Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Captain Kristian P. Biggs for thirty years of dedicated service in the United States Navy. Captain Biggs will retire as the Director of Missile Defense and Integration in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Ships.

Captain Kris Biggs was born on July 23, 1961 in Jacksonville, Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics (Departmental Honors) and Mathematics at Jacksonville University, where he received a commission in April 1983 as an Ensign, via the NROTC program, into the Restricted Line (Engineering Duty Officer). He holds a Master of Science Degree in Engineering Acoustics from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and is a graduate of the Advanced Program Manager's Course from the Defense Systems Management College in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

After completing the Surface Warfare Officer School Basic Course in Coronado, California, he reported to the USS Lang (FF-1060) where he qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer while serving as Antisubmarine Warfare Officer, Assistant Navigator, and Personnel Officer. In September 1986, Captain Biggs entered the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and graduated in December 1988 with a Masters Degree in Engineering Acoustics. After attending the Engineering Duty Officer Basic Course in Mare Island, California, Captain Biggs reported to Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force in Norfolk, Virginia where he served as the Operational Test Director for the AN/ SQQ-89(V) ASW Combat System from 1989 to 1993. During this time he completed the Engineering Duty Officer Qualification Program and participated in the planning and execution of the USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) Operational Evaluation. Captain Biggs' next assignment was Combat Systems Officer on USS NASSAU (LHA-4) in Norfolk, Virginia, where he reported in 1993 following the Surface Warfare Officer Department Head Course in Newport, Rhode Island.

Captain Biggs reported to Program Executive Officer for Undersea Warfare in Crystal City, Virginia in the fall of 1995. His initial assignment was as an Assistant Program Manager in the Naval Signal Processors Program Office (PMS 428). Following the Advanced Program Manager's Course at DSMC in 1997, Captain Biggs was assigned to the Undersea Weapons Program Office (PMS 404) where he worked on advanced technology. He was selected to become a member of the Acquisition Professional Community and completed his Level III Program Management qualification. In 1998, Captain Biggs was assigned to the Program Executive Officer for Theater Surface Combatants where he served as the Navy Area Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (TBMD) Test and Evaluation Branch Head in the Navy Area TBMD Program Office (PMS 451). From August 2000 to July 2002, he served as the Navy Area TBMD Systems Engineering Branch Head.

In August 2002, Captain Biggs reported to Program Executive Officer for Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) Detachment Huntsville, Alabama where he served as the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) Deputy Project Manager (Navy) in the Army Program Executive Officer for Air, Space and Missile Defense. He went to Afghanistan in 2003 and Iraq in 2004 in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. He was promoted to Captain in July 2004.

In October 2004, Captain Biggs became the 11th Commanding Officer of Aegis Technical Representative in Moorestown, NJ. Under his leadership, the command earned ten field activity excellence awards (five from PEO IWS and five from Aegis BMD) and was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its critical role in the historic ``Satellite Shootdown.'' He reported to the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Ships in August 2010.

Captain Biggs' personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with one gold star, Navy Commendation Medal with three gold stars, Army Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal and various service related awards and campaign ribbons.

Captain Biggs is married to the former Marina Reese. The Biggs' have four children; Justin, Eric, Juliana, and Joshua.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Captain Kristian P. Biggs for his thirty years of service to our country. Captain Biggs has demonstrated a deep commitment to the security of our nation. His exemplary career is a testament to the level of dedication exhibited among our men and women in the armed forces. I would like to personally wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to see the Republican Leadership in the House has decided to relent on its ideological objections to renewing the landmark protections and support services for women who are victims of violence or domestic abuse.

Until just days ago, it appeared the House was again preparing to stand in the way of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, which was supported by a majority of Republican Senators when the bill passed that chamber on a stronger, more bipartisan vote than it did in the 112th Congress. I am proud to cosponsor the House companion, which now has 200 cosponsors.

Far too many of us have been touched by domestic violence in one way or another. Maybe it was a mother, a sister, a college roommate, or co- worker, who was forced to suffer in silence following an attack. Domestic violence is a real and troubling problem in our communities, and the need for these protections continues to grow. In my district, Turning Points, the only domestic violence intervention program in Prince William County served 6,000 clients last year. In neighboring Fairfax County, there were more than 8,000 cases of domestic violence reported, and we have seen a 40% increase in homelessness due to domestic violence.

