duty also carried over to his responsibilities as a father and husband. Sam had always kept his promise to be a role model and good father to his daughter, Unique. Through hard times and good, Sam always put Unique as his priority; as he would always attend her sporting events. Sam's wife would say ``everyone should be blessed to have a father like Sam.''

Sam was not only a leader of our community in Kissimmee, but he was also a good person and friend to those who knew him.

Through Sam's passion for cars and athletics, his positivity brought joy to those around him. As a leader, Sam only wanted what was best for the community, and to make sure the people knew he was there to help those in need. For those who guard over us are our fellow brothers and sisters, who give their hearts to the communities they serve.

Mr. Speaker, Soto amendment, Soto number 11 to Division H, the Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018, increased funding to the Housing for the Elderly Program by $2,500,000. It did so by shifting $2,500,000 from the Policy Development and Research, Research and Technology account within HUD.

I support increased funding for the Housing for the Elderly Program and thank Chairman Diaz-Balart and my colleagues for their support of my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, Soto amendment, Soto number 27 to Division D, the Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018, increased funding to the Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program by $1,000,000. It did so by making an additional carveout of money from the overall Taxpayer Services Account.

I support increased funding for the Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program and thank Chairman Graves and my colleagues for their support of my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, Soto amendment, Soto number 24 to Division B, the Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018, moved $1,000,000 from the Office of the Economist account to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Specialty Crop Pest Program, specifically the Huanglongbing Multi- Agency Coordination Efforts.

I support increased funding for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Specialty Crop Pest Program's Huanglongbing Multi- Agency Coordination Efforts and thank Chairman Aderholt and my colleagues for their support of my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, Soto amendment, Soto number 23 to Division B, the Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018, moved $500,000 from the Office of the Secretary account to the Grassroots Source Water Protection Program.

I support increased funding for the Grassroots Source Water Protection Program and thank Chairman Aderholt and my colleagues for their support of my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, Soto amendment, Soto number 49 to Division A, the Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018, moved $500,000 from the United States Fish and Wildlife general administration account to the National Wildlife Refuge System program, specifically for the Wildlife and Habitat Management of invasive species,

I support increased funding for the Wildlife and Habitat Management efforts to combat invasive species and thank Chairman Calvert and my colleagues for their support of my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, Soto amendment, Soto number 48 to Division A, the Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018, put the House on record of supporting a final funding amount of $27,191,000 for the National Estuary Program and Coastal Waterways. It does so by removing and then reapplying $468,000 within the $2.3 billion appropriation for the Environmental Programs and Management account within the Environmental Protection Agency.

I support increased funding for the National Estuary Program and Coastal Waterways and thank Chairman Calvert and my colleagues for their support of my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, it is Hispanic Heritage Month, and I want to take this time to honor some great heroes in my district of Hispanic descent, who range from reporters to civil rights heroes, to community organizers, to businessmen and women, and I am just proud to be here tonight to be able to do that.

Honoring Daniel Barajas

Mr. Speaker, the first gentleman I want to talk about is Daniel Barajas, the executive director of the Young American Dreamers.

Daniel Barajas was born in Winter Haven, Florida, to a family of migrant workers. Growing up, he worked in the orange groves of Florida. There, he witnessed firsthand how farmworkers were exposed to dangerous pesticides while working for poverty wages. He also learned about the long-term effects of failed immigration policies, seeing his own father be deported during a local operation.

As a teenager, Daniel saw his friends join gangs to survive poverty and defend themselves against deeply rooted racism within their communities. He joined this path but was dubbed ``Lucky'' because he survived.

Barajas dropped out of school in the ninth grade but earned his GED in 2001. During an incarceration in 2009, he noticed that inmates had no access to books or to reading glasses. It was then that Daniel founded the Library of Hope to collect books and reading glasses to donate to inmates.

Daniel's younger sister, Maria Isabel, founded the Young American Dreamers, YAD, in 2010 to help local immigrant youth. Maria Isabel passed away in a car accident, tragically, in 2012, and to honor her legacy, Daniel joined YAD and was voted executive director in 2013.

Barajas also continues to fundraise for annual scholarships to local students and participates in philanthropic events in the community.

Daniel now speaks at high schools across Polk County, talks to students about his life, and shows them that one is not defined by their past, and that breaking down barriers is possible.

He also closely works with the Polk County Supervisor of Elections Office to help register voters, increase voter turnout, and distribute clemency applications to help felons restore their civil rights.

Daniel is an example of one who could turn their life around and benefit the community as a whole, and he works with the Mexican Consulate in Orlando to do community workshops to teach immigrant families of their constitutional rights.

