Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, on behalf of Congressman Crow, Congressman Neguse, and myself, I rise today to recognize and honor Richard ``Dick'' Lamm, the former Governor of Colorado from 1975 to 1987.

Governor Lamm was a tremendous leader and public servant for our great State of Colorado. He passed away on July 29, 2021. As a three- term Governor, he was one of the longest-serving Governors in Colorado history.

Governor Lamm was born in Wisconsin and moved to Denver in 1962. He served as a State representative from 1966 to 1974, where he rose to the position of assistant minority leader. During that time, he sponsored and helped pass several pieces of noteworthy legislation, including the Nation's first abortion law in 1967, ensuring women access to critical healthcare, including abortion services in cases of rape or incest.

In 1987, he began his first term as Governor of Colorado and went on to serve for 12 years, earning support from people across the State with his no-nonsense attitude and strong commitment to equality, education, and the environment.

Before holding office, Governor Lamm served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army and worked as an attorney and a certified public accountant. After leaving office, he coordinated and co-directed the University of Denver Institute for Public Policy Studies.

Above all else, Dick Lamm was a devoted husband and loving father. He stayed active in politics and kept up with Colorado news until his death. While Colorado has been blessed with many great leaders throughout its history, few rise to the caliber and reputation of Dick Lamm.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Community First Foundation as the 2020 Behind the Scenes award winner by the Arvada Chamber of Commerce. For many decades, Community First Foundation has done exceptional work in supporting Colorado nonprofits, but they showed particular leadership and commitment to our community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Community First Foundation was originally founded in 1975 as the Lutheran Medical Center Foundation. In these beginning years, they focused on fundraising efforts for the Lutheran Medical Center, a nonprofit hospital supporting the western suburbs of Denver. Today, they help donors with philanthropic planning, and support nonprofits with grants and resources in order to build resilient and connected communities across Jefferson County. The organization has seen incredible success in its initiatives, particularly in its founding and continued sponsorship of the annual Colorado Gives Day. Created in 2010, Colorado Gives Day is now the second-largest 24 hour day of giving in the nation, with more than $419 million donated to Colorado nonprofits between 2010 and 2020. In recognition of this initiative, Community First Foundation was named the Outstanding Foundation of the Year by Ability Connection Colorado in 2014.

More recently, Community First Foundation served our community in exceptional ways through their efforts to strengthen and stabilize nonprofit organizations across Jefferson County during the COVID-19 pandemic. They established the Jefferson County Hope Fund to ensure the nonprofit community and government agencies serving Jefferson County could continue their services and response to the public health crisis. As of April 2020, they provided $970,500 to 92 different nonprofits. Since then, they have disbursed three additional rounds of funding to aid in Jefferson County's recovery.

I applaud Community First Foundation for their incredible work and commitment to our community and congratulate them on being recognized as the Behind the Scenes Award winner by the Arvada Chamber of Commerce.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Amy Powell for being awarded the 2020 Chamber Leader of the Year by the Arvada Chamber of Commerce.

Amy has served the Arvada Chamber of Commerce with a sense of commitment and engagement over the past few years, including on several committees such as workforce, Leadership KAPS Council as well as presented on a variety of topics.

Amy is also the founder of Well Works, which trains and coaches the construction industry professionals to address unique problems within their industry. She also spent many years at Golden Triangle Construction company where she held several different positions, including director of training and outreach. She earned her B.S. in Construction Management from Colorado State University as well as her Master's in Adult Education and Training.

When describing her job, she says, ``I understand that there's the people side of building and the building side of people.'' She explains that in construction too often the focus is on the building and the money, but not the people. Amy understands the importance of a thriving business community and the power of people and is committed to ensuring that Arvada is a topnotch community. Congratulations to Amy Powell for being recognized as the 2020 Chamber Leader of the Year by the Arvada Chamber of Commerce.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Epic Experience for being recognized as the 2020 Non-Profit of the Year by the Arvada Chamber of Commerce.

