Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman so very much for yielding to me. I thank him and Ranking Member Walorski for bringing this bill forward.

Mr. Speaker, our foster youth are, of course, some of our Nation's most vulnerable. But do you know what? They are also our most resilient. But even the most resilient needs support. That is what this bill is all about, ensuring that those who would otherwise age out of foster care at age 18, who chose it or need it, can continue to get services--housing, workforce development, driving skills--through this pandemic.

For thousands of foster youth each year, their time in foster care, simply because they turn 18--or 21 in some States--can be a very, very unsettling moment for them.

As a result, with little or no family support, they suddenly find themselves grown, independent. But the reality is that the battle is only beginning in these youths' lives. Having already suffered trauma, including family separation, they find themselves without any type of safety net during this particularly trying time in any person's life. And to be sure, these are inspiring young people, but again, they need support to help ensure brighter futures.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about one of these youth who I had the pleasure to get to know. His story is full of struggles and victories, but they are not the exception. This was Mr. ``DJay'' Joi.

I first met DJay when he shadowed me during Foster Youth Day a few years ago. He had such a great heart, great personality, extremely intelligent, that he quickly became a part of my own personal family.

DJay's drive and resilience helped him create a bright future for himself. He knew firsthand the difficulties facing those aging out of the foster care system, challenges that he shared with me.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is a good step. But let's recognize and address the supports we need to provide foster youth. We need to require all States to raise the maximum age to 21 for those who choose to keep receiving foster care supportive services. We need to think about permanently removing the barriers or the cap on the use of Chafee funds for housing.

Karen Bass and I have a bill that would immediately allow former foster youth to keep Medicaid coverage through age 26. Healthcare is a critical need.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the ranking member, and I urge all Members to support this great initiative.

Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman and the ranking member. I am so delighted to have been appointed to the Select Committee.

The Speaker, of course, said that we should make proposals that make our economy grow for everyone, empowering American economic growth while ensuring that no one is left behind in the 21st century economy.

It is no secret that our country is marred by unequal access to good paying jobs, healthcare, housing, high quality education, childcare, and many other things. I can't dwell on all those things in this short period of time. These disparities impact the ability of many communities to escape poverty, and especially people of color.

I do want to dwell on a couple of things, proposals that I think are extremely important to close the economic gap, the wealth gap, and the housing gap.

First of all, I think that all of our workers deserve paid family leave, a universal comprehensive paid family and medical leave program. Only about a third of Americans in the highest quintile in the country receive any kind of paid family leave, while 92 percent of workers in the lower quintile have no paid family leave.

I think that we should enhance the child tax credit and the earned income tax credits. These are things that, while there is a very high cost of poverty, there is a big, huge outcome and harvest from investing in our children. People around the globe have noted that it really creates better workers, better educational outcomes, and better healthcare outcomes.

We also need to address the uncompensated care that so many family caregivers, especially women, are providing, about a half-trillion dollars a year in uncompensated care, and we need to address that. So I think if we boost the CTC, the earned income tax credit, provide paid family leave, we will begin to see the beginnings around the edges of reducing some of the disparities.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support raising the debt limit and to keep the main thing the main thing.

I really don't have time to address the Taliban, Afghanistan, the southern border, socialism, and all the rest of the stuff that has been raised. But I do have time to talk about blackmail that was raised here. This is the failure to join the Democrats in raising the debt ceiling to pay for one thing: the $2 trillion that Republicans ran up providing tax cuts to the wealthiest corporations and individuals.

The blackmail is that they want to force us to restore those cuts to the wealthiest people and to raise taxes on regular Americans by trying to upend our initiative to provide, for example, the child tax credit and to blackmail us into not providing those benefits.

We have heard a great deal, Madam Speaker, about how this will hurt the markets and how this will create chaos, but who will really pay the price?

It is everyday people and ordinary people, those Social Security recipients and veterans whose benefits will be delayed; people who won't be able to get a car or a washer and dryer at a reasonable interest rate; and those thousands of people who will lose jobs. That is where the damage will come in.

