Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, reserving my right to object, although I don't intend to object, I want to, first of all, thank the chairman for bringing this resolution to the floor.

The Foreign Affairs Committee marked up this resolution awhile back. It passed unanimously, and we were under the impression that it might come up for debate on Tuesday under suspension. That is what should have happened.

Members should have had the opportunity to debate this in the House before the NATO summit meeting began this morning, and sent a clear message that this body stands with NATO, that we support this alliance, the most successful in history, that our allies can count on American leadership and American resolve.

Instead, we are rushing it through today, after the summit is halfway over and after President Trump has again insulted our closest friends on the global stage.

This is an important resolution. It should not be swept under the rug because it is important that this body stand up for NATO, even if we are late to the game.

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume as I rise in support of this measure.

First of all, let me thank Congressman Doug Collins and Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence for their work in bringing this bill forward.

This bill before us, the Intercountry Adoption Information Act of 2018, will create more transparency in the adoption process.

Mr. Speaker, the adoption process can be long, emotional, and expensive

for Americans who seek to expand their families and give children a forever home. The reason families put themselves through this is because they love these children and want to give them a chance to be part of a loving family. But foreign governments sometimes abruptly change their policies on adoptions, leaving families in the dark as they anxiously wait to be united with their adoptive children. This measure would help make sure adoptive parents get the information they need when this happens.

H.R. 5626 requires the Secretary of State to report whether countries have enacted new laws or policies that would affect intercountry adoptions for American families. This will help create a more transparent adoption process that benefits everyone, the parents and the child as well.

Mr. Speaker, we owe to these families and children to illuminate the dark corners of the adoption process. With 140 million children orphaned worldwide, we need to make it easier for families to come together, regardless of the child's birth country. These children need loving and supportive homes, and this bill gives them a better chance at being adopted into one.

Mr. Speaker, I support this measure strongly, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence), the coauthor of the measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time, and I will close.

I want to say again that I am pleased to support the Intercountry Adoption Information Act. Let me add that too often we hear these heart-wrenching stories of American families whose adoption processes were halted by a foreign government's change in policy. To make matters worse, these families often have no idea why the process grinds to a halt.

This bill presents a straightforward fix, requiring the State Department to provide information that affects prospective adoptive American families. So I support this bill and agree with what the chairman has said as well and encourage all my colleagues to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure.

I thank the ranking member of the Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee, Ms. Karen Bass of California, for her hard work on this legislation.

For several years, Libya has been a hub for African migration to Europe, with an estimated 700,000 to 1 million refugees and migrants currently in the country.

Last year, I was shocked and horrified to see multiple news reports documenting the existence of slave auctions in Libya, where these migrants and refugees were put up for sale. It is unbelievable that, in the year 2018, we could still have slavery anywhere in the world, just absolutely unbelievable.

Since then, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights found that many migrants who enter Libya are forced to work for no pay. This is also unacceptable. We cannot accept a world where human beings are auctioned off, treated like property. It is unbelievable. These are some of the most vulnerable people in the world, and we cannot stand by as they are mistreated.

This resolution strongly condemns slave auctions and the exploitation of migrants and refugees as forced laborers in Libya. It also calls upon all parties to the conflict in Libya to investigate and eradicate slave auctions and forced labor involving migrants and refugees, to hold those identified in the investigation accountable in courts of law, and to examine the extent to which profits earned through the exploitation of these migrants may be fueling conflict in Libya.

Importantly, the measure also calls upon the United Nations to investigate this slave trade and forced labor in Libya and expand U.N. Security Council sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for this atrocity. The international community must hold accountable those who are responsible for these heinous crimes.

It is also important that we have full information so that we can address this issue and understand what we are dealing with. That is why it is so important that this resolution also urges the Secretary of State to ensure that Libya is fully and accurately covered in the annual Trafficking in Persons Report. This measure sends a clear message. By passing it today, we say, unequivocally, that we will not stand for this inhumanity.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), the very distinguished ranking member of the Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

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

In closing, the United States cannot stand by as human beings are auctioned off, forced to work for no pay, and treated without dignity or respect. Congress must speak out and condemn this horrific situation in Libya.