This vital legislation will renew our successful partnerships with local nonprofits and law enforcement agencies. It will improve protections for underserved communities, particularly immigrants and victims of human trafficking. It will expand housing assistance for victims and provide support regardless of sexual orientation.

Since these victim protections were first adopted in a bipartisan fashion 19 years ago, reporting of domestic violence has increased as much as 51% as more victims are coming forward. Today's legislation will ensure more women, children and families receive this lifesaving assistance so they can finally move from a situation of crisis to one of stability.

Again, I commend my Republican colleagues for compromising on this important legislation. This is yet another example of the tremendous work we can achieve for our constituents when we work together, and I hope we continue in that spirit as we turn to address the devastating cuts of sequestration and the budget for the rest of this fiscal year, which will affect these new victim protections among our many other priorities.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Maryland.

The distinguished chairman of this committee says that we're entitled to our opinions, but not our own facts while he calls upon our friend from Florida, a former member of our committee, who cherry-picks from the Simpson-Bowles committee, the same committee that said we need a $4 trillion hit on the debt over the next 10 years and it has to be a balance between revenue and spending cuts. My friend from Florida and my friend from California fail to cite that fact. That's a fact.

The chairman just put up a sign talking about the exit rate in the Federal

workforce. What he doesn't tell you is that 47 percent of the existing Federal workforce is eligible for retirement over this next decade because of the baby boom demographic. How will we replace them, especially the higher-skilled set?

My friend from California, like me, came from the private sector before he came here. He was more successful than I. Very successful. I applaud him for that. But I would hope that in that success we don't lose sight of that GS-3 making $27,000 a year serving our veterans at a veterans hospital.

It's easy when we don't suffer low wages to perhaps lose perspective about the real need, even in our Federal workforce. And at the higher end, the more we disparage our Federal workforce, the more we make it less attractive. The more we treat them like a piggy bank, the less attractive that service will be.

We are a far, far distance from when John Kennedy called Americans to public service because he saw it, as did so many of that generation, as a noble calling.

We haven't just asked for a few hundred dollars from every Federal worker. We have attempted or succeeded in freezing their wages 3 years in a row. Another fact that my friend from California, the distinguished chairman of our committee, conveniently does not point out is that we have done more than that, and we've attempted to do more than that. We've funded the payroll tax cut with $15 billion of cuts for prospective Federal employees in the pension programs. We attempted for the first time ever--unheard of, no nexus--to fund transit in the transportation bill to the tune of $50 billion in cuts from existing pension programs, breaking an existing contract. That's a fact too. Maybe an inconvenient one.

Federal workers deserve the dignity of the work they provide. Federal workers need to be respected for serving our constituents. The losers in this debate won't just be them; it will be the people they serve.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments we've just heard. The bill before us today is just the latest partisan jab at Federal employees who are on the front lines protecting and serving our constituents every day.

I remind my colleagues that more than 85 percent of Federal employees do not work here in the D.C. region. They live and work in your districts. They are the law enforcement agents, park rangers, researchers, and health inspectors who make our communities safer. These are middle class families struggling to make ends meet just like everybody else, yet House Republicans have routinely used them as a punching bag, chipping away at their pay and their benefits. So far, the tab is $103

billion and counting. It is time to say, ``Enough.''

I was pleased to join with Congressman Bera and 10 of our colleagues in cosponsoring the amendment Mr. Polis referred to this partisan bill that at least would have separated the questions of freezing our pay from that of Federal employees. In fact, three such amendments were submitted, but each was rejected by the Republicans in the Rules Committee, underscoring that this really is nothing more than another political potshot at Federal employees and using us as the subterfuge.

If anyone's salary should be frozen as a result of our Nation's fiscal paralysis, it's ours; it's Members of Congress. That's why I introduced an alternative bill, H.R. 636, with Ranking Member Cummings from the Oversight Committee, to freeze Member salaries for the duration of this Congress. Of course, my Republican colleagues fail to acknowledge that we already voted to freeze Member salaries through September of this year, as Mr. Polis indicated, so there is no real sense of urgency here.

Why aren't we spending this time working on a bipartisan solution to avert the devastating consequences of sequestration 2 weeks from now? The $85 billion in across-the-board cuts in defense and domestic spending for the rest of this fiscal year would slam the brakes on this economy and throw us potentially back into recession.

GDP performance in the fourth quarter shows that. It declined by one- tenth of 1 percent, largely because of shrinkage in public sector investments. That was led by a 22 percent drop in defense spending, the largest since the end of the Vietnam War. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have shown almost no interest in addressing this threat, despite the pleadings of the Secretary of Defense.