Madam Speaker, instead of paying these partisan games, I urge my colleagues across the aisle to act responsibly. The full faith and credit of the United States should never be put in jeopardy. And by the way, people are not leverage.

Madam Speaker, abortion care is healthcare.

The Women's Health Protection Act protects the right of healthcare providers to provide abortion care free from undue burdens.

This bill is needed now more than ever with Texas creating the harshest most inhumane abortion ban. And for all the men in this room-- that is one missed period. One.

And frankly, I'm old enough to remember what this country looked like before Roe . . .

Such draconian laws disproportionally impact Black, indigenous, LGBTQ+ individuals, and especially those experiencing domestic violence and sexual assault.

Abortion care is essential. Period.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Chair for his support of my amendment.

This amendment is based on legislation I have introduced previously, the Corey Adams Searchlight Act.

I want to talk about why this amendment is so important.

It is about helping services members who have been heroes and have given so much for our safety.

The bill is named after my constituent, Corey Adams.

Corey always wanted to serve his country and follow in his fathers and grandfathers' footsteps and join the Air Force after high school.

Corey served 4 years on active duty, then joined the Air Force Reserve.

Sergeant Corey also served six months in Afghanistan in 2009.

Sergeant Corey Adams was later diagnosed with Post traumatic stress disorder and later moved into his parent's home in Milwaukee, WI.

On March 20, 2017 the Adams family was changed forever.

Segreant Corey Adams was missing.

His family tried to file a missing persons report soon after he went missing,

It took eight days before the police determined he met the critical missing persons criteria, a crucial delay. 18 days after his disappearance, Corey Adams' body was recovered from Dineen Park, one mile from his mother's home.

No family should have to suffer a tragedy like this. This Sunday would have been Corey's 50th birthday.

In the aftermath of this tragedy, Wisconsin became the first state to enact a green alert system to find veterans who are reported missing. Delaware, Tennessee, and Texas have since enacted laws to do so, and other states are currently looking to do the same.

When a Veteran goes missing, we should ensure that we have their 6.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this rule and the underlying legislation, which funds key health, education, and other priorities that our Nation has simply underinvested in for much too long.

I am particularly appreciative for the increased investments in TRIO--and I would mention that is a bipartisan initiative--and WIC-- Women, Infant, and Children--among other things.

I want to talk now about two amendments that I have offered to this bill, which were made in order under this rule. The first is a bipartisan amendment to increase the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program funding by $10 million. In the United States, 40 million households every year are unable to afford their basic household energy needs.

I know in my State the temperature ranges between 55 degrees below zero to over 100 degrees. So it is not optional to have heating or cooling.

In many cases this means choosing between food, medicine, and electricity needs to make ends meet, or leaving a home that is unsafe and unhealthy because of the upper or lower temperatures.

In Wisconsin, only 31 percent of eligible households received LIHEAP assistance in 2020. Increasing the funding available for this program will help ensure that more of our most vulnerable citizens have adequate resources to prevent their energy needs from further straining their budgets.

The second amendment, Madam Speaker, would provide an additional $2 million for school breakfast expansion grants included in the 2010 child nutrition reauthorization. I am so proud that the committee included $10 million for this program in the underlying bill. Every child deserves a morning free of hunger and to have the opportunity to learn, grow, and focus in school without worrying where their next meal will come from.

Currently, out of the 97,000 schools that participate in the school meals program, over 7,000 of them do not provide breakfast. With these additional funds, we can close the school breakfast gap.

Madam Speaker, with these funds we can close the school breakfast gap and ensure that all students receive breakfast who want it.

Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairmen for their leadership, vision, and work on this bill.

It must be our priority to ensure needed infrastructure investments promote equity to help address the myriad environmental injustices experienced by minority, Tribal, and low-income communities.

For this reason, I was happy to join forces with the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crow) to offer an amendment which ensures underserved and disadvantaged communities are not left behind as we make the electric vehicle transition.

I also want to thank Chairman DeFazio for the strong equity-focused investments in this package, such as the new reduced fare for the low- income riders demonstration grant program and changes to the transit formula to require transit agencies to better serve transit-dependent populations.

