Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Honorable Sandra Major, on the occasion of her induction as a distinguished alumna of Mountain View High School.

Representative Major graduated from Mountain View High School in 1972. She has been a resonant voice for Susquehanna County, beginning with her service as Direct Assistant to the late Representative Carmel Sirianni, to her current position as State Representative for Pennsylvania's 111th legislative district. Representative Major was elected to the Pennsylvania State Legislature in 1995 and has served as Majority Caucus Chairman since 2007.

Representative Major has been a leading advocate for rural and agricultural communities. She is a member of the President's Advisory Council for Keystone College, the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, and the National Rifle Association. Furthermore, she has been recognized for her service with numerous awards, including the Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen Award, the American Legion Generals Medal of Excellence, and the Pennsylvania Landowner Association's Representative of the Year. Representative Major and her husband, Anthony Cerasaro, currently reside near Montrose, PA.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of my constituent, the Honorable Sandra Major, and ask my colleagues to join me in praising her commitment to public service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 90th anniversary of the Lieutenant Asa Stevens Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and four of its most distinguished members: Ms. Nancy Forbes Owlett, Ms. Susan Kerrick Achromatic, Ms. Esther Jean House Mills, and Ms. Connie Jean Mills Keir. These four women embody the spirit of the DAR and have devoted countless years to this organization which stands for the promotion of American patriotism, preservation, and prosperity.

Ms. Nancy Forbes Owlett of Towanda, Pennsylvania has been a member of the Lt. Asa Stevens Chapter since October 16, 1971 and has held the offices of Librarian and Registrar. She has devoted herself through service on several DAR committees, including; Genealogy Records, National Defense, Membership, and DAR Library.

Ms. Susan Lerrick Achromatic has also been a long-time member of the Lt. Asa Stevens Chapter, having served since October 13, 1979.

Ms. Ester Jean House Mills of Towanda, Pennsylvania joined the DAR under her ancestor, Private Jonathan Stevens, son of Lieutenant Asa Stevens. Ms. Mills has severed as the Chapter's treasurer for all 22 years that she has been a member and has sat on several committees including; Programs, Indians, and DAR Schools.

Ms. Connie Jean Mills Keir of Ulster, Pennsylvania joined her mother, Ms. Ester Jean House Mills, to serve in the Lt. Asa Stevens Chapter on October 12, 1996. In her time with the Chapter, Ms. Keir has served as both Regent and Vice Regent, as well as devoting her time to committees such as Conservation and Genealogy Records.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Lieutenant Asa Stevens Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and ask my colleagues to join me in praising the commitment of this organization to the continued memory and spirit of those who defended our nation's independence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of my constituents, James and Rose Lenox, on the occasion their 60th wedding anniversary.

Rose Homan was married to James Francis Lenox on October 20, 1951 at Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in Towanda, Pennsylvania.

Attendants for James included: Frank Hoffman, Leo Lenox, and John Finlan. Attendants for Rose included: Betty Homan, Alice Bustin, and Rita May. A reception following the ceremony was held at the Homan Farm.

Jim and Rose are the parents of three children; Kathy, David, and Rosemary, and are the grandparents of eight. Jim and Rose have been an asset to their community, devoting themselves to family, God, and country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituents, Jim and Rose, on their 60th wedding anniversary and ask my colleagues to join in praising their commitment to one another.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of my constituent, James Lenox, on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

James Francis Lenox was born on June 1, 1931 in Towanda, Pennsylvania. He attended Saint Agnes School through 8th grade, and then went on to graduate from Towanda High School, where he served as captain of the football team. James attended Hamilton College in New York for one year on a football scholarship. After working at Towanda's Sylvania Plant, Mr. Lenox began a 25-year tenure with Pennsylvania Electric.

James has been an active member of his community his entire life. Mr. Lenox grew up attending Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, where he served as an altar boy and still regularly attends. Additionally, James sat on the board of the Wysox Sewer Authority, and has served on the Towanda School Board for 26 years.

Mr. Lenox has been married to his wife Rose nee Homan for 60 years. Together, James and Rose have three children (Kathy, David, and Rosemary) and eight grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, James Lenox, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, and ask my colleagues to join in praising his commitment to his family and country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of my constituent, Kent Elwood Edsell, on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

Kent Elwood Edsell was born in Bradford County, Pennsylvania on October 22, 1931. In 1950, Mr. Edsell graduated from LeRaysville High School and began working at DuPont in Towanda, Pennsylvania before entering the United States Marine Corps in 1951. After the Korean War, Kent was honorably discharged and began working for Jug Gerald. He then relocated to Nichols, New York, working for the Grange League Federation until he retired in 1992.