An amendment by our colleague, Mr. Van Hollen from the Budget Committee, to replace sequestration was also rebuffed by the Rules Committee just last night on a partisan vote.

To make matters worse, the House is about to go into recess again tomorrow. In fact, we spent 15 of the 19 weeks from July through the lame duck in recess.

Let's do something productive for the United States economy.

Mr. Speaker, the Postmaster General's announcement this past week that he intends to eliminate Saturday mail delivery is of great concern to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

Beyond the fact that such a move completely disregards congressional intent, it also sets the Postal Service on a downward spiral that will undercut any opportunity to revitalize it and put it in a more sound financial footing for future generations. Whether it's the financial documents for a small business, a prescription refill for an elderly resident, or a birthday card for a loved one, Saturday mail delivery is important to every person in every community in America.

The United States Postal Service is an American institution dating back to the founding of our Nation when it was enshrined in article I of the Constitution, and Saturday delivery has been part of that tradition for the past 150 years. The men and women who don the blue uniform of the USPS are visible in every street in every community.

As a recent Washington Post story recounted, mail carriers have been known to report crimes, detect gas leaks and check on the elderly. Many serve the same routes for years, taking note of the comings and goings in their neighborhoods and offering an extra set of watchful eyes. They are, in many ways, the first responders in many of these communities.

Eliminating Saturday mail service would result in the layoffs of more than 50,000 letter carriers. Job losses in the public sector have already been a drag on our economy for the past 2 years, and this only exacerbates that problem. The supposed savings would clearly be offset if these unemployed middle class workers would then need Federal assistance to make ends meet.

Upon closer inspection, the economic case for eliminating Saturday delivery is specious at best. The Postmaster General claims it will save $2 billion, but that does not include the lost revenue or the broader economic ripple effect. A confidential report commissioned by the Postmaster General just last year showed that a 7.7 percent decline in mail volume, such as going from 6 to 5 days would trigger, would actually result in a $5.2 billion loss in revenue. It's little wonder that he deep-sixed his own study.

Within the broader economy, 8.4 million jobs are supported by the private and public mailing industries. That represents 6 percent of all American jobs. For every job in the Postal Service, there are 10 in the private sector, and three out of four of those jobs are dependent on existing delivery infrastructure by the Postal Service, including 6-day mail. Last year, the combined industries supported $1.3 trillion in sales revenue, or 8.6 percent of our entire economy.

While first-class mail volume has been trending downward for the past decade, the Postal Service is not maximizing those lines of business that are showing growth, such as package delivery. Growth in online retail sales, spurred by Cyber Monday, for example, pushed USPS package delivery revenue up by 4.7 percent, or $154 million, in the first quarter of this year alone. The Postal Service has not been able to capitalize on those opportunities largely because Congress, itself, stifled innovation with the 2006 legislation that it passed. Unlike its international counterparts, the Postal Service is prohibited by law from co-locating with such comparable businesses as banks and coffee shops, which actually offer a lot of revenue in the European postal services. We even restrict how the Postal Service can competitively market its low-priced services.

Of course, the most egregious burden imposed on the Postal Service by Congress is the outrageous pre-funding requirement for future retiree health benefits. Under current law, it must pre-fund 75 years at 100 percent of those benefits in a 10-year window. No other entity on the planet has such an onerous requirement but the Postal Service, and we did it--Congress did it--in 2006. In fact, $11.1 billion of the $15 billion-plus loss last year for the Postal Service is directly attributable to that burden.

That brings us back to the audacity of last week's announcement by the Postmaster General. The Postal Service has routinely testified before Congress, requesting the authority to go from six to five, but congressional intent on the preservation of 6-day mail delivery has been clear for 30 years. Even the Presidential budget request recognizes the need for Congress proactively to grant such authority. It cannot be grabbed unilaterally. The Postmaster General acknowledged he was on shaky ground--and indeed he is--in making this announcement. I, along with Representative Graves, have asked him to provide what, if any, legal justification he relied on to make this momentous decision, and we've asked the Attorney General and the

Postal Regulatory Commission for their opinions on the Postmaster General's statutory authority for this ill-advised action.

Mr. Speaker, Representative Graves and I have introduced a bipartisan resolution urging the Postal Service to preserve 6-day delivery. We would welcome our colleagues in joining us to highlight congressional intent that Saturday service is vital to our neighborhoods and small businesses and to the vitality of our communities. I urge my colleagues to take a closer look.

