Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, which preempts the laws of almost every state by obliging each to accept concealed handgun carry permits from every other state, even if the permit holder would not otherwise be allowed to carry or even possess a handgun in the state where he or she is traveling. Presently America's economy is struggling. Many of our citizens are devastated by unemployment and crime rates are an issue of national concern. Therefore, extending handgun laws simply does not seem logical.

I am greatly perturbed by the negative ramifications that this bill will have on individual state's abilities to protect their citizens from

gun violence. For example, states such as Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, Nevada, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming require gun safety training as a requirement to obtain a concealed carry permit. North Dakota requires certain permit applicants only to pass an open book exam to satisfy its requirement. My state, New York prohibits carrying by individuals younger than 21 years of age. H.R. 822 eliminates the authority of states to select who may be eligible to carry a concealed loaded gun in public. Who can decide the best protective policies for each state besides the officials elected to represent it?

Additionally, H.R. 822 can potentially endanger the lives of our valued law enforcement officers who strive to protect our citizens. Out of state carrying permits are extremely difficult to verify since a national permit database does not exist and officers tend to have difficulties establishing the validity of these particular permits. Such an impediment can lead to an escalating situation during traffic stops or other high risk situations that could end fatally. Law enforcement officers work diligently to ensure that streets are safe for our citizens but H.R. 822 makes this task more difficult in numerous ways for these esteemed officers. It is our responsibility to protect these law enforcement officials who put their lives at risk on a daily basis to ensure the safety of our citizens.

Supporting this bill will indubitably reverse the efforts by officials in New York to reduce already challenging crime rates. Supporting this bill will jeopardize the safety of my constituents, New York residents and citizens nationwide. Our constituents depend on us to maintain a safe country for them and the generations after them. Voting in support of this bill will put all of our lives at risk. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``no'' on this Bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Pastor Lester Charles Smith for his leadership in guiding the New Jerusalem Holy Church towards participating in a community of building God's Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Pastor Smith has a proven track record of accomplishments and over the years has led his congregation through the integrity of his heart. While his ministry has often been tested, Pastor Smith has stayed his God given course and kept the mandate of his divine assignment. With such leadership, the New Jerusalem Holy Church has its principles firmly rooted in the belief that we must appropriate the great salvation of God through commitment and excellence.

Pastor Smith understands that our personal lives, family lives, and church lives should always be a reflection of the stability we have with God. He has built an organization that strives everyday to spread the word of God while demonstrating excellence in all that they do. As is preached by Pastor Smith the congregation is called to demonstrate, to a world in search of truth, the wisdom rooted objective in submission to their Heavenly Father.

Pastor Smith has transformed the mission of the church and has pushed for many programs to be implemented under his leadership. Pastor Smith has partnered with the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force and Feed the Children at New Jerusalem to provide food for the community throughout the holidays. Along with the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force, Pastor Smith has offered advice and techniques for childcare, development and health news for parents.

Pastor Smith is expanding his vision to include the establishment of a Community Development Corporation which will provide an ongoing GED program, an after school program for youth, and a job training program. Currently Pastor Smith is training to become a certified chaplain with the New York State Chaplain Task Force.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Pastor Lester Charles Smith for his leadership at the New Jerusalem Holy Church and the unrelenting hope he has for his congregation, community and fellow man.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor the Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders Center established at Kings County Medical Center and SUNY Downstate Medical Center. This center has been critical as a research, outreach and comprehensive care center for many constituents in Brooklyn and the New York region.

The Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders Center was created with the intention of providing patients and medical personnel with the proper understanding of this disease with a focus on treatment. This center has two locations that are being recognized: Kings County Medical Center and SUNY Downstate Medical Center. At SUNY Medical the capabilities of this center include two attending physicians, a clinical trials coordinator, research fellows and assistants led by Dr. Ivan Bodis-Wollner, Dr. Marta San Luciano and the center coordinator Dr. S. Glazman. Patient Advocate, Mrs. Aida Torres, and Head Nurse, Mrs. Patricia Craig RN, provide invaluable support to the clinic as it provides tertiary care for Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders.

Under the direction of Dr. Bodis-Wollner and Dr. San Luciano, SUNY Medical Center has been able to focus on the education and treatment options for this disease. Tests include CT scan, MRI, PET scan, EMG/ Nerve conduction studies, EEG, laboratory tests, cardiovascular, pulmonary and gastrointestinal function tests, speech and swallow evaluation, and genetics testing.