Mr. Speaker, I support this measure. I urge my colleagues to do the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure. I would like to begin by thanking Representatives Ted Poe and Joe Kennedy for their hard work on this legislation. This legislation seeks to enhance the health, safety, and security of Peace Corps volunteers.

Of course we, many of us, served with many of the people who went on to become Congressmen when they were first in the Peace Corps as well, and Sam Farr was one of those people, and I listened to many stories that Sam Farr told about the Peace Corps.

The bill is named in honor of two past Peace Corps volunteers, again, Congressman Sam Farr, who served in Colombia. I have traveled with Sam to Colombia, and his Spanish was impeccable. He was a tireless champion of the Peace Corps during his service in the House.

The bill is also named for Nick Castle, a young volunteer who was passionate about life and about helping other people. In 2013, while on assignment in rural China, Nick fell ill and didn't receive the medical care he needed and, tragically, died, a young man in his twenties.

This legislation before us today would strengthen existing health and safety standards for our Peace Corps volunteers. It would also reauthorize the Sexual Assault Advisory Council that reviews reports of sexual assault involving volunteers, and provides the Peace Corps additional flexibility in retaining certain employees.

Peace Corps volunteers represent the best of America. These selfless men and women live for 2 years, often in remote parts of the world, helping to advance critical priorities, like educating girls, preventing HIV and malaria, environmental conservation, improving agricultural methods, and community economic development.

Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill that will improve the lives of our Peace Corps volunteers currently serving in 65 countries across the globe. By passing this measure, we honor Sam Farr and Nick Castle and the 230,000 Americans who have served as Peace Corps volunteers over the past 57 years.

I remember when the Peace Corps first came together, when President Kennedy called for a Peace Corps. It has obviously gone on for a long, long time, and has been one of the most successful programs that the United States has had.

So I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (M Kennedy) who, as Mr. Poe mentioned before, is a former Peace Corps volunteer who served in the Dominican Republic.

I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

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

In closing, let me first again say that my colleague and friend, Mr. Poe, is eloquent as usual. I want to single out Mr. Kennedy, whose great uncle, President John F. Kennedy, first established the Peace Corps; and the Kennedy family has also, through the years, been very engaged in making the world a better place, so I appreciate my colleague from Massachusetts for speaking.

Congressman Royce and myself have run this committee in a bipartisan way and, again, I think this bill is typical of good bipartisanship. It is a good bill for the United States.

The Peace Corps shows people around the world America at its best. It shows our values. It shows our generosity. It shows our compassion. Since its inception in 1961, volunteers have engaged in people-to- people diplomacy and community-based development in 141 countries on six continents.

We, in Congress, must do what we can to keep our current volunteers healthy and safe.

So, again, I want to thank Congressman Poe and Congressman Kennedy. I want to also thank Senator Corker and Senator Feinstein for the companion bill in the Senate.

I would also like to especially recognize three staff members, Luke Murry, Oren Adaki, and Janice Kaguyutan--even though I am massacring her last name--for their years of work on Peace Corps issues. We couldn't do this without the good work that our staffs do.

One of the things that I am very proud of on the Foreign Affairs Committee is the bipartisan way in which we work, and the staffs are responsive to everyone on the committee, not just people on their side of the aisle, and I think that shows in the committee, and it shows America at its best and its finest.

The Peace Corps is really important. Peace Corps issues are really important. The agency is undoubtedly a better agency because of the efforts of the people that I just mentioned.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this measure, I urge my colleagues to do the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, while there has been much talk about Russia's interference in last year's election, there has been much less focus on another serious matter that deserves attention on Capitol Hill. I am referring to Russia's attempt to manipulate the U.S. judicial system to pursue their corrupt goals and persecute victims of the Kremlin on U.S. soil. I include in the Record a recent piece written by Atlantic Council Russia scholar, Anders Aslund, which calls attention to this growing problem. I was especially troubled to learn that the courts of my home state of New York have been targeted as venues for this manipulation of justice. We must remain vigilant in the face of these efforts to corrupt our democratic institutions. Just as any intrusion into the U.S. electoral system must be met with proactive measures to safeguard our voting process, the exploitation of our courts by Russia and others demands a robust response as well. I plan to work with my staff to explore this issue further and would urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same.

