Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was absent today for family reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 681,

``yea'' on rollcall No. 682, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 683, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 684.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3669, the Securing General Aviation and Commercial Charter Air Carrier Service Act of 2017, which has been championed by my good friend and colleague, Mr. Estes.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Protective Security, I appreciate the significant security challenges facing all modes of America's transportation systems, including the often overlooked general aviation and commercial charter sectors.

As we saw this morning with the terrorist attack in New York City against a surface transportation hub, large commercial airliners are not the only target on terrorists' minds, and we must not allow ourselves to be negligent towards the security of all sectors of transportation security.

During his short time in Congress, Congressman Estes has quickly become one of the most forward-leaning members of the Homeland Security Committee on issues relating to aviation security. Mr. Estes' legislation will make significant strides in closing security vulnerabilities in general aviation's ability to screen and vet passengers and crew, while better protecting individuals' personally identifiable information from potential exploitation.

Additionally, this bill will hold the Transportation Security Administration accountable to important security recommendations from the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, including those relating to the security vetting for flight school applicants in the United States.

This bill will ensure that the general aviation community, which is often overlooked by TSA, will have a voice within the agency by requiring TSA to designate personnel to be responsible for stakeholder engagement within the general aviation community.

Mr. Speaker, I was honored to have Representative Estes join me and other bipartisan colleagues on a recent congressional delegation to the Middle East and Europe where we examined a number of aviation security threats and mitigation efforts. Our delegation, combined with our continuous oversight efforts at home, have provided with us a stark, firsthand understanding of the security vulnerabilities facing our Nation's aviation systems.

Because of this, I am extremely pleased that Mr. Estes' bill is being considered here before the House today. I urge my colleagues to support the bill and our efforts to improve the security of American aviation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the victory of the Skaneateles High School Boys Football team in the New York State Championship game on Friday, November 24th. The Skaneateles Lakers defeated Holy Trinity Pride by a score of 28-25 for its first football state championship in the school's history.

After ending the first half only up two points, the Lakers fought hard and worked as a team to score two more touchdowns in the second half of the game. Junior Patrick Hackler, who led his team to victory as captain and as the quarterback, received the championship game's Most Valuable Player Award.

The Lakers finished their season with a 12-1 record due to the hard work of seniors Jacob Nesbitt, John Ryan, Tyler Schneider, Hunter Woodruff, James Leubner, Hunter Dart, Jon Ricklefs, Jared Calapari, Haas Tehan, TJ Greenfield, Scott Ochsner, Cross Bianchi, and Tom Scherrer; juniors Craig Scherrer, Areh Boni, Patrick Hackler, Luke Viggiano, William McGlynn, John Danforth, Carter Blake, Will Frank, Jimmy Liberatore, Oliver Weir, Solomon Landsberg, Nathan Squires, Nathan Wellington, and Jack Carlile; sophomores Caden Custer, Nick Wamp, Avery Rodgers, and Billy Richards; and freshmen Alex Goethe, Jack Comer, Ken Byrne, Nathaniel Congel, Colin Cox, Ben Euto, James Falso, Jack Mannigan, Mason Michel, Christian Miles-Pizzoleo, Hunter Simmons, and Calen Van Holtz. The team was coached by Joe Sindoni, an exceptional leader with an accomplished football resume.

Lakers played with dedication and respect throughout the entire season. This hard-earned championship is something these teammates will cherish for the rest of their lives. I commend the hard work, commitment, and teamwork displayed by these young men. Excellence on the field translates to excellence off the field and the practice of sacrificing for the common goal builds character in our children. I could not be more proud to congratulate these young men on their tremendous season.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3731, the Secret Service Recruitment and Retention Act of 2017, because I believe in the need to pay the hardworking men and women of the United States Secret Service for the critical work that they perform in dedication to the security of America's leaders.

