Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. Founded in 1994, NVCT undertook a mission to sustain abundant, thriving and natural places in local neighborhoods and communities. Over the past 30 years, their efforts have led to the protection of over 9,000 acres of land, comprising parks, streams, forests and farms in both rural and urban settings. In a region of over 3 million people and growing, that is an incredible accomplishment that deserves high praise.

NVCT has achieved many significant milestones by demonstrating the energy and willingness to address grassroots environmental concerns and connect with their community. Their mission has been to add and sustain abundant, thriving natural places in out Virginia communities while cultivating inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in every facet of their work. Regardless of our backgrounds, the land and water surrounding us connect us. NVCT believes that if we are to truly execute our vision of a more equitable Northern Virginia, we must address conservation's systemic injustices and inequities.

As they look towards the next 30 years, NVCT has renewed their commitment to land conservation and the promise of an even more impactful future. Their theme this year is ``Rise to the Occasion,'' which includes the acronym of RISE, ``Responsibility to Impacting Sustainable Environments.'' NVCT believes that rising to the occasion will mean being more strategic in their approach, identifying critical areas of our region that are most at risk of development and essential to protect. In those places, we must be undeterred in safeguarding natural habitats to secure a bright future for Northern Virginia's nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts.

The existence of organizations like NVCT is a testament to the high level of civic engagement and citizen activism that we are blessed with not only in Fairfax County, but in Northern Virginia as a whole. The actions of governments, while important, will never be sufficient by themselves. Organizations like NVCT provide an invaluable supplement, which ensures that we will continue to prioritize preservation and conservation of our natural resources for future generations.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust on three decades of preserving nature. I commend them for their service to our community and our region and ask my colleagues to join me in wishing them great success in all their future endeavors. Cheers to another 30 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 2024 recipients of the IES Sales Excellence Awards presented by the Institute for Excellence in Sales and Business Development (IES).

IES was created to foster excellence in business sales and development practices and to help sales professionals and organizations maximize their efforts. Each year, IES recognizes individuals, teams, and organizations who demonstrate exemplary performance though leadership, risk taking, innovation, vision, and customer development.

The recipient of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement in Sales Award is Jim Kelly, Senior Vice President North American Federal Sales for Dell Technology. He is responsible for supporting federal customers and their missions, providing the technology and expertise needed to transform and protect their data.

The recipient of the 2024 Woman in Sale Executive Leadership Award is Gerilyn Horan. Gerilyn is the Vice President, Group Sales and Strategic Accounts at Hilton Worldwide Sales. She is responsible for driving the growth of the group segment for all Hilton brands and oversees a total account management approach to Hilton's largest customers.

The 2024 Entrepreneurial Sales Leader of the Year Award is presented to Reggie Aggarwal. Reggie is the CEO and Founder of Cvent, a market- leading meetings, events and hospitality technology provider.

Chuck Ghoorah will receive the 2024 Institute for Excellence in Sales Entrepreneurial Sales Leader of the Year award. Chuck is Co-founder and President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing at Cvent. Chuck has been instrumental in building Cvent from a startup to a 4,800-person company.

The 2024 Sales Partner of the Year Award is presented to Rebecca Wetherly. Rebecca leads the strategic development and accelerated growth for AWS's diverse and expanding Systems Integrator (SI) partner ecosystem. This rich partner ecosystem enables government, education, and nonprofit customers to grow and deliver impact by leading with AWS cloud services.

Margo Edris will receive the 2024 Institute for Excellence in Sales Rising Sales Star award. Margo Edris is a Regional Vice President of Sales at Salesforce. She leads a team of accomplished Sales professionals who partner with State and Local Governments across the Rocky Mountain Region to modernize Government services.

Tom Snyder will receive the 2024 Institute for Excellence in Sales Speaker of the Year award. He is the Founder and Managing Partner of Funnel Clarity, LLC, a sales training and consulting firm headquartered in Washington, DC. Finally, Tom is listed among America's 100 Most Influential Sales Leaders.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this year's awardees for their innovative and effective leadership and in wishing them success in their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize May 16th as Hereditary Angioedema Awareness Day and to call attention to challenges and opportunities faced by this patient community. Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) is a rare, severe, and potentially life-threatening genetic condition in about 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 50,000 people. HAE symptoms include painful and disabling episodes of edema, or swelling, in all body parts including the abdomen. Throat swelling can close the airway and cause death by asphyxiation. While minor trauma or stress may trigger an attack, swelling often occurs without a known trigger. Symptoms of hereditary angioedema typically begin in childhood and worsen during puberty. Untreated individuals may have an attack every 1 to 2 weeks with most episodes lasting 3 to 4 days.

