Floor Statements

Mr, Speaker Pro Tempore, it is with profound grief that I pay tribute to the life of a passionate advocate, a dedicated former Congressional staff member, an organizer, and a true believer in interfaith dialogue, Samantha Woll. Sam had a brilliant mind, a generous spirit, and was a true light in the community. While we do not yet know the circumstances of her death, we do know how she lived, so today I ask that we remember the profound impact she had on her community, our state, and the Nation in her short time on this earth.

Sam worked for me from nearly the moment I became a Congresswoman-- helping us set up the Lansing office in 2019 and helping to lead it for my full first term as Team Slotkin's Deputy District Director. Like everyone who met her, I was immediately struck by her kindness, her sharp mind, and her ever-present smile. Though she was young, Sam came to our team already well-established, having worked for multiple members of the state legislature, as well as many different causes close to her heart. She would go on to work for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and State Senator Stephanie Chang, among others.

I was also struck by her profound faith; not just her personal faith in Judaism, but her profound faith in humanity. Sam dedicated her time on my staff, and truly her entire life, to building understanding and bridges between people, and bringing light in the face of darkness. She helped establish our first interfaith roundtable and continued that work when she left our office, serving as president of the Isaac Agree Synagogue in Detroit where she was known for her outreach and dialogue with her Muslim and Christian neighbors. As the Detroit Jewish News noted in naming her one of the ``36 Under 36'' influential young people in the Jewish community, ``By extending her hand and creating space for connection between Muslims and Jews, she has exemplified the values of healing the world.'' She also played a vital role in the revitalization of Detroit, including the renovation and reopening of her historic synagogue just a few months ago. It is deeply painful that we have lost someone so dedicated to healing, and connecting so many people, no matter their background, to such a destructive act.

Sam's senseless death has left a hole not just in our hearts but in the fabric of our community. She was a beacon of light and I ask that as we grieve her loss, we recommit ourselves to the principles by which she lived. Sam firmly believed in the power of government to do good: to lift people out of poverty, to give a voice to the voiceless, and to bring justice and equality to all. She was deeply committed to the idea that what united us as Americans and Michiganders was much more important than the ways some try to divide us. I send my deepest condolences to all who knew and loved her. May her memory be a blessing forever in our hearts.

Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, today I pay tribute to the hardworking men and women of the Lansing Board of Water and Light, a municipally-owned public utility in Michigan's 7th Congressional District for their efforts to restore service following storms that moved through Michigan on Thursday, August 24 and Friday, August 25, 2023. In a matter of hours, six tornadoes swept across the state, leaving a trail of devastation from west to east. Five people died, dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of Michiganders were left in the dark due to power outages.

Under these most pressing circumstances, more than 40 percent of LBWL's customers were affected by the storm, including 612 unique power outage locations, 835 downed wires, 47 broken poles, and 187 transformers knocked offline. In the challenging days that followed the storms, LBWL sent an unprecedented number of crews into the field, calling in mutual aid from across Michigan and around the country. In total, 45 tree crews, 57 line crews, and 162 spotters worked around the clock in difficult conditions, restoring power to 98 percent of customers in a matter of days.

That effort was born of experience. After a similarly devastating ice storm hit the region 10 years ago, LBWL implemented all the recommendations from an independent investigation into the storm response, spending millions on proactive tree-trimming, expanding mutual aid agreements, hardening its communication plan, and revamping the entire corporate structure. This organizational soul-searching has paid off, with vastly improved reliability and response time when it matters most.

The work of LBWL crews, and crews from across the country, was difficult and even dangerous, requiring long hours and high skill to bring the power back for hundreds of customers. That hard work and dedication deserve recognition here.

Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to a local hero on his 100th birthday. William ``Bill'' Root of East Lansing, Michigan, began serving his country in World War II and has never stopped, taking on various high level governmental and advisory positions over the course of his long and fruitful career, and devoting his life to working for global peace.