Thank you, Daniel, for your contributions.

Honoring Ericka Gomez-Tejeda

Mr. Speaker, next is Ericka Gomez-Tejeda with Vamos4PR, Florida chapter. She is the civic engagement coordinator at 32BJ SEIU.

Ericka Gomez-Tejeda came from Colombia to the United States with her mom when she was 8 years old. Moved by her lifelong commitment to her birth country, Ericka moved to Medellin, Colombia, in 2009 and began a master's in theology.

Upon her return to the U.S. 2 years later, she moved to Florida and was elected vice president of SEIU Local 1199 United Health Care Workers East for the Florida nursing home division, representing 11,000 nursing home workers in the State.

In 2014, under the leadership of 32BJ President Hector Figueroa, Ericka returned to the Local 32BJ as deputy director of the 12,000- member New York

City security division, leading the field of operation for the division's first citywide contracts.

In 2016, Ericka moved back to Florida and became the 32BJ civic engagement coordinator and organizer of Vamos4PR, Florida division. With 40 percent of the Orange County Public Schools community speaking primarily Spanish, Vamos4PR parents, teachers, students, and organizations successfully worked with the Orange County Public Schools to ensure English-learning parents get information, orientations, and translation.

The coalition is currently focusing on offering immediate lifesaving resources to Puerto Rico and the cancellation of crippling debt, while working locally to open doors for the newly arrived Puerto Ricans to our region so they can use their knowledge and skills to integrate and contribute to the local economy and society from the day they arrive.

Honoring Esteban Garces

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to highlight Esteban Garces, Florida State director of Mi Familia Vota.

Esteban directs the Florida operation of Mi Familia Vota, managing strategy, operations, local policy development, campaigns, civic engagement, organizing efforts, and nonpartisan electoral work.

Esteban's career was set in motion at an early age as a victim of landlord abuse. Continued exposure to immigration, education, and racial injustices spurred his interest in social justice. He began his career in social justice organizing, and then electoral organizing.

He joined Mi Familia Vota in 2015 to continue working to create positive change. He was previously the immigration campaign director for SEIU Local 615.

Honoring Frank Lopez

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Frank Lopez of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida.

Frank Lopez is the president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando. Lopez is passionate about what he does, and nothing is more fulfilling to him than being part of a team with similar interests of an organization that is philanthropic and mission driven, and that values and pays tribute to those communities he serves.

Lopez has been successful in creating substantive underwriting support to develop and sustain innovative youth learning and entrepreneurship services. These programs have produced an impressive array of community-building benefits, such as workforce readiness and leadership development, youth entrepreneurship experimental training camps, mentoring and coaching programs, community-based technology, and wealth-building programs.

Lopez served as a member of the U.S. Hispanic Council on Federal Employment that advises the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on strategies for improving access of Latinos to the Federal workforce.

Lopez has also served as a founding member of the National Hispanic Outreach Advisory Council, established by Intuit Corporation, focusing on diversity and inclusion, and expanding penetration of equitable tax filing practices within growing Latino communities across the country.

Lopez is also a former president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation, developing strategic services to Latino entrepreneurs from across the Nation.

Throughout his career, Frank has served several philanthropic and social service governing boards, most recently with SourceAmerica, an organization created by Congress that manages over $2.5 billion in Federal employment-producing contracts administered locally by affiliated nonprofit agencies across the United States and Puerto Rico.

Honoring Ingrid Morfa

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Ingrid Morfa, immigrant, attorney, and activist, a leader in immigration law in central Florida.

Ingrid Morfa is an attorney and first-generation American. Her parents migrated from the Dominican Republic in the 1970s.

As a mother of four, she is a firm believer that educating our community and helping those in need will make the United States a better place for her children and grandchildren for years to come.

Her studies at Harvard University, Barry University School of Law, Cambridge College in the U.K., Kaplan University, and the New York City of Technology College have equipped Ingrid Morfa to help those around her.

As a member of the National Caribbean Leadership Team and the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida, an advocate for domestic violence prevention with Nuevo Sendero, and an attorney who assisted more than 2,000 naturalization applicants and dozens of green card applicants who are victims of domestic violence and crime at no cost, she has shown a devotion to the community that is only surpassed by her love that she has for her family.

Honoring Jimmy Torres

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Jimmy Torres, community organizer and activist, and also a major member of the SEIU union.

