Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, let me give the gentleman a fact since he raised it today, and that is that the chairman's budget does nothing about the Alternative Minimum Tax. That is a fact that we ought to be concerned about here. You can yell about it, you can speak softly about it, but it is a fact.

The President's budget calls for a 1-year patch fix to the AMT. They at the White House prefer to study the issue once again. We ought to take a test around here on issues that we are asked to study and then find out if we will ever bring them up again.

The Bush tax cut of the past 3 years have exacerbated, emphasis on the word ``exacerbated,'' the Alternative Minimum Tax problem, where many middle-income taxpayers are going to see their tax cuts go back to the Treasury by round trip, courtesy of Alternative Minimum Tax. Alternative Minimum Tax no longer affects the highest-income taxpayers; it falls mainly on middle-income taxpayers. If the Bush tax cuts are made permanent, 97 percent of the taxpayers, and listen to this, with two or more children with income between $75- and $100,000 will be affected by Alternative Minimum Tax.

Let me give a quote from Forbes magazine that is an item that Democrats always like to bring up, ``Largely as a result of tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, the Alternative Minimum Tax is now poised to devour the middle class in America.'' Our inability to fund important programs in education, health care, homeland security, veterans and environment, which most citizens, by the way, support, is the result of reckless tax policy which favors the most wealthy Americans while burdening our children and grandchildren with debt. We borrowed the money to pay for tax cuts for high-income Americans.

If the President and Congress saw the need to create a Department of Homeland Security, why are we cutting first responder funding by $648 million? Cuts to port security? Did my Republican colleagues already forget the sacrifices and courage of firefighters, police and other first responders on 9/11?

The President and the Republican leadership in this institution helped to create our current fiscal difficulties,

and I might emphasize, nonexistent job growth. What are they going to do to fix it? It takes a bit more creativity than tax cuts for the rich to address this problem.

Let us put the best thoughts of Democrats and Republicans in this institution together and fix the Alternative Minimum Tax. It is threatening tens of thousands, if not millions, of Americans in coming years. And when people after April 15 find out about Alternative Minimum Tax and the inability, or I should say, the attitude of this institution in not dealing with it, there is going to be seething anger across the country.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

That may well be. I do not dispute the inception. I do not dispute the philosophy of Alternative Minimum Tax as proposed. What I do dispute is, you have been in charge for 10 years, opportunity to do something about it rather than talk about it.

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor to congratulate the first all-female graduating class of the Picker Engineering School of Smith College. The Picker Program is committed to advancing opportunities for women in engineering. The engineering science program emphasizes an integrative teaching approach that will reinvent the standards of engineering and change the future.

The Picker Engineering Program has reinvented the role of engineering and thus expanded the way in which engineering students view the world. The 20 young women in the graduating class of 2004 have been exposed to an interwoven study of humanities and engineering. The creators of the academic department have redefined the standard curricula of engineering by integrating liberal arts education with traditional scientific and mathematical principles. The Picker Engineering Program stresses the importance of serving humanity and the protection of natural resources. The importance placed on environmental sustainability and social responsibility has raised the standards needed for an engineering degree.

The Picker Engineering School of Smith College will provide endless opportunities for students seeking an unparalleled education. It has already attracted a dedicated faculty and will continue to recruit superior staff and faculty. One of the highest percentages of women faculty, more than sixty percent, of any engineering programs in the country are employed by Smith College. The Picker program is a leading innovator in educating the next generation of engineers.

While women account for 45 percent of the American workforce, merely 9 percent of engineering careers are held by females. Smith College is dedicated to eliminating barriers to women in engineering while promoting interdisciplinary study. I speak on behalf of the second district of Massachusetts and the entire State in congratulating Smith College and welcoming the Picker Engineering School and its students to western Massachusetts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Melha Shrine Circus of Springfield. For 50 years the Melha Shriners have proudly presented this show as a great and historic form of family entertainment.

The Shriners have done this for the past half of a century in order to raise money to fund their marching units and other community activities in western Massachusetts. These events are meant to maintain their visibility and presence in the community so that they can continue to support their main message about their hospital work.