HAE used to be associated with an incredibly high mortality rate, but recent breakthroughs in medical science have taken the condition from a death sentence to a manageable chronic illness. With the advent of innovative therapies, HAE patients no longer experience disability and dependency, but rather live full, productive, and largely suffering- free lives. HAE affected individuals require near constant access to life-saving care and medication and additional research advancements are needed to sustain progress toward an elusive cure.

Loss of productivity at work and school is one of the many side effects of those suffering from HAE, particularly when it is not managed correctly and comprehensively. In an earlier survey conducted by the U.S. Hereditary Angioedema Association (HAEA), 57 percent of patients reported as not having equal advancement in career pathways and 48 percent stated they did not achieve the educational level that they wanted. I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue to improve coverage and access and lowering out-of-pocket costs for patients with rare and chronic illnesses.

I am also proud to recognize the HAEA. This organization is celebrating its 25th anniversary and the tremendous advancement in research and patient care improvements over that time. They are an exemplary patient research advocacy organization in terms of support for the community and impact for the patients they serve.

I call on my colleagues to continue to support efforts to advance medical research, improve coverage and access, enhance patient care, and join me in recognizing May 16th as Hereditary Angioedema Awareness Day.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Modernizing Government Technology Reform Act (H.R. 5527) and thank Chairwoman Mace for partnering with me on this very important piece of legislation.

In in 2017, Republican Representative Will Hurd and I coauthored the original MGT Act, which did two fundamental things.

First, it authorized all CFO Act agencies to establish IT Working Capital Funds (WCF), which the Subcommittee has historically tracked through the FITARA Scorecard.

Second, the bill established a centralized Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) and a governing board for the TMF.

While we have never been able to get sufficient support for the TMF from our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee, the Biden Administration saw the value of the Fund when it requested $9 billion for the TMF as part of its COVID recovery plan.

We were ultimately able to secure $1 billion in the American Rescue Plan Act (117-2).

The TMF has used that funding to help bring agencies into the 21st century.

Examples include digitizing the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) customer support and Better Veterans Benefits Management systems, modernizing the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) website, and implementing a zero-trust architecture at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Building off the original MGT Act's success, the MGT Reform Act will extend the authorization for the TMF through 2031 and sustain this critical IT investment tool for federal agencies.

The bill also directs agencies to create legacy federal IT inventories that includes information about each high-risk legacy information technology system used, operated, or maintained by an agency.

This legacy federal IT inventory provision could be critical to finally retiring all unsupported and costly legacy systems from government use.

We cannot afford to wait until we are in the midst of the next global disaster to modernize federal IT.

I strongly urge my colleagues to vote yes on the passage of the Modernizing Governrnent Technology Reform Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Dr. Venron C. Walton for his 10th Anniversary as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Vienna.

Church and community have always been staples of the ministry of Dr. Vernon C. Walton. Dr. Walton, a native of Jersey City, New Jersey, has served as Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Vienna, Virginia, since February, 2014. He is the 19th Senior Pastor in the history of this 156-year-old congregation, First Baptist Church of Vienna.

Dr. Walton's primary mission is to ``make a difference in our community and be a light of hope for the World.'' His charismatic, energetic, and innovative leadership has led the congregation of First Baptist into a season where they are ``Empowered by the Past and Excited About the Future.'' As a result of his leadership, First Baptist has increased its community engagement, mission opportunities, and strengthened the capacity of its 33 ministries--making a difference in the lives of those within and outside of the church.

During his tenure at First Baptist, Dr. Walton has focused much of his ministry efforts on missions, cultural awareness, and social justice. Under his leadership. First Baptist Vienna has been on the forefront, helping to ensure that the needs of Fairfax County's marginalized communities are addressed by implementing programming geared toward education and justice such as the annual Juneteenth Celebration and Justice and Legislative Sunday.