Mr. Edsell recently celebrated his 55th wedding anniversary with Catherine (nee Riley), whom he married on August 19, 1956 at the Saint Thomas Catholic Church of Little Meadows, Pennsylvania. Kent is the proud father of six (Larry, Barbara, Kevin, Andrew, Theresa, and Joel), grandfather of 14, and great grandfather of five.

A long-time baseball enthusiast and Yankee fan, Kent played baseball with North Orwell and the Tri-County League through the 1980s. In addition to his love of bowling, wood working, and hunting, Mr. Edsell is a long-time member of VFW Post 6824, having held a number of positions over the years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Kent Elwood Edsell, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, and ask my colleagues to join in praising his commitment to his family and country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of my constituent, Rose Lenox, on the occasion of her 80th birthday.

Rose Lenox nee Homan was born on October 19, 1931 in Towanda, Pennsylvania at Mills Hospital. She attended school through fourth grade in a one-room school house in Black, Pennsylvania, and then transferred to Ulster Elementary. Rose had daily responsibilities at the family farm, which she had to balance with her studies at Towanda High School. Rose met her future husband, James Lenox, in ninth grade.

After graduating, Rose was one of the first on the job training students to earn a clerical job at the DuPont plant in Towanda. After raising her children, Rose went on to work at Finlan Insurance and the Towanda Country Club.

On October 20, 1951, Rose married James Lenox at the Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church. Together, Rose and James have three children (Kathy, David, and Rosemary) and eight grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Rose Lenox, on the occasion of her 80th birthday, and ask my colleagues to join in praising her commitment to her family and country.

Mr. Speaker, during the recent severe flooding events that occurred in the 10th District of Pennsylvania, I remained in home to assist people who had been impacted. Due to this, I missed the votes that occurred from September 8 through 15. Had I been present I would have voted: Vote 693--Aye; Vote 694--Aye; Vote 695--Aye; Vote 696--Aye; Vote 697--No; Vote 698--Aye; Vote 699--Aye; Vote 700--Aye; Vote 701-- Aye; Vote 702--No; Vote 703--No; Vote 704--No; Vote 705--Aye; Vote 706--Aye; Vote 707--Aye; Vote 708--Aye; Vote 709--Aye; Vote 710--No; Vote 711--Aye.

My father taught me a long time ago not to make a speech or give an opinion unless I thought it was important. I think tonight it's important, and I hope that you also think it's important.

I would never question anyone's motives and ideals. However, we are here tonight to meet the immediate needs of the people that we represent.

This vote is not about politics. This vote is not about Republicans or Democrats. This vote is not about cut or not cut. This vote is about coming to the aid of the American people whom we represent, the people who have been devastated by floods. People like friends and neighbors, seniors and children in the 10th Congressional District of Pennsylvania and on the east coast. It is heartbreaking and it is heart wrenching. You must see it firsthand to understand it.

The Federal Government's main purpose is to protect its citizens from disaster, both from terrorism and from natural disasters.

My staff and I stood in mud, waste, and stagnant water over the last 3 weeks along with families who lost everything: furniture, clothes, photos, toys stacked outside of their homes that were destroyed or condemned. If each of you stood where I stood, I know in my heart that because you are compassionate, this bill would have been passed by now.

I tried to comfort children who were sitting in cars or on car rooftops and in truck beds because they could not get into their home that was condemned and filled with the same stagnant mud and water and waste and snakes that were outside their homes. I talked to grown men that were crying because their homes were destroyed and asked me, Where am I going to safely put my family tonight?

A little girl not more than 8 years old asked me where she was going to sleep because she no longer had her bed and her bedroom in which she and her sister slept.

Seniors were trapped on the second floor of their home because the first floor was flooded. Small businesses were completely wiped out.

I plead with you, I implore you, I beg you to pass this flood relief now for our people who do not have the basic comforts that those of us here have. The American people are depending on us to give them a hand up, and they deserve our immediate attention.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of my constituents, the descendants of Samuel Rathbone and Mary ``Polly'' Halstead Wilbur who are celebrating their 125th consecutive annual family reunion in Nicholson, Pennsylvania.