Jimmy Torres Velez grew up in Puerto Rico, where he went to public school. After he finished his bachelor's degree in labor relations at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, he went to work with migrant families in southern New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Since then, he has worked for various unions in many States and in Puerto Rico. In those years he has held various positions, including trustee, secretary-treasurer, organizing director, and AFL-CIO State director.

As part of his work, he has created and developed relationships with various Puerto Rican communities. After years organizing public and private sector employees, Jimmy organized and managed the State legislative office for SEIU in Puerto Rico and cooperated with the establishment of the legislative coordinating body for the AARP as well.

After moving to Florida to help with retired members of the Service Employees International Union, he became an activist of the Puerto Rican community and Latino community overall.

To improve the Latino representation in our area, he organized and coordinated the Boricua Vota movement. This movement is a nonpartisan educational and mobilization tool to improve activism and civic engagement and participation of Puerto Ricans in the political process. Jimmy also organized and became president of the Puerto Rico Action Initiative.

To respond to Hurricane Irma, Jimmy has helped to organize a coordinated group called Aid, Support, and Help Coordinating Group, otherwise known as CASA. When Maria devastated the island, CASA galvanized enthusiasm and desire of the Puerto Rican community in central Florida to help their fellow compatriots--my fellow compatriots--on the island and has collected and has sent hundreds of thousands of dollars in goods and merchandise to Puerto Rico.

Honoring Jorge Estevez

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Jorge Estevez, WFTV news anchor and journalist in Orlando.

Jorge Estevez is an anchor for the evening newscast of Eyewitness News at 10 p.m. on WRDQ TV 27. He also anchors and reports newscasts on WFTV Channel 9.

Jorge first came to WFTV in 2001 and covered the attacks of 9/11 and how they impacted central Florida's tourism industry.

During the next 5 years as an anchor and reporter for WFTV and WRDQ, Jorge worked on major news affecting the various counties that make up our central Florida community. Jorge anchored several major local stories, including the severe hurricane season of 2004, during which several storms impacted the Orlando area.

Since his return to central Florida, Jorge has been sent to cover major stories. His most recent trip was to Atlanta, where he interviewed Ronny Ahmed, one of three students injured when a shooter stormed the campus of Florida State University in 2014 and started firing at random.

The son of Cuban immigrants, Jorge is from West New York, New Jersey, where he graduated from Rutgers University, like myself, with a dual degree in journalism and communication. Now he is glad to be back in central Florida, where he enjoys the change of seasons each year. He enjoys the warm weather because it gives him a chance to leave

the gym to take his 5-mile runs outdoors, where he can really break a sweat.

Thank you, Jorge, for your contributions.

Honoring Josephine Balzac, Esquire

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Josephine Balzac, Esquire, attorney, writer, and professor at Rollins College, specializing in environmental law.

Josephine M. Balzac is currently a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Business, teaching in the social entrepreneurship major. She has had the honor of being part of Rollins College since 2014.

Her greatest honor is receiving two teaching awards from the students: a student government association's Outstanding Faculty Award, and the Walter E. Barden Distinguished Teaching Award. Throughout each of her classes, she makes sure to engage with the local community by bringing her legal professionals and organizations as guest speakers.

Professor Balzac is a licensed attorney admitted to practice law in Florida and the U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida.

In May of 2017, the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, FAMU, College of Law presented her law office with the Distinguished Alumni Award and Professional Excellence Award, Solo Practitioner.

She is also a community rights staff attorney for the Center for Earth Jurisprudence.

During the summer, she is an adjunct law professor at Barry University School of Law, teaching sustainability in business.

Professor Balzac previously worked as an associate attorney at an AV- rated trial litigation firm and worked for a food safety regulatory consulting group.

Ms. Balzac is actively involved in the local community, frequently educating and advocating as an avid speaker on environmental justice, sustainable development, climate change, human rights, food, and social justice issues.

Thank you, Josephine, for your contributions.

Honoring Luis Pastrana

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Luis Pastrana, attorney, activist, and professional at Ana G. Mendez University.

Luis Pastrana was born in Puerto Rico. He received his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, while simultaneously being commissioned from the Army ROTC as a second lieutenant in the artillery branch.

He taught at the Puerto Rico Junior College of Dona Ana G. Mendez, and many years later came full circle and is now a distinguished professor at the Orlando campus of the Ana G. Mendez University system.

Luis served in the Army for 20 years. He was with the Vietnamese irregular forces as an adviser for 2 years in the mountains of Vietnam, as well as an adviser to the Spanish Army for a couple of years in Spain and in many other parts of the globe. After retirement, he began to pursue law at the University of Puerto Rico.