Born on September 20, 1923 in Boston, Massachusetts, it's not likely that a young Bill Root aspired to one day be named the ``Grandfather of Export Controls,'' but he did know he wanted to use his life to make his Nation a stronger, better place. After graduating from Colorado College, Bill was spurred into action after the attack on Pearl Harbor and joined the United States Navy. There, he served as a radar maintenance officer in the Pacific Theater, and upon his honorable discharge from the Navy, Bill was in the first graduating class from what is now the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University where he received his Master's Degree along with a certificate from the Russian Institute. Around the same time, he married the love of his life, Constance Young. Over the course of their incredible 72 year marriage, the Roots would go on to raise four children, and those ``roots'' have spread with seven surviving grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Bill's first civilian job was with the Bureau of the Budget, where he worked from 1948 to 1950, before joining the State Department later that year. There he stayed for 33 years, serving as an economics officer in various United States embassies including Germany, Denmark, and Vietnam. Root learned years later that he was the only State Department employee stationed in Vietnam who filed a message protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia using the dissent channel that was formally established to communicate outside the normal chain of command. In 1976, he became director of the Office of East-West Trade at the State Department. He resigned from that position in 1983 in protest over inter-departmental deliberations about export control policy.

For the last 30 years, Bill has consulted on export controls, first from his home near Washington, D.C., and then, virtually, from East Lansing, Michigan, where he moved in 2015. In 1989 he co-authored the book, ``United States Export Controls,'' which he updated regularly through 2013 and is still today considered the definitive volume on the issue. In recent years he has continued to provide expert commentary on export controls with respect to China, Russia, and global issues like the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. At 100, Bill is still widely regarded as a leading national expert on the topic.

Since leaving the federal government, Bill has pursued his passion for working for world peace by participating in the Friends Committee on National Legislation and other organizations with a global focus. For a full century, he has lived an extraordinary life of principled service, and continues to give back to the Nation and global community he so intricately understands and loves. As he now celebrates his 100th birthday, I ask that my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives join me in congratulating him on this milestone and thanking him for his myriad contributions.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor a Lansing, Michigan-based institution that for 30 years has been dedicated to revitalizing communities across our great state and around the country. Guided by the belief that every community needs affordable housing, job opportunities, high-quality healthcare, and childcare, Cinnaire has, since 1993, strategically invested in economically and racially marginalized communities that have historically been denied access to Capital. As this vibrant non-profit organization celebrates its 30th anniversary, I applaud Cinnaire for the systemic change it is helping to bring about.

Armed with a dream and vision to change lives and transform struggling neighborhoods, Cinnaire's founder and CEO Mark McDaniel sat down in 1993 at a table with a phone and a Rolodex of names and contact information. From those humble beginnings, he launched a new tax credit fund in Michigan, which over the past 3 decades has become a nearly $6 billion investment.

As a community development financial organization, Mark and his team, which has now grown to 130 dedicated employees, have found creative ways to leverage existing financial resources from public and private sector organizations to provide access to investment funding, lending options, and other services that support economic development in the communities they serve. The result has been profound: since 1993, Cinnaire has supported more than 1,000 housing developments, provided more than 63,000 affordable apartments, and created or retained more than 92,000 jobs.

I have seen firsthand the transformative work Cinnaire is doing in Lansing, and I am so thankful for its commitment to systemic change and problem-solving. I salute Cinnaire for a 30-year commitment to ensuring everyone, especially the most vulnerable among us, can lead lives of dignity and opportunity. May the good work of this organization continue long into the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call out the amendments that have been forced into the Pentagon budget over the past month-and- a-half.

When this Pentagon budget was voted on in our committee, it passed 58-1. I voted for it, as did many of my peers on this side of the aisle and the other side of the aisle.

When it left our committee, it became a wish list of the rightwing culture war agenda. If you take a 40,000-foot view of what is going on here, it becomes very clear. The other side of the aisle is not going to stop until there is a Federal ban on all abortions, in every State, in every circumstance. Our last speaker made it clear.

A bill that is typically bipartisan has now become a prisoner of this debate. Let's review the bidding.

We have seen the other side of the aisle put in unnecessary abortion restrictions in minor appropriations, in veterans' bills targeting female veterans. A single Senator is holding up 300 critical military nominations because servicemembers want to get leave to get the care that they need, and the NDAA in its current form is targeting servicewomen specifically.

Make no mistake, the United States should hear that in every place, in every possible window. The people on the other side of the aisle are going to continue their 50-year pledge to get rid of all abortions everywhere. They are open about that. While those of them who are in competitive elections may try to mealymouth what they have done for the past 20 years, we need to hear what they are telling us.

