Josh Gottheimer

I was unable to make the vote due to a funeral. I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 295, H.R. 4795.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the lives of Cornelius Allen Bottomley, Jr., known to everyone who loved him as Allen, and his nephew, John William Hughan. It is fitting that we remember them here together, because that is how their family holds them in their hearts.

Allen Bottomley, of Hanover, Massachusetts, passed away on September 13, 2024, at the age of 54, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on December 18, 1969, in Boston to the late Dorothy Warnock Bottomley and Cornelius Allen Bottomley, Sr. He graduated from Plymouth-Carver High School in 1988, earned his bachelor's degree in computer science from Bucknell University in 1993, and completed his Master of Business Administration at the F.W. Olin School of Business at Babson College in 2000.

Allen's strong work ethic showed up in everything he did, at home and on the job. After Bucknell, he spent six years working alongside his father, Neil, as Director of Operations for their company, Evaluation Associates, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. After earning his MBA, Allen served for a short time as a financial analyst at Send.com in Waltham before beginning a twelve-year run at Fidelity Investments' Boston Coach, where he held many positions and rose to Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations Analysis. Beginning in 2015, he brought that same steadiness to Granite Telecommunications in Quincy, where he served as Vice President of Treasury and Financial Operations.

Mr. Speaker, the resume tells you what Allen did. It does not tell you who he was. Allen was known for his quick wit, his boisterous laugh, his kind heart, his brilliant mind, and a fierce loyalty to family and friends. He chose to surround himself with genuine, trustworthy, and intelligent people. He loved boating on Cape Cod, skiing in Vermont, and sitting contentedly at home with his family in front of a beautiful fire.

Allen cooked and carved the turkey on Thanksgiving. He chose and cut down the family Christmas tree each December. He offered sage advice to family and friends, and he managed to fix anything and everything that broke around the house. Those are small things, and they are the things families hold onto.

Allen is survived by Jane (Connolly) Bottomley, his wife of 26 years, and their two children, Cornelius Haraden Bottomley, III, known as Haraden, and McKenzie Jane Bottomley. He was immensely proud of all three, and he loved watching his son and daughter grow into the amazing young adults they are today. Jane is quick to admit that the first thing that drew the two of them to one another was their ability to make each other laugh, and that laughter grew into a deep love, a deep respect, and an uncomplicated happiness rooted in simply being together. His family has said that Allen's ultimate goal was their happiness, and that they intend to keep trying to succeed and make him proud. Mr. Speaker, I cannot think of a better tribute to a husband and a father than that.

Allen also leaves behind his sister, Allison Bottomley Hughan, his brother-in-law, Peter, and his niece, Emmeline, of Norwell, Massachusetts. He was predeceased by his nephew, John.

John William Hughan was taken from his family far too soon. He was born in Boston and lived in South Boston until he was five years old. He moved to Norwell, where he attended the William Gould Vinal Elementary School and took up new sports, the trumpet, and Cub Scout Pack 66. He went on to Norwell Middle School, where he worked hard to excel academically.

John had a natural talent for music. He worked at the trumpet for years, and he was selected for the Massachusetts Music Education Association Southeastern District Honor Band and the Southeastern Massachusetts School Bandmasters Association Honor Band in both seventh and eighth grade, along with the Bridgewater State Middle School Honor Band in those same two years. He was a member of the United Church of Christ Norwell, where he had taken part in the music program since he was five years old, starting in Cherub Chimes, moving on to the bells in Rockin' Ringers, and eventually performing trumpet solos. He had just completed his confirmation, and over the years he took part in numerous service events. John loved every genre of music, and his family often caught him singing or humming along to a song.

John was an athlete, too. He played club lacrosse with the Laxachusetts program beginning in third grade and was looking forward to joining his Laxachusetts 2028 team and the Norwell High School team. His love of soccer grew in seventh grade, and he had just started tryouts at Norwell High School, excited to play alongside his classmates. He was a member of Boy Scout Troop 38 in Hanover, Massachusetts, where he had recently achieved his Life Rank and was working toward becoming an Eagle Scout. For his Eagle project, he wanted to build an outdoor classroom at Norwell Middle School.

John spent his summers on Cape Cod, and he spent most of those days on the water. He raced Optis for many summers and made friends at yacht clubs across the Cape. He had started sailing 420s and was looking forward to racing more the next summer with his friends at Chatham Yacht Club. He spent many hours on the golf course, and his game improved to the point that his goal was to beat his dad. Weekends were often family days on the powerboat, heading over to Hyannis, to Nantucket, or just putting around Bass River. He almost always had a smile.

Mr. Speaker, John was a conversationalist. He could talk with anyone and would talk with anyone, and from an early age he believed everyone wanted to talk with him. He was curious and full of questions. He was the kind of friend who would try to make you laugh, make you feel heard, and make you feel important. His friends and classmates describe him as kind, always with a smile.

John was a wonderful big brother. He was proud of his sister Emmeline's accomplishments, watched her sporting events, cheered her on from the sailing racecourse, and beamed when she succeeded. He was forever trying to improve her lacrosse game, talk through sailing strategy, and battle it out with her in the front yard playing soccer. They had a special bond and a real reliance on each other. He was a remarkable son, too. His mother hugged him every day, sometimes having to chase him out the door to be sure she got her hug.

Mr. Speaker, Allen Bottomley's greatest accomplishments were being a father, a husband, a son, a brother, an uncle, a brother-in-law, and a friend, and his happiest moments were the ones he spent with his family. John Hughan will be remembered for how hard he worked at everything he tried, for the kindness that came through in everything he did, and for his compassion toward his friends and family. Both of them will be missed beyond words.

On the two-year anniversary of their passing, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the lives and legacies of Cornelius Allen Bottomley, Jr., and John William Hughan, and in keeping the Bottomley and Hughan families in our thoughts. May God continue to bless and watch over their souls.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill with Ms. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act.

No student or professor should be shut out of research, study abroad opportunities, academic partnerships, or feel unwelcome in the classroom because of where they are from or what religion they practice.

Yet, that is what boycott, divest, and sanction seeks to do, which targets one country and one religion: Israel and Judaism.

My bill prevents discriminatory BDS practices and policies from being enacted at universities that undermine academic freedom by cutting off study abroad, joint research and exchange, restricting students' and faculty's ability to study what and where they choose.

It is narrow, targeted, and doesn't touch anyone's speech. It doesn't touch protest or academic debate. It simply says: If your university that takes federal taxpayer dollars, it can't discriminate against academic partnerships or investments with one country. That is it.

This has been our Federal funding policy for decades. This is why this bill passed out of committee with overwhelming bipartisanship support, including the ranking member and five other Democrats.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bipartisan bill.