Thelma D. Drake

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information for publication in the Congressional Record regarding earmarks I received as part of the Amendment of the House of Representatives to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2638, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008.

Project Name: UAV Situational Awareness System.

Requesting Member: Rep. Thelma Drake.

Bill Number: H.R. 2638.

Account: RDTE, DW.

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Global Technical Systems.

Address of Requesting Entity: 784 Lynnhaven Parkway, Virginia Beach,

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the outstanding achievements of Mary C. Russo. Acknowledged by the Virginia Beach City Council, Ms. Russo's great volunteer work, dedication, and leadership proved her a strong recipient for this recognition.

Mrs. Russo is a devoted, tireless volunteer who has dedicated more than 30 years of service to the Virginia Beach area. In 1978, Mrs. Russo was appointed the first Coordinator of the Virginia Beach City Council's Volunteer Council. Serving in the capacity of Director of Volunteers, she has contributed more than 10,900 hours of service. Additionally, Mrs. Russo has been honored by numerous appointments to a variety of national, State, and local boards, commissions, and agencies.

Through Mrs. Russo's work, the Volunteer Council has grown to over 25,000 volunteers who have collectively recorded over 1.1 million hours of work, valued at nearly 15 million dollars. The program has been so successful that the city of Miyazaki, Japan has sent staff and citizen delegations to train under Mrs. Russo.

With this award, Mrs. Russo has joined an elite group of citizens who have greatly impacted the United States. I am certain that her incredible accomplishments, dedication to our country and evident leadership talents will continue to speak highly of her, as they do now.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Steven Shapiro, a resident of

Hampton, Virginia, and someone I am especially proud to have as a constituent. In addition to his full-time public service as the Building Official for Hampton, this year Steve has also served as President of the Board of the International Code Council. It is the on- going work of the Code Council that provides the nation with an extensive body of model building and fire safety regulations. His role as the President of the Code Council is the culmination of 30 years of experience, leadership and tireless work in ensuring that we are well protected in the buildings where we live and work.

I would also like to recognize the Code Council's work on Capitol Hill this year in advocating for legislation to build a program to bolster local governmental capacity to ensure compliance with its building and fire codes. A high point of their effort occurred in May when the Code Council's leadership assembled here in Washington, D.C. during Building Safety Week 2008. With focused attention, Mr. Shapiro's delegation worked with over 120 Congressional offices like mine on enactment of the Community Building Code Administration Grant Act. I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 4461, the House version of the Act, and to have worked with my Colleague Dennis Moore, the sponsor, and the Code Council and its broad coalition in achieving House passage this July.

Leading a membership association of over nearly 50,000 building safety and fire prevention professionals is, of course, a substantial preoccupation, and the City of Hampton, its Mayor Ross Kearney and City Manager Jesse Wallace are also to be thanked for supporting Steve's volunteer work in leadership of the Code Council. I am proud that local leadership from my District is at work in leading the development and maintenance of the building and fire codes that protect us all across the country. These safety codes, independently modified for adoption by the Commonwealth of Virginia and all across the country, govern construction and maintenance of our residential and commercial buildings, including the homes and the business, schools, and places of worship we use and visit regularly.

So I applaud Steve's three decades as a relentless advocate for building safety; a mission that he is sure to carry on for quite some time. In working on that mission he serves not only Hampton and the Commonwealth, but, in his role as President of the Board of the Code Council, has served the rest of the nation as well. In his non- volunteer job as Director of Codes Compliance for the City of Hampton, he continues to ensure the safety of construction our very historic city of nearly 150,000 residents; a town proud of the title as the first continuous English-speaking settlement in America. Steve is an honored and distinguished citizen of my District, and as a leader of the ICC has shared with the nation his values as an outstanding public safety professional and a truly dedicated public servant.

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize the rest of the ICC delegation who visited Capitol Hill during Building Safety Week 2008, and thank them for their efforts to promote and defend a safe and sound built-environment. Those individuals include: Board Vice President Adolf Zubia, Board Secretary/Treasurer Ron Lynn, Immediate Past President of the Board Wally Bailey; Board members Gregori Anderson, James Brothers, John Darnall, Gerald George, Greg Johnson, Stephen Jones, Barbara Koffron, John LaTorra, Ronald Lynn, Doug Murdock, Ronald Piester, James Ryan and Jeff Whitney; International Accreditation Services Board Chair Majed Dabdoub, Vice Chair Ravi Shah and Board Members John Barrios, Guy Tomberlin, Michael Bouse, and Isam Hasenin and IAS President Chuck Ramani; ICC Government Relations Advisory Committee Chair Rebecca Baker, and Committee Members Jim Martin, Lynn Underwood and George Wiggins; ICC Chapter Leaders Tina Rakes, Robert Boyer, Gary Schenk and John Glover; Matthew Wheeler of the California Building Officials; and members of ICC's professional staff including its CEO Richard Weiland, COO Dominic Sims, David deCourcy, Sara Yerkes, Jim Tidwell, Mark Dinneen, Richard Kuchnicki, Laura Scott, Matthew Lightfoot, Gretchen Hesbacher, and Jennifer Gibson.