First Baptist also partners with area elementary schools and community partners to provide tutoring, Thanksgiving meals, and Christmas presents for students and families. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the church distributed over 25,000 boxes of food throughout Northern Virginia and held multiple vaccine clinics delivering over 3,000 vaccinations. First Baptist has also provided meals to nearly 1 million food insecure people around the world by partnering with Rise Against Hunger and hosting meal packaging events. He also initiated ``Be the Church Sundays'' which serve as opportunities for church members to go outside the walls of the church to serve others throughout Northern Virginia.

Dr. Walton serves on Fairfax County's Affordable Housing Advisory Council, the Police Reform Task Force, and the Fairfax County Public Schools Strategic Planning Team. Most recently, he has served on the Chairman's Task Force on Equity and Opportunity in Fairfax County, chairing the Public Safety Committee, and is a founding member of Voices of Black Fairfax.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring Dr. Walton for his tremendous efforts as a leader in our communities, as he celebrates his 10th Anniversary, as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Vienna.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th Anniversary of Volunteer Fairfax, a non-profit focused on engaging people and organizations to amplify their community impact.

Volunteer Fairfax was created in 1974 and was known then as the Voluntary Action Center of Fairfax County (VAC). In the late seventies, VAC referred 211 volunteers to worthy causes in support of the greater Fairfax County community. Today, the organization engages over 6,000 volunteers annually who donate more than 18,000 hours serving more than 650 nonprofits and public agencies, a value of over 600,000 added to the community.

Over the past five decades, Volunteer Fairfax has had many milestones, and evolved into the organization they are today. In 1992, the focus of the VAC had begun to change and the center was renamed Volunteer Fairfax. Staff began utilizing an electronic process to accommodate the growing interest from volunteers and created a youth volunteer directory to assist students who are looking for service opportunities.

In 1993, Volunteer Fairfax Hosted their first Volunteer Service Awards to showcase the vital role volunteerism plays in our community. In its first year, 350 people attended the County-wide event. Since its inception, over 3.000 individuals, groups, and corporations have been recognized for their volunteer efforts.

Among the many programs and offerings of Volunteer Fairfax, they have served as the designated lead agency for recruitment and deployment of affiliated and spontaneous volunteers, as well as the management of spontaneous volunteers during an emergency in Fairfax County since the early 2000s, Emergency Response activations include Hurricane Isabel, Derecho. Winter Storm Jonas, and, most recently, the Centreville fires in May 2018. Volunteer Fairfax continues to fulfill its mission by mobilizing people and resources to meet community need through involvement in Fairfax County and Regional Emergency Response and Recovery functions.

Volunteer Fairfax believes that volunteerism, as an ideal and a practice, is a vital part of our American history and heritage. They build their programs around the needs of nonprofit and public agencies and individuals throughout Fairfax County in ways that are flexible and accessible to anyone who wants to get involved. From their Alternative Community Service (ACS) for court and attorney referred clients, to the RSVP-Northern Virginia program that is part of AmeriCorps Seniors, to corporate partnerships that allow people in any industry to take part in volunteer efforts. Volunteer Fairfax is making sure that everyone has a chance to be of service to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Volunteer Fairfax on 50 years of service. Their efforts, made on behalf of some of the most vulnerable populations in our community, truly merit our highest praise. The staff, Board of Directors, and volunteers from Volunteer Fairfax help make Fairfax County one of the best places to live, work, and play. I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding these remarkable citizens on half a century of service to our community.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize Volunteer Fairfax and express my sincere appreciation to recipients of the 2024 Annual Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards.

Established 50 years ago, Volunteer Fairfax matches the skills and interests of thousands of volunteers with the needs of local non-profit organizations. The success of this model and its impact on delivery of needed services is beyond question; Volunteer Fairfax has been rated as one of the most effective community service organizations in the nation.