Kings County Medical Center is undergoing similar work at its Parkinson's Disease Center of Excellence. Kings County Hospital Center was the first ever public hospital in the world to be designated as a Center of Excellence by the National Parkinson Foundation and selected by the National Institutes of Health for exploring neuroprotection, a form of therapy which aims to slow the progression of the disease. The main goal in mind is to provide tertiary care for all patients and help to adjust their lives so that living with the long-term effects of Parkinson's disease is easier.

The Kings County Medical Center support staff work tirelessly to offer quality specialty services for the health needs of Central Brooklyn's diverse communities and neighborhoods. The Center of Excellence is another example of this service that goes above and beyond the patient care that is needed.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders Center of Kings County and SUNY Downstate Medical Centers for their continued work in this field.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to and honor Dr. Ivan Bodis-Wollner for his work on advancing the knowledge of Parkinson's Disease, towards finding a cure and establishing a PD Clinic that offers specialized, comprehensive care for all patients.

Dr. Bodis-Wollner has established and maintained a Parkinson Disease and Related Disorders Clinic, designated as a Center of Excellence (COE) by the National Parkinson Foundation since 1995. His work as a Professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology has taught him the discipline needed to continue his outreach in this field. In this capacity Dr. Bodis-Wollner, popularized the concept of the ``Pre-Cardinal stage'' of Parkinson's disease both in the field of neurology and in the lay press. This concept helps to recruit patients in early phases for participating in NIH sponsored neuroprotective trials clinical research.

Dr. Bodis-Wollner has done extensive work in the Brooklyn area producing ongoing, renewable multicenter research for the potential neuroprotective effect of Creatine and of Co-Q10. Several of his works focus on the affluence of Parkinson's disease in inner city communities and among African Americans and other racial and ethnic groups. The significant strides Dr. Bodis-Wollner has made in his research will undoubtedly benefit countless numbers of constituents in my district and the New York region.

Dr. Bodis-Wollner was Chief Editor of Clinical Vision Sciences and after its merger, Section Editor of Vision Research in all for 14 years. He has lectured around the world, taught medical students, and trained scores of younger scientists who have worked with him and learned from him in his laboratory. Among his students are professors of neurology and clinical neurophysiology and faculty members in neurology. Dr. Bodis-Wollner is also the Chairman of the ``Non-Motor'' working group of the Parkinson Study Group, a nationwide think-tank for clinical Parkinson Disease Research. Further, he has published well over 100 research studies in peer reviewed journals including Nature, Science, Journal of Physiology, Brain, and Annals of Neurology.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Dr. Bodis-Wollner for his accomplishments in the area of health care and his service to Brooklyn and New York.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Dr. Michael Jose Charles for his many accomplishments in the health care field for the residents in my district of Brooklyn, New York.

Michael Jose Charles was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti where he attended Father Andre's college Canado Haitian and College Classiques D'Haiti. Following an excellent high school career, Michael's outstanding scholastic achievement earned him entry into the school of Medicine at North East University Tampico, Tamps, Mexico where he graduated at the top of his class. While in Mexico, Dr. Charles served as General Practitioner, Counselor and Advisor, while performing various preventative medicine functions as a Public Health Agent at the General Hospital at Tampico.

In 1986, Dr. Charles migrated to New York and completed his Postgraduate studies at Columbia University. He also completed a residency program in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Gastroenterology at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. Dr. Charles is also Board Certified as an Internist and Gastroenterologist.

Dr. Charles' professional accomplishments are notable. He served as an attending physician in the Department of Health and Emergency Medical at Ryker's Island, Kings County Hospital, VA Brooklyn, SUNY Downstate, Brookdale Hospital and Paul Cooper Drug Rehabilitation Program. Currently, Dr. Charles serves as attending physician and program director at Brookdale Hospital, while maintaining a thriving private practice. He also volunteers on several medical missions venturing to Haiti, Guyana and the Dominican Republic.

From a physician's perspective Dr. Charles notes that injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane form of discrimination. As a person, he recognizes that ethnicity and social class often determine these disparities. With this knowledge in mind, he goes out of his way to show compassion and concern for humanity, especially to the underprivileged, and he has dedicated his life to provide service to those needy people.