The other side of the aisle is taking national security issues hostage for their unrelenting fight on this issue so that no woman can have a right to an abortion if she has been raped, if she is the victim of incest, or for a simple miscarriage, which one out of three women in America have had.

I know the other side of the aisle is not listening on this issue. The American people need to hear it loud and clear. They want a Federal ban on abortion.

Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to Ken and Liz Nobis of St. Johns, Michigan, a couple who have devoted their lives to the betterment of Michigan's agriculture industry, both on and off the farm. Ken and Liz are first and foremost dairy farmers, but they're also trailblazers, leaders, and advocates. I am fortunate to call them friends, and now we can all call them part of our State's rich history, as their names are added to the Michigan Farmers Hall of Fame.

After proudly serving his Nation in the United States Army, Ken returned to the farm where he was raised. For more than 50 years now, he and his wife, Liz, have co-owned Nobis Dairy Farms, the third generation of the Nobis family to do so. The farm includes about 1,000 dairy cows and 2,500 acres on which they grow various crops, including alfalfa, corn, soybeans, and wheat.

As if that wouldn't keep them busy enough, the Nobis' have consistently and actively sought out ways to elevate Michigan agriculture. They have worked hand in glove with Michigan State University, helping hundreds of students complete research projects on the farm, hosting speaking engagements and other events, and creating scholarships for future farmers. Ken has served as the State's unofficial ``Milk Man,'' leading at various times the Michigan Milk Producers Association, the Michigan Dairy Market Program Committee, the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, the National Milk Producers Federation, and the Michigan State University Dairy Stakeholder Committee, to name a few.

But what's always stood out to me is their desire to be the best possible stewards of what they've been given: the land, the animals, and their own time, treasure, and talents. Nobis Dairy Farms has been at the forefront of sustainability efforts in agriculture, and Ken and Liz have constantly sought to shine a light on food security issues with their involvement in supplying milk to food banks statewide. Never was this more apparent than during the Flint water crisis, when Nobis Dairy Farms helped coordinate the effort to provide tens of thousands of gallons of milk to Flint children to help mitigate the effects of lead in the body.

For thousands of years, farmers have been the unsung heroes we look to in times of feast and famine, bringing new life from the soil and stewarding resources to sustain life into the future. Today's farmers carry an extra burden: safeguarding life on this planet for generations to come. Ken and Liz Nobis have lived this quiet heroism on their bucolic St. Johns farm for more than 50 years, and it's only fitting their names now take their rightful place in the Michigan Farmers Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to Steven Lonzo of Lansing, Michigan, an educator who made a tangible and lasting impact on his students and on the community. As the final bell rings on his educational career, I honor his extraordinary devotion to shaping, lifting up, and supporting the next generation.

Steven Lonzo began his teaching career in Coloma, Michigan, and soon after joined the Lansing School District as a middle school language arts teacher. Little did a young Mr. Lonzo know that the district would become his world, his home, and his heart over the next several decades. Over the course of his career, Mr. Lonzo touched the lives of students at Lansing's Dwight Rich Middle School, Eastern High School, Everett High School, Harry Hill Vocational Center and Success Program, Sexton High School, and finally Willow Elementary, the building where he has served as principal for the past 11 years.

Beloved inside each of those buildings, Mr. Lonzo's impact was also felt outside the classroom walls, as he constantly sought opportunities to improve the quality of life for his students, his staff, and the community at large. Those efforts include donating tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships to Lansing students through businesses he owned with his wife, Re'Shane, establishing a clothing closet for students and families, coordinating the purchase of boots and warm winter gear for students in need, ensuring no school families went without holiday meals or gifts, and organizing a 5K run to raise awareness of human trafficking and stranger danger in the Lansing area.

From the beginning of his career, Mr. Lonzo understood that educating a child extends far beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic, and throughout his career he sought to meet the needs of the whole child, the whole family, and the whole community. In addition to his successful school career, he and his wife used their various entrepreneurial projects to further this goal, including their commercial real estate group focused on redeveloping blighted and distressed properties in communities that need economic partnerships, like Lansing's Saginaw Street Corridor. Mr. Lonzo also understands that not every student has the same educational needs, which is why he launched the DRM International Learning Center, a state licensed vocational trade school headquartered in Lansing that has been operating since 2002.