[From the Hill, May 25, 2018]

Bolster the U.S. Judiciary's Defense Against Putin's Kleptocracy

(By Anders Aslund)

United States citizens are outraged about the Kremlin's

incursion into the U.S. electoral system, but that is

unfortunately just the tip of the iceberg. Russia is also

trying to hijack the U.S. judiciary for corrupt purposes,

expropriation and political repression, which has received

little attention.

Unlawful seizure of private assets and private companies by

the Kremlin has been the norm since Vladimir Putin became

president in 2000. Russia's law enforcement agencies and

courts are regularly used for the enrichment of the ruling

elite.

Annual State Department and Freedom House reports

underscore that the Russian judicial system lacks

independence from the country's powerful executive branch.

The Sergei Magnitsky case is the best-known example of the

Russian state's co-opting of the courts to support its

kleptocracy. A cabal of Russian tax and law enforcement

officers conspired to defraud Russian taxpayers of $230

million, the largest tax fraud in Russian history, by

targeting Bill Browder's company, Hermitage Capital.

When Magnitsky, Browder's tax attorney, discovered the

fraud and notified authorities, Hermitage and Magnitsky were

charged with their own fraud. Magnitsky was then arrested and

died in pre-trial detention at the age of 37.

Since then, Russian authorities have repeatedly called on

Interpol to disseminate red notices to harass Browder and

other victims. Interpol, which is meant to facilitate cross-

border coordination among law enforcement agencies, is

susceptible to abuse as it passes on requests and notices

from states without much scrutiny.

Russia misuses Interpol's red notices to gain the support

of international law enforcement agencies, including U.S. law

enforcement, in pursuing political dissidents and victims of

corporate raiding.

Russian legal authorities also abuse the U.S. court system

by exploiting U.S. federal discovery laws. Under these laws,

a foreign party can use the U.S. federal courts to compel

discovery from any person under U.S. jurisdiction.

The Russian authorities used this law repeatedly against

Yukos and its affiliates, after confiscating the oil giant

from Mikhail Khodorkovsky and other shareholders.

More recently, agents of the Russian state have engaged in

two federal court cases in New York: a 2016 attempt to loot

the assets of Janna Bullock and her real estate investment

firm RIGroup, and a 2018 effort to plunder the personal

property of banker Sergei Leontiv, a former shareholder of

Probusinessbank.

The Russian state is using the discovery process to extract

information to further criminal charges and extortion schemes

against individuals who fled to the U.S. seeking the

protection, safety and rule of law now being undermined.

The Russian government and its associates have developed

similar strategies to use federal and state courts to

recognize and validate bogus decisions from Russian courts,

exploit the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on behalf of sham creditors

aligned with the Russian state and enforce illegitimate

claims and orders issued by corrupt Russian judges.

Although U.S. judges are permitted to consider evidence

questioning the legitimacy of a foreign judicial decision,

they are rightly hesitant to speculate on whether another

country upholds the rule of law.

Such a determination requires significant analysis beyond

the scope and ability of most courts and therefore leaves the

U.S. judiciary ill-equipped to defend itself against Russian

incursion.

The U.S. is slowly beginning to fight back against Russian

intrusion into our courts. In 2017, the United States

sanctioned two Russian private-sector lawyers, Yulia Mayorova

and Andrei Pavlov, who repeatedly represented Russian

government agencies in the United States.

After passage by Congress of the ``Global Magnitsky Human

Rights Accountability Act,'' the U.S. sanctioned Artem

Chaika, the son of Russia's prosecutor general, who used his

father's position to extort bribes and win contracts for

himself and his cronies, while driving out competition.

More needs to be done to keep Russian lawlessness abroad at

bay. The House and Senate judiciary committees should

investigate the hacking of U.S. courts and hold hearings to

examine the threat they pose, with an eye toward developing

legislation that will help block future attacks.

The Department of Justice and the State Department should

consider establishing a joint task force to coordinate with

U.S. courts, where victims of abuse by corrupt governments

could submit their evidence.