Mr. Speaker, I can't resist saying the Second Amendment right does not preclude background checks to protect the very people we represent.

Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court ruling last summer on the Affordable Care Act was a victory for all American families--and small businesses especially--by ensuring that our constituents have access to affordable, quality health insurance.

The ruling preserved the integrity of Medicaid partnerships between the States and the Federal Government, giving Governors the option of accepting the Federal Government's generous offer to pay the cost for expanding coverage of low-income residents who might otherwise not have access to health insurance.

Though some of my Republican colleagues remain opposed to the act, I'm pleased to see Republican Governors, including those from Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and now Governor Kasich in Ohio, putting policy ahead of politics to support this expansion of Medicaid. Those Governors have acknowledged that they were motivated not only by the desire to reduce the number of uninsured, but also by the compelling business case.

Medicaid expansion is part of the vision for a new continuum of coverage that will begin in 2014, when the major provisions from the Affordable Care Act take effect. This will fill the longstanding gap in Medicaid coverage for low-income adults by expanding eligibility for those earning up to 133 percent of the Federal poverty level.

As of 2011, there were 48 million nonelderly uninsured in America. As an incentive for States to expand coverage for those folks, the ACA commits the Federal Government to paying 100 percent of the additional costs of covering them, and after 2016, 90 percent thereafter.

I wrote the Republican Governor of my State and the General Assembly membership urging them to join us in extending this critical health care coverage. The Virginia General Assembly is currently divided on the matter, but I was encouraged last week by the announcement from our Republican Lieutenant Governor, who said:

There is no State better prepared to move forward with this

reform and the coverage expansion of it than the Commonwealth

of Virginia.

Like me, Lieutenant Governor Bolling understands the economic benefits for Virginia. Expanding Medicaid will help 300,000 Virginians get access to health care coverage who currently have none and invariably wind up accessing health care through the most expensive portal there is: the emergency room. The cost of that uncompensated care is, of course, borne today by hospitals and those who are insured through their premiums.

The Governor's Advisory Commission on Health Reform said expanding Medicaid, coupled with other reforms in the act, would reduce uncompensated care in Virginia by more than half. Under the Affordable Care Act, Virginia would receive more than $9.2 billion in the first 5 years. A recent State analysis shows that during that same time period Virginia would actually save $300 million by expanding coverage. And Virginia's costs for the first 10 years, now estimated at $137 million, are considerably less than originally estimated and a great return on that investment.

Time is running out, and our residents cannot afford for States to miss this opportunity. In fact, I believe they would be making such a historic mistake that I am proposing an additional incentive to help motivate those Governors who might not yet still be convinced.

This week I introduced the Medicaid Expansion Incentive Act. This simple bill adds a ``use it or lose it'' provision. If a State doesn't want to expand Medicaid coverage, then we will ship those dollars to other States who are willing to partner with us to help defray costs and expand their coverage.

Just so the residents of a particular State are fully aware of how their Governor's decision is affecting them, my bill will require HHS to publicize the list of States that are not partnering with us and giving up this opportunity and the amount of money their Governor has left on the table and the number of uninsured people who will thereby not be covered.

The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, and residents of any State should not be penalized because of their Governor's ideological agenda. The choices we face are momentous. Will we move forward together to implement these historic reforms and reverse the unsustainable trajectory of spiraling prices, or will we let slip this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help those most in need, realize savings, and spur economic activity? I hope more Republican Governors, including my own, will follow the leader of their colleagues elsewhere and put their citizens' health ahead of partisan orthodoxy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Paul Plattner on the occasion of his retirement after 39 years of service to NISH and the AbilityOne Program, through which he has helped identify and create work opportunities for the blind and for people with disabilities here and in communities across America.

Mr. Plattner began his career at NISH in 1974, working as a part-time bookkeeper two and a half days a month. It wasn't long before he advanced from that humble beginning to take on a number of other roles and duties, currently serving as Vice President for Operations. He has worked directly with, and earned the respect of, staff in every major federal agency. He also has developed close working relationships with community rehabilitation programs across the Nation.