Epic Experience was founded in 2012 by Nancy Ferro and Abby Staible, after Nancy's eldest son Michael received a testicular cancer diagnosis. This experience led the two of them to establish Epic Experience, an Arvada-based non-profit with the goal of empowering adult cancer survivors to live and thrive beyond cancer. They empower their members by offering workshops and camps to individuals who are dealing with a cancer diagnosis as a way to help cope with the mental and physical ramifications of these diagnoses. These experiences often provide a weeklong trip in the Rocky Mountains and allows patients and survivors a chance to challenge themselves physically, share their experiences with fellow survivors, and find community during a difficult time.

Since their beginning in 2012, Epic Experience has raised over $2.5 million dollars and helped nearly 5,000 cancer survivors and thrivers. They have seen tremendous success with their program reporting 95 percent of campers having an improvement in their mental health after attending a camp or workshop. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Epic Experience demonstrated their resiliency by transforming its traditional in person camping seminars to a virtual setting to protect its immune-compromised population. In addition, Epic Experience offered free online yoga, training, and how-to videos as well as three-day virtual seminars to help maintain the close connections and support the non-profit provides so many.

Epic Experience reflects and embodies the compassion, love, and sense of community that is well-known in Arvada and is so important for cancer survivors. The success of Epic Experience has led to life- changing, positive impacts for so many and given individuals a great quality of life as they survive and thrive beyond cancer. Congratulations to Epic Experience for their hard work and dedication to our community and for receiving the Non-Profit of the Year award from the Arvada Chamber of Commerce.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Kat Douglas for being awarded the 2020 Arvada Chamber of Commerce's Chairman's Choice Award.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Flatirons Dance as the 2020 Business of the Year by the Arvada Chamber of Commerce.

Flatirons Dance was founded in 2016 by Jessica Fitzgerald. As director of the studio, she worked to create a studio based on family values and her classes highlight the importance of teamwork, collaboration, and positive group interaction. Additionally, classes provide a high-quality dance instruction by teaching the history, vocabulary, technique, and cultural context behind dance. Classes help students in their day-to-day life by providing structured and supportive interactions, practice problem solving, and experience building academic and artistic skills.

Flatirons' more than 20 professionally trained staff members work to make a nurturing, inclusive and welcoming environment for all of their students. Today, Flatirons offers both adult and children's classes and serves more than 400 students each year. Students have the opportunity to study many styles of dance including jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop, and musical theatre. For students looking for a larger commitment, Flatirons offers a competition team and a cheer program. Each student has the opportunity to showcase what they have learned in a presentation to peers, teachers, families, and the community each session.

I applaud Flatirons Dance for their work to make a difference in the lives of their students every day and their commitment to our community. Congratulations on being awarded Business of the Year by the Arvada Chamber of Commerce.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Michael McCarron for being awarded by the Arvada Chamber of Commerce.

In 1999, Michael purchased Lakeside Insurance and quickly made a name for himself in the community and the industry. He was named Insurance Person of the Year in 2016. In addition to running Lakeside Insurance, Michael volunteers on various boards including the Arvada Chamber of Commerce, Arvada Citizens Police Academy, CU Denver College of Business Development Committee, Denver Sevens Rugby Tournament, FBI Citizens Academy Alumni, Real Colorado Soccer, and West Point Metro District.

Michael has been a rock in the Arvada Chamber of Commerce for more than ten years, and most recently ended his tenure on the Chamber's Board of Directors where he served as chair and helped lead the Chamber's advocacy efforts. He is a leader in the Arvada community and a trusted voice encouraging and leading its thriving business community.

Michael and his wife have three kids, and he enjoys coaching their soccer and hockey teams. In his free time--he loves to spend time with his family, hunt, travel and hang out at his cabin in Grand Lake. I thank Michael McCarron for his hard work and dedication to our community and congratulate him on being awarded by the Arvada Chamber of Commerce.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Joe Herrin of Lafayette, Colorado for his service to the City of Arvada and our community.

On July 22, 2021, Herrin was involved in a serious accident at Jack B. Tomlinson Park when the mower he was operating overturned into Birdland Lake, pinning him underwater. Herrin was extricated from the water and put on advanced life support at Lutheran Medical Center. He passed away as a result of his injuries on July 28, 2021.