I am pleased that my amendment to this package, which would increase the funding set-aside for low- and moderate-income communities under the Zero Emission Bus Grant Program, is included.

Finally, providing equitable access to electric charging infrastructure and substantial public transit funding helps build equity into our Nation's transportation options and will help address the climate hazards that must remain a priority for this administration and Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the body to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Invest in America Act. I thank Chairman DeFazio and Chairman Pallone, among others, for their outstanding work in getting this bill to the floor.

I appreciate their support for my amendments to this bill.

On the water portion of this bill, my three amendments attempt to:

(1) spur innovation to help address storm water challenges

(2) link efforts to remove lead pipes to creating jobs for low-income and very low-income individuals where these projects take place, and

(3) strengthen an existing water workforce development program.

I have spoken directly to both Chairman DeFazio and Chairman Pallone about the need to link investments in water infrastructure to jobs for those in affected communities, especially for underserved communities. So I am excited to have their support, both through provisions including in the underlying bill, and for my amendments.

Every $1 billion invested in water infrastructure creates or sustains approximately 28,000 American jobs. I want to make sure that those in communities where these projects take place directly benefit from this job creation.

Likewise, the new regional stormwater centers of excellence will help support research into new and emerging technologies that can help to meet stormwater needs in our communities, such as stopping sewer overflows.

I thank both Chairs for working with me on these amendments and their inclusion in this strong bill and urge my colleagues to vote for this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of legislation reauthorizing funding for the National Science Foundation, HR 2225, the National Science Foundation for the Future Act.

I thank the Chair and Ranking Member for their leadership and hard work to put together this package. I'm proud to be a cosponsor of this bill to increase much-needed NSF funding while implementing new and creative strategies to improve STEM education and bolster our research and engineering infrastructure.

The NSF is a funder of more than 1800 institutions in the US. Given that a quarter of all federal funding is contributed through the Foundation, nearly every student in STEM has been in one way or another supported by the NSF through grants, fellowships, and research opportunities.

Despite continuing support from Congress, the reality is that the majority of grant proposals NSF receives are rejected and valuable research projects are never carried out.

During an era of tough global competition in the science and technology sector, it is so important that we find effective ways to boost scientific advancements and keep up with a quickly changing world.

This bill would authorize increased funding for the next five years, setting our students

and institutions on a sure path to more successful American innovation.

In addition to these funding increases, my Science, Space, and Technology colleagues and I have identified important areas of interest that are addressed through new NSF programs and policies to better support our research efforts. Among others, this legislation finds creative ways to boost STEM education from PreK-12 education all the way through graduate school.

I am glad that this bill includes an amendment I introduced in committee to give emerging minority-serving institutions access to NSF funding through a merit-based process, to help them build their research capacity and help expose diverse student populations to STEM careers.

Though our STEM workforce is some of the most well-equipped in the world, our institutions continue to report drastically low numbers in workplace diversity.

Only one in 10 STEM workers are underrepresented people of color, a statistic that does not come close to the racial makeup of the United States.

These racial imbalances will not just go away with time. We must put forward serious and concrete solutions to ensure students of color have the same opportunities as their fellow peers to pursue their ambitions.

By directly funding these MSls, which includes HBCUs, tribal colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, and even some community colleges, we can expand their research capabilities and offer people of color more opportunities for a career in science and engineering.

Other efforts that I authored which are included in this package include helping ensure NSF funding is helping support critical and groundbreaking water research that can help address local and global water challenges, an effort I authored to help ensure that community colleges, which often serve diverse communities, can also better engage with the NSF, and finally, an effort, with Rep. Young Kim, to address K-8 STEM education in our secondary schools. The earlier we can hook kids in STEM, the better.

This is a good bill and I urge my colleagues to support it

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I rise today in support of H.R. 3593, the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act. As a newly minted member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I was so proud to see my colleagues on both sides of the aisle work so hard on this bill to pass it through committee with amendments from both Democrats and Republicans. I, too, had an opportunity as a newly minted member to make an impact on this important legislation.

And I think that it wasn't by accident, and I thank the chairwoman of the committee, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson and Representative Lucas, the ranking member, for creating the environment in which we could do our work and craft this important legislation.