Under the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act, the AbilityOne Program harnesses the purchasing power of the Federal Government to buy products and services from community-based nonprofits that train and employ individuals who are blind or have significant disabilities. Whether it is performing custodial services, packing medical kits for our troops, working in food service or one of many other duties, AbilityOne workers are making a positive difference in our community. I and many of my colleagues here in the House, both Democrat and Republican, are AbilityOne Champions, and we know firsthand the positive effect this program has not only for the individuals and their families, but also for us as well.

Mr. Plattner has dedicated his life's work to helping provide residents with disabilities in every community with the opportunity to learn new skills, to succeed in a workplace environment, and to gain greater independence and quality of life. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Mr. Plattner for his heartfelt commitment to improving the lives of those with disabilities and in wishing him well in his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 2013 Officers of the Occoquan Woodbridge Lorton Volunteer Fire Department. The 2013 officers and members of the board of directors are taking leadership roles in one of Northern Virginia's longest standing volunteer fire departments. The O.W.L. Volunteer Fire Department was created to address the need for organized fire response capabilities in the growing suburbs of Northern Virginia. In 1938, the Department officially formed to become the only fire department between Fredericksburg and Alexandria. In the subsequent decades O.W.L. has expanded to staff three stations and provide emergency medical services.

The members of O.W.L. are dedicated community volunteers, and the 2013 officers and directors will be diligent stewards of this tradition of service. The over 300 active O.W.L. members answer 14,000 calls and serve 60,000 people each year. Their job is demanding and the hours are long, but these brave men and women are driven by their dedication to public safety and the communities that they serve. We would all do well to follow their example.

I congratulate and commend the following 2013 incoming officers:

Department Chief: James F. McAllister.

Fire Assistant Chiefs: Karl F. Fippinger, Wayne A. Haight, David S. Halman, Michael Clark, and Steve Godin.

EMS Assistant Chief: Edward A. Craig.

Fire Captains: Justin W Witt, David P. Williams, Brian J. Smith, John M. Roberts, Ernie M. Firkin, Jr. and Kurt E. Bolland.

EMS Captain: Richard T. Ruggieri.

Fire Lieutenants: Mike Nazionale, Derick N. Ondra, Richard P. Moore, Alexander R. Moody, Billy Campbell, Harold F. Griffith, Nathan Potter, Joshua Culp, Jon R. Colpitts, Mark A. Chandler, Robert L. Brown, and Jonathan W. Baldwin.

EMS Lieutenants: Cynthia M. Young, Kelly Shaw, David Darrach, Julia Jordano, Tammy L. Hill, and Erika Estrella.

President: William Spicer.

Executive Vice President: Jim Dart.

Admin Vice Presidents: William L. Carter, Ernest Desantis, Henry J. Neyhouse, and George W. Smith.

Membership Secretary: Melissa L. Payne.

Treasurer: George J. Nazionale, Jr.

Election Officer: Valoree A. Brown.

Sergeant at Arms: John McMahon.

Board of Directors: Ron Miller, Chris McIntosh, and Barry King.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating these remarkable volunteers on their new leadership positions, and in thanking all the members of The Occoquan Woodbridge Lorton Volunteer Fire Department for the vital service they provide to the Prince William County community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the recipients of the 2013 Prince William County Human Rights Commission Awards.

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors, BOCS, implemented the Human Rights Ordinance January 15, 1993, formally establishing the Human Rights Commission. Two years prior, the BOCS formed the Human Rights Study Committee to explore the needs of a community that was growing in population and diversity. An exhaustive effort that included numerous Committee meetings and public hearings identified a strong community desire for a human rights ordinance and an agency to enforce it. The Human Rights Ordinance prohibits discriminatory practices based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, marital status or disability, in employment, housing, public accommodations, education and credit, in Prince William County.

The BOCS approved the Ordinance in September 1992 to ensure that ``each citizen is treated fairly, provided equal protection of the law and equal opportunity to participate in the benefits, rights, and privileges of community life.'' Residents enlist the services of the Commission if they feel their rights have been violated in the areas of employment, fair housing, credit, education and public accommodation.

In celebration of Universal Human Rights Day, the Human Rights Commission recognizes individuals and organizations that promote the principles of human rights in Prince William County. It is my honor to enter into the Congressional Record the recipients of the 2013 Prince William County Human Rights Commission Awards: Stephen Dittmer, Connie Moser, Lillian Garland, Ralph Smith, Lydia Stewart.

The Human Rights Commission Hall of Fame honorees:

Police Chief Charlie T. Deane is a two-time Commission award recipient. He is being honored for his 42-years of service to the Prince William County Police Department and for providing equitable services to all county residents.

