William L. Enyart

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating St. Paul United Church of Christ on its 175th anniversary.

From humble beginnings in 1839, St. Paul's has seen an incredible cross section of American history in the Midwest. Born from Belleville's German immigrants, the church first held services at the local court house, while awaiting a physical structure to be built.

St. Paul's provides worship and community appeal to the Belleville area and beyond. What makes St. Paul's exceptional is its mission to serve those who need it most.

Through Christmas and Thanksgiving charitable programs, the Franklin Community Neighborhood Association, Tuesday Community Dinner, afterschool programs, a food pantry, and much more, the church reaches out to every age group and background in the community.

A shining star of St. Paul's Church is the love and care that developed and grew St. Paul's Home into the senior community it is today. For over 85 years, St. Paul's Home has faithfully provided respite care, memory care, assisted living services, and skilled nursing to the elderly in Belleville and surrounding communities. And today, the church can proudly boast its new additions coming soon.

St. Paul's is proud to call the Illinois metro east home, and Belleville is proud to call St. Paul's one of its own.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating St. Paul's United Church of Christ on 175 years in the Belleville community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Charles Garnati, who retired this month after 30 years as State's Attorney for Williamson County, Illinois.

Charles Garnati has actually served in the Williamson County State's Attorney's office for parts of five decades. He worked in the office for a brief time in the 1970s and then was elected to his first term as State's Attorney in 1984. He would serve continuously as State's Attorney until retiring this month due to health reasons. At his retirement, Garnati was the longest continuously serving state's attorney in the State of Illinois.

During his career as State's Attorney, Garnati has prosecuted perpetrators of the most heinous crimes, including 30 murder trials. He was able to get first degree murder convictions in 29 of those 30 trials. Garnati is quick to praise his legal staff in the State's Attorney's office as well as the law enforcement agencies within his jurisdiction for the success rate of his office.

Garnati always approached his job as both making those who commit crimes pay for their actions and also to provide justice to the victims of those crimes. Particularly in murder cases, he was keenly aware of the pain suffered by the families of victims.

Garnati accepted as a personal challenge the prosecution of those who harmed children. As part of that crusade, he helped found two programs for children, the Williamson County Child Advocacy Center and the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Williamson County program. His annual golf scramble has raised more than $350,000 for these programs.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing Charles Garnati well and thanking him for a lifetime of service to the people of Southern Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Karl Britton who today, September 17, 2014, celebrates his 30th anniversary as a staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives.

As an incoming freshman Member at the beginning of the 113th Congress, I, like all freshman Members, was faced with the challenge of setting up offices while also learning the workings of Congress and my role as a Member. I was extremely fortunate that Karl Britton joined my DC office staff, where his 28 years of experience and knowledge of working on the Hill were invaluable assets.

Karl Britton, a native of West Virginia, began working on the Hill on September 17, 1984, as a staff member for his Congressman, Harley Staggers, Jr., from the West Virginia 2nd Congressional District. Karl would serve on Congressman Staggers' staff until June of 1990 when he went to work for Congressman Jerry Costello, who was in his first full term representing the Illinois 21st District. Karl would work for Congressman Costello until the end of the 112th Congress when Costello decided not to run for re-election. Karl joined my staff at the beginning of the 113th Congress.

Karl has worked for three Members of Congress in his 30 years but has served during the terms of five Presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan, and seven Speakers of the House, starting with Tip O'Neill.

To understand the scope of Karl's popularity on the Hill, one only needs to walk with him anywhere within the crowded corridors of the Capitol complex. You cannot go more than 10 feet without someone calling out to Karl and everyone seems to be his friend. Karl knows someone in just about every office. He knows how to get things done and who to ask for any information. Karl has conducted countless tours for constituents and has provided assistance for dignitaries, all with the same professional courtesy.

Karl has two children, a son, Andrew, 24, and a daughter Aliyah, 14.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Karl Britton on his 30th anniversary of congressional service and wishing him all the best for many more years to come.