The State Department already produces annual reports that

opine on the state of foreign judiciaries, which can be put

to good use to protect the integrity of U.S. courts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the rule and the shameful Border Security and Immigration Reform Act.

I am dismayed and embarrassed that the Republicans are attempting to claim that this bill is a compromise. This partisan anti-immigrant legislation is the opposite to the idea of compromise.

If Republicans were serious about compromise and protecting the Dreamers, they would have allowed the bipartisan discharge petition and queen-of-the-hill rule to move forward. Instead, Republicans have spent the last 10 months ignoring the will of the American people and holding Dreamers and young immigrant children hostage to implement their hardline agenda.

This legislation does not provide a path to citizenship. It eliminates asylum protections, drastically cuts legal immigration, removes basic requirements for safe and humane detention, fails to end family separation, and does nothing to reunite the children who have been separated from their parents.

Some of these children are being held 2,000 miles away from their parents, including in my district in New York, without any idea where their parents are or if they will ever see them again.

This is cruel. What we need is a compassionate solution with a path to citizenship and reunification of these families. Instead, this bill is an attack on family values and an insult to our country's heritage as a beacon of freedom and opportunity for all.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, my friend from New Jersey, for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5272, the RESULTS Act, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

This bill that I have coauthored with Congressman Steve Stivers will provide needed guidance to applicants seeking Federal funding to treat or prevent mental health or substance use disorders. I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stivers) for working with me in a bipartisan way, and it shows when we work in a bipartisan way good things come out of it.

This legislation builds on the important work we started with the 21st Century Cures Act. Cures created the National Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Laboratory, often referred to as the Policy Lab, with the goal of promoting evidence-based activities to prevent and treat mental health and substance use disorders.

The RESULTS Act will help advance that goal. It directs the Policy Lab to issue new guidance to applicants seeking Federal funding to treat or prevent mental health or substance abuse disorders.

This guidance will ensure that those applying for Federal funds have the information they need to implement evidence-based solutions to the opioid crisis as well as the tools necessary to emulate successful approaches in their communities. I urge my colleagues to support this straightforward bill that will make it easier for those fighting the opioid epidemic in our communities to implement solutions that work.

All of us know how necessary these solutions are. Take my district in Westchester County, part of which I represent, 124 people died due to opioids in the year 2016. In the Bronx, part of which I also represent, more New Yorkers died of overdoses than in any other borough in New York City.

So I am pleased that the House is taking bipartisan action to address the opioid epidemic. But I am also concerned by the Trump administration's announcement last week that they will urge the courts to strike down the Affordable Care Act's provisions preventing insurance companies from denying coverage or charging more for preexisting conditions such as an opioid addiction.

This has to stop. This needs to stop. We can't have those proposals if we are going to really attack and win in this opioid crisis.

The bipartisan actions we take this week and that we will take this week are important, and I support all of them. But they will not occur in a vacuum.

I urge my friends on the other side of the aisle to speak out and end these kinds of attacks on affordable healthcare. Instead, let's work to ensure our communities have the resources they need to turn the tide of this epidemic and bring needed treatment to the men and women who are fighting--literally--fighting for their lives.

I want to, again, thank Congressman Stivers for his hard work on this bill, as well as Chairman Burgess, Ranking Member Green, Chairman Walden, and Ranking Member Pallone for their assistance in bringing it to the floor today.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support the RESULTS Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from New Jersey for yielding, and I rise in strong support of H.R. 5329, the Poison Center Network Enhancement Act.

I remember when I was a little boy, my mother used to have a poison control number that she taped to the medicine chest so that, if there was ever a tragedy or a problem, we could call the number quickly. This is obviously along those same lines. That is why it is so important for the American people to have this.

I want to thank Congresswoman Susan Brooks. I coauthored the bill with her. I want to thank her for her hard work. It reauthorizes, for an additional 5 years, as the gentlewoman just said, the nationwide network of poison control centers, which are playing a critical role in the fight to end the opioid crisis.

Our country's 55 poison centers are staffed by trained toxicologists, pharmacists, physicians, and nurses who are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, to provide real-time, lifesaving assistance via a national toll-free number, which is 1-800-222-1222.

