Sean Patrick Maloney

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Henry Stern, a resident of Cold Spring, New York, for his 95th birthday on October 15, 2022. Henry was born in 1927 and spent his first eleven years growing up in Augsburg, Germany. Facing Nazi persecution of the Jewish people, Henry and his family escaped to England in 1939, just one week before war was officially declared. Henry and his family were aided financially by an uncle living in the United States, where they later immigrated.

Henry is dedicated to spreading awareness about the horrors of the Holocaust and preserving the memories of his family. He participated in a project called Lifelines, directed by the Jewish Museum Augsburg Swabia, which chronicles the experiences of Holocaust survivors and their loved ones. Henry's experiences, and those of his family, formed the subject of the sixth volume of Lifelines. Henry later travelled to Augsburg to educate people about the Holocaust, including through a museum exhibit, a theater performance, and four days of workshops at local high schools.

On May 4, 2014, Henry presented a talk at Marina Gallery in Cold Spring about his experiences during the Holocaust and his work with the Lifelines project to record them for posterity. Henry ended his talk with a poem his brother wrote in memory of their cousins, Margo and Trude, who perished on a transport to Poland during the Holocaust. The talk was organized by the Philipstown Reform Synagogue, of which Henry is a member, and was presented in honor of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which occurred a few days earlier, from sundown April 27 to sundown April 28.

Madam Speaker, it is an honor to recognize Henry Stern for his selfless contributions to our shared village of Cold Spring, to his hometown community in Augsburg, and to our world. I ask that you join me in thanking him for his important work and wishing him a happy 95th birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the Republicans want to talk about anything but marriage equality today. It is almost like they don't have any good arguments to make on marriage equality.

Mr. Speaker, my husband, Randy, and I have been together for 30 years. We have raised three remarkable kids from diapers to college diplomas. During all those years, during all that time together, we have only been legally married since 2014. We had a 22-year engagement before an 8-year marriage.

When I was elected as a Member of Congress in 2012, my husband, Randy, couldn't have health insurance through this body. His spouse ID said companion on it, and we had to fight to get him one of these security pins we all wear.

But through hard work and a historic coalition, through great allies and partnerships, love won. On the day the Supreme Court decided we had equality rights for marriage in this country, a bunch of us stood in front of the Court and sang the national anthem because it is a beautiful thing when your country catches up to you.

Today, we are going to vote for the Respect for Marriage Act to decide and to make clear whether or not we will go back.

Mr. Speaker, whether or not every American, despite their race or their sexuality, has the freedom to marry the person they love; it is a simple choice, and I know where I stand. Every Member of Congress will get to stand and be counted today, and you can choose between equality or discrimination.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for all of his work.

I rise, Mr. Speaker, to support my bill, the Highlands Conservation Reauthorization Act, which would extend the Highlands Conservation Program for an additional 7 years, through 2029.

If you have hiked through any of the public lands in the Hudson Valley, chances are you have enjoyed the experience and benefited from the land conserved and protected by the Highlands Conservation Program. Even if you have looked upon the extraordinary works of art in the Hudson River School of painting, the most famous American school of painting, you will see these lands in the Hudson Highlands and wonder, as we who are lucky enough to live there do, at their beauty.

For nearly two decades, the Highlands Conservation Act has been a critical resource for the protection of these lands throughout a 5,500- square-mile area of the Highlands region covering New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

It includes many of our great State parks in my district, including Harriman State Park, Bear Mountain State Park, Schunemunk Mountain State Park, Storm King State Park, Hudson Highlands State Park, and Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park, to name a few.

The bill funds vital projects to safeguard our water supplies, conserve our forests, protect wildlife, expand outdoor public recreation opportunities, and save agricultural resources.

Over the past 18 years, the Highlands Conservation Act has delivered on its promise. It facilitated the permanent protection of nearly 13,000 acres of land, land that contributes to clean drinking water, protection of wildlife, expansion of recreation opportunities, and, of course, the sustainable economic growth that we all want.

Since 2007, New York has received over $14 million through the Highlands Conservation Act, funding that supported 18 specific projects conserving 4,000 acres throughout my district in the Hudson Valley.

For example, in 2015, the act helped incorporate over 230 acres of land into the Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park in Putnam County, right down the street from where I live. I spend a lot of time there. It is absolutely beautiful.

In 2016, funds from the Highlands Conservation Act helped conserve nearly 700 acres of land linking the western

Hudson Highlands to Schunemunk Mountain State Park in Orange County, and so much more.

It is also responsible for the addition of 1,200 acres that make up the Fishkill Ridge portion of the Hudson Highlands State Park.

More than 25 million Americans live within just an hour's drive of the Highlands region. By passing this bill today, we can ensure that the Highlands are protected and remain a beautiful natural resource for them and for our entire country for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, the Highlands Conservation Program has been an extremely effective program not just for my district but for the entire region and our country. The entire conservation community should congratulate itself today.

I want to mention a few local people: Mark Zakutansky with the Appalachian Mountain Club; Ned Sullivan and Andy Bicking with Scenic Hudson; Katrina Shindledecker and Michelle Smith with the Hudson Highlands Land Trust; and Tim Abbott with the Housatonic Valley Association. I thank them all for their extraordinary work.