He has worked in banking as vice president for investments of the Cooperative Bank, as a general manager for a newspaper in San Juan; he was a candidate for Mayor of Guaynabo, director of finances for the Popular Democratic Party, trial attorney and senior partner of the law firm Pastrana, Perez, Martinez and Quevedo, executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration for the Southeast of the United States, and now professor of law of the bachelor's degree in criminal justice for the Orlando campus of the Ana G. Mendez University. He published five books, all honoring his Puerto Rican roots.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Luis for his contributions.

Honoring Nancy Alvarez

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Nancy Alvarez. Nancy was part of the first Hispanic anchor team on an English language TV station in central Florida. Along with Jorge Estevez, her coanchor, she brought the 10 o'clock news on Channel 27 TV to number one for the first time in more than 10 years.

Alvarez joined the team at the ABC affiliate in May 2010 and currently coanchors Eyewitness News This Morning, alongside Jamie Homes. She is the daughter of Cuban immigrants and was born and raised in south Florida, although she considers Orlando a second home. Alvarez has spent most of her journalism career in central Florida, where she has been front and center for every major news event in the last 15- plus years.

She spent years covering the space program at Kennedy Space Center, and was also in central Florida for Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, and Jean, reporting nonstop during the now-infamous 2004 hurricane season.

In recent years, Alvarez was a central part of her station's coverage of the Pulse Nightclub shooting tragedy and covered various stories during the community's journey toward healing. She was also on the air for continuous coverage of Hurricane Irma and traveled to Puerto Rico to report on the devastating impacts of Hurricane Maria.

Alvarez is also a graduate of Florida's Atlantic University, with degrees in communications and history. She has dedicated her career to giving a voice to people in need and using honest journalism as a tool for community service.

Alvarez, a mother of two who is married to a news photographer, has dedicated her life to honoring the sacrifices made by her parents when they came to the U.S. from Cuba. It is her hope that her life, career, and impact have made the hardships they have endured worth it.

Honoring Orlando Rolon

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Orlando Rolon. Orlando Rolon was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and has lived in central Florida since 1977. After high school, he served in the United States Marines Reserves for 4 years.

In 1992, Orlando Rolon was hired by the Orlando Police Department. In 1997, Officer Rolon was promoted to sergeant, and, in 1999, he was selected as the first full-time bilingual public information officer in the history of the Orlando Police Department.

In 2003, Sergeant Rolon was promoted to lieutenant. He served as the liaison to the mayor and, during that time, was named adviser for Hispanic Affairs for the City of Orlando. In 2010, he was selected as the special operations traffic enforcement section commander.

In 2013, Lieutenant Rolon was promoted to the rank of captain. He served as a patrol division commander and the crisis negotiation team commander. Prior to his appointment as deputy chief, he was serving as the professional standards division commander, which included internal affairs, planning, fiscal, and training under his command. In 2013, he was named as one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in central Florida.

In 2014, Mayor Buddy Dyer appointed Captain Orlando Rolon to the rank of deputy chief.

In 2016, Deputy Chief Rolon was then assigned to patrol services bureau commander, with nearly 400 of the department's sworn staff officers under his command.

Deputy Chief Rolon is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute Command Officers Development Course, the FBI National Academy Session 263, and the Major Cities Chiefs Association Police Executive Leadership Institute IV session.

Deputy Chief Orlando Rolon is a member of the FBI National Academy Associates, Florida Police Chiefs Association, International Association of chiefs of Police, Major Cities Chiefs Association, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chief Rolon for his contributions.

Honoring Roxy Santiago

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Roxy Santiago, board of directors for the LGBT Center of Central Florida and board of the Pulse Foundation.

Roxy Santiago was born in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has lived in Orlando for over 30 years. Roxy has worked for over 12 years at Walt Disney World in numerous management roles and had the privilege of being a personal tour guide for former Presidents and other high- profile individuals.

She was a partner with Phish Phest Entertainment for 10 years. The organization held dozens of events, raising more than $150,000 for charity over the past decade.

Roxy was Tri-Chair Federal Club Steering Committee member for Human Rights Campaign, in 2006 through 2009; and in 2014 to present, she is currently serving on the Web Communications Steering Committee and Community Engagement.

In 2014, she was honored with being selected among 50 distinguished local LGBT leaders by entering her biography and accomplishments in the U.S. Congressional Record; and here it is happening again

In 2015, she became a member of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Central Florida and assists in their web communications. In 2015, Roxy also became a volunteer at the American Red Cross of Central Florida. In the aftermath of Pulse, she was hired by the Red Cross in the position of community partnership.