While most Americans know the Secret Service for its role in protecting the President and First Family, many are unaware of the additional substantial roles and countless hours worked by special agents, uniformed division officers, technical personnel, and intelligence professionals. These jobs require extensive travel, often on short notice, as well as sometimes working multiple weeks in a row without a day off, because the security of our Nation's leaders depend on our constant vigilance.

This legislation demonstrates an important recognition of the men and women who wake up every day to dedicate their lives to the protection of America's leadership and financial systems. This agency has struggled to improve employee morale in recent years, due, in large part, to strict overtime pay caps that prevent adequate compensation for their work. It is very common, nowadays, in the Secret Service for agents, starting as early as June, to be working multiple hours a week of overtime, and sometimes as many as over 100 hours a month for free because they have reached the cap.

This, in turn, leads to challenges in retention and recruitment, further exacerbating staffing shortages. In 2017, the agency estimates that 1,200 employees at Secret Service will exceed the statutory pay cap, losing approximately $10 million in overtime pay, unless we, in Congress, step up.

I wish to thank each of the bipartisan cosponsors for their support of this bill, which took the cooperation of multiple committees to bring to the floor. And I want to thank my colleague, Ms. Jackson Lee, for her continued support on bipartisan measures. It is a sign that when you join hands across the aisle, good things can happen.

In particular, I thank Chairman Goodlatte of the Judiciary Committee for bringing this legislation up today, as well as Chairman Gowdy and Ranking Member Cummings of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for their support. I also thank my colleague, Mr. Rutherford, for managing this bill on the floor today. And I thank Chairman McCaul, Ranking Member Thompson, and Ranking Member Watson Coleman of the Homeland Security Committee for their recognition of this legislation's importance to the Secret Service and for their support.

Further, I would like to explicitly thank two staffers who were truly instrumental in coordinating the movement of this bill: Kevin Ortiz of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Robert Parmiter of the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Speaker, this bill provides overdue relief to an agency whose dedication knows no bounds. As we enjoy this holiday season, I can think of no better Christmas gift to the hardworking men and women at the Secret Service than the fair compensation that is owed to them for their hard work in securing our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, for this reason, I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I urge the Senate to quickly take up and pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize Michael Fiss, a longtime Syracuse radio host who recently retired after 40 years on the airwaves.

Mike Fiss, known by our community as ``Big Mike,'' started his radio career in 1979 at a local Syracuse radio station, WSYR-FM. Since that time, he has had the number one-rated morning show on Y94FM for many years, and most recently hosted the morning show on Sunny 102 for the past 16 years.

Throughout his career, Fiss has been a supporter of local musicians and has worked to help the less fortunate in Central New York. Every November, Sunny 102 famously switches from its regular programming to all-Christmas music and ``Big Mike's Christmastime in Syracuse'' CDs have been sold locally to benefit charities in our area. Fiss' listeners have joyfully anticipated his annual live Christmas broadcast which highlights performances of our favorite holiday songs from local Syracuse artists.

For his tremendous efforts to make us laugh every morning, while continuously working to make our community a better place, I am proud to congratulate Michael Fiss on his illustrious career and much deserved retirement.

Mr. Speaker, representing central New York, the issue of blighted properties and contaminated land that remain from previous industrial hubs is all too familiar to me.

The brownfields program has been pivotal in the redevelopment and reuse of previously uninhabitable and unusable properties throughout my district.

Earlier this year, I worked with Congresswoman Esty to advance brownfields reauthorization legislation through the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I am proud to now see this bipartisan comprehensive bill advancing through the House.

This measure contains many of the important reforms authored by Representative Esty and myself, including language clarifying liability for local governments and lease holders, and expanding eligibility to assessments and remediation grants.

These provisions are intended to increase the effectiveness of brownfields grants and will lead to faster cleanups.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congresswoman Esty, Chairman Shuster of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, his staff, and Representative McKinley for working to advance this important legislation to preserve and enhance this critical program.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mr. Harry Kowalchyk, Jr. who passed away on Sunday, November 26, 2017.