Herrin joined the City of Arvada's Park Maintenance division in May 2018 and was a dedicated member of the team and public servant. Known as ``Joey'' to many of his friends and family, Herrin studied Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Herrin recently married his wife, Erin, and together they enjoyed the outdoors and could be found camping, hiking, and kayaking at various locations across the state. He will be remembered by his family and friends as adventurous and a music lover.

Recognizing this difficult time for the Herrin family and the City of Arvada, I want to extend my deepest sympathies for the loss of Joe Herrin as well as my appreciation for his service to the City of Arvada, its residents, and our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dwayne Stephens of S.M.A.R.T. Local #9 on his retirement.

Dwayne is a lifelong resident of Colorado, mostly in Jefferson County, where he has committed his time and energy into serving his community and local unions. He started as the Business Manager of Local 9 in September 2000, and continuously held that position until July 2012, along with several other positions, including Trustee on the Nuclear/Hazardous Materials Committee, Trustee for the Stabilization Agreement of the Sheet Metal Industry (SASMI), member of the International General Executive Council, as well as rising to International Vice President during his time as Business Manager. He was then re-elected as Business Manager of Local 9 in July 2015 and served in that capacity until July 2021. He has been a strong advocate and champion for union rights and trade issues.

In addition to his service to Local 9, Dwayne has been very active politically throughout his career. I have worked closely with him in several capacities, including during his time with the Sheetmetal Worker's Union, as the Colorado AFL-CIO President, and his work with the Jefferson County Democrats, including his time as chair. I have always been grateful for his hard work and dedication to his community. I am particularly appreciative of his levelheaded approach to policy matters and his kind, calm demeanor is one of a kind.

Dwayne is a loving husband and has been with his wife Linda for decades. I have enjoyed my friendship with both of them, and I wish Dwayne all the best in retirement and send gratitude for his service to the metro Denver community and the great State of Colorado.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment number 101 included in En Bloc Amendment No. 3 to increase funding for the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Facilities and Infrastructure account by $15 million to match the President's Budget Request of $167 million.

This funding increase will help the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located in the 7th District of Colorado, meet critical infrastructure needs. NREL is the nation's only lab with a primary mission dedicated to the research, development, and demonstration of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. For more than 44 years, NREL

has led the world in research and design of products directly impacting the way we use energy. The lab has helped dramatically lower the cost of solar, wind, and biofuel technologies and pioneered energy efficient building technologies to reduce energy consumption.

Full funding for the Facilities and Infrastructure account will support NREL's cross-cutting research, maintenance upgrades, and support the growing staff at the lab. NREL's economic impact on our nation totaled $1.4 billion in FY19 while the lab supported nearly 7,000 jobs nationwide. Supporting NREL not only supports Colorado, it supports our nation's continued scientific and economic competitiveness and supports high-quality, good-paying jobs nationwide.

I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Morelle for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the rule and the underlying bills. I am pleased to see the House make significant progress this week by passing these appropriations bills which include important funding for my district, our communities, and for people all across the country.

I do want to highlight two bipartisan amendments made in order under this rule which I have offered to H.R. 4505, the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill.

First is amendment No. 43, which I introduced with Representatives Brian Babin, Chrissy Houlahan, and Donald Norcross. Our amendment would elevate the Office of Space Commerce by moving it out of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and into the Office of the Secretary of Commerce. This relatively small office has growing responsibilities to license remote sensing activities or satellite imagery of the Earth and implement a pilot program on space situational awareness.

Elevating this office would better leverage the expertise of the entire department to support their work and improve interagency collaboration, which is critical to their responsibilities. This proposal has been discussed for years, and it is time to finally make this move. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to further define these new roles and responsibilities.

I also want to highlight another bipartisan amendment No. 44, which I introduced with Representatives Ken Buck, Joe Neguse, Doug Lamborn, Diana DeGette, and Jason Crow from the Colorado delegation. Our amendment is a plus-minus amendment to NASA's exploration account to show our support for additional funding for the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle totalling $1.45 billion.

Orion is America's deep space exploration spacecraft which will carry our astronauts back to the Moon and on to Mars as part of the Artemis program. This additional funding for Orion will reduce costs in the program over the long term by maximizing reuse of Orion's systems and establish efficient production flows for the Artemis III Orion spacecraft and beyond.