Dr. Charles is humbled by his success and gives credit to his mother. Most important, he thanks his wife of over twenty-five years and his immediate family for their undying love and support. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Dr. Charles for his accomplishments in the area of health care and his service to Brooklyn and New York.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Ruth Cherry for her tremendous impact on the lives of Brooklyn youth.

Ruth Cherry has made a lifelong commitment to educating young children and their families by providing them with opportunities that encompass the most innovative learning strategies and essential services to spark a new-range of possibilities in their lives.

Born in ``Snakebite'' and raised in Ahoskie, North Carolina, Ruth earned her BA degree in Psychology at North Carolina Central University and her Masters degree in Education from Bank Street College of Education in New York.

ln 1965 the Federal Government declared a ``War on Poverty'' by creating Head Start, a national preschool program for underserved young children and their families. It was then that Ruth Cherry would be able to hone her skills and solidify her commitment to children and families when in 1966 the Bedford Stuyvesant community, under the sponsorship of a community based organization named Youth-In-Action, created the Bedford Stuyvesant Head Start--now known as Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center, Inc.

Ruth Cherry began her career in education as a Group Teacher and as Bed Stuy Head Start's first official employee. Through devotion and hard work Ruth was able to diligently move up the ladder. Ruth went from her first role as Group Teacher to her current role as Executive Director, with many positions in between.

During Ruth Cherry's 40-year tenure and counting at Bed Stuy Head Start she has been the forerunner of the development, coordination and implementation of programs that meet the needs of the children and families of Bedford Stuyvesant. Ruth has utilized her expertise as an ``award-winning'' grant writer to acquire millions of dollars to supplement existing, and implement additional high-quality services to children and families. One such grant allowed Bed Stuy Head Start to implement a New York State Even Start Family Literacy Program which provided adults who were deemed most in need with an opportunity to participate in adult literacy programs that led to a GED.

After the September 11th crisis, Ruth wrote a grant that created a program to support and provide mental health services to Bed Stuy Head Start families affected by the tragedy.

Her latest endeavors include the development and coordination of one of the first Universal Pre-Kindergarten programs in the Greater New York area and the Bed Stuy Head Start Extended Day Program.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Mary ``Mitzi'' Perdue for her tremendous generosity to personal charities and organizations.

Ms. Perdue was born into a life of privilege, being the daughter of Sheraton Hotel founder Ernest Henderson. With her privileged life, she decided to dedicate herself to public service and philanthropic causes. At a young age her parents instilled a sense of giving that carried with her throughout her life. One of her life mottos is, ``It's the givers of the world who are the happiest''.

Ms. Perdue pursued an education at Harvard. Upon graduation she began a career in communications writing a syndicated column on the environment, first for Capitol News in California and then for Scripps Howard, nationally. At its peak, ``The Environment and You'' went to 420 newspapers, and the total number of columns was more than 1100. The articles focused mainly on how individuals could protect the environment, but they also encouraged students to study science, so they could play a role in saving the planet.

Ms. Perdue also wrote more than 250 columns on charities for my local paper and occasionally for national magazines. The columns and articles provided recognition to the charities and let readers know about each charity's needs and services. Many of the charities couldn't afford a professional writer, and yet they needed to communicate with their supporters.

Ms. Perdue understands the importance of her philanthropic activities that if philanthropies don't develop strong bonds with their donors and volunteers, their supporters may, over time, drift away. To this extent she donates the location, the food, the beverages, the decorations, and the wait staff for parties of between 10-110 guests. In the last four years, Ms. Perdue has entertained close to 4500 people at her home. Ninety-five percent of these events have been charity-related, but some have also been book parties, since, as a (soon-to-be-former) Commissioner of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, she loves the idea of encouraging authors.

Another charitable interest of hers is supporting veterans. In the past, Perdue Farms won the nation-wide Pro Patria Award largely because her and her husband wrote personalized monthly letters to overseas Reservists.

In her life, Ms. Perdue lives by one quote by Aristotle, ``the only true success in life is to find yourself in service to the community''. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Ms. Mary ``Mitzi'' Perdue for her dedicated public service and charitable giving.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Ms. Rita Cosby, a charismatic New Yorker who's energy and passion for her work is an inspiration to us all.

Prior to joining network news, Rita was an anchor/reporter for CBS affiliates in Bakersfield, California and Charlotte, North Carolina. During her tenure there, she broke numerous stories, reporting that Susan Smith drowned her young sons and that the father of NBA superstar Michael Jordan was murdered. Her investigative report inside a Tijuana, Mexico prison exposed government corruption and allowed an American, who was held unlawfully, to be freed.