Beyond merely putting on a circus to entertain families across western Massachusetts, these philanthropists also always perform what they like to call ``The Community Service Show.'' For this event they donate all of the almost 5,000 tickets to the circus to various community service groups who deal with children, adults, and families in need of aid. By bringing a little extra light into the lives of people down on their luck the Melha Shriners simply show that they are willing to take the extra

step to give back to the community in which they live and work without asking anything in return.

It is a great honor to be able to rise today and commend this giving group of people from Springfield, Massachusetts. Their commitment to family entertainment and charity is admirable and sets an excellent example to others. This spring the Melha Shriners will go out with their circus tent. And this spring for the 50th year in a row, they will bring laughs to children, smiles to adults, and they will give back to the community as only they can do. I am proud to be a long-time supporter of the Melha Shriners, and so I wish you luck with the circus this year and hope for 50 more years of the Shriners.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Patrick Phelan, of Wilbraham & Monson Academy, on his selection as the 2003 Gatorade National High School Player of the Year in Boys Soccer. Out of the more than 300,000 young men across the country who play soccer, he was selected for this prestigious award based on athletics, academic achievement, and overall character. This selection, which has been given out for nineteen years in ten different sports, places him in the elite company of highly regarded athletes such as NFL co-MVP Peyton Manning, U.S. Olympic Gold Medallist Marion Jones, and basketball stars Lisa Leslie and LeBron James.

Gatorade is not the first to sing the praises of Patrick Phelan, though. His coach, Gary Cook, refers to him as, ``the best player I have coached in my twenty eight years in high school.'' Beyond being an amazing player, Patrick is also an important leader on the team. According to Cook, ``everyday he trains with a purpose and he makes everyone around him better. He was a great captain and teammate.''

As a defender, Patrick scored six goals and was attributed with five assists this past season. Along with his on-field performance, the leadership he provided in his role as team captain helped elevate the team to a 12-1-2 regular season and a berth in the Class B New England Prep School Semi-Finals.

Patrick does more than play soccer, though. Academically, he stands out with a grade point

average of 3.74. At Wilbraham, he is a member of the Spanish Club. Additionally, he manages to give back to the community through his work with young children as the computer aid at Here We Grow Preschool. He has also figured out a way to include his soccer skills with his community service efforts as a volunteer at Top Soccer, which hosts clinics for disabled children.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to pay tribute to this young man attending Wilbraham & Monson Academy. Patrick Phelan's accomplishments transcend any single niche; he excels in athletics, scholarship, and community service. He has done many things to be proud of, and it is a great pleasure to see him recognized for his dedication and hard work. Patrick, congratulations on being selected as Gatorade's National High School Boys Soccer Player of the Year, and good luck in your future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the contributions made by Mr. Jeremy Pava and Mrs. Ann Pava to the Jewish community. Over the courses of their lives, they have contributed greatly through both their service and generosity to the advancement of Jewish causes in New England.

Ann sits on the boards of both the Association of Modern Orthodox Day Schools at Yeshiva University as well as the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance. She also serves as the President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Springfield in Massachusetts. In 1999 Ms. Pava received this same Federation's Young Leadership Award.

Jeremy currently sits on the finance committee of the Heritage Academy and continues to serve as a trustee of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, as he has done since its inception. In the past, he has been the president of Congregation Kodimoh and the campaign chair for the Young Men's Division of the Jewish Federation of Greater Springfield. In 1999 he received the Kodimoh Brotherhood Humanitarian Award. At present, he also is a managing partner at Aspen Square Management, a real estate investment company in West Springfield.

Alone their actions are more than noteworthy, however, together they have given even more to the Jewish community. They are a founding family, and generous supporters, of the Hebrew High School of New England in West Hartford, which opened in 1996. Additionally, Ann was the founding President. HHNE is the only Jewish high school between New York and Boston, serving families from different observant backgrounds in Springfield, Hartford, and New Haven regardless of their financial situation.