Our amendment would fully fund Orion while also supporting full funding for the Space Launch System and Exploration Ground Systems, as all three are critical to the Artemis program. The entire NASA Exploration program should be increased to meet these standards, and I hope to work with Chairman Cartwright and our Appropriations Committee to do just that and support NASA's important work without cutting other programs.

I encourage all of my colleagues to support these amendments, the rule, and the underlying bills.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Shawn Hause for his longstanding and esteemed career in law enforcement and service to our country.

At the age of 19, Shawn knew he wanted to serve in law enforcement and joined the Washington State Patrol Explorers in the Spokane District 4 Detachment and learned the ways of Washington State Patrol for two years until aging out of the program. At the age of 23, he was accepted into the Spokane County Reserve Deputy program where he volunteered a minimum of 16 hours a month in patrol work as a deputy sheriff. During this time, Shawn also was hired by the Colfax Police Department in Colfax, Wash. as a part-time officer. Shawn was credited with making the largest drug bust of any Colfax officer at that time after stopping a vehicle and seizing over one pound of marijuana in route to the Washington State University campus.

Two years later, Shawn was hired by the Spokane County Sheriff's office as a full-time deputy sheriff. He attended the Spokane Police Academy and graduated at the top of his class in firearms proficiency. He went on to work graveyard, swing shift, power shift and dayshift patrol. He volunteered to be a firearms instructor where he instructed new recruits and his peers for six years. He was then accepted into the Spokane County SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) Team. He graduated from the Hanford SWAT Basic School in Richland, Wash. and served with the SWAT team for approximately nine months.

After working as a patrol deputy for about seven years, successfully making numerous arrests for various drug violations, Shawn was accepted to Spokane County's drug unit, known as the Investigative Support Unit. In that role, he worked low to mid-level drug crimes within the Spokane County area. He worked in that position for four and a half years until the position was defunded at which time, he returned to patrol work. Following six months of patrol, Shawn was accepted as part of the Spokane Regional Drug Task Force (SRDTF).

In the SRDTF, Shawn worked closely with the Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Attorney's Office and other state and local agencies to identify, infiltrate, and dismantle highlevel drug traffickers and Drug Trafficking Organizations in the Eastern District of Washington. During this time, Shawn and his best friend and partner (a uniformed deputy) were involved in an officer-involved shooting by a suspect the SRDTF was investigating. Shawn also worked in an undercover capacity, buying large quantities of methamphetamine from different factions of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel. Shawn also assisted other agents/officers with a large scale, multi-state Oxycodone investigation that involved the Eight-Trey gang out of California in which the SRDTF and DEA were nationally recognized for their work. Shawn also worked with the FBI's Gang Enforcement Task Force where he worked to specifically target drug cartels and gang members that were committing drug crimes. While working with the FBI, Shawn held a TopSecret security clearance. As a five-year rotated position, Shawn was rotated out of his drug investigator role after being granted an extra year based on his undercover work that was ongoing in the U.S. and Mexico.

In total, Shawn spent more than 10 years working drug crimes and finished his career as a uniformed patrol deputy. He medically retired in good standing in 2019. I want to extend my deepest appreciation for Shawn Hause's service to the State of Washington, the surrounding region, and our country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the heroes from

the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012, and all of the everyday heroes who make sacrifices for their community, including those heroes we have seen during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Nine years ago today, 12 lives were taken, 70 were wounded, and hundreds more suffered emotional trauma.

Yet even in this tragedy, we saw incredible heroism, those who carried the wounded to safety, and the first responders, law enforcement, firefighters, and medical teams whose tireless efforts saved many lives.

I would like to recognize those who lost their lives that night: AJ Boik; Jesse Childress; Gordon Cowden, whose two teenage children were in the theater when he was killed; Jessica Ghawi; Micayla Medek; Veronica Moser-Sullivan, age six, whose mother was shot in the chest and miscarried a week after the attack; Rebecca Wingo; and Alex Sullivan, who was celebrating his 27th birthday and was 1 week away from his first wedding anniversary.

