James P. Moran

Mr. Speaker, for roughly 200 years, this government has functioned on behalf of the American people. It has functioned through the art of compromise. Conservatives, liberals, Democrats, and Republicans have gotten together and decided what was in the best interest of this Nation.

Mr. Speaker, this appropriations bill is in the best interest of this Nation. It does reflect a compromise, but I would say to my colleagues on the Democratic side: this is a good bill, this reflects our priorities. It is our last chance to have those priorities reflected in an appropriations bill.

One of our staff told me that for 2\1/2\ weeks, she hasn't seen her children before they had to go to bed. The reason is that she has been working night after night, fighting for our priorities to be included in this bill, and she was successful. All of our staff was successful.

I want to give a shout-out to Dave Pomerantz, Lesley Turner, Will Smith, Jim Kulikowski, Rick Healy, Shalanda Young, and of all the people who made this a good bill on both sides of the aisle.

This is why our government functions: because we are willing to compromise and we are willing to look at what is in the best interest of all of our constituents, putting partisanship aside.

This is a bill we should vote for. This bill needs to pass. I thank the President and this body for supporting this bill because I trust we will, in the long run, do the right thing after we have exhausted all the other alternatives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the Association for Talent Development (ATD) as the largest association dedicated to the talent development profession and recognize them for their annual Employee Learning Week, held from December 1st through the 5th, 2014.

Members of ATD come from more than 100 countries and connect locally with 125 U.S. chapters, international strategic partners, and global networks. They work in thousands of organizations of all sizes, in government, as independent consultants, and as suppliers.

Established in 1943 as the American Society for Training Directors, ATD is now a global leader in the talent development field. As businesses seek competitive advantages and growth, talent development professionals make sure an organization's best asset, its employees, have the skills they need to help achieve business growth. ATD serves this important community of professionals with research and resources.

To further these goals, ATD has declared December 1st through December 5th, 2014, as ``Employee Learning Week'' and designated time for organizations to recognize the strategic value of employee learning. I applaud ATD and its members for their dedication to developing knowledgeable and skilled employees during Employee Learning Week.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting policies that commit to maintaining a highly skilled workforce.

Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to introduce and welcome Reverend Aaron McEmrys from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, which is in the heart of my congressional district.

Reverend McEmrys is an accomplished religious leader who thrives on collaboration and draws his energy from working with people. He has led a life of service and generosity, caring for his neighbors and working to protect his flock.

I am proud to share his views as a passionate supporter of marriage equality, of addressing the disparity in wealth and income throughout the country, of workers' rights, and addressing the growing problems caused by global climate change.

He has spent years fighting to improve the daily lives of the neediest among us, spending years with the Hopi and Navajo Indian populations.

Reverend McEmrys holds a master's of divinity from the Meadville Lombard Theological School and a bachelor's of science in labor studies from the National Labor College, so he is well prepared to lead a highly informed and politically engaged congregation.

I am proud to consider him a constituent, a valued constituent, and thank him for opening our day with such a meaningful prayer.