In 2016, she was selected by the National Human Rights Campaign, with 19 other women around the U.S., to attend a workshop for Women and Leadership: Equality for the 21st Century. In 2016, Roxy became a board member for the LGBT Center of Central Orlando and serves as their secretary on the board.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Roxy for her contributions.

Honoring Tirso Moreno

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Tirso Moreno. Tirso was born in Mexico and came to this country in 1971, with his family to do farm work. He is currently the director of the Farmworker Association of Florida.

In 1982, he became the lead organizer for the Farmworker Project of the Office for Farm Ministry, during which time he and several other farmworkers initiated the Farmworker Association. Under his leadership as general coordinator, the association has grown from a local to statewide organization with over 10,000 members.

Tirso is a cofounder and board member of the Farmworker Health and Safety Institute and serves on the boards of Southern Partners Fund, Domestic Fair Trade Association, National Immigrant Farming Initiative, and the Rural Coalition. He also advocates for farmworkers' and immigrants' rights in national and international meetings.

The Farmworker Association of Florida currently has five offices throughout central and south Florida. The mission of FWAF is to build power among farmworker and rural, low-income communities to respond to and gain control over the social, political, economic, workplace, health, and environmental justice issues that impact their lives.

FWAF's core strategy is to help farmworkers realize their power to be effective agents of social change and personal change by: validating and strengthening the experience and understanding of farmworkers; building farmworkers' capacity to participate in decisionmaking processes that affect their lives; and raising consciousness about and advocating for farmworkers' and immigrants' rights.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Tirso for his contributions.

Honoring William Diaz

Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor William Diaz, Spanish radio host. Identified as a consistent community leader and insightful journalist, William Diaz's passion to help fellow citizens in life's struggles has been evidenced in the last 28 years of his residency in central Florida.

William's activism in favor of Latin-American political development has granted him daily recognition with most of the Latin-American community in central Florida who listen to him and read his articles.

A native of Cumana, and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, he developed a natural way to start friendships and show loyalty and support for all humanitarian causes.

William was the recipient of a scholarship that brought him to the United States to obtain his postgraduate diploma. In 1976, the University of Texas at Austin gave him a master's degree in mass communications.

William served as a Venezuelan diplomatic official in Europe, when he was designated as general coordinator of the GMA Foundation and the educational attache to the Venezuelan Embassy in Paris, France.

Founder and president of several community organizations in his native Venezuela, in 1989, William brought all of his experience to the U.S. Since then, he has been very active within the Latino community, specifically advising and counseling new nonprofit organizations.

At this time, William is full-time with his radio show, ``Cara a Cara con William Diaz,'' which broadcasts in 18 different counties, founder of Casa de Venezuela, 15 years ago, which gathered most of the Venezuelans in central Florida, and founder of Made in Venezuela Business Club, dedicated to developing networking and promotions of products and services for Venezuelan businessmen and professionals, and current executive secretary of MUD Central Florida, the political organization that hosts and coordinates most of Venezuela's opposition political parties.

Honoring Zoraida Rios-Andino

Mr. Speaker, next I would like to honor Zoraida Rios- Andino, president of Mission Boricua.

Zoraida Rios-Andino has been a resident of Orlando, Florida, for 17 years. She has been very active in promoting cultural, social, and historic events in the Puerto Rican community. Zoraida is currently president and founder of Mission Boricua, an organization dedicated to history and civic engagement of the Puerto Rican community. Zoraida supervised the creation and promotion of Mission Boricua's outreach efforts.

Zoraida has been part of the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Orlando chapter; United Front 436, National Boricua Human Rights Network, Orlando chapter; and Asociacion Borinquena. She is currently a board member for Speak Up Florida, and a member and cofounder of The Justice Project Coalition of Central Florida.

In addition, she was an English as a second language instructor, and worked as a personnel administrator for many years. Zoraida was also program coordinator for ALSE, where she assisted hundreds of high school students pursuing postsecondary education.

Zoraida has also led the movement to have the Florida Legislature pass a law in 2014, to put a honorary plaque along Semoran Boulevard in recognition of Rico Piccard, the late civil rights hero in central Florida.

Zoraida has received numerous awards for her community service, like the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women; Roberto Clemente Community Service Award; Latino History Society President's Award; Outstanding Membership Award from the Asociacion Borinquena; Community Service Award from the office of Congressman Alan Grayson; 2014 Florida State Proclamation recipient from State Representative Victor Torres; Coqui de Oro Award from La Casa de Puerto Rico; the Rico Piccard Award from the Orange County Democratic Party, and more.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Zoraida for her contributions to central Florida.