In 1971, Mr. Kowalchyk founded the National Tractor Trailer School (NTTS) in Newburgh with his business partner and best friend, William Mocarski. For 46 years Mr. Kowalchyk served as president of the NTTS, where he shaped the future of accredited truck driving schools nationwide. The NTTS has trained over 30,000 men and women as entry- level heavy truck and tractor trailer drivers. Mr. Kowalchyk believed in the American dream, and created a school that provided its students with a high quality education so they could work towards a better life.

Mr. Kowalchyk is survived by his wife of 51 years, Mary Kowalchyk, and his daughter and son-in-law, Kimberly and Jamie Sather, his granddaughter and grandson, Nikki and Logan Sather, as well as additional members of his extended family.

Mr. Kowalchyk was proud to be a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, serving from 1961 to 1965, and was devoted to many veteran causes. Through his support of the Honor Flight Network, Mr. Kowalchyk enabled many Central New York veterans to travel to Washington to visit the memorials that symbolize the service and sacrifice of all who served in our nation's armed forces.

Mr. Kowalchyk was known for his patriotism and for doing everything he could to help those in need. For his tremendous efforts to revolutionize our trucking industry, and for making our community a better place, it is my distinct privilege to honor Harry Kowalchyk today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize J. Michael Anderson, the 2017 recipient of the Zunic Award as presented by the Syracuse Football Club.

The Syracuse Football Club is a group of former Syracuse Orange football players focused on making a difference in the Central New York community. The Zunic Award was created to honor Mike and Judy Zunic, who died tragically in a United Airlines plane crash in Sioux City, Iowa on July 18, 1989. The pilot, anticipating landing difficulties, requested volunteers to give up their seats and sit at the exit doors to assist passengers in the event of an emergency. Mike and Judy gave up their seats in first class to sit at one of the doors. They both died in the crash and those in the Zunics' original seats survived. The Zunic Award honors those, like Mike and Judy, who have acted selflessly for the good of others.

This year's Zunic Award recipient, J. Michael Anderson, is a former Orange offensive lineman, and has tragically lost two of his three sons--Jimmy and Eric. Despite this extraordinary loss, Mike has channeled his own tragedy into advocacy and volunteerism. He and his wife, Flo, have focused on making a difference in the Central New York community and assisting others who have experienced similar tragedy.

Anderson served as a youth basketball coach for more than two decades at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Liverpool, and coached baseball in the Salt City Little League for 10 years. In addition, the Andersons are frequent holiday volunteers at the Syracuse Rescue Mission, serving meals to those less fortunate, and are active participants in the Liverpool Central School District ``Dollars for Scholars'' program where they have established a scholarship in their son Jimmy's name. Anderson

spends part of each day visiting online grief sites offering assistance to those who are struggling with tragedy.

For his tremendous efforts to make a difference in ending this scourge and to make our community a better place, I am proud to join the Syracuse Football Club in honoring J. Michael Anderson.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding students, faculty, and staff at Red Creek High School. The mission statement of the Red Creek Central School District is to educate students with equity, and help them master fundamental skills. I would like to commend the hard work of the Red Creek Central School District for making Red Creek High School a safe and welcoming place to learn.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private schools based on overall academic excellence or ability in closing achievement gaps among students. Every year the United States Department of Education seeks out, and honors, schools that tirelessly work to help students grow academically. Red Creek High School is one of just 19 New York State schools to receive the prestigious ``Exemplary High Performing Schools'' award from the United States Department of Education this year.

Since the Blue Ribbon Award was first created in 1982, only four other schools in Wayne-Finger Lakes region have garnered Blue Ribbon status. Red Creek High School was awarded its Blue Ribbon Award this year for the strong academic performance of its student body. The teachers and administrators at Red Creek High School work hard each day to make learning exciting, and encourage their students that they can achieve their goals both inside and outside of the classroom. I'm proud to recognize this stellar high school in my district, and applaud the students, parents, administrators and teachers for their efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3328) to require a study regarding security measures and equipment at Cuba's airports, require the standardization of Federal Air Marshal Service agreements, require efforts to raise international aviation security standards, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of legislation that will address the critical need to enhance security at airports in Cuba and across the globe.