As you all have heard, the Department of Energy's Office of Science is a hub of technological advancement and research designed to tackle our greatest scientific challenges facing the United States.

Through several hearings in the committee, we learned about the DOE Office of Science's ongoing efforts to support research and to find solutions.

This bill allows the Office of Science to continue carrying out nondefense research on a vast array of critical areas. It supports research to modernize our energy infrastructure, allowing us the tools to overhaul our outdated energy grid to more climate-friendly solutions. And we, of course, have seen some of the catastrophic events caused by the lack of current technologies that recognize the climate action.

It funds continuing studies in artificial intelligence and quantum computing, keeping pace with our competitors in the tech sector and readying our cybersecurity defenses from our adversaries, as we have seen up close and personal the cost to our country to not keep abreast of these technologies.

During markup, I was able to offer a provision that was included in the bill that is before the House today that would prioritize clean water and watershed research at the Office of Science. My amendment directs the Office of Science to support clean water and watershed research that increases the quality and quantity of water across America, including the treasured Great Lakes.

My home district of Milwaukee shares a coast with Lake Michigan, which I consider one of my most important constituents.

It is imperative that we study the harmful effects of water pollution, make investments in technologies to combat the contamination of our waterways, and to protect drinking water sources that are critical to every man, woman, and child. We also need to make sure that water continues to be a resource for commerce.

My amendment also ensures that relevant communities, research institutions, and nonprofits will be at the table when DOE carries out these tasks. Innovation doesn't occur in a vacuum, and it is critical that these research efforts have real world input from key stakeholders.

Before I close, I want to mention something about the National Science Foundation, H.R. 2225, which we considered on this floor today. I thank the chair and the ranking member for leaning in again to put this together in giving Members an opportunity to weigh in.

As you all know, the NSF is the funder of more than 1,800 institutions in the United States, and they provide tremendous resources, funding, and opportunities for STEM students. I have been able to weigh in to make sure that there is diversity and opportunity in STEM.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3593, the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2062, the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act of 2021. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of this measure.

I'm so pleased to see bipartisan support for this bill. Providing older workers with the legal tools they need to challenge unjust discrimination in the workplace should not be a partisan issue.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, our workforce is working longer than they have before. Those who are still working at or above the retirement age may be forced to do so because they have no other choice.

This vulnerable part of the American workforce deserves to have the same promotions and prospects as any other age group in a truly fair labor force. Unfortunately, age-based discrimination in the workplace can make it difficult for older individuals.

And since a 2009 Supreme Court ruling, employees who felt that they were wrongly discriminated against based on age have had to meet a much more burdensome standard to get relief in court under federal law.

That ruling went against decades of legal precedent and weakened protections for our working class, burdening victims and shielding those employers who in engage in discriminatory actions from accountability.

That is why it is so important that we pass H.R. 2062, and help older workers who have suffered discrimination.

Those facing discrimination should not have to jump through more hoops to ensure that their rights are protected. As noted by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, ``The ability to enjoy employment opportunities, free from unlawful discrimination, is key to promoting economic security for marginalized and multi-marginalized communities.''

I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill to protect our American workers and hold companies accountable for discriminatory practices.

I thank the Chairman for his leadership on this issue.

Madam Speaker, I rise to support acting, taking up and passing the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan.

Our infrastructure is in dire need of an overhaul, and it can't be put off any longer.

We also need to invest in the human infrastructure in our country, and we don't have to choose one over the other.

Americans across the Nation rely on sustainable infrastructure to get their children to school, to get to work, to facilitate commerce. We need to build on the investments that this Congress has already made through the American Rescue Plan, including dollars that are flowing to our communities.

Madam Speaker, $2 million has recently been sent to Milwaukee for the East-West Bus Rapid Transit project in my district, a green public transit option.

I support the American Jobs Plan, bold investment to get every lead pipe in our country out from underneath our ground.

I also support investments in paid leave, childcare, and expanded access to affordable and quality health insurance.

I urge my colleagues to support these measures.

Madam Speaker, on June 16, 2021, I missed Roll Call vote 163. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on H. Res. 479.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 256, legislation to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (``2002 AUMF'').