Each year, Volunteer Fairfax selects a few exceptional individuals, groups, or organizations to receive special recognition. It is my great pleasure to include in the Record the following names of the 2024 Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards honorees:

Anthony Amos--2024 Rising Star

Jeffrey Katz--2024 Volunteer Manager

Michael Mixon--2024 Volunteer of the Year

Food for Neighbors--2024 Volunteer Program of the Year

Able Moving & Storage--2024 Outstanding Corporate Citizen of the Year

Eileen Ellsworth--Lifetime Achievement Award

Jeff Bentley--2024 Executive Leader of the Year

Tom McCook--Braddock District Champion

Angie Guevara--Dranesville Community Champion

Hasan Shah--Franconia District Champion

Dr. Eric Goplerud--Hunter Mill District Champion

Nancy Hall--Mason District Champion

Cathy Hosek--Mount Vernon District Champion

Carrie Conley--Providence District Champion

Isabella Solano--Springfield District Champion

Patti Cooksey--Sully District Champion

Robbie Mosley--Chairman's Champion

Mr. Speaker. I ask that my colleagues join me in commending Volunteer Fairfax for its decades of outstanding community service. I congratulate the recipients of the 2024 Fairfax County Volunteer Service Awards and thank them and the thousands of other local volunteers for their incredible contributions to our community. Their selfless dedication is worthy of our highest praise and is one of the main reasons that our community is often ranked as one of the best places in the country to live, work, and raise a family.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Maryland, the distinguished ranking member, for yielding, and the Republican manager from Kansas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bill, the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act. This necessary bill which I am co-leading with my distinguished colleague, the chairman of the Oversight and Accountability Committee, Mr. Comer, has strong, bipartisan support. It passed through our committee 40-0.

I am thrilled that the chairman and I could partner, write, and introduce the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act, which requires the United States Postal Service to collect, track, and report on serious crashes and fatalities involving vehicles transporting U.S. postal mail.

The chairman and I have both met with the families of truck crash victims. We have heard their painful stories and are committed to stopping preventable tragedies involving mail transport. These families-turned-advocates welcome this legislation which is

endorsed by the Truck Safety Coalition.

In June of 2022, the Godines family was traveling back to their home in Gillette, Wyoming. Traveling behind the family on I-25 as they passed Greeley, Colorado, was a contract freight truck carrying U.S. mail on a U.S. Postal Service contract.

The truck's brakes were out of alignment, it was uninsured, and its driver had no commercial driver's license. When that truck carrying U.S. delivery material slammed into the back of the Godines' family vehicle, in an instant, Mr. Speaker, three generations of Godines were killed. They lost their lives, including a 3-month old baby, Tessleigh. Safety concerns about the freight contract trucking practices at the Postal Service have been increasing ever since.

Between 2020 and 2023, as has been noted, at least 79 people have been killed in crashes involving trucks contracted by the Postal Service. The true number is higher because just last year we learned that the Postal Service did not report serious crashes involving its trucking contractors.

That revelation raised serious questions about safety oversight by the USPS involving their contracted vehicles, including the troubling allegation that the Postal Service is managing truck freight operations which do not adhere to legal and commonsense safety standards.

The Postal Service has, for example, set delivery schedules requiring drivers to exceed hours of service requirements and has selected carriers with extensive records of safety violations. It looks like there is no vetting of these contractors at all.

Between December of 2020 and December of 2022, the Department of Transportation identified a frightening 466 Postal Service trucking contractors that had high rates of violations related to driving hours. In 2021 and 2022, 39 percent of trucking companies carrying U.S. mail by contract violated rules meant to prevent driver exhaustion and did so repeatedly. Between 2017 and 2022, one single trucking group contracted by USPS had broken those rules 200 times-plus.

When I asked the Postal Service for the number of deaths involved in the contracted transport of mail, the Postal Service said that they didn't have that information because they did not collect, monitor, or report such information.

Imagine that comfort to grieving families.

That was until, of course, May of 2023 when I asked the Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service to look into this issue and, all of a sudden, the Postal Service responded by establishing an ad hoc centralized reporting mechanism for serious and deadly crashes involving postal freight contractors.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the ``Contract Trucking Safety and Compliance Report.''

Findings Summary

We found that the Postal Service's highway trucking

contract safety controls, contract compliance, and screening

oversight were not always effective. First, the Postal

Service did not track contractor accidents and fatalities.

Second, the Postal Service did not always develop appropriate

safety requirements, provide adequate oversight, or enforce

the terms and conditions of the contracts or freight auction

Ordering Agreements.

Lastly, the Postal Service's screening processes did not

always include a contract trucker's driving history. These

collective deficiencies hindered visibility into safety

performance and could compromise the safety and security of

the mail and motorists.