In 2016, someone in this country called the poison center roughly every 12 seconds. So it shows you that it is being utilized and it saves lives. More than 90 percent of those calls were due to a poison exposure in someone's home. More than half of all cases involved children under the age of 12.

That is why speedy access to poison centers is such an invaluable resource and so important, especially for parents.

Poison centers are also saving hundreds of millions in Federal dollars by helping to avoid the unnecessary use of medical services and shortening the amount of time a person spends in the hospital, if hospitalization due to poisoning becomes necessary.

It is clear that these centers are a smart public health investment, but they are also an integral part of our response to the opioid epidemic.

Since 2011, poison centers have handled nearly 200 cases per day in this country involving opioid misuse. Data from poison centers has helped detect trends in the epidemic, and experts have helped educate Americans about the crisis and ways they could potentially save the lives of their loved ones.

The Upstate New York Poison Center, for instance, used the New York State Fair to educate New Yorkers about proper use of naloxone, the overdose reversal drug. This bill would make sure that activities like this can continue.

Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of coauthoring the last poison center reauthorization signed into law in 2014, and I am pleased to have worked on this important bill.

Again, I want to thank Congresswoman Brooks for partnering with me on this legislation, as well as Congresswoman DeGette and Congressman Barton for being original cosponsors. Let me also thank Chairman Burgess, Ranking Member Green, Chairman Walden, and Ranking Member Pallone for their assistance in bringing this bill to the floor today.

As I mentioned earlier, in Westchester County, part of which I represent, 124 people died due to opioids in 2016. In the Bronx, part of which I also represent, more New Yorkers died of overdoses than in any other borough of the city of New York.

We must do more to end this epidemic, and I am proud to see this legislation moving forward as part of that effort, again, in a bipartisan manner. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Robert Killip, a leader and integral part

of the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale (CSAIR) community.

A father of three, Robert often experiences CSAIR through the eyes of his children. That is why it felt natural for him to accept the challenge of leading the Young Family Children's Program. For two years he planned weekly Shabbat and annual High Holiday services for CSAIR's large and owing under five set and their families. Robert's leadership role in YFCP helped offer parents a meaningful way to connect with one another, while their children participated in spirited services filled with prayer, song, stories and dancing. Through Robert's commitment to the success of YFCP, so many young CSAIR families have felt welcome in shul and integral members of our synagogue community.

Robert grew up in Atlanta, where he and his family attended a Reform synagogue. He attended Jewish day school in Atlanta where he met his future wife, Avi, in high school. Fast forward to five years ago when, after graduating with a JD and an MBA from Boston University, Robert settled in Riverdale with now Rabbi Avi Killip and their 6-month-old. Looking for an observant and committed egalitarian community, the young family found a home at CSAIR. Here they have celebrated two more life cycle events--one naming and one bris--with our congregation. Now all three children, Judah, Dasi, and Gabe, call CSAIR ``our shul.'' The Killip family has indeed become part of the CSAIR family and Robert's leadership role in YFCP has helped make the shul even more welcoming to young children and their parents.

This year, CSAIR is celebrating Robert at their annual Gala Celebration as one of their distinguished honorees. They have chosen a terrific individual to honor. I would like to send my personal congratulations to Robert on the occasion, and thank him for all his hard work on behalf of the community.

Mr. Speaker, I want to honor two former Riverdale residents who, though they no longer reside here, have left an indelible mark especially on the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale (CSAIR) community.

One thing was clear on that fateful day six months ago when Jean Hill and Larry Schultis moved out of Riverdale after making their life here. They might be leaving Riverdale, but they were not going to leave CSAIR. Our shul had become a constant in their lives and would remain so for a long time.

Jean and Larry met in 2005 and Larry moved to Riverdale in 2006. Jean celebrated her daughters' Bnot Mitzvot at CSAIR. Jean was comforted through Jean's mother's passing by attending minyan regularly at CSAIR with Larry. Jean and Larry watched proudly as their niece became the first child born to a gay couple to be named in the synagogue.

Jean and Larry have worked quietly and humbly to make CSAIR a stronger place. Jean, a partner in a management consulting firm and Larry, an attorney, are consummate problem solvers, who dedicate their work and their donations to improving CSAIR through overcoming any obstacles that arise. Not enough space? Larry worked with the architect to help plan and envision the new Betty Baum Library. Need a few more good people? He served on search committees and helps select the synagogue's Gladstein Fellows. Need a 10th on Friday morning? Larry is there.