Mary Porter, Maxine Coleman, Zella Brown and Fannie Fitzgerald constituted ``The Courageous Four,'' a group of four African-American teachers who integrated the Prince William County Public Schools in 1964. They are being honored for promoting the smooth transition to desegregated schools.

The Human Rights Study Committee: Donald T. Poe, Chair, Fred Allen, Richard Brown, Jr., Ethel Georges, Provi Gonzales, Bob Prevatte, Herbert A. Rountree, Rajendra P. Singh, Eric Tatum, and Manual L. Velasquez.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in commending the recipients of the 2013 Prince William County Human Rights Commission Awards. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to these honorees for their efforts to safeguard our most basic rights and remind us of our common humanity. Let us use their example to rededicate ourselves to the fight against inequity and injustice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 23rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Oratorical Competition hosted by the Prince William Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and its Education Foundation.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. left an indelible mark on our nation in his pursuit of civil rights through civil dialogue. Despite the violence perpetrated against Dr. King and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King responded with reverent oratory and nonviolent resistance to condemn the injustice of social inequality. His legacy is one of tolerance and steadfast commitment to principled and peaceful communication.

Contestants in the MLK Youth Oratorical Contest pay tribute to Dr. King's legacy with their ability to exercise the strength of the spoken word. This skill will serve them well as they seize future leadership opportunities and forge the personal relationships necessary for effective community engagement and organizing.

I congratulate and applaud the following contestants of the 23rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Youth Oratorical Competition:

Middle School Contestants:

Norman Jones--Stonewall Middle School.

Hazma Mir--Mary G. Porter Traditional School.

Nathaniel Raffier--Herbert J. Saunders Middle School.

High School Contestants:

Jacob Gonzalez--Thomas Jefferson High School.

Abbas Idris--Osbourn Park High School.

Cynthia Johnson--Stonewall Jackson High School.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in commending Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for recognizing the benefit that Dr. King's teachings bring to the development of our youth. We lay the foundations of a more tolerant society when we nurture the ability to engage and communicate with one another in a way that respects our common humanity.

``But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a State, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.''

Section 3:

``No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President or Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a Member of Congress or as an officer of the United States . . . ''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 9th Anniversary of the Pi Lambda Lambda Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. The chapter includes the communities of Prince William County, the City of Manassas, the City of Manassas Park, and Stafford County.

Coinciding with the local chapter's 9th Anniversary is the national organization's 101st Anniversary. The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity was founded on Friday evening, November 17, 1911 by three Howard University undergraduate students, Edgar A. Love, Oscar J. Cooper, and Frank Coleman, and their faculty adviser, Professor Ernest E. Just. Together they laid the foundation of an organization based on the core principles of manhood, scholarship, perseverance and uplift. For ninety-eight years, the membership has upheld a strong tradition of friendship and civic engagement.

At this year's Annual Achievement Week Banquet, the Pi Lambda Lambda Chapter honors the 2012 Achievement Week Award recipients. These awards are given to the men and women who, through their character and actions, preserve Omega Psi Phi's four founding principles. I congratulate the following individuals on being awarded these honors:

The Citizen of the Year Award: Brother Conrado Morgan.

The Colonel Charles Young Military Leadership Award: Brother Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Newman III.

Omega Man of the Year: Brother Charles Mitchell.

Basileus Special Act Awards: Brother Tony Bullock, Brother David Holliday, Brother Robert Reese, Jr., Brother Cozy Bailey, Sr., Brother Leonard Newman III, Brother Adrian Gore, Brother Jimmie Jacobs, Jr., Brother Harvey L. Woodson, Jr., Brother Trevor Hamilton, Brother Bernard Oliphant, Brother Anthony Burgess, Brother Byron Cherry, Sr., Brother Vernon Campbell, Brother Andrew McCall II, Brother Albert Woods, Brother Earl Clark, Brother Erik Noel, Brother Gregory Reid, Brother Lloyd Marshall, Brother Arthur Sobers, Jr., Brother David Ballard, Brother Joseph Boutte, Brother DeSean Davis, Brother Drefus Lane, Sr., Brother Vincent Gordon, Brother William Vaughn, Jr., Brother Joseph Boutte, Brother Derrick Harris, Sr., Brother Conrado Morgan, Brother Rowland Webb, Sr., Brother Stephen Blakely, Brother Crispin Abad, Brother Gregory Reid, Brother Johnny Ledbetter, Brother Matthew Mitchell, Brother Thomas Victor Montgomery III, Brother Jeffrey Allen, Brother Victor Hinton, Brother Robert Melvin, Brother Iven King, Jr., Brother Tyrone Simon, Brother Kenneth West, Brother Simon King, Brother Randall Webb, Brother Lewis Forrest I, Brother Byron Cherry, Sr., Brother Lee Bennett, Jr., Brother Elijah Jackson III.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in conveying our appreciation for eight years of civic service by the Pi Lambda Lambda Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. It is civic groups like the Pi Lambda Lambda Chapter that define the character of our communities and give measure to our generosity of spirit.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and pay tribute to Lyle W. Minter, of Fairfax, Virginia, on the occasion of his retirement after 36 years of Federal service. Mr. Minter's professional achievements are numerous, and I know he would be the first to acknowledge that none of them would have been possible without the support of his wife, Nancy.