I would also like to recognize the four who died while saving and shielding others: Jonathan Blunk, John Larimer, Matt McQuinn, and Alex Teves.

During trying times, it is important to remember the heroes among us who, on a daily basis, answer the call to step up for their community and especially on July 20, a day we think of as National Heroes Day.

These everyday heroes such as healthcare workers, frontline workers, essential personnel, and those who helped develop and administer the COVID-19 vaccines, among others, have been particularly visible during this coronavirus pandemic, and I would like to recognize their tremendous acts of selflessness and bravery.

Join me in saying ``thank you'' to the hero in your life. Let's exhibit the same spirit of courage and service today and throughout the year.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Shawn Hause for his longstanding and esteemed career in law enforcement and service to our country.

At the age of 19, Shawn knew he wanted to serve in law enforcement and joined the Washington State Patrol Explorers in the Spokane District 4 Detachment and learned the ways of Washington State Patrol for two years until aging out of the program. At the age of 23, he was accepted into the Spokane County Reserve Deputy program where he volunteered a minimum of 16 hours a month in patrol work as a deputy sheriff. During this time, Shawn also was hired by the Colfax Police Department in Colfax, Wash. as a part-time officer. Shawn was credited with making the largest drug bust of any Colfax officer at that time after stopping a vehicle and seizing over one pound of marijuana enroute to the Washington State University campus.

Two years later, Shawn was hired by the Spokane County Sheriffs office as a full-time deputy sheriff. He attended the Spokane Police Academy and graduated at the top of his class in firearms proficiency. He went on to work graveyard, swing shift, power shift and dayshift patrol. He volunteered to be a firearms instructor where he instructed new recruits and his peers for six years. He was then accepted into the Spokane County SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) Team. He graduated from the Hanford SWAT Basic School in Richland, Wash. and served with the SWAT team for approximately nine months.

After working as a patrol deputy for about seven years, successfully making numerous arrests for various drug violations, Shawn was accepted to Spokane County's drug unit, known as the Investigative Support Unit. In that role, he worked low to mid-level drug crimes within the Spokane County area. He worked in that position for four and a half years until the position was defunded at which time he returned to patrol work. Following six months of patrol, Shawn was accepted as part of the Spokane Regional Drug Task Force (SRDTF).

In the SRDTF, Shawn worked closely with the Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Attorney's Office and other state and local agencies to identify, infiltrate and dismantle high-level drug traffickers and Drug Trafficking Organizations in the Eastern District of Washington. During this time, Shawn was involved in an officer-involved shooting that took the life of his partner and best friend. Shawn also worked in an undercover capacity, buying large quantities of methamphetamine from different factions of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel, Shawn also assisted other agents/officers with a large scale, multi-state Oxycodone investigation that involved the Eight-Trey gang out of California in which the SRDTF and DEA were nationally recognized for their work. Shawn also worked with the FBI's Gang Enforcement Task Force where he worked to specifically target drug cartels and gang members that were committing drug crimes. While working with the FBI, Shawn held a Top Secret security clearance. As a five-year rotated position, Shawn was rotated out of his drug investigator role after being granted an extra year based on his undercover work that was ongoing in the U.S. and Mexico.

In total, Shawn spent more than 10 years working drug crimes and finished his career as a uniformed patrol deputy. He medically retired in good standing in 2019. I want to extend my deepest appreciation for Shawn Hause's service to the State of Washington, the surrounding region and our country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today, to recognize the Sub and Bowl restaurant for their 20 years of service to the Golden Hill Office Center and its tenants. This local, minority-owned small business in Lakewood, Colo. will be closing after two decades of service.

Sub and Bowl opened its doors in 2001 and has served the numerous tenants of the Golden Hill Office Center with American and Korean meals for breakfast and lunch. It has survived quite a few challenges over the last 20 years, including the Great Recession and most recently, the COVID 19 pandemic which kept workers home for many months.

I want to recognize owners Jung and Michelle for their dedication and service to the tenants of the Golden Hill Office Center: My staff and I will miss their warm greetings, conversation and great food.

I extend my gratitude to Jung and Michelle of the Sub and Bowl for their service to our community. I wish them the best in their move to Texas and all of their future endeavors.