I am excited to be able to have this opportunity to talk about these heroes--so many who are symbolic of the hardworking Hispanic Americans in central Florida who help out with everyone from our poor, to our civil rights, to education, to the news, to politics, to our environment, to families, to so many important issues that matter to Hispanics across central Florida and across our Nation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 7 o'clock and 28 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, October 12, 2017, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.

Mr. Speaker, President Barack Obama, under his executive powers, established the DACA program which temporarily protected immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children from potential deportation.

Our Nation made a promise to DREAMers that by coming out of the shadows, following the rules and laws of our great land, they would not be deported to a foreign country that they never knew or barely remembered.

DREAMers came to the United States under no volition of their own as young children, making this country the only home most have ever known. DREAMers have jobs, pay taxes, and contribute to the prosperity of our Nation's economy. Since its implementation, the DACA program has added over 50,000 jobs to our economy. Ninety-three percent of DREAMers are currently employed.

Over the next decade, DACA beneficiaries are projected to contribute $460 billion to our Nation's GDP; $24.6 billion in Medicare and Social Security; and an estimated $2.5 billion annually for State and Federal contributions.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York. However, on September 5, President Trump announced he would end DACA and look to Congress to develop a legislative solution for DACA recipients.

Well, Congress has a solution. It is H.R. 3440, the Dream Act. We have heard about it from sea to shining sea. The Dream Act would allow DREAMers to earn lawful permanent residence with a pathway to citizenship. It would also give them the opportunity to continue contributing to their communities by encouraging them to pursue higher education, work for at least 3 years, or serve in our United States military.

To qualify under the Dream Act, a person must graduate from high school, pass a background check, demonstrate proficiency in the English language, and not have a felony or any other serious crime that could pose a threat to our country. With the DACA set to expire, now is the time for Congress to act.

We must bring the Dream Act to the floor for a vote because Congress has been silent for too long. DREAMers are doing their jobs. What we ask is that Congress does theirs. It is time for Congress to do its job and pass the Dream Act without delay.

Mr. Speaker, first, to the President: Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are in crisis. People are dying, and the time for action is now.

Send our ships. Send our planes. Send our soldiers and our personnel over. We need water and food and medicine. These are Americans, and we can't turn our backs on them.

To Mr. Speaker: We need a FEMA supplemental package without delay, and include not only Texas and Florida, but the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with the same funding per capita as the States. They need resources just like our great State of Florida.

To the Governors in many States from whom folks from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will seek refuge in the meantime: Be prepared--your schools, your hospitals, shelters. Families in these areas, open your homes to our friends and to your neighbors.

The United States Government must act with urgency beginning today.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for his inspiring words.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to update the House on what has occurred in Florida after the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

First, I want to start by thanking so many Members of Congress for supporting a package that doubled from $7 billion to $15 billion, the emergency relief. Not only was it so critical for the great State of Texas, but it was absolutely essential for anticipating the effects that Irma would have on the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, up through South Carolina, and southeast United States.

When I arrived back on Friday--you know how important it is to go back to your district when there is a crisis on hand--I saw people taking the notice of evacuation seriously. I saw people stocking up on gas, stocking up on water, stocking up their cupboards, making sure to be ready.

While it was initially supposed to hit the southeastern portion of Florida, as you know, these predictions can be somewhat accurate, which is why we always need to be sure to always prepare, whether you think you are in the eye of the storm or not. Because, in fact, after it went through the central Keys and leveled a lot of Marathon and other central Keys islands, it hit southwest Florida. The eye went right through the Naples-Fort Myers area, and a lot of those folks are still struggling with that. It actually went up through the western center of the State, through the western portion of my district in Polk County, as well as Hillsborough County, Pasco County, and other areas, and then finally going up through the Big Bend.

That night, the wind was so loud and the rain was so hard that you couldn't even hear the trees snapping. When I woke up the next day, I knew it was bad, but, to my surprise, there were trees down everywhere.

Right outside our door, right down the street, in Osceola, Orange, and Polk Counties--all the counties that I represent--one of the first initial acts of courage that I saw was neighborhood folks with nice F- 150s, chainsaws, and all of this construction equipment, volunteering their time to get these major trees out of the roads. We saw that throughout Kissimmee, east Orlando, Winter Haven, Haines City, Lake Wales, and so many areas, like St. Cloud, that I represent.