This authorization has outlived its usefulness, if it ever had one. My position on the Iraq war has been clear: I opposed the occupation of Iraq and the damage it unleashed. We were wise to exit this quagmire while retaining the ability to address any legitimate security threats emanating from this region.

But we left the 2002 AUMF in place, which was a mistake. First the Obama Administration and now the Biden Administration have made clear it is no longer needed. As noted by the Biden Administration, ``repeal of the 2002 AUMF would likely have minimal impact on current military operations.''

Additionally, I share concerns that failure to repeal the 2002 AUMF will allow it to continue to be misused to legitimize U.S. military actions that were never contemplated when it was passed, including in areas far outside of Iraq.

It's time that Congress begins to reclaim its war powers. Repealing this outdated 2002 AUMF will also allow our country to refocus our military strategies and efforts towards defending against legitimate national security threats facing our country. We will never stop open ended war if we never reconsider the open-ended authorizations that are feeding them. The Constitution is clear about Congress' authority. These are difficult decisions but every time we punt on reasserting our authority regarding sending our men and women in uniform to war, we weaken our institution and our democracy.

Today's vote marks the fourth time in the past three years that the House has passed similar legislation in a bipartisan fashion. Today's action hopefully marks the last time we do so and that we will finally see this legislation enacted into law.

I support H.R. 256 and the termination of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq, and I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me and for inviting me.

Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to join my CBC colleagues in highlighting the importance of honoring the holiday and continuing the legacy of Juneteenth Day, the first one celebrated on June 19, 1865.

As you have heard, this is the date on which Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of both the Civil War and the inhumane system of legalized enslavement of Africans in the United States of America.

Now, it must be noted that this announcement came 2\1/2\ years after President Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order that most of us know as the Emancipation Proclamation. But it is an important reminder that our efforts to form a more perfect Union don't really have any timeframe or any date, but they are ever ongoing.

Madam Speaker, I want you to know that in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from which I hail, we are going to be celebrating Juneteenth Day, and it will be the 50th anniversary of Juneteenth Day. Yes, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, up north, we started observing this holiday in 1971. It is a long way from Galveston, Texas, making it one of the first Northern States to commemorate the end of slavery in our country.

Madam Speaker, this Saturday, we will again gather along North King Drive to highlight Black culture with traditional food, music, youth essay contests, marketplaces, pageants, and a parade, unofficially marking the opening of Milwaukee's famous summer festival. This coming Friday, we will be raising the Juneteenth flag in the State capital of Madison, Wisconsin, to honor this day. We take Juneteenth seriously.

Madam Speaker, in 1972, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported an estimated 3,000 people attending our second annual Juneteenth festival. That number increased over the years, and between 160,000 and 170,000 people have attended these festivals. The high number of festival-goers can be personally attributed to Milwaukee's notably special, historic response to the system of slavery and to our efforts to teach the young people about Wisconsin's and Milwaukee's role in ending slavery.

Now, in 1854, a Missouri slave owner traveled to Racine, Wisconsin, the place where I was born, 27 miles south of Milwaukee, to demand that a runaway slave by the name of Joshua Glover be surrendered under the U.S. Fugitive Slave Law. Glover, who had been playing cards at the time, was arrested and carried 27 miles north to Milwaukee so that he could be in a secure jail until the Federal marshals could move Joshua Glover back to Missouri because it was a larger and more secure jail.

Well, when abolitionist newspaper editor Sherman Booth heard this, he rode through Milwaukee streets calling on sympathizers to storm the jail. A mob of 5,000 Milwaukeeans outnumbered the police and demanded the keys, but the wardens refused. The crowd smashed down the door. Joshua Glover was freed and successfully moved through the Underground Railroad to Canada.

Booth later declared in court:

I rejoice that the first attempt to convert our jail into a

slave-pen and our citizens into slave-catchers has signally

failed.

The Wisconsin State Supreme Court agreed with him and declared the Federal Fugitive Slave Law unconstitutional in Wisconsin. In fact, in 1850, Wisconsin was the first and only State to declare the Fugitive Slave Law unconstitutional.