Steven Lonzo once said that choosing to become an educator changed the course of his life. I say that in turn, his choice changed and shaped the lives of the thousands of students who were fortunate enough to benefit from his service. The same is true for the many teachers, staff members, and parents he mentored along the way. As he concludes his educational career, it is fitting that we recognize the profound and enduring legacy of motivation, compassion, and expertise he leaves behind. On behalf of Michigan's 7th Congressional District, I thank him for choosing service over self and wish him a happy retirement with his wife, children, and grandchildren. His service to the community will forever be remembered in the Lansing School District.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor the legacy of a Livingston County, Michigan woman whose life, though cut tragically short, was a testament to kindness, inclusivity, and tolerance. Pamela Ann Ross of Brighton never sought attention, never wanted credit for the light she spread so generously everywhere she went. But as those who love her grapple with her loss, we must lift up her life as an example of what it really means to live in community.

Pam loved her state and the people in it. A proud graduate of Milford High School, she traveled right down the road to attend Michigan State University, leaving the state only briefly to pursue a Master's degree in teaching from Arizona State University. Pam brought those skills and talents back home, seeking to help set students up for success as citizens of the world and inspire in them a drive to do well and succeed in life. To this day, she is remembered as a beloved and inspirational second grade teacher who wanted nothing more than to see her students reach their full potential.

As she built her family, first with husband Stan and later with their 2 sons, Jackson and Nicholas, and 2 canine ``children,'' Luna and Bella, Pam made the decision to devote herself fully to the homefront. But she never stepped back from her mission to be of service to others, nor did she ever stop seeing the very best in people. Pam was a steadfast volunteer in her children's classrooms, with Boy Scouts, and with numerous community organizations, including Habitat for Humanity where she served on the board of directors for many years.

Pam was also a fierce advocate for equality, and a firm believer that every child and every person in the community deserves love, acceptance, and respect just as they are. She was particularly passionate about vulnerable populations, speaking out in her firm but loving way at school board meetings and organizing events in support of LGBTQ+ and minority students, as well as those with disabilities.

But it was Pam's quiet life of service that her friends and family remember most: the way holiday and birthday gifts would appear on the porches of neighborhood children whose parents were going through tough times, or the gift cards those same parents would find under their doormats, the backpacks she stuffed full of school supplies for kids who might otherwise go without, the meal deliveries that just showed up for families in need. Pam never attached her name to those gifts. But everyone knew where they came from--and the love behind them.

Mr. Speaker, in this world there are those who dream of a better world and those who actively work to make it so, and Pam was the rare blend of both. In Pam's world, neighbors looked after each other no matter what, and strangers were merely friends she had yet to meet. Her unexpected passing leaves a deep void in the hearts and lives of so many, and I send my deepest condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her. May her memory live on in every step we actively take toward a kinder, more inclusive community. Everyone was welcome in Pam's heart and in her home, so it is fitting that her legacy will forever be remembered.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor a local hero who bravely served and defended our Nation overseas, then returned home to build a thriving life and business back in Michigan. As Willis James Rockwood celebrates his 100th birthday, I pay tribute to his extraordinary life of service and dedication to his country, his family, and his community.

Willis Rockwood was born on August 26, 1923 in Long Rapids, Michigan. He enlisted in the United States Army where he proudly served as an infantryman and squad leader during World War II. His service took him across the world and back, fighting with and for our allies in the European and Pacific theaters. Willis' exemplary service earned him multiple awards and commendations, including a Good Conduct Medal and a letter of recognition from President Harry S. Truman.

Upon his honorable discharge, Willis returned to Michigan where he and his best friend from the Army set out to use their skills and talents to build a life not just for themselves but for others, a plan that came together as Flositz and Rockwood Quality Home Builders. This successful construction company flourished for decades, and in 1949, the foundation of Willis' own family was installed when he married Marion Elizabeth Storing. They spent 65 wonderful years together until her passing in 2015, and their love expanded many times over with the additions of 3 children, 3 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.