Lyle graduated in 1975 from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in History. While at the University of Virginia, Lyle was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his Master of Library Science in 1976 from the University of Maryland. While at the University of Maryland, Lyle was elected to Beta Phi Mu.

Lyle began his distinguished Federal career as a civilian employee with the Department of the Army. He worked as the librarian at two Army posts in Virginia before being reassigned to the Pentagon Library as a reference librarian. He later was selected as head of the Reference Section and managed research support, general reference, and online database searching for the Pentagon Library's 50,000 patrons.

Lyle came to the Library of Congress in 1991 as Head of the Government Publications and Periodicals Section in the Serial and Government Publications Division. In that position he managed the automation of the serial binding preparation process and was instrumental in implementing a number of other enhancements and services, which enabled increased access to the Library of Congress collections for Members of Congress and the research community who utilize that institution and its vast collections. Lyle then was reassigned as Head of the Newspaper and Current Periodical Division, where he managed the Library's busiest public service point and implemented such innovations as virtual reference and online collection guides. Lyle came to the Congressional Research Service in 2005 as a Supervisory Information Research Specialist in the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division where he manages a team of employees who respond to requests from the United States Congress. He has remained in that position until the time of his retirement.

Throughout his career, Lyle has been actively engaged in the professional librarian community as a member of the Special Libraries Association (SLA), and he has received several awards for his service. He was elected a Fellow of SLA in 2004 and received the Gale Cengage Learning Murray Wortzel Award in recognition of Excellence in Social Science Librarianship in 2011. Lyle particularly enjoys teaching and mentoring information professionals, and his dedication to mentoring librarians and others in the field of librarianship has been a benchmark of his career.

As Lyle begins the next chapter of his life, he intends to spend time with friends and family, teach, travel, and continue volunteering in his community and in his profession. Lyle Minter has excelled throughout his distinguished Federal career, and I am honored to pay tribute to this conscientious and dedicated public servant.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Lyle Minter for his many years of dedicated Federal service. I wish Lyle and his wife, Nancy, continued happiness as they enter this next phase of their lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to share with my colleagues a poignant story from a local newspaper about the experiences of a prominent African-American veteran and corporate leader in our community who was an early pioneer in breaking down the barriers of segregation. When Carlos Campbell and his family settled in Northern Virginia in the late 1960s, they found a certain amount of intolerance, but they were pleasantly surprised by the welcome they received in the new town of Reston, which at the time was a rare ``open'' community in Virginia. This story about Mr. Campbell, as reported by Gregg MacDonald of The Fairfax Times, is just one of the many things that make Reston such a wonderful community, which I am proud to represent.

[From the Fairfax Times]

Navy Pilot, Board Director Recalls Life in Reston as an African

American

(By Gregg MacDonald)

As a young African-American boy growing up in Harlem,

Carlos C. Campbell, now 75, lived two streets down from

Brooklyn Dodgers baseball player Jackie Robinson and used to

wave at Robinson as he left his home on the way to Ebbets

Field.

He later befriended jazz and football legends Dizzy

Gillespie and Jim Brown, and worked as an actor with Charlton

Heston and Robert Wagner and as a musician with jazz drummer

Buddy Rich. He has written books, made films, flown planes

for the U.S. Navy, worked for former President Ronald Reagan

and the Defense Intelligence Agency, for the Department of

Housing and Urban Development as a city planner, and was

elected to the D100 as one of the most influential directors

of corporate boards by the National Association of Corporate

Directors.