This school has grown significantly since its inception in 1996. This burgeoning school is now pushing the limits of its current location, thanks in no small part to the work of Mr. and Mrs. Pava. They have both contributed immensely to the school's vitality and growth. As a result, they are to be honored at the Hebrew High School's first Annual Scholarship Dinner. The proceeds will go towards a new building to house the school, so that it may continue to grow and serve more members of the Jewish community in New England.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to pay tribute to two extraordinary people from the Springfield area. Their work for HHNE, Jewish education, and the Springfield community is commendable, and the standard they set for public service is outstanding. People, such as the Pavas, are what make Springfield such a wonderful place to live, and I am personally glad to share this city with them.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure today that I honor Ed Casey, an outstanding American who has dedicated himself to cultural exploration and community service, as the ``Heart O'Gold Award'' is bestowed upon him by the Quaboag Highlander Pipe Band of Monson, Massachusetts.

Ed Casey is an icon in the Pioneer Valley and western Massachusetts and is well known throughout the community for his commitment to bagpipes and Celtic culture. As a resident of Springfield and Belchertown, MA, Ed has played his pipes at parades, inaugurations, celebrations, and internments. He is loved by so many in our area.

Mr. Casey, who spent years as a public school teacher in Holyoke, MA, has taught the craft of playing the bagpipes to many others interested in learning to play. Yet, unlike most music teachers, Ed did not learn to play music through the traditional route of lessons and formal training. He learned to play the bagpipes, as he would say, ``by ear'' and ``by heart.''

Mr. Speaker, there are many families in western Massachusetts who have never met Ed Casey, but perhaps it is their lives that have been most directly impacted by his generosity. For years, in lieu of accepting any fee for performing at internments, Ed Casey has directed families to instead make donations to the Open Pantry, a food collection and distribution center in Springfield that feeds the hungry in western Massachusetts. In doing so, thousands of dollars have been collected to provide food for the poor and the needy.

It is my pleasure to honor Ed Casey today in the Congressional Record as someone whose selflessness and talent should be recognized and emulated by those around him. Congratulations Ed upon receiving this honor. Your good work has not gone unnoticed.

Mr. Speaker, it is not always an easy task to agree with the Boston Globe.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Stark). Well, here we are again in the dark of night, whether it is doing Trade Promotion Authority or whether it is doing tax cuts, or whether it is doing the privatization of Medicare, we do it in the dark of night.

Only could the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, talk about the crisis that confronts Medicare after they led the charge to rip $2 trillion out of the Federal budget over the next 10 years. Tonight we are children of Roosevelt on this side and Johnson, and let us not forget it. When you hear them talk about their newfound affinity for Medicare, recall that it was Dole and Michael and Rumsfeld and Ford who voted against the establishment of Medicare.

And I want to say something to my colleagues on the democratic side tonight who are tempted by what is about to happen. You mark my words, we are going to be back here in a year, and the next step is Social Security. That is where they are headed. Medicare is an amendment to the Social Security Act. America is a more egalitarian society today because it was our party who stood against the forces of privilege. They are the ones that said no.

Turn down this privatization of Medicare.

Mr. Speaker, I have a question and perhaps an answer might clear it up for those who are still trying to sort through this legislation.

H.R. 3108, as introduced, included a provision that would have replaced the 30-year Treasury rate with a flat rate of 5.5 percent for purposes of the so-called section 415 limit. This provision was dropped in the amendment being considered today. Will this provision be considered as H.R. 3108 moves forward?

I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me.

Mr. Speaker, I want to lend my support to the initiative which has been so successful and to point out on the island of Ireland, the dispute represents the longest standing political divide in the history of the Western world. It is most extraordinary; and today in contrast to the turbulence that we witness in the rest of the world, the reach of the United States is so apparent in the successful diplomatic efforts which have occurred in Ireland over this past decade.

I would remind Members it was not that long ago when this issue seemed to defy solution. Today the face of Ireland is changed. I do not know anybody on either side of the border or in either of the two communities that would argue that we ought to return to such a tragic history. Instead, Ireland is a vibrant international economy, the second largest producer of software in the world, a population that is educated as well as any and all of Europe, a people that are confident and in large measure they were willing to take that risk for peace because of the support that was generated in the Congress of the United States by both political parties, two successive administrations who said that this issue deserved the same sort of attention that other international events had reached.