Willis Rockwood built his post-Army life in the Lansing, Michigan, area, where he has devoted himself to many organizations and community groups, including the American Legion Post No. 238, the Church of the Nazarene where he taught Sunday School, and his neighborhood watch, where he is known for generously shoveling driveways and sidewalks throughout the community. He is a man of many hobbies and talents, including wood carving, flying his plane, and bowling. And in the large and loving family he established, Willis is beloved as the historical archivist and storyteller, with a zest for life and a laugh that echoes across multiple generations.

Mr. Speaker, Willis Rockwood is a man who has spent his long and fruitful life deeply devoted to his family, his friends, his country, and his faith. Those who know and love him fondly refer to him as their ``National Treasure,'' and I assert that he is just that. On the occasion of his 100th birthday, I salute his life of service, and want to reflect our community, our state, and our Nation's gratitude for all he has contributed and constructed.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor a Livingston County, Michigan, family that has quietly, and without fanfare, devoted themselves over the past decade to the service of their community, their Nation, and veterans in need.

Kathy and Steve Vasiloff of Green Oak Township have long enjoyed throwing parties in their lakeside home, making their backyard a popular gathering place for friends, family, and neighbors. But when their son David joined the United States Marine Corps in 2007, those parties took on a different tone: sending him off and welcoming him home from training, and then from multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hit twice by improvised explosive devices during his tours of duty, David came home in 2011 a changed man, and as a result, his family changed direction as well. Seeking to honor their son's service, and the stories he told of his brothers and sisters in arms, many of whom did not come home, the Vasiloff family decided to combine their love of throwing parties with a purpose. Ten years ago they opened up their home for a summer soiree, this time asking for donations for wounded veterans, and raised an impressive $3,000 in one evening. The next summer, the party grew, and so did the funds raised. And so a tradition was born, one that has blossomed into an annual extravaganza featuring live music, raffles, gift baskets, hundreds of attendees, and tens of thousands of dollars in donations for the Fallen and Wounded Soldiers Fund, a Michigan non-profit supporting injured servicemen and the families of heroes in our state. In fact, over the decade the Vasiloff family has been holding these fundraisers, they've become the largest private donors to the organization, with total donations closing in on $200,000.

Planning and holding a fundraiser of this magnitude is a huge team effort, and a major undertaking for the Vasiloffs. As such, the Vasiloff family has decided that 2023 will be their final event. But it certainly won't be the end of their service. David, the proud Marine who helped inspire the fundraisers, continues to inspire, serve, and protect his hometown community of Green Oak Township, where he is now a police officer. And Kathy and Steve will never stop supporting the brave men and women like their son who come home with visible and invisible scars of war, as well as the service families whose lives are forever shattered by loss.

Service to one's country takes many forms, and that includes contributing to our collective goal of moving toward a more perfect union. Mr. Speaker, the Vasiloff family has never sought praise or publicity for their efforts, instead directing all attention to the cause so close to their hearts. But as they prepare for their tenth and final summer event, I thank them for their faithful service.

Mr. Speaker, later today we will begin voting on the NDAA, the National Defense Authorization Act, the Pentagon budget.

Moving this legislation forward has almost always been a bipartisan issue in Congress. It takes on the responsibilities of funding our military. It protects our national security. It has been a bipartisan effort for nearly six decades.

But last night, after midnight, Republican leadership decided to bring to the floor dozens of partisan divisive amendments. If adopted, these amendments would transform this bill and transform our military. It is quite literally a wish list of the rightwing extremist colleagues on the other side of the aisle.

There is an amendment to end all affirmative action in our officer corps, something even our Supreme Court refused to do just a few weeks ago. There is an amendment to full stop, end all aid to Ukraine, at the very moment we are expanding NATO and working on protecting democracy abroad on behalf of all democracies.

Another one that they passed was a divisive amendment that prevents female servicemembers in the military from accessing the reproductive care that they need and they deserve. Plain and simple, last night, they chose culture war over national security, and they are doing so as part of a clear effort to prevent every single American woman from accessing care. It is part and parcel of a larger campaign to impose a nationwide ban on abortion.

Last night, like I said, in the dead of night, the Freedom Caucus passed this amendment to stop the military from paying for a bus ticket or a plane ticket for any woman who needs an abortion, and it is proof of this bigger plan.

In addition to this amendment that passed last night, we have amendments in the Appropriations Committee that are the same thing.