That debris removal that the State was approved for by FEMA is going to make sure, now that those trees are on the sidewalk or they are on the median, that they are going to get picked up. It is going to be so critical that we have that either 75 or 90 percent reimbursement for debris removal to make sure that these neighborhoods can come back to normal.

One of the other impacts of having all of these trees down, since we haven't had a hurricane with major winds since 2004, was that it absolutely decimated the power grid. If our fellow Members remember nothing else about what I have to say here today, it is that our power grid was absolutely annihilated--the worst that Duke Energy, FP&L, and municipal electricity providers like KUA and OUC said they have seen in their history.

There are people that are without power now--several hundred thousand--and it is primarily because we saw so many of these trees go down on power lines.

When I went through my district, I saw rivers swell to floods. We saw worse in Harvey--far worse flooding in Harvey. We know with the supplemental FEMA packages that we are going to have to take care of Texas and Louisiana. But there are areas that are still under water as of yesterday, as of last night, and as of this morning. A few of them in east Orlando, where the Econlockhatchee River swelled over into the swamps and over into apartment buildings.

There were still, unfortunately, some UCF students that needed to evacuate; and I think, after the firefighters got there with the fire trucks, they heeded that warning.

I saw in Kissimmee flooding in the Mill Slough area. The slough flooded over. And we saw in Buenaventura Lakes flooding in the streets in many neighborhoods.

I witnessed folks throughout the area in mobile homes suffer pretty extreme damage in certain areas of Polk County.

I commend FEMA for allowing these counties and many others on the central and southern part of the State to get the designation of individual assistance. These folks are still without power--many of them worried about the dangers that are still going on. So to know that the Federal Government--Congress--has their back is absolutely a hope that they can hang on to as they sit day after day without

power, slowly but surely getting back on their feet.

I will be having outreach events throughout the district. Some of my fellow peers who went through Harvey have suggested that it is critical to have these, not only major FEMA centers, but ones that are embedded in the various neighborhoods, because some people have trouble getting gas and transporting around, and have trouble through mass transit getting to some of these major centers.

So we will be following the cue of others, our brothers and sisters in Houston, by having localized FEMA outreach centers in the district, and I look forward to hosting some of those this week.

Throughout the State, we see the Federal and State government working hand in hand with our local governments.

It is key that we are going to need a supplemental package for Texas, parts of Louisiana, Florida, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and parts of Georgia and South Carolina. I know that Congress, like last Friday, will hopefully come together to pass that package.

One of the things that we are going to need to do going forward is continue encouraging local governments and utilities to harden their infrastructure. We in the Federal Government should be promoting and matching funds with those utilities that are going to put their power lines underground. The cost of keeping them up aboveground is going to continue to exacerbate these disasters.

Just understanding by the numbers, we had one of the largest evacuations in the Nation's history. Nearly 7 million people were asked to evacuate from central and southeastern Florida to shelters or other facilities. As of Monday morning, over 200,000 Floridians were still in shelters.

Nearly 33.8 million Floridians lost power to their homes and businesses, with hundreds of thousands still without power.

We saw a massive hit to our citrus crop, which is already struggling with citrus greening, and we have bipartisan letters going out from Congressman Ross, Congressman Rooney, myself, and others making sure that the USDA follows along with FEMA to make sure that our citrus growers can have some relief as they grapple with what will be a dismal 2017-2018 crop.

We saw Florida's coasts, especially in cities like Jacksonville, experience historic flooding. The Atlantic came into the St. Johns. The St. Johns, being one of those rivers that flows north, took much of the water from central Florida and brought it forward to create a terrible situation of flooding of 2 to 3 feet in downtown Jacksonville alone.

For the first time in U.S. history, we saw two Category 4 hurricanes make landfall in the same year. Obviously, we need to continue to prepare for the increasing weather events caused by man-made climate change, and that will be why, whether you agree or not with the cause of it, that we will need to harden our facilities, our infrastructure, our buildings, and our utilities. Whether or not you agree with what the cause of it is, we know that the solutions are making sure to have more resilient infrastructure, building up our coasts, and making sure that we have, through the Federal Government, incentives for our local and State governments to do that.

Officials have reported 31 dead across three States in connection with this hurricane, 24 of those in Florida.

One other area that Congress needs to look at is generators for our nursing homes. This is already required under Florida law, yet we saw several people yesterday, eight of them, pass, our seniors in their golden years, who should be protected.

And when you are talking about no power in Florida, you are talking about not only no ability to turn on the lights, but air-conditioning, which is critical when it is 90-plus degrees out, particularly for our seniors, our children, and our persons with disabilities.