Jean and Larry support both the Rabbi's Fund and the Cantor's Fund in appreciation of the critical role both play in the community, recognizing the importance of providing resources and flexibility to address urgent needs. This commitment is grounded in Jean and Larry's collective experiences from London to Scranton, when their family found Jewish communities, anchored by rabbis who welcomed them for holidays and made important connections. Jean and Larry see in Rabbi Katz and Cantor Stevens this same spirit of warmth and welcoming, and it has helped them feel at home here.

Jean and Larry have accomplished so much in the community, and for their incredible work CSAIR has chosen to honor them at their annual Gala Celebration. I would like to congratulate them on receiving this wonderful honor, and add my congratulations for all they have done to strengthen our neighborhood.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a pillar of the Anshe Sholom community, Ms. Laurie Kracko, who this year is being honored by the congregation for all she has accomplished.

Laurie has been a life-long member of Congregation Anshe Sholom. Her grandparents, Selma & Erich Kracko became members in 1946. Her father Elliot was born into Anshe Sholom, and when he married Ellen in 1972, they continued their membership and have been involved ever since. Laurie grew up in New Rochelle and in Mamaroneck, went to Solomon Schechter grade school, and graduated from Scarsdale High School. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Business Communication from The University of Hartford in Connecticut.

Right out of college, Laurie started working for her father in one of his businesses. After a few years, Laurie chose to work in the non- profit world where she spent five years working at The National Jewish Council for Disabilities/Yachad, as office manager. In 2009, Laurie left Yachad to, once again, work in one of her father's businesses. In 2010, Laurie opened her own business, City Sprint Safety and Supply. In just under three years of being in business, a competitor approached Laurie and her business partner with an offer to purchase City Sprint. They sold the business in the winter of 2012. In March of 2015, Laurie bought out her father's business partner in Modern Paint & Hardware Corp. and together, Elliot & Laurie formed The Modern Paint Group, where they went from one paint & hardware store to eight in a matter of 90 days from April to July of 2015. This rapid growth turned Modern Paint into the second largest chain of paint stores in Westchester County.

Over the years, Laurie has become more and more active in Anshe Sholom. She is involved in planning events, weekly Kiddush preparation, social media and weekly Shabbat announcements. She is on the Chesed committee, the Outreach Committee and much more. Laurie became a Board Member in 2015, and in 2016 became Secretary of the Board.

In 2016, Laurie represented Congregation Anshe Sholom at the Westchester Jewish Council Leadership Development Program and has participated in many of their events and meetings on behalf of Anshe Sholom.

As you can see, Laurie has done it all, and is most deserving of this warm recognition. Congratulations to her on this grand occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to honor two individuals who have done outstanding work as part of the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale (CSAIR) community, Miriam Westheimer and Joel Einleger.

Joel and Miriam found a home at CSAIR that spoke to their divergent backgrounds. Yeshiva-educated, Joel grew up in a Modern Orthodox family in Washington Heights connected to the local Jewish community. Miriam also grew up in Washington Heights, and her family's connection to Judaism was primarily cultural, with shul attendance reserved for High Holidays. They both were drawn by CSAIR's warmth, evident when the Havurah offered to make a minyan after Miriam's father passed away, and when food showed up on their doorstep after their oldest, Ari, was born.

Miriam served on the Education Board and the Social Action Committee; chaired the Gala honoring Rabbi Katz and Shoshi Talesnick; and worked on the Child Protection Committee. She organized the interfaith Seder, developed a partnership with the Creston Avenue Baptist Church, and started regular Israeli folk dance evenings. She also chaired the most recent Capital Campaign, which through

her special connection with Bette Baum, helped her to envision the new Baum library.

Like Miriam, Joel contributed to CSAIR by serving on the Design Committee for both building renovations. At the same time, Joel focused on the congregation's spiritual core. He organized the first Torathon, an evening of classes and workshops open to the community. He was passionate about finding a way to reinvigorate Friday nights, leading to the now popular Lechu Neranena program. He was also intent on providing an easy way to sustain Jewish learning and continuity through the Passport to Jewish Education initiative. This program encompasses a host of scholarship opportunities for the children of CSAIR members.