As one of my constituents, the curator of the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, noted, the Juneteenth holiday signifies that African Americans are full citizens of this country, deserving of equity and justice.

Madam Speaker, it is an important day of jubilation not only for the descendants of Africans enslaved in the United States but for the American people as a whole, for it is not just simply Black history that we are celebrating. We are celebrating a victory in American history about freedom and equality for all of us who call ourselves Americans.

While it may have been the 13th and the 14th Amendments of the Constitution that formally freed the slaves, let us continue to observe Juneteenth Day as our day of reflection, knowing that our ancestors paid in blood and paid it forward for the unimaginable toil for the freedom recognized on this day.

As I often tell our young people: Freedom just ain't free, y'all. Our ancestors paid for it. And as a tribute to them, we have to take responsibility to do the best that we can and continue to work tirelessly toward justice and equity in this great land of ours.

Madam Speaker, that is why I admire Sheila Jackson Lee and Barbara Lee so much for their efforts around reparations and equity in our society.

With that good news arriving in Galveston, the push for true equality of opportunity continues to this great day in our society. We see it reflected in the marches, in the movements, in the legislation, and in everything that we do today, because despite our being free, we see the disparities in healthcare, in education, in homeownership, in COVID.

The struggle is real. The struggle continues. And we are here to remind everyone that all of us are Americans.

Madam Speaker, I again thank Sheila Jackson Lee for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Shelia Payton who is retiring from my district office on April 30, 2021, after 16 years of dedicated and distinguished service to my office and the constituents of the 4th Congressional District.

I have known Shelia for over 30 years. She joined my district office in 2005 immediately after I began my first term in the House of Representatives where she worked as a caseworker on the following issues: small business and minority business matters, Internal Revenue Service concerns and outreach to business groups and faith-based organizations. She assisted constituents in obtaining their money on their federal returns and she created awareness and shared resources to small businesses and minority businesses looking for opportunities. Over the years, she established and maintained strong working relationships with many federal agencies, business groups, business chambers, and community based and faith-based organizations. Shelia took immense pride in her work product and throughout her tenure in my office ensured the constituents of the 4th Congressional District were well served.

I am happy that Shelia will start a new chapter in her life having had such an illustrious career as a journalist, business owner, marketing and copy freelance producer, author, playwright, and most recently as a public servant in my office.

Shelia began her career by earning a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Syracuse University and working for the Miami Herald. She also received a master's degree in Urban Affairs from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She worked in public relations for Miller Brewing and went on to work for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Minority Entrepreneurship Program. She also held jobs as a

freelance producer for Milwaukee Profiles, a program on Milwaukee Public Television. She has owned the Wisconsin Black Pages for the last two decades, which not only serves as a directory for African-American owned businesses, but also provides resources to the community.

Shelia's belief in the power of education inspired her and her parents to create the Payton-Price Family Scholarship Fund. The scholarship helps African American students from the City of Milwaukee pursue higher education at historically black colleges and universities. It is clear that Shelia has a passion for education, community, advancing the economic power of African Americans and people of color.

She also possesses a strong interest and numerous accomplishments in the creative arts. She authored two non-fiction books, Cultures of America: African Americans and What Counts Most Is How You Finish: Thoughts on Living Life to the Fullest. As a playwright she wrote her first professionally produced play, Facing the Shadow, which was staged in 2012 at the Black Rep in St. Louis. Shelia has also written a libretto for an African American themed opera, Black Caesar.

Shelia is devoted to family, especially her mother, brother, sister- in-law, niece, nephew, and other extended family members. She was close to her late father and serves as a loving companion and sometimes caregiver to her elderly mother, Gertrude Payton. Shelia is very active in the community and her church. In addition to previously being an avid skier, Shelia loves writing, attending the theater, traveling, and other hobbies.

Madam Speaker, after 16 years of dedicated service on my staff, I wish Shelia well in her retirement and continued success in all her future endeavors. I am so proud to honor my dear friend and thank her for her service to the constituents of Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District. While she has closed this door, another one is opening for her so that she may pursue life at her own pace.