Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Nathan Tipton of Blue Springs, Missouri. Nathan is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1058, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout.

Nathan has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Nathan has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Nathan Tipton for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Silas Nyrick of Blue Springs, Missouri. Silas is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1605, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout.

Silas has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Silas has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Silas Nyrick for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Neal Thomas of Blue Springs, Missouri. Neal is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1696, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout.

Neal has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Neal has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Neal Thomas for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Bradford Love of Lee's Summit, Missouri. Bradford is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1362, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout.

Bradford has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Bradford has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Bradford Love for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Kyle Williams of Grain Valley, Missouri. Kyle is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1362, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout.

Kyle has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Kyle has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Kyle Williams for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Trevor Bosak of Kansas City, Missouri. Trevor is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1180, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout.

Trevor has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Trevor has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Trevor Bosak for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Jeffrey Cook of Kansas City, Missouri. Jeffrey is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1180, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout.

Jeffrey has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Jeffrey has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Jeffrey Cook for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Ryan Slanczka of Liberty, Missouri. Ryan is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1397, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout.

Ryan has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Ryan has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Ryan Slanczka for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Sean McCalmon of Weatherby Lake, Missouri. Sean is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1495, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout.

Sean has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Sean has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Sean McCalmon for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Byron Pendleton III of Gladstone, Missouri. Byron is a very special young man who has exemplified the finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1354, and earning the most prestigious award of Eagle Scout.

Byron has been very active with his troop, participating in many scout activities. Over the many years Byron has been involved with scouting, he has not only earned numerous merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in commending Byron Pendleton III for his accomplishments with the Boy Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle Scout.

Madam Speaker, on Monday July 14, 2008 I missed rollcall votes 486, 487, and 488. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on all three votes.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Jack Brown, of St. Joseph, Missouri. Mr. Brown will retire from the St. Joseph, Missouri Fire Department after an impressive 38-year career with the department.

Chief Brown was named the 15th Fire Chief in the St. Joseph Fire Department's history in September of 2003. Previously he served in many capacities, including Battalion Chief and Captain. Chief Brown is also the recipient of three life-saving awards during his career.

Jack is someone that I developed a personal friendship with, as we had the opportunity to work together on various issues. He is a sincere, honest individual that never wanted any of the accolades; he always felt he was just doing his job. You knew when visiting with Jack that firefighting was not a career, but rather a passion. Chief Brown is a stand-up individual, who will be truly missed by the St. Joseph Fire Department, the St. Joseph community and all those who had the opportunity to work with him.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in recognizing Jack Brown, whose dedication and service to the citizens of St. Joseph, Missouri has been truly exceptional. It is truly an honor to serve Chief Brown in the United States Congress.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Padma Veligati of St. Joseph, Missouri. Padma is active in the community through work and in her spare time and she has been chosen to receive the YWCA Women of Excellence Award for Woman in Volunteerism.

When asked what Padma Veligati gives back to her community through volunteerism, answers vary, but the themes are the same. She is compassionate, committed, and her focus is always on those she serves. Padma has spent one day off each month for the past three years volunteering at the city's Social Service Board whose mission is to serve the health needs of those in poverty, lacking health insurance and not covered by Medicare or Medicaid. She takes on the most difficult gynecological cases, and her colleagues say that she has saved the lives of many women. Having grown up in a third-world country, Padma feels strongly about the lack of availability of medical services to certain segments of the population, especially considering how wealthy our nation is compared to the rest of the world.

Padma was recently admitted into the Masters in Public Health program at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. While Padma will have to give up volunteering in the short-term in order to balance her studies and a busy OB/GYN practice, her new degree will help her achieve her goal of working in international public health and impacting even more women in need.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in recognizing Padma Veligati. She has made an amazing impact on countless individuals in the St. Joseph Community. I am honored to represent her in the United States Congress.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Carol Roever of St. Joseph, Missouri. Carol is active in the community through work and in her spare time and she has been chosen to receive the YWCA Woman of Excellence Award for Women in the Workplace.

As an Associate Professor at MWSU, Carol Roever sets high expectations for her students and supports them to achieve these goals. Her students have won awards in national contests and have been selected to present their research at international conferences in the U.S., Finland, Denmark, Germany and Italy. Developing a course to introduce students to international business, Carol has taken more than 135 students to seven countries to participate in business seminars, learn from corporate leaders, and experience cultural differences.

Beyond the classroom, Carol has directed the Department of Business internship program for a number of years, placing over 500 students in internships across the U.S. In addition, over the last seven years, Carol has presented 13 papers at regional, national and international conferences. She recently spent a semester as a visiting professor at Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Turkey. In 2006, she was selected as Chairperson for the Department of Business at MWSU. Her dedication to her students and her outstanding teaching have earned her national recognition from professional organizations. She has also received awards from MWSU that acknowledge the quality and significance of her work. Carol is an active volunteer in St. Joseph, having served on Heartland Health boards for more than 12 years, with two years as Medical Center Board President. This year she presented three communication workshops for women in the YWCA shelter.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in recognizing Carol Roever. She has made an amazing impact on countless individuals in the community. I am honored to represent her in the United States Congress.

Madam Speaker, I proudly pause to recognize Becky Snethen of Saint Joseph, Missouri. Becky is active in the community through work and in her spare time and she has been chosen to receive the YWCA Women of Excellence Award for Woman in Support Services.

Becky Snethen may have started out as a part-time scorekeeper for a basketball league at InterServ, but 25 years later she is the Agency Administrative Assistant, in charge of Human Resources, and helps manage the youth programs while the director is on leave. She keeps the Executive Director and Youth Director organized and informed, and organizes trips for youth groups to travel all over

the world to participate in Olympic competitions. Becky coordinates large local sporting events including Summer Jam Basketball, two Olympic Trials held in the Civic Arena, and many national and regional weightlifting meets.

Even though her workload is tremendous, she finds time every day to be in the youth center and be available to anyone who wants to talk because helping youth is her passion. Becky's excellence at work earned her the InterServ Warren Metcalf Award as the most valuable agency employee. Also, she has been recognized as one of the ``20 People Who Count'' by the St. Joseph NewsPress. Becky is dedicated not only to helping her coworkers, but also to making sure the center can be as helpful as possible to the community. She opened the building during a snow storm, shoveled the walks, works late, works evenings, comes in on weekends, and always assists with any event that is going on agency- wide.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join me in recognizing Becky Snethen. She has made an amazing impact on countless individuals in the St. Joseph Community. I am honored to represent her in the United States Congress.