Honors for the three-time Emmy' winner include the Matrix Award, Headliner Award and Jack Anderson Award for journalism excellence. She was also selected by Cosmopolitan Magazine as a ``Fun and Fearless Female.'' A recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Lech Walesa Freedom Award, she hosts the National Memorial Day Parade broadcast to all US military installations around the world.

A highly sought-after keynote speaker, Rita has talked to major groups all over America, including heads of state in Washington, D.C., ambassadors and foreign ministers at the United Nations, as well as for countless celebrity, charity and especially military/veterans events from coast to coast.

Her first book, Blonde Ambition, was a New York Times bestseller and called ``The most talked about book in America'' by Extra. Her second book, Quiet Hero: Secrets From My Father's Past, is the most personal and important story of her life, as she uncovered an amazing history of heroism and courage involving her own father and shares the incredible journey in this highly acclaimed and poignant memoir. As a result, her father Richard Cosby, was awarded a special recognition by the Medal of Honor Society for his bravery. The book has raised money for the USO to help wounded soldiers and their families.

She has headlined veterans' events with Admiral Mike Mullen, The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as with performers such as Tony Orlando and Charlie Daniels. Because of Rita's ``extraordinary journalism and exemplary service on behalf of her community,'' October 11th, 2010 was officially named ``Rita Cosby Day'' in the State of New York.

Rita earned her bachelors' degrees from the University of South Carolina, graduating with honors. She grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut and currently resides in the New York area.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Rita Cosby for her outstanding contribution to the fields of literature and journalism.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Lorraine C. Cancro for her outstanding work with Veterans in my Brooklyn District.

Ms. Cancro has been working with returning veterans for most of her professional career--gaining a specialization as a clinician in treatment of returning veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury, TBI, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD. In this capacity Ms. Cancro has served many in her community that deal with this very serious disorder.

When Ms. Cancro is not dealing with individuals directly she contributes as a mental health editor for Exceptional Parent Magazine, writing articles on topics that include returning veterans who suffer from TBI and PTSD, and chronic pain among other disorders. These articles furthered her efforts to spread awareness of psychiatric disorders which impact the general population as well.

Ms. Cancro also serves as Director of the Global Stress Initiative, GSI, an affiliate of the International Committee against Mental Illness, ICAMI. Together with Emmy Awarding wining Anchor Rita Cosby, they have launched the American Heroes Tour, which is a fundraising arm of the GSI. The Tour will visit Major League Ballparks throughout the country and offer veterans, first responders, and their families' acknowledgement for their heroic efforts to preserve our freedom.

In response to those who suffer from PTSD, Ms. Cancro along with her colleagues spearheaded cutting edge research and treatment for TBI and PTSD. The tour culminated at the 11th Annual World Congress on Disabilities in Atlantic City, New Jersey, September 23rd and 24th, 2011. At last year's event in Dallas, Rita Cosby emceed the event and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was the keynote speaker.

Ms. Cancro has a specialty in Journalistic advocacy and development of mental health programs for research and treatment. She is a member of the International Committee Against Mental Illness (ICAMI)-- Association for Stress Disorders, The David Lynch Foundation's Operation Warrior Wellness, Autism Speaks and Fountain House, Mental Health Advocacy.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Ms. Lorraine Cancro for her contribution to the education and awareness of veterans suffering from the various disorders service can create.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Mr. Douglas Lazzaro for his exceptional service to Brooklyn and the Greater New York area in the field of corneal transplantation and other complex corneal surgeries.

Dr. Lazzaro, the Richard C. Troutman M.D. Distinguished Chair in Ophthalmology and Ophthalmic Microsurgery, serves as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at SUNY Downstate. Dr. Lazzaro received his MD degree and his residency training in ophthalmology at SUNY Downstate and then completed a cornea and refractive surgery fellowship at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital and Cornell Medical Center.

Dr. Lazzaro has been involved in residency training since 1994 and has served in a variety of roles since then. He was director of surgical training at the Kings County Hospital Center for a decade and has been its Chief of Ophthalmology from 2001 to the present time. This eye service is the largest in the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation and currently sees over 27,000 outpatients regularly. In addition to being responsible for the design of the clinic, Dr. Lazzaro has been serving as President of the Medical Board at Kings county since 2010.