We have a single Senator, Senator Tuberville, who is holding and blocking 250 military promotions right now, the head of the Marine Corps, the head of the Army, the head of the Navy, because he objects to the fact that a woman might get a paid bus ticket to get an abortion.

If blocking these nominations continues, we will have no Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, no commandant of the Marine Corps for the first time in 134 years, no Army chief of staff. His colleagues, who claim to care about national security, are letting him get away with it. Now, they have used this bipartisan bill in order to make their point.

Forty-six percent of Active Duty servicewomen are stationed in States that now either ban or very severely restrict abortion. They have no choice. They are based there. They have signed up to serve their country. They have been put on a base in Texas or Alabama. That is not their choice. That is their duty.

The authors of these amendments are not set on just letting the reversal of Roe sit and having States make their own decisions. The authors of these amendments are from Alabama and Texas, which ban abortion, including in the case of rape or incest.

Why is this important? It is important because we need to hear what people are telling us. They are telling us that they will not stop with the reversal of Roe that happened a year ago. They will not stop when States like Michigan organize to make sure we have protections for women who want abortions. They want every single American, starting with our servicemembers, to live under the same rules that they choose in their States. We need to hear what they are telling us and act accordingly. They are choosing politics over our women in uniform, choosing politics in the Senate over our national security.

So, please, I have never in my life, as someone who served in the CIA, who served in the Pentagon, thought about voting against this bill. I believe in it. It is about paying our military and getting them what they need. Please keep your culture war baggage out of national security.

Madam Chair, I rise today with my colleagues in opposition to this amendment, and I want to make sure that everyone understands what this amendment means. This amendment, plus other amendments that are the exact same in the Appropriations Committee, plus the same hold that is going on by Senator Tuberville, are putting culture wars ahead of national security.

We understand that Mr. Jackson, the author of this amendment, is from Texas and that he supports an outright ban on all abortions, including for rape and for incest. We understand that he doesn't trust women. He certainly can't claim to care about recruitment into the military.

What we cannot miss, though, is that this is part and parcel of a goal from a party that wants a Federal ban on abortion. It wasn't enough that we overturned Roe in our Supreme Court, and it doesn't matter if States like Michigan vote on their ballot to preserve Roe. The majority will not stop until there is a Federal ban where it won't matter what happens in States.

Madam Chair, I stand in strong opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to a group of dedicated, devoted, and darling therapists who just happen to have four legs. The Brighton Area Schools Social and Emotional Learning Dogs, or ``BAS Pack of Dogs,'' as they are better known, are celebrating 15 years of service to the district and to the community, and in that time this program has become a source of pride for the district and a model for the state and the Nation.

But before there was a pack, there was a dog, a teacher, and an idea. In 2008, middle school special education teacher Karen Storey witnessed the positive response kids had to a fellow teacher's dog. That prompted her to research the physical, social, and emotional benefits of therapy dogs on students. Spurred by her research, she approached then- superintendent Greg Gray with a proposal to add a therapy dog to the building. Less than a decade later, with the full support of the community, Brighton became the only district in the State to own a therapy dog for every single building, and several for the high school.

Over the years, the dogs have become cherished educational assistants, eager to lend a paw when students need extra comfort, a non-judgmental reading partner, or just a friendly and slightly slobbery face. And like furry first responders, the Pack of Dogs will hit the road whenever duty calls, offering love and support to grieving students and teachers across the State when tragedy strikes. I saw this firsthand in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Oxford in November of 2021. For weeks, all 13 members of the Pack of Dogs and their handlers traveled 50 miles each way to comfort traumatized students, absorbing tears into their shiny coats, and gently reminding everyone, one loving nuzzle at a time, of the good that still existed in the world. And they did it again in February 2023, when Michigan State University was similarly shattered by yet another deadly shooting. Not only has the Pack of Dogs shown up for other schools, but the program regularly fields calls from school districts around the Nation who want to replicate this success, seeking advice from the leaders of the Pack.

From community donations of funds, food, veterinary care, and so much more that make this program possible, to the handlers who welcome these dogs into their homes, to the students who welcome them into their hearts, the BAS Pack of Dogs is a model for schools nationwide, and its founders deserve to be named Top Dog.