Samuel Rathbone Wilbur was born on December 20, 1782, in Plainfield, Connecticut, and settled in Nicholson, Pennsylvania, in 1805. He was the son of Elizabeth Benjamin and Oliver Wilbur, a Revolutionary War soldier. Mary ``Polly'' Halstead Wilbur, the daughter of Samuel and Hannah Harding Halstead, was born January 14, 1791, in a log cabin in Nicholson. Polly's father, Samuel, was one of the signers of the 1794 petition asking for the creation of the township of Wilkes-Barre. Polly's grandfather, Isaiah Hallstead, was the scrivener of the petition that formed Nicholson Township in 1795.

Samuel married Polly in 1814. They established a large family in Nicholson, having 10 children. Samuel passed away at the age of 52. Polly, now a single mother, raised all 10 of their children, and lived until the age of 93.

A large percentage of the Nicholson population and the surrounding area is directly attributable to the 10 Wilbur children, their 47 grandchildren, and 84 great-grandchildren. At one time there were so many descendants living in the area that each year for the family reunion the passenger trains of Lackawanna would make a special stop in Nicholson for the masses of people attending the family reunion.

As one of the early pioneer families to settle in Pennsylvania, a considerable number of the Wilbur family descendants have lived in Nicholson and the surrounding area for over the past 200 years. The Wilbur reunions are not just a typical gathering to renew acquaintances, but rather a tribute to the preservation of the historic richness of our forefathers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor this great Pennsylvania family tradition and ask my colleagues to join me in praising the Wilbur's commitment to family, their community, and our nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of my constituents, Mr. Glenn Pettinato, on the occasion of his induction as President of UNICO National, the largest Italian-American service organization in the United States.

Since its founding in 1922, UNICO National has represented Italian- Americans across the country with pride and selflessness. Its foundations in charitable works, higher education, and patriotic deeds have taken UNICO from a fifteen-member group to nation-wide organization, with over 7,000 members in 140 local chapters across 19 states.

UNICO has continued to fight for the equal treatment of all Americans, including Italian-Americans and has worked tirelessly to promote its ideals of citizenship and civic duty.

As an Italian-American myself, I am honored to have the opportunity to offer my congratulations to a man who will faithfully serve UNICO as a leader who truly embodies its sentiment for unity, neighborliness, integrity, charity, and opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, Mr. Glenn Pettinato, and ask my colleagues to join in praising his commitment to community and country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of my constituent, Mrs. Margaret Allis, on her 90th birthday. Margaret V. Allis was born on August 2, 1921 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Margaret graduated from White Sulphur Springs High School. After graduation Margaret traveled with her family to California before coming back east and settling in Sayre, Pennsylvania.

In Sayre, Margaret's father opened the Seven Sister's Sweet Shop on Keystone Avenue in West Sayre where Margaret worked for a number of years. Margaret then attended Elmira Business School in New York State where she learned secretarial skills. While attending school, Margaret met Frances Romeyn Allis at the Joycrest Roller Skating Rink. Margaret and Romeyn married June 7, 1946 and returned to Pennsylvania, making their home in Litchfield.

Through the years Romeyn and Margaret established a family with the birth of six children. Margaret was a dedicated housewife to Romeyn for 49 years until his passing in 1995. Margaret still lives in the house they shared, where she hosts her large family including 13 grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Margaret V. Allis on her 90th birthday and ask my colleagues to join me in praising her commitment to her family, her community, and our nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of one of my constituents, Mr. Ralph Lomma, in recognition of his successful vision for a prospering community in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.

This year represents the 50th anniversary of the establishment of The Village of the Four Seasons. Mr. Lomma, who founded the Village near the base of Elk Mountain has worked tirelessly over the past five decades to create a place where an entire community could enjoy the beauty of every season, in an environment that is both beautiful and secure. What began as a loosely connected area of vacation rentals, has transformed into a cohesive community, committed to the same principles on which Mr. Lomma founded the Village.

Since its inception, the community has been an active and thriving addition to the surrounding area. Every season, the Village offers something wonderful to both its residents and its neighbors; from tennis tournaments in the summer, to New Year's Eve parties each winter. Ralph's vision of a ``playground for families'' has truly been realized.

In the coming days, the Village will gather yet again to honor its architect, Mr. Lomma. I am honored to represent such a determined and passionate individual, who works every day to better our 10th District of Pennsylvania. Over the past fifty years, the Village has seen many Presidents as well as members of their Board of Directors, but through the guiding presence of Mr. Lomma, the Village has grown into a wonderful place for families and visitors.

