Marcus J. Molinaro

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with gratitude and humility as I conclude my service to New York's 19th Congressional District. Representing the people of upstate New York in this historic Chamber has truly been the honor of a lifetime.

This journey has been guided by the values, aspirations, and resilience of the families, farmers, and small businesses that are the backbone of our district, from the Massachusetts-New York border, across the Hudson River Valley, through the Catskill Mountains, to central New York, and into the Southern Tier.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the people of this amazing upstate New York District for their trust, their support, and their unwavering belief in me. Representing them was never just a job; it was a deeply personal mission.

Their faith in me inspired every decision we made, every vote cast, every moment spent advocating for our shared future.

Together, we focused on what truly matters: delivering results for the people and places that make our district extraordinary, and we met challenges head-on.

Together, we tackled the fentanyl and mental health crisis, securing Federal funding to expand stabilization centers in Broome and Sullivan Counties. These efforts remind us that no one should have to face their struggles alone. We championed the ThinkDIFFERENTLY initiative on the national stage, breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for individuals with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities and creating new opportunities for employment, education, and social services.

We worked to safeguard the Hudson River, preserve farmland, and protected our most precious natural resources for generations to come. Amid inflation and border crises, we sought solutions that would make a tangible difference for everyday Americans. Through tireless bipartisan collaboration, we passed over 40 pieces of legislation, earning recognition as New York's most bipartisan lawmaker.

This work was only possible because of the extraordinary team we assembled, individuals whose dedication and heart I will not soon forget.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my chief of staff, Jeff Bishop; deputy chief of staff, Dan Kranz; district director, Caitlin Daly; legislative director, Connor Torossian; scheduler, Maddie Bruno; legislative assistants, Kaitlyn Mullen and Doug Gordon; legislative correspondent, Nick Urbin; field representatives, Nicole Leonard and Alex Horton; constituent caseworkers, Michelle Speach and Sean Lisk; press assistant, Hannah Benfield; outreach coordinator, Ciano Briga; constituent services representative, Ben Straebler; staff assistant, Noelle Dana; and other members of team Molinaro: Jessica Akshar, Caroline Doxsee, Tyler Gutchess, Alex Holderith, Kate McKan, Maddy Minahan, and Rick Yackel for their hard work and selfless dedication. It has been the cornerstone of all of our achievements.

Mr. Speaker, I say to my colleagues and friends who serve and represent the State of New York, Republicans and Democrats alike, their friendship and support has been so gratifying, and it has been a pleasure these last 30 years to work with most of them.

Finally, let me thank my family. My wife, Corinne, is a superhero, filled with strength, love, and patience, and I am grateful to her and my children: Abigail, Jack, Elias, and Theo, each amazing and accepting and wonderful in their own special way. I am thankful to my mother, Dona, who instilled in us a desire to pursue truth, work hard, and serve others.

They are all my foundation, my heart, my greatest source of strength. They stood side by side with me every step of the way, and this journey was ours together. I am endlessly grateful for their love and sacrifice.

As my time in Congress comes to an end, let me be very clear: Public service is not just something I do; it is who I am. From America's youngest mayor to Congressman serving upstate New York, this for me is not a good-bye. It is the start of a new chapter. I will continue to fight for the values we share, advocate for the communities we love, and work tirelessly to make our country better, stronger, and more united.

Perhaps I will be blessed with the opportunity to again serve here in this most fundamentally American deliberative House.

Mr. Speaker, let me conclude by thanking the people of New York's 19th Congressional District, upstate New York, for the privilege of serving them. May God continue to bless them, upstate New York, and the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 4107) to require Amtrak to report to Congress information on Amtrak compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 with respect to trains and stations.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on S. 4107.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to stand again in support of my bill, the Think Differently Transportation Act, as it returns to the floor after minor amendments that were made in the Senate.

After passing this bill today, the bill will head to the President's desk to be signed into law. This bill is one of several initiatives that passed the House to build off of the work I began as Dutchess County executive in New York State, the ThinkDIFFERENTLY initiative.

This was a call to action to create a supportive and welcoming environment for those living with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. The Think Differently Transportation Act does just that.