Finding #1: The Postal Service Does Not track trucking accidents and

fatalities by contractors

The Postal Service did not tract trucking contractor

accidents and fatalities and therefore, we could not

determine the total number of occurrences. We analyzed

incident data between October 2018 and December 2022 tracked

on the DOT's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

(FMCSA) website to help assess Postal Service contract

trucker safety performance. This list does not contain all

contractors utilized by the Postal Service as FMCSA does not

track company safety data separately. However, we were able

to identify at least 373 accidents resulting in 89 fatalities

that were directly related to 43 on-duty contractors

servicing Postal Service truck contracts. These 43

contractors were associated with Postal Service contracts

totaling about $1.34 bi11ion between October 2018 and

December 2022. We determined that the Postal Service had not

terminated any contracts with trucking companies involved in

accidents or fatalities prior to March 2023.

The Postal Service was unable to provide statistics and

information on incidents (e.g., frequency, location, time, or

involved parties) as it did not monitor FMCSA or have a

system for recording or tracking related contractor data.

However, when accidents or fatalities occur on trucking

routes contracted with the Postal Service, contractors are

required to report incident data to Postal Service

contracting personnel. As stated earlier, Postal Service

policy also requires AOs to report accident information to

the Postal Inspection Service. Despite these reporting

requirements, there is no centralized collection of

information concerning these incidents. Postal Service

officials acknowledged the lack of such a system, noting that

tracking this data was not previously required by Postal

Service policy or procedures.

The Postal Service has recently started to track this

information. In March 2023, the Vice President,

Transportation Strategy, stated that all traffic accidents

involving contract trucking drivers be reported directly to

him and the appropriate CO. This directive; however, was not

recorded in written policy. In June 2023, the Postal Service

stated they have an existing platform that could be used for

storing contract trucking safety data. However, as of

November 2023, the Postal Service has not created

corresponding policies governing the use of this system

(including related roles, responsibilities, and procedures)

to record contract trucking safety data.

The Postal Service is however, taking other actions to

monitor, assess, and potentially act on contractor safety

data. First, it hired outside experts to review changes in

the suppliers' safety ratings, create a list of suppliers to

avoid, and determine suppliers' insurance coverage risk.

Second, it is working to establish new contract trucking

processes and procedures to improve the quality of

contractors, including the removal of contractors with a

conditional safety rating. Collectively, these actions would

better inform the Postal Service when making decisions to

either (a) choose a contractor based on their safety

performance or (b) take appropriate termination or other

corrective actions in instances of poor safety performance.

However even with these actions, the lack of a finalized

method and established policies to track and monitor

contractor accident and fatality data in the existing safety

database limits the Postal Service's visibility into

contractor safety performance. This deficiency could allow

unsafe drivers to transport mail and put other motorists at

risk.

Recommendation #1:

We recommend the Vice President, Transportation Strategy,

finalize the method for tracking contractor accident and

fatality data and establish corresponding written policies

and procedures, including related roles and responsibilities.

Finding #2: Lack of Subcontractor and Team Driver Oversight

The Postal Service lacked requirements and clear policies

or did not always enforce the terms and conditions of the

contracts or freight auction Ordering Agreements to promote

safe highway trucking practices. We found the following

deficiencies:

Lack of Visibility in Subcontractor Use. The Postal Service

did not always know who was authorized to transport the mail

on its behalf. Freight auction brokers were not required to

obtain prior written approval or inform the Postal Service of

the specific contractors being utilized. Instead, the Postal

Service relied on the broker to complete subcontractor

authorization and vet the subcontractor, but those results

are not required to be reported to the Postal Service. The

onus is on the broker to ensure the subcontractor is in

compliance with Postal Service policies.

Specific to HCR contracts, per the procurement handbook,

contractors should specify their intent to subcontract route

operations during contract award and disclose any subsequent

subcontractor additions. Further, if a contractor wants to

use additional subcontractors, Postal Service policy states

this is an exceptional action and should be approved only

when the contractor can offer sufficient reasons for the

change. HCR contract terms and conditions also require the

contractor to fully disclose subcontractor relationships as

part of its proposal.

However, of the 15 COs and AOs interviewed, 14 (93 percent)

did not know when HeR contractors utilized a subcontractor.