Last week, I had the privilege to lead a congressional delegation overseas to see firsthand investments our foreign partners in Europe and the Middle East have made to enhance aviation security. We face an unprecedented threat landscape, and they are clearly responding to it.

In order to keep Americans safe, we must advance collaborative counterterrorism efforts with our allies and take a more stringent and risk-based approach with countries that are more hostile to the United States.

In leading this delegation to examine aviation security at international airports, I had the opportunity to meet with many members of our Foreign Service and military, who all work tirelessly on behalf of all of us to advance America's interests abroad.

Unfortunately, it has recently come to light that more than 20 of our American diplomats who were working at the United States Embassy in Havana were the victims of a sonic attack. As a result, many of these members of our Foreign Service have been diagnosed with serious injuries and dangerous symptoms, and, in some cases, even permanent brain damage.

Reports indicate that these attacks started as early as May of 2016, exactly one year after the previous administration removed Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. Our government told our diplomats Cuba was safe. The reality was quite the opposite, and, because of that mistake, some of our diplomats will pay a permanent price.

These horrific attacks on members of our dedicated Foreign Service raise numerous questions about how much trust and, indeed, how much confidence we can have in the Cuban Government.

We have to ask ourselves: If Cuba is unable to ensure the safety and security of foreign diplomats working in the embassies there, how can it possibly prevent terrorists and other nefarious actors from accessing its airports and infiltrating flights bound for the United States?

I recall last year when the Obama administration entered into opening up flights to Cuba, they ceded so much of the authority to the Cuban Government, the communist Cuban Government, over who they are going to hire, who is going to work with the American agencies, and who is going to be in charge of security; and we have very little control and, indeed, very little oversight over anything to do with those airports, yet American citizens are going to be going there and possibly facing danger. That is a real concern.

The legislation we are considering today requires that Cuba's airports be subjected to additional security to ensure that inbound flights to the United States are secure.

I am not here today to relitigate the wider policy towards Cuba or the Cuban Government, but I am here to ensure that Cuba and the rest of the global aviation community are held to security standards that are sufficient in these modern times to respond to the evolving and sometimes grave threats that the aviation sector faces on a regular basis.

The International Civil Aviation Organization standards, which currently serve as the benchmark minimum requirements for all airports with flights to the United States, are simply too weak; and I would submit that they are becoming outdated, given the fact that terrorism aspects nationwide and, indeed, worldwide routinely are adapting, and these standards are not.

This legislation we are considering today requires the Trump administration to take steps to raise minimum standards which will elevate American aviation security around the globe.

No matter how strong our domestic airport and aircraft security is, we must continue to raise the standard of global aviation security for foreign countries and last-point-of-departure airports. It is imperative that aviation security standards are robust and that these standards are commonplace in foreign countries, especially those with flights to the United States.

It is also imperative that these countries meet these standards; not just say they are going to meet these standards, but that they are, in fact, meeting the standards, something we found out recently is not always the case.

Confidence in aviation security at home begins with the assurance that our global partners are enforcing security standards abroad. By passing this bill today, we can demonstrate to the global community that the United States sees international aviation security as critical, because raising the aviation security standard abroad will obviously and ultimately keep us safe at home.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman McCaul and Chairman Sires for joining me in championing this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank all the members of the Homeland Security Committee and their staffs for putting politics aside, as we often do on this great committee, and supporting this bill unanimously.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of legislation to enhance our national security.

Mr. Speaker, before I close, I would like to note and echo the sentiments of my colleague and leader of this committee, Mr. McCaul. There are more than 50 bills now sitting over in the Senate that have passed the House from the Homeland Security Committee. The very words ``homeland security'' should not be of question, and they should not be something to serve

as an impediment to keeping our country safe; it should be just the opposite. Therefore, I join Mr. McCaul and urge my colleagues in the Senate to move swiftly on the passage of these bills to keep our country safe.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC, August 30, 2017.