Today, we reap the reward of that success. It has been initiatives like this from the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh), and it is a fact that Members on both sides of the aisle meet faithfully and regularly in an effort to demonstrate that America still cares.

Is there a way to go? There certainly is. It is still a long road, but contrast what we have today with what we had just a few years ago, and I think members of the American community as well as other international partners can all take the necessary satisfaction from the success that the world is witnessing, and it is thanks to initiatives like this that have ensured that path forward.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. King) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) for the effort that they extended on the floor in getting the signatures to bring us to this moment.

Mr. Speaker, our friend and colleague and hero, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), noted just a few months ago that before there was an integrated American military, there was Jackie Robinson.

Before Brown v. Board of Education, there was Jackie Robinson. Before the trauma and turbulence of events at the Edmond Pettus Bridge, there was Jackie Robinson. Before there was a Civil Rights Act of 1964, there was Jackie Robinson. And before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, there was Jackie Robinson. I think that this House tries to honor those who break a barrier, and that is precisely what we are doing today in honoring Jackie Robinson.

Jackie Robinson noted that the great thing about athletics is that you learn to act democracy, not just talk about it. I think he would in some small degree take satisfaction today knowing that this House of Representatives is not going to talk any longer about its legacy; we are going to act on it.

For his many contributions to sports, to civil rights, and to our Nation, Jackie Robinson deserves this important recognition. His remarkable life transcended baseball and helped to transform a Nation in the process.

As a baseball fan since my youth, I always admired his great talent. He was, and by all objective measurements, a true American hero. I am proud to be able to author this bipartisan legislation honoring a trailblazing legend.

The leadership of Major League Baseball and in particular its Commissioner, Bud Selig, and its President, Bob DuPuy, they also deserve special recognition today as well as the many Members of this House who faithfully secured the signatures to bring this matter up in deserving recognition for Jackie Robinson. And I want to acknowledge the role of Major League Baseball in the passage of this legislation.

And since I represent a portion of Massachusetts, let me recognize the Boston Red Sox today who held a symposium on the life of Jackie Robinson in January at Fenway Park, and it was the Red Sox who gave me the enthusiasm and presented themselves as a consistent partner in our efforts to pass this legislation.

Also, I want to thank the family of Jackie Robinson for their unyielding support of this endeavor. Many of us had the opportunity just a few weeks ago to meet Jackie's daughter, Sharon, and we came away from that meeting knowing that she possessed the same qualities as her dad: strength, courage and conviction. I want to thank the members of that family and particularly Sharon for helping with this historic achievement.

The Nation that we live in today, Mr. Speaker, is much more egalitarian. Our sense of justice which we talked about for decades is much closer to the truth today than it was when Jackie Robinson walked to home plate. America has a much better vision of fairness today than it did when Jackie Robinson stole home plate. He helped to transform that game, but in the midst of transforming that game, just as importantly, he helped to transform America.

Think of the legions of people who successfully play baseball today who cannot imagine a nation where the premier player on the team could not eat in the same restaurant with his teammates, could not secure a reservation in the same hotel as his teammates, and yet on the next day be the star and central attraction of that team. He not only changed the game; he successfully changed the complexion of the game and thereby helped change the complexion of America.

America, as I have indicated, has a much better sense of itself today because of the barriers that were broken. We serve in a Congress that is much more reflective today of this Nation than it would have been when Jackie Robinson broke the barrier. Congress takes this rightful moment, I think, to ensure that as we have deliberatively and time and again created a bit of an obstacle to getting these things done so that those who are undeserving might not secure this honor that we are going to bestow on Jackie Robinson, and rightly so. But I thank Members on both sides, the gentleman from New York (Mr. King) in particular, and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley) as well; and on our side the people who went out and got these signatures day in and day out to bring us to this moment.

This is a really nice thing for the Robinson family. It is a great thing for this Congress of the United States. But most importantly, it is a great thing for the country we all love, the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues from Massachusetts this evening to remember Millie O'Neill, a great woman from our home State and the wife of the late Tip O'Neill, who passed away yesterday at her home.