The ophthalmology residency that Dr. Lazzaro directs is one of the largest in the United States and is recognized as one of the top training programs in the NYC area. Dr. Lazzaro serves on the board of the Eye Bank for Sight Restoration and the NY Society for Clinical Ophthalmology, and was recently elected to the NY Ophthalmic Laser Society.

Dr. Lazzaro has also been the recipient of many other awards including: Attending of the

Year in Ophthalmology at Kings County Hospital Center in 2002 and 2007, and Attending of the Year in Ophthalmology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in 2003 and was the recipient of the Community Service Award for Visions/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired in 2007, he has been elected to New York Super Doctors in 2008, 2009, and 2010 and was elected a lifetime member of Swathmore's Who's Who. Dr. Lazzaro also received the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Daniel Hale Williams Society at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in 2010.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Dr. Douglass Lazzaro for his contribution to the health of Brooklyn residents.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Samuel L. Dunston for his financial business that serves the greater Brooklyn community.

Mr. Dunston has been working to improve worker benefits for the better of 40 years, and has lead an outstanding minority operated and owned businesses in New York. Mr. Dunston takes pride in knowing that he offers a highly regarded service to the residents of Brooklyn and has gained the esteemed support of many organizations in his career. Groups such as the Boys Scouts Council, numerous church councils & the Kiwanis Club are as eager for this counsel as are the boards of directors of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, for which he is chairman of the Women & Minority Business Development Committee, the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, the Central Brooklyn Coordinating Council, the Brooklyn Hospital Community Advisory Board and New York City Technical College Small Business Advisory Council.

Mr. Dunston works equally as comfortably with the neighborhood as he does with Corporate Leaders. He puts as much energy into protecting the family of a client who can only afford $4.00 a week for a Life Insurance policy as he does for an impressive list of companies on his clients' roster. Several companies he represents are Amalgamated Union, Bethel Baptist Church, and Social Concern Community Development Corp.

In addition to his advocacy through his organization, Mr. Dunston sits on the boards of the Greater New York Chapter of the 100 Community Advisory Board; the CABS Nursing Home, the Brooklyn Sports Foundation, Brooklyn Hospital and the United States-New Independent States Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Dunston cherishes his family which consists of his own children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Mr. Dunston and his wife, Pastor Patricia Dunston, are long time residents of Freeport, New York.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. Samuel Dunston for his financial services expertise and community partnerships he has built with Brooklyn and its residents.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Rev. Robert Waterman for his leadership as a pastor, doctor,

proprietor, and activist in Brooklyn and the greater New York State.

Rev. Waterman is the fifth Pastor of Antioch Baptist Church located in Brooklyn, New York. Reverend Waterman has brought many gifts to Antioch--the three most notable being his exuberance, a willingness to get the job done and spirituality. Rev. Waterman tries to impress on people that God desires our praise and worship, and has been labeled ``The Preacher of Thunder'' by the late Dr. William A. Jones. He encourages his congregation to know God so that hearts, and thereby lives, can be changed.

Being born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Hemingway, South Carolina, Rev. Waterman is a very ambitious businessman in his spare time when not actively operating the church. He fully embodies the notion that he truly can do all things through Christ. In his ninth year, Rev. Waterman's focus is on moving the church toward building God's Kingdom by restoring people, both spiritually and physically. Antioch is concerned about the health and spirituality of the community. Building the Church, Building the People, and Building the Community. Antioch continues on its path, uniting for fellowship and following Christ.

Rev. Waterman is a premier example of an activist. He is a lifetime member of the NAACP and serves on Community Board # 3 as the Chairperson of the Transportation Committee. Rev. Waterman is a part of the Black Brooklyn Empowerment Convention as the Chair of Securing Our Institutions Cluster. He serves as the Ecumenical Chair in Brooklyn for BLCA, Black Leadership Commission on Aids and is the President of the A.A.C.E.O., African American Clergy and Elected Officials Organization of Brooklyn.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Rev. Robert Waterman for his excellent leadership of faith based initiatives in Brooklyn and commitment to service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Dr. Robert Cancro, a charismatic Brooklynite who carries the energy to inspire and motivate others.

Dr. Robert Cancro received his M.D. degree in 1955 from the State University at Brooklyn. In 1962, he obtained his Med. D.Sc. Degree from the same institution. Following a straight medical internship, he completed his residency training at Kings County Hospital.