Hon. Michael McCaul,

Chairman, House Committee on Homeland Security, Washington,

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill for the reasons that I have already spoken about, but I do want to note that there are two things in this bill that are very important. One is to give us the ability to examine whether or not the airports in Cuba are indeed safe.

As you heard from the statements earlier during this colloquy from myself, from Mr. Vela, and from Mr. McCaul, there are gaps in our knowledge of Cuba that are simply unique to most of the other aviation communities. It is incumbent upon us to try and find out what is going on down there.

As my colleague, Mr. McCaul, stated, we were denied visas because they knew we were coming to look at their airports. They allow very little oversight from the TSA at their airports.

They or someone in their country have attacked our embassy employees. The communist Cuban party controls the vast majority of what happens with aviation with very little knowledge of what the internal workings of that are. They are not collaborative partners at all, and that is a major concern.

The other part of the bill is reviewing international aviation standards.

Are they keeping up to date with evolving threats, such as the laptop threat and others that we know of around the world? Are they adhering to the standards that are set by the ICAO? And are those standards sufficient going forward?

Those are all things we need to take a look at. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill because it is a Homeland Security bill. I hope that my colleagues in the Senate, including Senator Rubio, my good friend who is championing the companion bill, I hope that he pushes it over there quickly; and I hope we get this to the President's desk for signature because we can't mess with things that involve homeland security.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today, most actions in Congress are viewed through a partisan lens, but the 21st Century AIRR Act is a bill with significant support from both Republicans and Democrats, as well as a number of groups representing a wide array of political ideologies.

Modernizing air traffic control has historically been a bipartisan issue. In fact, 20 years ago, then-President Clinton said: ``The FAA's 20-year effort to modernize its air traffic control technology simply has not been able to keep pace with either the emergence of new technology or the growth and demand for air travel. . . . We can continue on the current course and continue to experience crowded airports, flight delays, and even higher passenger frustration. But if we act now to improve our infrastructure, we can ensure that air travel in the 21st century is the safest, most cost-effective, most efficient in the world.''

These words are still true today.

Because we have failed to act decisively, the FAA is struggling to give Americans the 21st century air traffic control system they deserve. We have the opportunity to change that with the AIRR Act.

Many former top administration officials from both parties support reform as well as a broad coalition of stakeholders.

Air traffic control reform hasn't been a partisan issue, and it shouldn't become one now. I urge all my colleagues to pass this critical bill for American aviation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize J. Michael Anderson, the 2017 recipient of the Zunic Award as presented by the Syracuse Football Club.

The Syracuse Football Club is a group of former Syracuse Orange football players focused on making a difference in the Central New York community. The Zunic Award was created to honor Mike and Judy Zunic, who died tragically in a United Airlines plane crash in Sioux City, Iowa on July 18, 1989. The pilot, anticipating landing difficulties, requested volunteers to give up their seats and sit at the exit doors to assist passengers in the event of an emergency. Mike and Judy gave up their seats in first class to sit at one of the doors. They both died in the crash and those in the Zunics' original seats survived. The Zunic Award honors those, like Mike and Judy, who have acted selflessly for the good of others.

This year's Zunic Award recipient, J. Michael Anderson, is a former Orange offensive lineman, and has tragically lost two of his three sons--Jimmy and Eric--to the opioid epidemic devastating our community and our nation. Despite this extraordinary loss, Mike

has channeled his own tragedy into advocacy and volunteerism. He and his wife, Flo, have focused on making a difference in the Central New York community and assisting others who have experienced similar tragedy.

Anderson served as a youth basketball coach for more than two decades at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Liverpool, and coached baseball in the Salt City Little League for 10 years. In addition, the Andersons are frequent holiday volunteers at the Syracuse Rescue Mission, serving meals to those less fortunate, and are active participants in the Liverpool Central School District ``Dollars for Scholars'' program where they have established a scholarship in their son Jimmy's name. Anderson spends part of each day visiting online grief sites offering assistance to those who are struggling with tragedy.