Furthermore, HCR contractors must obtain prior written

approval from the CO to employ subcontractors. However, six

of the seven COs we interviewed were not aware of this

requirement and therefore did not have the required

documentation. Instead, the Postal Service relied on the HCR

contractor to determine when to use a subcontractor and to

ensure the subcontractor adhered to the terms and conditions

including safety requirements. Using subcontractors without

the prior written approval of the CO is a major irregularity

for which the contractor may be terminated without notice or

warning. However, while the SPs and Ps require approval from

the CO before subcontracting, it does not state that approval

needs to be written.

As the USPS OIG stated in a report released this past March, while it is a welcome step, the Postal Service still does not have a single written policy requiring the tracking of trucking contractor accidents and fatalities.

The OIG's number one recommendation was that the Postal Service fix this serious safety oversight immediately, and that is what we are doing today.

Our legislation would codify the number one recommendation of the OIG, to begin to improve USPS freight trucking safety and provide accountability.

This bill will maintain an internal database, and I hope it will lead to reforms by the Postal Service and save lives.

I think that is a fair conclusion.

I think, again, that is a fair conclusion, Mr. Raskin.

Mr. Speaker, I say to Mr. Raskin, what is so troubling is these are 100 percent preventable tragedies. Not one of these lives had to be lost but for the callousness and lack of regard at the Postal Service in vetting freight contractors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and the graduates of the 160th Class. As they prepare to join the ranks of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, I encourage the 13 graduates to reflect on the history of the department and the contributions and dedication of the brave men and women who have served before them to protect our community.

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department's Recruit School consists of an extensive and demanding 24-week program. In addition to two weeks of orientation, recruits completed nine weeks of EMT training and eleven weeks of fire suppression training. Upon graduation, these recruits will be certified at the level of Firefighter I/II by the Virginia Department of Fire Programs.

These recruits have the distinct honor of joining one of the best Fire and Rescue Departments in the United States. The efforts of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department have been recognized across this country. Members from the Department serve on the elite VA Task Force 1, which is among the first units called to disaster zones to provide search and rescue support. Members of that Task Force were recognized by the International Association of Fire Chiefs with the Benjamin Franklin Award for Valor as a result of their efforts in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal in 2015.

Fairfax County is fortunate to have such excellent ambassadors for our community and I commend them for all that they have done to protect lives and property not only here in Fairfax County, but around the world. As the newest members of the Fire and Rescue Department, the 160th Recruit Class graduates join the department as integral parts of our community's emergency response and public safety team. I am confident that this graduating class will serve the residents of Fairfax County with honor and distinction. It is my great honor to include in the Record the names of the 160th Recruit Class:

Breckan D. Coleman

Jose A. Cruz Morales

Ryan P. Devine

Jeffrey M. Early

Robert V. Eickenhorst

Kristin M. Irons

Joshua R. May

Xavier Pia Delgado De Molina

Jake M. Rininger

John-Scott Ruhren

Joseph J. Tulko

Ryan A. Wagner

Jacob M. Wildesen

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating the newest members of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. I thank them for their service to their community and to all members of the Fire and Rescue Department, past and present, I say: ``Stay safe.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 100th Year Anniversary of Northern Virginia Family Service.

Originally established in 1924 by volunteers in Alexandria, Virginia, Northern Virginia Family Service has been a staple in Northern Virginia communities to help people in need. Those first volunteers in 1924 in Alexandria noticed that poor children in their community had no coats, and their families had no coal to heat their homes. Northern Virginia Family Service addressed those basic and critical needs.

The needs of vulnerable individuals and families in our nation will likely continue to be part of the same challenges we face in our Northern Virginia region. Northern Virginia Family Service has built a steadfast legacy of support and service that they've provided through their mission--``to empower individuals and families to improve their quality of life, and to promote community cooperation and support in responding to family needs.'' With the continued commitment of partners and supporters, many enjoy the benefits that come with that promise.

This work continues today with major initiatives to address the issues of secure affordable housing in a challenging economy, provide access to necessary health care and medications for children and adults, offer job training that improves quality of life and provides adequate support for families, provide a safe, stimulating place for growing preschool children to learn and play.

More than 100 years later, Northern Virginia Family Service continues to address our local communities' needs with a wide range of programs designed to deal with the current problems of today. Northern Virginia Family Service partners with Northern Virginia Community College through the ``Training Futures'' program, to provide the only community-based workforce development program in the region that affords students the opportunity to earn college credits.