I want to thank all of our first responders: our firefighters; our cops; our EMTs; all the county officials and city officials who put together all this demanding information to get the FEMA Individual Assistance designation; our local officials for continuing, to this moment, to give us information on hardest hit areas; and also our community for coming together, our volunteers, those who are helping get the trees out of the streets, for providing water and food to hardest hit areas, to people opening up their homes, contributing through nonprofits such as the Red Cross. All these issues, all these commitments, all this volunteerism is coming together to help out our constituents.

I am appreciative, Mr. Speaker, for this time to be able to brief Congress on some of the issues affecting central Florida, and I thank my peers for their help and for their continued efforts in Texas, in Florida, in Puerto Rico, in the Virgin Islands, and in South Carolina and Georgia, where we saw a lot of this damage happening.

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

Mr. Speaker, it happened on a Friday night, August 18, that Sergeant Sam Howard and Police Officer Matthew Baxter responded to a report of three suspicious persons around Palmway Street and Cypress Street in Kissimmee. I remember hearing about it. It was unfortunate because a veteran, a marine who lived in our community, had a moment of post-traumatic stress disorder and ambushed these two Kissimmee police officers, killing one nearly instantly and the other only a little over a day later.

Officer Matthew Baxter was 27 years old. He grew up in Baltimore and moved to central Florida after high school. He had been with the department for only 3 years. He met his wife, Sadia, a detective of the Kissimmee Police Department, on the job. He left behind his wife and four young children, the youngest under a year old.

He was courageous and passionate in his devotion to public service, and he was known as a sharp dresser and as someone with overwhelming confidence.

Sergeant Richard ``Sam'' Howard was 36 years old, born and raised in Kissimmee. He served in the Army and fought in Iraq. He was a 10-year veteran of the department and a member of our SWAT team. He left his wife, Billie Jo, and teenage daughter, Unique, behind.

My wife and I got to visit his wife's classroom and brought supplies to her students, knowing how difficult it was.

He was a family man, hardworking, very optimistic, and quite the fast talker, as we were reminded by everybody during his wake.

There are moments like these that test our will, our strength, our compassion. There are moments like these that test our community and even our faith. And more than we can ever imagine, there are moments like these that test the families of Sergeant Sam Howard and Officer Matthew Baxter.

We are here today and I am on the floor today to proclaim aloud what we already know in our hearts to be true. And make no mistake about it: these men were heroes, and we will never forget their sacrifices.

They are heroes because they got up every day and put on the Kissimmee Police uniform. They went out in our community every day to protect us. And, yes, they put themselves in harm's way every day to keep us safe.

These men are heroes because they were good family men. They were loving husbands, great fathers, and they were pillars of our community.

Yes, these men were heroes because when the moment came where they had to lay their lives on the line to protect our community, they did so without hesitation.

For those reasons, we will never forget Sergeant Sam Howard and Officer Matthew Baxter.

On August 21, 2017, an American flag was flown over our Capitol in honor of Sergeant Howard, and on that same day, an American flag was flown over our Capitol in honor of Officer Baxter.

These flags cannot take away the pain caused to their families. They cannot take away the pain caused to our community, to their fellow officers, and to the police department in general. But they were flown over our Nation's Capitol for a very good reason--to show that their lives matter, their sacrifices matter, and that their families matter.

For that, they remain in our hearts, they remain in our thoughts, and they will always be in our prayers.

God bless Sergeant Sam Howard, Officer Matthew Baxter, and their families.

God bless the city of Kissimmee, and God bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, Soto amendment, Soto number 19 to Division A, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2018, moved $1 million from the Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide account to the Defense Health Program's Peer-Reviewed Gulf War Illness research program.

If we are going to spend money on medical research within the Department of Defense, the Department must adequately fund research on those diseases that originate in war and wholly affect our servicemen and women. Over a quarter of a million veterans display symptoms of this disease, and the time has come to find, and fund, a cure for it.

I support funding Gulf War Illness research and thank my colleagues for their support of my amendment.

Mr. Speaker, Soto amendment, Soto number 20 to Division A, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2018, moved $10 million from the Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide account to the Defense Health Program's Peer-Reviewed Prostate Cancer Research Program.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and is the second most common cause of male death. In 2017, approximately 161,360 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and an estimated 26,730 will die from it.

The Prostate Cancer Research Program is a unique research program in that it prioritizes research that will lead to the elimination of death from prostate cancer while enhancing the well-being of men experiencing the impact of the disease.

I support funding prostate cancer research and thank my colleagues for their support of my amendment.