Millie O'Neill was a wonderful woman; a wife, a mother and an activist involved in many social organizations and causes. For the vast majority of her 89 years, she stood by Tip's side and was certainly his chief advisor on ``domestic'' matters. The two were married for 52 years, and during that time the navigated the political tides of Massachusetts and the Capitol. They were certainly a dynamic duo.

Tip referred to Millie as ``The Speaker of My House. A loving wife, mother and my partner through so many triumphs and trials.'' She was a mentor, a leader and a friend, and she will be missed.

Mr. Speaker, much is going to be said this evening in honor of Millie O'Neill. She is deserving of all of it and more. But perhaps the best testament to the quality of her life--to her legacy--is the quality of the lives she left behind. I'd like to extend my sympathies to Millie's daughters, Rosemary and Susan, and her sons, Tom and Kip, and to her eight grandchildren, who to Millie's credit, have undoubtedly been instilled with an indelible respect for family and a desire to improve the greater public good.

Mr. Speaker, as we debate a bill to ensure that our homeland is secure, while we struggle to reconcile another $87 billion of war expenses, this Congress has once again provided a special benefit to a handful of financial traitors who have literally skipped out on paying the bill.

The House Committee on Appropriations unanimously passed an amendment to prohibit lucrative Federal contracts from being awarded to corporations who run offshore to avoid U.S. income taxes. Then the Committee on Rules struck it out. Then the Senate passed an amendment on the floor to prohibit these contracts with tax

cheats. Then the conference committee struck it out.

Sound familiar? I feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. No matter how hard we try, we keep hitting it from every angle, but nothing seems to work to get these companies to come back to the United States and pay their fair share of taxes. It seems that there are some in this Congress who are intent on protecting the new Bermuda citizenship of these companies. We end up where we started at the beginning, with corporate expatriates avoiding $5 billion, listen to that, $5 billion in taxes, and yet they win $2 billion annually in lucrative Federal contracts with the United States Government, 70 percent of which are in defense and homeland security.

By a whopping vote of 318 to 110, this House last year voted to prohibit these corporate expatriates from sharing in the increase of contracts with the new Homeland Security Department. Senator Wellstone added similar language during the Senate debate, but after Wellstone's death and after the election was over, the bill came back, and guess what, we got rid of the provision.

Despite a promise from House and Senate leadership during a close vote to three Republican Senators that this contract ban, and two other controversial provisions, would be fixed in later legislation, no ban has been enacted.

These corporations benefit from America's defense and homeland security, but they are not willing to help pay for it. With 150,000 soldiers in Iraq today willing to give their lives for this great Nation, Congress should ensure that the resources exist to support that effort. If the tide of corporations flowing offshore for tax avoidance continues, those resources are put at serious risk. It is shameful that this year we have nothing again to show for our efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to recommit.

I am opposed to this bill in its current form.

Mr. Speaker, my motion is indeed very simple. It adds two matters to this charity tax bill: tax benefits for our military families and an enhanced child tax credit.

Both the Senate and House versions provide much-needed military tax relief, including the expansion of combat zone filing rules and clarification of dependent care benefits, as well as relief for families of as the Columbia Space Shuttle astronauts. But the Senate bill is better in several ways. It would not tax any increase in death benefits, whereas the House bill would; it provides a 10-year extension of tax relief from the gains on the sale of a residence by a military member, whereas the House bill only provides 5 years; and the Senate bill has no limit on the deduction for overnight travel expenses of the National Guard and Reserve members, whereas the House limits this deduction.

Mr. Speaker, at a time when our Reservists are being told that 1-year deployments will quickly turn into 2, when our brave soldiers are facing even longer periods of absence from family and home, this Congress should, at a minimum, provide some relief for those families. The delay is inexcusable.

Secondly, Mr. Speaker, this motion to recommit will add the Senate- passed child tax credit bill. Since June we have debated whether 12 million children in low-income families are worthy of the same enhanced tax credit as children of wealthier families, and one, indeed, that they have already received. While President Bush said the child credit must be given to low-income Americans as well, there has been resistance from the majority in this institution. In fact, I might quote two: ``Ain't going to happen,'' said one of the leaders. ``All but dead,'' said another, in a quote last week.