In celebration of 15 years of canine collaboration, I salute the BAS Pack of Dogs and its humans for the profound difference they have made in the lives of so many. It may be true that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but a Pack of Dogs can clearly teach all of us new ways of thinking. As man's best friend, it is only fitting that I honor the contributions of the BAS Pack of Dogs.

Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to a first responder, a community leader, and a visionary in the firefighting world. Captain Tom Kiurski of the Brighton Area Fire Authority has dedicated 43 years to the service and protection of the community. He has also helped build a training program that has become a model for the state and the nation. As he now prepares to hang up his gear, it is fitting that we celebrate the profound difference he has made and the legacy he leaves behind.

According to an old proverb, luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, and that was clearly the case when Captain Kiurski came to Brighton in 2012. Kiurski was a veteran fire instructor, having taught many college-level classes, and Michigan law had recently changed to allow high school students to begin training at age 16 and receive provisional firefighting certification at 18. Another stroke of luck found fellow firefighter Mike Witt at the helm of the Howell Public Schools Board of Education, and a collaboration between the two of them, with the support of local schools, departments, and the community, transformed some unused classrooms at Howell High School into a state-of-the-art, realistic fire station setting for training for high school students.

Since its inception 10 years ago, more than 250 Livingston County students have successfully completed the Howell Fire Academy, finishing high school with firefighting certifications they obtained at no cost, ready to immediately step into action to serve their communities and fill a tangible need as first responders. Over the past decade, the program has grown in size and scope, moving to a new location and attracting students and instructors from far and wide. None of this would have been possible had it not been for Captain Tom Kiurski.

I wish all good things for Captain Kiurski as he begins this new and well-earned chapter in retirement, and I hope that it brings him and his wife Nancy all the opportunities they have been waiting for to travel and enjoy their extended family. No matter how you define ``luck,'' there's no question the Livingston County community is beyond fortunate to have reaped the benefits of his service. For all he has given and for what he has helped to build, I ask that his extraordinary career and accomplishments in launching the Howell Fire Academy be forever remembered.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to a beloved teacher, principal, friend, and community member who has dedicated a half-century to Michigan's public schools and their students. As Amy Grande of Rochester Hills prepares to step down after 50 years at University Hills Elementary School in the Rochester Community Schools district, I am filled with gratitude for the thousands of lives she has helped guide and the glowing example she has set of what it means to live a life of service.

It was 1973 and before the ink had dried on her degree in elementary education from Michigan State University, Amy arrived at University Hills Elementary to begin her career as a teacher, and was placed in a first grade classroom. From that day on, Amy's colleagues and supervisors say she anchored her classroom in respect, trust, love, and positivity, traits that would only grow over her long and fruitful career. Over the course of the next 25 years, Amy was called on to teach every grade from first through sixth, and no matter the grade level or the subject, she reflected what she expected: kindness and good citizenship.

In 1998, Amy transitioned to a learning consultant role and, while she left her beloved classroom, her students remained at the heart of her work and decisions. This remained the case when she was appointed principal of the University Hills in 2000, and has continued throughout her nearly quarter-century tenure in that position. Valuing positive relationships and collaboration above all, Amy is famous for knowing not just the names of the students in her building but their stories, and for turning her staff meetings into ``celebration meetings.'' On any given day, she is seen where it matters the most: wherever her students are. That meant in the hallways, classrooms, playground, and even at events outside the school. Her school has been, and will always be, an extension of her family and herself.

Amy earned many accolades in her long career, including Principal of the Year for Region 7 Oakland County from the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association in 2016. But I have no doubt the awards she treasures most are the intangibles: the love of learning she has inspired in so many, the careers she has nurtured and shaped, and the indelible mark she has left on the hearts and minds of the entire entire University Hills Elementary School community.

For 50 years, Amy Grande lived her passion for education every single day, an extraordinary gift that University Hills Elementary and the Rochester Community Schools district were so fortunate to receive. As Amy now prepares to begin a new chapter in retirement, my hope is that she feels all the love and care that she has poured into others returned to her. I wish her many relaxing days doing her favorite things: spending time with her family, tending to her garden, volunteering in the community, and leisurely reading.

On behalf of a grateful community, and the thousands of lives she touched, I am honored to reflect on the extraordinary service and leadership of Amy Grande, a teacher for the ages.