From 1959-1966, he was on faculty of the State University of New York and developed and ran the first alcohol rehabilitation unit in New York City. In 1966, he went to Menninger Foundation, where he was director of research training. He spent a sabbatical year in 1969, at the University of Illinois at their Center for Advanced Study, and as a Professor of Computer Science.

He returned to the East in 1970, as Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut, and joined the faculty at NYU, as Professor and Chairman in 1976. In 1982, he added the directorship of the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, NKI, to his other responsibilities. Dr. Cancro retired as a Chairman of the Psychiatry Department and as Director of NKI in 2005. He continues as a Professor of Psychiatry at NYU.

Dr. Cancro's major academic interest has been in the psychoses and, in particular schizophrenia. He has worked on a number of different aspects of schizophrenic psychoses, but focusing on the interface between the nervous system and behavior. He has over two hundred publications including a dozen books.

In addition to his academic record, he has been active in the World Psychiatric Association, chairing their Section on Psychiatric Rehabilitation, and has served as consultant to the World Health Organization for a number of years. At the national level, he has served as a consultant for the U.S. Secret Service, the Department of Justice, and the New York Yankees.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Dr. Robert Cancro for his contribution the field of medicine and his service to the Brooklyn community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Ms. Kim Godwin, an exceptional former Brooklynite who demonstrates ambition and a passion for her work to inspire us all.

Kim Godwin joined CBS News as Senior Producer in April 2007. In her current role on the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley, she is exclusively in charge of planning future CBS News editorial coverage of day to day and major news events, both domestically and internationally, including most recently, the launch of the final Shuttle mission from Kennedy Space Center. In her previous role on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, Godwin was in charge of Domestic News, overseeing editorial coverage and story production for all CBS bureaus in The United States, excluding Washington, D.C.

Most recently Godwin received a 2010 Emmy Award for ``Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast'' for her groundbreaking series ``Financial Family Tree.'' The unique series provided viewers with an in-depth, analytical look at the immediate and long-term ripple effects of the recession.

She also recently won two New York Association of Black Journalists Awards for producing ``Conquering Cancer'' and ``The Changing Face of AIDS.'' She also received an Emmy nomination for ``Conquering Cancer.'' In her prestigious career, she has won numerous awards for excellence in journalism, including a Los Angeles area Emmy for Investigative Journalism for the report ``One Gun,'' in which one handgun was linked to multiple violent and deadly crimes. She is affiliated with numerous organizations, including the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the National Association of Female Executives. She is also the Chair of the Board of Managers at the North Brooklyn YMCA in New York City.

Godwin was born in Panama City, Florida but grew up in Queens, New York and is a graduate of Bayside High School. She graduated from Florida A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in broadcast journalism. Godwin currently resides in Poconos, Pennsylvania with her two children Kimberly and Kirsten.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Ms. Kim Godwin for her outstanding contribution to the field of journalism.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor Ian R. Lifshutz for his extensive work representing physicians and other health care providers in New York.

Mr. Lifshutz is a graduate of St. Johns School of Law admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey, Florida and Connecticut. He has experience in Health Care Law, representing physicians and other health care providers and institutions in all matters of health care transactions.

Mr. Lifshutz is responsible for assisting providers in matters relating to Fraud and Abuse and Medicaid/Medicare compliance plans and audits, the purchase and sale of health care practices, HIPAA and state based patient privacy, management, MSO, and billing companies, shareholder agreements, formation, dissolution and operation of corporations and other professional partnerships, asset protection as a means to limit physicians' exposure to malpractice claims and other civil liability, and leases and real estate transactions for healthcare facilities and medical practices. Among the many issues he handles, Mr. Lifshutz is most versed in Anti-Kickback and ``STARK'', state and federal prohibition against self-referral law as well as professional misconduct and ``Fee Splitting'' issues, and Medicare and Medicaid insurance policy.

Mr. Lifshutz has structured many health care facilities in New York, New Jersey and Florida, including proper pension structuring in order to maximize pension benefits. He has negotiated complex transactions for surgery centers and Article 28 facilities, and structured complex Asset Protection for physicians and others in the field of health care.

He has lectured at the Bronx County Medical Society and N.Y. Chiropractic College, as well as hospitals, regarding HIPAA compliance, asset protection, risk management and professional misconduct, fraud and abuse and regulatory issues surrounding health care professionals.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. Ian Lifshutz for his contributions to the Brooklyn legal and healthcare communities.