The conferees have never even met, and every vote to revive this legislation thus far has failed. But today we have a chance to pass the Senate version, which eliminates one terrible flaw. Under the House bill, 200,000 military families who were formerly ineligible for enhanced tax credit would receive it, even though they served honorably in Iraq and Afghanistan and other combat zones.

Before we leave here today in anticipation of Isabel, let us resolve ourselves to do something good for these families. Let us encourage more charitable giving, let us provide much-needed tax relief to the families of our brave soldiers, and let us heed President Bush's call to help those struggling families at the bottom of the ladder with the same benefits that those at the top have already received.

I hope there will be broad support for this motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards).

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, once again the Committee on Appropriations, in the light of day, has voted to prohibit corporate expatriates from enjoying more than $1 billion a year in Federal Government contracts, and, once again, Mr. Chairman, in the dark of night, the Committee on Rules, has cobbled together a rule which rewards those corporations who run off to Bermuda to avoid paying United States income taxes.

The American taxpayer has said tax fairness and tax equity matter, but apparently not in this Congress. Corporate expatriates will drain $5 billion from our Federal Treasury, and yet, in return, corporate expatriates will win, time and again, lucrative Federal contracts to build our nuclear facilities, guard our government buildings, provide health care to our veterans, landscape the national parks, and even money appropriated in this bill today, believe it or not, a multimillion-dollar contract to help the IRS collect taxes.

We stay here and we pay our taxes while these corporations run off to Bermuda to avoid them. They then turn around and get paid to help collect money from us. If it was not September, most of us would come to believe based upon this issue it was April Fool's Day.

Try, as an individual taxpayer announcing that your address is in Bermuda and avoiding your share of personal income taxes, to find what the result will be. I am astounded that after months and months of discussing this issue, when we were promised a vote on the floor, we are no closer to doing that now than we were before. Instead, the Committee on Appropriations does what they are supposed to do, and the Committee on Rules decides not to let the issue come to the floor.

If they are confident in their position, let the matter come to the floor for an up-or-down vote. I guarantee you if it came to the floor, there would be 300 votes to affirm what I have said in the last couple of minutes.

I hope that during this debate there will be others who continue to bring this matter before us, and I hope that all of you on the other side will stop protecting many of these financial traitors.

Mr. Speaker, I pay tribute today to a dedicated public servant who has served the city of Springfield and the greater community for over 20 years. His leadership and courage have touched many lives and it is my great honor to recognize and commemorate this extraordinary man.

Captain Mark Kenney began his career in the Springfield Police Department in July of 1971. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1979, to Lieutenant in 1987 and to Captain in 1991. During his career his assignments and duties stretched far into the heart of the district. Mark was the first captain of the community police program and started the citizens police academy. This academy was created to teach the public the mechanics of the police department and then use this information to better the community.

Mark was deeply involved with many youth organizations and was the first captain of the

Joseph Budd Youth Assessment Center where he commanded the Youth Bureau. In addition, Mark was the first trained Drug Abuse Resistance Education instructor, more commonly known as D.A.R.E., in Western Massachusetts and headed the D.A.R.E. program for many years.

Trained by the F.B.I. as the first hostage negotiator for the police department, Mark used his skills several times during hostage situations that were both dangerous and volatile. Mark's skill and courage did not go unnoticed. In 1979, after a fire broke out in the Kimball Towers, he assisted many people to safety and was awarded a commendation for bravery.

After the tragedy at the World Trade Center on September 11th, Mark involved himself immediately and was assigned Captain of the newly implemented Central Intelligence Bureau working closely with the F.B.I. on all homeland security issues. As the events of September 11th attest, police officers serve and protect the nation often at great sacrifice to themselves and for this we are immensely grateful.

Mark is not the only member of his family to dedicate his life to protect others. Mark's grandfather and father were police officers before him and his son is currently a police officer making four generations to serve the Springfield Police Department. I am proud and honored to represent such a praiseworthy individual and devoted family man.

Mark's achievements and accomplishments speak to his tremendous love and respect for his fellow citizens. I wish him all the best in his upcoming retirement and I humbly offer my sincerest thanks and gratitude for the lifetime of service he has given.