The bill requires that Amtrak submit to Congress and the President an annual report with an expected timeline for bringing Amtrak trains and stations into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Amtrak stations and trains should be fully accessible to all Americans with disabilities and of every ability, and fully compliant, of course, with Federal law.

Mr. Speaker, the ADA was passed in 1990 and established a 20-year timeframe for intercity rail stations to be accessible to those with disabilities. As of July 2023, sadly, Amtrak has only brought 30 percent of their 385 stations that they are responsible for into ADA compliance. Of course, this is unacceptable, and it is the reason that this bill is necessary.

The Think Differently Transportation Act is strongly supported by Republicans and Democrats, and it allows Congress to have the appropriate oversight of Amtrak to ensure it complies with its obligations under the law. The bill is a big step forward that Congress can take to address accessibility barriers to traveling by rail.

I certainly thank Senator Duckworth for taking up the bill and her support in the Senate and, of course, working to ensure its adoption there.

Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, first, let me extend my appreciation to my colleague for his support and cosponsorship of the legislation.

I, too, wish to extend our prayers and love to the family of Donald Payne, but I also am grateful for Representative Payne's leadership on this very issue.

As I mentioned, this is an important opportunity for the disability community to ensure that the barriers that they face to accessing Amtrak trains and stations are taken down.

When I first came to Congress, I actually couldn't believe that Amtrak hadn't adequately met the ADA requirements as Congress had previously mandated, and so we immediately got to work on this very piece of legislation.

It is certainly gratifying to see the bill now about to become law because it addresses injustices for those with intellectual, physical, and developmental disabilities when they travel by train.

As this might be one of the last times I speak before the House, Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my appreciation to Members on both sides of the aisle. There are so many individuals with intellectual, physical, and developmental disabilities, like my very own daughter, who have yet to have been granted full access to the quality of life that so many others get to enjoy.

If Congress can continue to take incremental and, in some cases, bold steps to break down barriers and create opportunities for those of every ability, we can truly ensure that the rights, privileges, and opportunities that are granted and protected by this House, our Constitution, and this very government are extended to those too often overlooked. Those living with disabilities face some of the greatest challenges of any American, and we ought to find new ways to break down those barriers and create opportunities for them.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the support of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend (Mr. Guthrie) for his leadership on the Energy and Commerce Committee in support of this legislation. I certainly look forward to his leadership in the 119th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, this is the first bill I introduced when I came to the House of Representatives. As noted, I am the parent of four children, one of whom lives with a disability. My wife and I have navigated the Medicaid supported system like every other American, and it is confusing, it is burdensome, it is bureaucratic, and many times, it is just too difficult to find your way to Medicaid-supported services.

Let me assure you, there is always a waiting list, and most families around America with individuals that they care for with the intellectual, physical, and developmental disabilities, don't have the time to find their way to local service providers and certainly don't always know the ins and outs of accessing those services.

It becomes a full-time job. That is why, by the way, most families that are caring for those individuals with disabilities don't have two parents working, and many rely on Medicaid for much broader support like SNAP benefits and other subsidies and social services because they just can't find their way to services and supports.

It is actually one of the last, in some ways, great prejudices in America, the bias of low expectation. The feeling that certain people can't achieve certain things because we perceive they can't based on their abilities and, sadly, accessing even the robust services supported by Federal and State governments through Medicaid is just insufficient.

This bill builds on the initiative I began in local government in Dutchess County, New York. Our ThinkDIFFERENTLY initiative was a call to action. It was meant to break down barriers and create opportunities for all those of every ability.

In fact, if you go to thinkdifferently.net, you will see the county- level version of what this bill seeks to create. This bill requires HHS to create a database of all resources available to individuals of every ability and their caregivers in a searchable format.

The bill will now expand the county-level programs that we created to a Federal level for Americans of every ability.

Again, I thank incoming chairman, Mr. Guthrie, but also Chairwoman McMorris Rodgers and her staff at Energy and Commerce for working with me and my staff over the past year to make this bill a reality and hopefully find its way into law.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to ask my colleagues to support the bill. I am grateful to Representative Sherrill and, of course, my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for embracing this much-needed next step. It is a minor step, but one that is necessary.

I can't, for me, think of any better way to close my service in the 118th Congress than passing what had become and is my top priority, this piece of legislation, which sets forth to break down barriers and create opportunities for everyone of every ability.