Mr. Speaker, Northern Virginia Family Service has grown to help more than 35,000 families and individuals every year. As needs emerge and change over time, Northern Virginia Family Service programs also adapt to respond to what is needed when it is required. I ask my colleagues to join me in commending their President and CEO, Stephanie Berkowitz, their Board of Directors, leadership team, members, and volunteers in the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Northern Virginia Family Service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Burke Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department on the occasion of its 76th Annual Installation of Officers Banquet, and to thank its volunteers for filling an essential role in keeping our community safe.

The Burke Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department was founded in January 1948, and for more than seven decades it has provided lifesaving fire suppression, fire prevention, and emergency medical and rescue services to the residents of Burke and the surrounding communities. It also provides, houses, and maintains firefighting and emergency medical equipment, provides opportunities for professional growth and development for the membership, and maintains and fosters a strong viable organization.

As one of the county's most active volunteer fire and rescue departments, the Burke Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department works in cooperation with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department to serve the community. I am honored to recognize the dedicated men and women of the Burke Volunteer Fire Department who have volunteered for extra duty as Officers or as members of the Board of Directors and to include in the Record their names:

Board of Directors:

President--Ian Dickinson

Vice President--John Powers

Secretary--Maria Suarez Ortiz

Treasurer--Larry Bocknek

Board Member--Kathleen Beer

Board Member--James Stahlman

Board Member--Kenneth Senn

Officers:

Chief--Keith O'Connor

Deputy Chief--Tina Godfrey

Deputy Chief--John Hudak

Captain II--Melissa Ashby

Captain II--Kevin Grottle

Lieutenant--Caitlin Edwards

Sergeant--Gavin Kuzemchak

Quartermaster--Chuck Fry

In addition to the men and women who have generously assumed the responsibilities of serving as an Officer or a member of the Board of Directors, the Burke Volunteer Fire Department is also presenting awards to the following individuals in recognition of their exemplary service during the last year:

Rookie of the Year--Damion Jedlicka

Officer of the Year--Kevin Grottle

EMS Officer of the Year--Garrett Canterbury

Career Member of the Year--Tony Albertson

Administrative Member of the Year--Nancy Stone

President's Award--Gary Shiple

Team Award--75th Banquet Committee; Larry Bocknek, Tina Godfrey, Maria Suarez-Ortiz, and Shaun Kurry

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating the department for 76 years of service and in thanking all of the brave volunteers who do not hesitate to drop everything when the community calls in need of help. To all of these men and women who put themselves in harm's way to protect our residents I say: ``Stay safe.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th Anniversary of the Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington.

The Korean Community Service Center (KCSC) of Greater Washington was founded in 1974 by a pastor and his congregation who made a commitment to provide basic transportation and interpretation and translation assistance to newly arrived visitors and immigrants from Korea. This group of individuals also assisted the newcomers with rent for their apartments, set up phone and utility services, and enrolled their kids in school.

Over the decades, KCSC grew and evolved into the largest bilingual and bicultural Korean social service agency in the D.C. metropolitan area. KCSC also began providing services to other Asian immigrant communities living in the metro D.C. area. The organization has served more than 150,000 Asian American immigrant families since it was founded and currently provides services to about 1,000 Asian Americans a month.

Their mission is to assist and empower Asian Americans and new immigrants to become well-adjusted and fully contributing members of the United States through social services, education, advocacy, and development of resources. Offerings such as case management, immigration legal services, housing counseling, comprehensive victims' services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and dating violence, and more help KCSC fulfill their mission every day.

This organization actively serves our community members and strives to improve the overall quality of life for individuals and families. Over the past five decades, KCSC has adapted and changed to meet the changing needs of the Asian American community. With culturally and linguistically sensitive services and programs, clients can feel safe and comfortable at KCSC.

Throughout the lifetime of this organization, volunteers and staff from KCSC have strived to deliver effective, efficient, and accountable services. Their successes over the years are truly successes for the region as a whole. Our diversity is our greatest strength, and KCSC has allowed countless individuals to feel safe and supported here in Northern Virginia.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the Korean Community Center of Greater Washington on 50 years of service. KCSC, and other groups of service- minded individuals, are why Northern Virginia is an incredible place to live, work, and play. I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding the staff, volunteers, and supporters of this remarkable organization.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 2024 Herndon- Reston Rotary Citizen of the Year, Renee Gorman.