It is an honor today to recognize Mr. Ralph Lomma. Please join me in acknowledging his determination, selflessness, and commitment to the ideals of community and camaraderie that have led him and The Village of the Four Seasons to such success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of my constituent, Miss Sukanya Roy, to celebrate her victory in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Sue, as she is more commonly known, is currently an eighth grader at Abington Heights Middle School. She lives in South Abington Township with her father Abhi Roy, a professor at Scranton University, and her mother Mousumi Roy, a professor at the Pennsylvania State University.

Sue is an avid member of her school's Ecology Club and plays the violin in the school orchestra. Outside of academia, Sue enjoys indoor rock climbing, ice skating, and playing the piano. She is also fluent in Bengali and keeps in touch with her heritage by traveling to India every summer.

This was the third consecutive year that Sue participated in the National Spelling Bee, having finished in the top twenty in previous years. This year Sue said she knew every word and did not guess once. Sue was crowned this year's champion after correctly spelling ``CYMOTRICHOUS,'' a word of Greek origin relating to having wavy hair.

Although she is just about to enter high school, Sue wants to pursue a career in International Relations and hopes to bring an end to world poverty and hunger.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Sukanya Roy and ask my colleagues to join me in praising her achievement as the 84th Scripps National Spelling Bee Champion.

Mr. Speaker, it's incredulous what I am hearing here today from my friends on the other side of the aisle. I was a U.S. Attorney and used the PATRIOT Act. I debated it, I lectured it, and I put a terrorist away by using the PATRIOT Act.

I was also a district attorney, and it was easier for me to get a warrant for documents as a district attorney than it was for me to get documents pursuant to the PATRIOT Act.

I just could not sign a document and go get papers and have a wiretap. I had to go through a FISA judge. It had to go through my first assistant, myself, the Justice Department, a judge, and then back to the office for a signature.

There are absolutely no circumstances where I could get information from a citizen who we believed to be a terrorist or to be involved in terrorism by not getting a warrant.

An example is the roving wiretap. The roving wiretap was designed for one specific reason. Wiretaps, when the wiretap law went into effect, were based on a phone being on a wall in a particular location. Over the years, because of cell phones, terrorists, criminals, and drug dealers were buying--

and are still buying--cell phones in the 5, 10, and 20 batches, using them for several minutes, dropping them, continuing the same crime, and just switching to a new cell phone. The law allowed us not to have to go after a new warrant for each cell phone. That was logical because the phone was not attached to a wall in a particular location; they were roving. It has done its job not only in drug work but terrorism work as well.

The same thing for documents and information from business records and bank records. In some instances, as a district attorney, I didn't even need a warrant. All I had to do was subpoena those documents. That is not possible under the Federal system. We have to go through a FISA court to get those warrants. I've done that for 6 years as a U.S. attorney and for 12 years as a district attorney. What we are hearing from the other side is absolutely not true about warrantless searches.

Earlier today, the Senate approved Senate 990 by a vote of 72-23, with overwhelming bipartisan support. It is time for the House to do the same thing. Time is of the essence. We have until midnight tonight to help keep America safe because the terrorists are out there continually working. They aren't taking breaks.

These are commonsense provisions that have worked effectively for 10 years to prevent terrorists attacks, protect the American people, and preserve civil liberties. They need to be extended for another 4 years.

The terrorist threat we face as a Nation has not expired. Neither should these important provisions that have helped keep us safe from terrorist attacks.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this critical national security bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Central Susquehanna Valley Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association.

The American Parkinson Disease Association helps over 1.5 million Americans who live with this progressive disorder of the central nervous system. This year, the APDA is celebrating its 50th anniversary, currently sponsoring 45 chapters which focus on local fundraising efforts and awareness, 55 information

and referral centers which serve the needs of those with the disease and their caretakers, and over 1,000 support groups throughout the United States. The APDA has worked tirelessly over the past 50 years in fulfilling their mission to ``Ease the Burden--Find the Cure'' through research, patient and family services and education.

In conjunction with Geisinger HealthSouth, the Central Susquehanna Valley Chapter has hosted this Walk-A-Thon on Sunday May 1, 2011, to increase awareness across the state of Pennsylvania, and I am honored to be included in such a noble and selfless cause.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor those who work with the American Parkinson Disease Association. I commend the efforts of the Central Susquehanna Valley Chapter and Geisinger HealthSouth in hosting this Walk-A-Thon and advancing Parkinson's disease research across the country.