For his tremendous efforts to make a difference in ending this scourge and to make our community a better place, I am proud to join the Syracuse Football Club in honoring J. Michael Anderson.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of my amendment, which restores critical water infrastructure funding to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.

Across our country, communities are faced with aging water infrastructure, which poses a growing threat to existing levels of service, public health, and our environment.

The State Revolving Funds are a proven critical tool for States and local communities to make high priority water infrastructure investments that otherwise may not be feasible.

Earlier this year, Onondaga County in my district leveraged over $20 million in funding through the State Revolving Funds to upgrade the Syracuse-Metro sewage treatment plant to continue to improve the water quality of Onondaga Lake, which has made a remarkable recovery.

While I commend the Chairman for his work on this legislation, with the EPA estimating our national 20-year capital improvement need to be over $650 billion for drinking water and waste infrastructure combined, now is not the time to roll back this Federal funding.

The $250 million cut to this fund included in the bill would prove harmful to communities in my district and throughout our entire Nation.

I was heartened to see that the President's statement yesterday opposed this $250 million cut and reaffirmed the administration's support of pivotal water infrastructure funding.

This is a bipartisan issue that impacts nearly every congressional district. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this amendment to ensure our communities can continue to invest in critical water infrastructure projects that support their economies and a safe and healthy environment.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).

Mr. Chair, in response to my colleagues from the Democratic side of the aisle, it is clear, as I stated previously, that the President has signaled not only that he supports the plussing up of the money as I propose in this amendment, that he supports plus-ing up a much larger amount the Clean Water State Revolving Funds as part of an overall infrastructure plan. To say otherwise is simply untrue. This President wants everyone in the United States to have clean drinking water. He supports this program, and for someone to say otherwise, it is just not true.

She also stated that robbing Peter to pay Paul is something that may be going on here. We are talking about clean drinking water, $250 million of clean drinking water, that would come out of the general fund. I would much rather see a little discomfort from bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., than to see people not have clean drinking water nationwide.

I want to reiterate the importance of supporting the effective State Revolving Fund program. It has done a great job nationwide, and we need in these tough fiscal times to find ways to make these things work. This is a way to do it. Take away from the general fund, take away from instances in which bureaucrats may not be able to rent the car of their choice or have the pencils that they choose or an upgraded computer. I would much rather have that than to have dirty drinking water for our constituents nationwide.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 2nd annual Nick's Ride for the Heroin Epidemic Action League (HEAL) of Cayuga County.

The Heroin Epidemic Action League is a local organization in Cayuga County whose mission is to promote awareness of the deadly dangers of heroin and drug addiction. In its second year, Nick's Ride for HEAL honors the life of Nick Campagnola, who lost his struggle with heroin addiction in December 2015 at the young age of 20.

The motorcycle ride and block party supports the important efforts of HEAL, including providing a meeting space for those struggling with addiction, funding Nick's Underdog Scholarships, and supporting other organizations with complementary missions.

I am proud to recognize the important efforts of the Heroin Epidemic Action League of Cayuga County to combat the heroin and synthetic drug epidemic that is plaguing Central New York and the rest of the country. By remembering Nick Campagnola with this outstanding community event, it is my hope that we can one day put an end to this deadly epidemic.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 200th Anniversary of the Auburn Correctional Facility in Auburn, NY.

The Auburn Correctional Facility has served Central New York diligently and without fail--never ceasing to operate 24 hours a day for seven days a week--for 200 years. The Auburn Correctional Facility has been an economic driver in Auburn and Central New York, creating jobs and boosting the local economy over the past two centuries.

I commend the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision for keeping the Auburn Correctional Facility operational for the last 200 years, and I wish the Auburn Correctional Facility continued success in the years to come.