Every year, the Herndon-Reston Rotary Club selects an extraordinary individual who has made significant contributions to our community. This year marks Rotary's 55th year of celebrating incredible citizens in the Northern Virginia area. After decades of recipients, the Herndon-Reston Rotary has no shortage of deserving candidates, and this year's honoree is proof of that.

Renee Gorman, this year's Citizen of the Year, is someone who has made an incredible impact and difference in our community for decades. As the mother of three daughters, helping children feel confident and have healthy self-esteem has been Renee's job for the last 25 years. Renee was a School Counselor for over 20 years where she was able to advocate for children and help them feel socially and emotionally strong.

In her work with children in school, Renee realized that more could be done for the children and their families in our community. She began working with a non-profit, Code 3 Association, to forge positive relationships between the police department and local at-risk communities. The success of this program was featured in the Washington Post and Associated Press and helped inspire Renee to go further to address the emotional needs of young children in the community she witnessed daily through her work as a school counselor.

Renee, and a group of teachers and social workers in Herndon, recognized an urgent and growing need to provide support to young girls in the community, many of whom were suffering as a result of poverty and trauma. What started as an after-school program became She Believes in Me (SBIM), a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming our community and the lives of the children in Northern Virginia.

SBIM knows that every child can have the skills and resources to thrive. This primarily volunteer-run organization serves vulnerable children and their families who face a wide variety of challenges on a daily basis. When parents are focused on providing the very basic necessities for their children, they often need a little extra help. SBIM provides nutritious food and a healthy support system for the entire family. They teach children to handle conflict, manage emotions, overcome setbacks, and build meaningful relationships. Renee has spent decades focusing on not just the physical health of children, but their emotional and mental well-being, and that is at the core of SBIM's mission.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Renee Gorman on this incredible award and thanking her for her committed and selfless service to our community. Renee has impacted countless lives in her time in the schools and now continues to expand that impact through She Believes in Me. Families in our community will have a brighter future because of dedicated individuals like Renee Gorman.

Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and Mr. Bost for their leadership and support in trying to fix a wrong.

Mr. Bost, I think, perfectly described the intent of this bill and what the problem is, and I think Mr. Takano did a great job in helping us understand what pain is incurred when veterans in a fiduciary status experience fraud and cannot get reimbursed in a timely manner for their benefits.

As both gentlemen indicated, we have examples of veterans who have died before this issue is adjudicated. That is wrong. No veteran and no family of a veteran should have to go through that once the determination has been made that fraud has occurred.

More than 50 percent of the people in this fiduciary category are pensioners. As Mr. Takano said, this is among the most vulnerable population of veterans, so they are easy to defraud, easy to exploit and take advantage of, and the government must stand by those men and women who served in uniform, served bravely, and deserve the best treatment from their government, not negligent treatment.

Today, this bill, H.R. 4016, the Veterans Fraud Reimbursement Act, grew out of actually an encounter I had with veterans in my district who were describing this very problem. We can't solve every problem, but this one we can.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for making this a bipartisan effort. I hope that it will pass with no opposition and clear the Senate so that we can start making sure that our veterans are kept whole.

Madam Chair, I thank my friend and Mr. McCaul for their leadership.

Madam Chair, today, with the vote on Ukraine security aid, we rededicate ourselves to who we are. We meet today under the white dome above us, a universal symbol of freedom and freedom-loving people everywhere.

Today, we cannot disappoint those who seek what we have, freedom--the freedom to self-determine, the freedom to decide their sovereignty, their alliances, and their form of government.

America has always stood for that. Will we retreat from that today? Do we understand the choices in front of us? They are clear. Some say that we have to deal with our border first. The Ukrainian-Russian border is our border. It is the border between depraved autocracy and freedom-loving people seeking our democratic way of life.

Do we have a stake in that outcome? Yes. Undeniably, yes.

Will we rise to the occasion? Will we stand shoulder to shoulder with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who, for 1,151 days, have been holding off the depraved, thuggish dictator of Vladimir Putin, who has respected no norms of warfare? He has targeted children, hospitals, and schools. He has bombed apartment blocks, killing thousands. He has an advantage right now, because of our dithering, of 10-1 in terms of artillery shells, yet our brave Ukrainian brothers and sisters continue to fight.

We must meet this test today. We must stand with Ukraine.

``Slava Ukraini.'' ``Glory to Ukraine.''