But when Campbell moved to Northern Virginia in 1968, he

said that because of segregation and discrimination, he could

not buy a home.

``I looked at 39 different places and it was always the

same line,'' he said. ``I'm sorry, sir, we do not practice

open occupancy. It was very humiliating to be turned down for

a residence for someone who had served his country during the

Cuban Missile Crisis and had resolved to die if that's what

it took to protect it.''

Campbell said that while he was looking, he remembered a

place called Reston that he had read about while a Navy

aviator. ``In 1965 or so, Reston had gotten a lot of ink as

an open community, so I eventually remembered hearing about

it and decided to check it out.''

Chuck Veatch, an early Reston sales employee, remembers

that time well.

``Because Reston in the 1960s was an `open' community

within a segregated state that had no fair housing laws, we

had a hard time with market resistance in terms of blacks,''

Veatch said. ``We in Reston had no issues at all, but because

Realtors did not sell our homes there was some resentment,

and the real estate brokerage community used the race card

against us, to sell against us, and tell people they didn't

want to live in Reston.''

Married and with two daughters, Campbell purchased his

first Reston home, in Vantage Hill, in October 1968. He soon

went to work for the Department of Housing and Urban

Development in Washington, D.C.

``It was great to finally be able to find a community in

which we were tolerated,'' he said. ``But it was still no

piece of cake.''

Campbell estimates that at that time, Reston consisted of

about 1,500 people, about four percent of whom were African

American.

``There was a group of Reston African Americans formed back

then who called themselves the Reston Black Focus. I wasn't

initially a part of the group, but they would have get-

togethers and invite everyone. Afterwards random people would

come up to me and say, `Man, you guys throw great parties'

and I would say, `OK, thanks.' ''

According to Campbell, although Reston was an open

community, the surrounding areas of Fairfax County still were

not quite there yet.

``Leaving Reston, we would be reminded of what it was

really like,'' he said.

``Everywhere I went, people in their cars slowed down and

asked me if I was a Washington Redskin, but I guess that was

better than them yelling `nigger' out of the window as they

went by, which also would happen.''

Campbell said his family also felt the effects of

discrimination.

``Beauty parlors would refuse to style my wife's hair, and

a swimming pool once closed down, rather than let my little

girl get in the water,'' he said.

Campbell said that even in Reston during that time, African

Americans often were under a microscope, and whites were not

sure how to interact with them. On several occasions he said

he discovered people rifling through his garbage cans, who

then ran off when confronted.

``I would also occasionally get a knock on my door and

someone would ask me what I did for a living, or ask me if I

needed a job,'' he said. ``I also used to jog and would

invariably get stopped by police who would often say they

were looking for a robbery suspect.''

But overall, Campbell said life in Reston was always

positive. He later moved to Golf Course Island in 1970, but

has remained in Reston for 44 years.

``Reston was always a great place,'' he said. ``As an

African American here, I was always tolerated, and as the

years went by, Reston transcended that tolerance into

acceptance. I felt less like a guinea pig and more of a

citizen and a member of this community. Discrimination and

intolerance still exist, but it is not as overt as it once

was. I am glad Reston existed when it did and I'm content to

continue living here and giving back.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Senior Airman Veronica Cox of Lorton, Virginia, for demonstrating exceptional personal and moral courage during humanitarian assistance after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that hit northeast Japan on March 11th, 2011.

Airman Cox volunteered for humanitarian assistance duty and was part of the advanced command element in the town of Sanriku-cho as an intelligence analyst. Being able to communicate fluently in Japanese, she was able to greatly assist in integrating the Japanese-U.S. response within the crucial first 24 hours as well as the days that followed. She met with the village elder and clearly communicated necessary medical and survival instructions. She flew with nine search and rescue teams and directly enabled the delivery of 3,000 pounds of food, water and medical supplies

Three days after the earthquake, Airman Cox was able to recognize the Japanese characters asking for help spelled out by rocks on the roof of a senior-care facility. A further investigation led to the discovery of 200 Japanese civilians within the rubble of the building.

For her service during the crisis, Airman Cox and the aircrew received recognition from the Emperor of Japan. She received the Air Force Commendation Medal and was selected as a linguist for the 5th Air Force Vice Command during U.S. and Japanese Ministry of Defense-level meetings. She also received recognition and awards from the Japan Self- Defense forces and civilian organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Senior Airman Veronica Cox for her tremendous service to our nation and her valiant humanitarian assistance to the people of Japan.