Both Joel and Miriam are CSAIR treasures, extending the warmth and energy that first embraced them to all who enter our doors. This year, CSAIR is honoring them for their exceptional contributions to the community at their annual Gala Celebration. They have chosen two outstanding honorees. I too want to congratulate both Miriam and Joel on this wonderful occasion and thank them for all they have done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the Anshe Sholom Sisterhood. It is my privilege to recognize their dedication to Anshe Sholom and the wider community as they celebrate 101 years of incredible work.

The earliest mention of the Sisterhood was in 1917, when it was called the Ladies Aid Society. From its inception, the Sisterhood has been concerned with the health and well-being of the New Rochelle Community. During the Second World War, the Sisterhood established and ran the first kosher kitchen for Jewish soldiers stationed at Fort Slocum, now known as David's Island. They also provided the free inoculations against polio and had organized blood drives.

Over the years, the Sisterhood has raised money for Anshe Sholom by hosting guest lecturers, art auctions, fashion shows, bazaars, card parties, charity dinners, and trips to Jewish Museums. Their work supports the Rabbi's discretionary fund and has helped finance renovations to the synagogue.

The Sisterhood also arranges the annual Passover Seder, assists with the community sukkah every year, with Succot dinners and Shavuot lunches, and provides gifts for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. They are always available to help community members in need, visiting the sick and homebound, delivering food to those in need, and providing Shiva meals for the bereaved.

The Sisterhood has always been willing to support the work of the congregation, whether through direct financial help to the synagogue, helping hands to a family in need, or donations to community organizations feeding the hungry.

Over a century of work could only be achieved and sustained by individuals who are truly dedicated to their synagogue and community. I am proud to recognize the leadership of the Anshe Sholom Sisterhood and their remarkable dedication and hard work.

Mr. Speaker, it is important that we acknowledge and celebrate the efforts of those who selflessly work to better their communities. Samantha and Daniel Wiener, the recipients of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale--more commonly referred to as the Bayit--Young Leadership Award, are two such people.

Samantha and Daniel are dedicated members of the Bayit who have been active in many important behind-the-scenes efforts on behalf of their shul.

They both bring their unique professional backgrounds into their involvement in the shul. Samantha's background in early childhood education, with extensive knowledge and expertise in educating young children, and Daniel's work in real estate, have impacted the areas of volunteerism that they have chosen to connect with at the Bayit. Daniel also serves on the executive committee, and he, Samantha and their children--Akiva, Tehila, and Liliya--are regular attendees at Tot Shabbat and supporters of the Youth Department.

Samantha and Daniel see what needs to be done at shul, step up, and offer their time and help without waiting to be asked.

This family's tireless efforts and spirit of volunteerism are exemplary. They are fitting recipients for the Young Leadership Award, and it is my hope that the youth of the Bayit will heed their examples. Congratulations to Samantha and Daniel on this well-deserved honor.

Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to recognize two constituents who have dedicated more than 40 years to the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale Bayit Community, Mark and Lorna Baker.

Mark was one of the first members to join the ``boiler room'' group in 1974 to help create what the Bayit community has become. Mark served on the Board of Trustees and as the organization's Executive Vice President during the 1970s and 1980s. Over the past eight election cycles, Mark has chaired the Nominating Committee and worked to ensure fair elections.

As a criminal defense attorney, Mark hosted the ``Guilty Until Proven Innocent--Freeing the Wrongfully Convicted'' program last January, which brought former prisoners to discuss their experiences with the Bayit community.

As the Bayit community has been a part of Mark's life, his wife Lorna soon joined the community after their wedding. Lorna has participated and dedicated her time to the community for almost 20 years and is beloved by many. Lorna is a practicing clinical social worker who specializes in couples and in addition counseling those who need help free of charge.

The time Mark and Lorna have dedicated to the Bayit community has been impressive, as have their contributions. It is my pleasure, Mr. Speaker, to honor and thank the Bakers for the impact they have had in the Riverdale community.