Gerald Connolly

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) and their continued dedication to the elimination of impaired driving and underage drinking in the Washington metropolitan area. WRAP is a public-private partnership that works with law enforcement, community stakeholders, and advocacy groups in Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. Through educational and innovative public programs, WRAP is credited with keeping Washington area alcohol related death rates historically below the national average. Programs and resources include Youth Outreach, Adult Outreach, and Public Education programs designed to educate students and the general public on the dangers of alcohol and drugs, particularly driving while under the influence. WRAP offers unique programs such as the WRAP Holiday SoberRide program, where individuals who are impaired can request a free safe ride home. In 1982, the year that WRAP was founded, 26,173 people in the United States lost their lives in alcohol-related car crashes; 60 percent of all traffic fatalities involved drunk driving. Due to the tireless efforts of WRAP, other organizations such as MADD and SADD, local and state police, and enforcement of more stringent anti-drunk driving laws, alcohol-related traffic fatalities decreased to 9,878. WRAP continues to work tirelessly to ensure these statistics are not repeated. In fiscal year 2020, WRAP was successful in removing 2,243 potential drunk drivers from Greater Washington's roadways during only two, pre-COVID WRAP SoberRide campaigns. WRAP also experienced a record level of ridership for Halloween which was the highest in Sober Ride's 27-year history. In addition, WRAP reached the ``80,000-served'' level of total ridership for its Sober Ride program; in fact, total ridership nearly tripled between 2016 and 2019. Since 1997, WRAP has sponsored an annual Law Enforcement Awards Ceremony to honor local law enforcement professionals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in the fight against drunk driving. It is my honor to include in the Record the names of the 2020 Law Enforcement Award of Excellence recipients: Officer Anggelo Suarez--City of Alexandria Police Department Officer Anthony Gatto--Arlington County Police Department Officer Bryce Cooper--City of Falls Church Police Department Private First-Class Zachary Davis--City of Fairfax Police Department FCPD GROUP--Fairfax County Police Department Private First-Class Jonathan Heavner--Town of Herndon Police Department Deputy First Class Mark Sarrichio--Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Trooper First Class Anthony Wallace--Maryland State Police Officer Roderick Saunders--Metropolitan Police Department Corporal Patricia Cox--Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Officer Patrick Kepp--Montgomery County Department of Police Corporal Thomas Kosakowski--Prince George's County Police Department Officer Chad Mason--Prince William County Police Department Officer Aram Karapetyan--United States Capitol Police Officer Christopher Gogarty--United States Park Police Trooper Jordan Corvin--Virginia State Police Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) and congratulating each of the honorees of the 2020 Law Enforcement Award of Excellence recipients. I wish all of them great success in their future endeavors.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Vicki Graham for her 32 years of service to Action in Community Through Service (ACTS). Ms. Graham has become the longest serving employee in ACTS' 51-year history. As a community organization, ACTS fosters hope, provides relief, and promotes self-sufficiency for Prince William area neighbors in crisis. And Ms. Graham has been an essential part of developing this foundation. Ms. Graham has been a critical part of ACTS and throughout her time with the organization, she enhanced several of the programs ACTS has offered. She served as the longest Director of the ACTS Helpline. What started as a local volunteer hotline has now grown to become a professional crisis hotline with the largest coverage in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and a backup call center for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. The Helpline answers over 20,000 calls annually which includes over 4,000 suicide crisis calls answered each year. Ms. Graham has been key in making what the ACTS Helpline is today. Through her 32-year career at ACTS, Ms. Graham has several accomplishments in which further shows the selfless effort she put into her work. Ms. Graham founded the Senior Link program, the Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) Team, the Surviving After Suicide support group, the Parents of Suicide Loss support group, Renewed Hope peer support group and the Traumatic Death Support Group peer led support group. These programs that were founded by Ms. Graham not only provide support to the participants, they also better our community. Ms. Graham did not stop there. She became ACTS first Chief Program Officer, overseeing the operation of ACTS Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Helpline, and Housing services. I congratulate Ms. Graham and commend her for all she has accomplished. Helpline program participants and our community have benefited immensely thanks to her tireless efforts to make tomorrow better for everyone. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Vicki Graham on her retirement and thank her for her everlasting impact on the Prince William County community.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I unfortunately failed to register my vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, H.R. 1380, the Big Cat Public Safety Act. While casting a proxy vote for my colleague, I unintentionally overlooked casting my own vote purely by oversight. As a cosponsor of the bill and having just cast a proxy vote for the bill clearly I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 232

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Middleridge community. Located in the heart of Fairfax County and the 11th Congressional District of Virginia, Middleridge is a tight-knit community and the land on which it is built is steeped in history. The very name of Middleridge was derived from a 1766 decision of the Vestry of Truro Parish, including George Washington and Colonel George William Fairfax, to establish the new Payne's Church at the ``middle Ridge'' of Ox Road. On July 17, 1970 the grand opening of Section 1 Middleridge, consisting of 39 lots, was announced in The Evening Star. It was advertised by the developer as being in ``the best of Virginian tradition.'' ``Surrounded by the rich history of the county, its homes radiate with old charm and aristocratic character.'' Today the community consists of 578 homes situated on approximately ninety-five acres and boasts amenities including a lake, large park, basketball and tennis courts, and swimming pool. The all-volunteer Middleridge Civic Association was formed in 1973. The civic association promotes an exceptionally strong sense of community that greets new residents with open arms, providing welcoming gifts to the newest neighbors. The Civic Association coordinates regular stream clean-ups and awards annual scholarships to high school seniors. Annual events include an Easter egg hunt, home and garden tours, Halloween parade, a holiday light decorating contest and community movie nights. In 2002, Middleridge established a National Night Out celebration in partnership with the Fairfax County Police Department. Of the scores of NNO events held each year, the Middleridge National Night Out has been recognized as the largest event in the entire county--again a testament to the community spirit and activism of Middleridge residents. As the former president of the Mantua civic association, I know firsthand that a community is more than houses in a development. In fact, the health and well-being of a region can be measured by the involvement of its citizens. When residents invest their time, care, and energies, a true community is created to the benefit of all. Fairfax County is considered one of the best places in the nation in which to live, work and raise a family, largely because of the willingness of so many to become actively involved. Middleridge Civic Association and the residents of this neighborhood provide an excellent example of how to create a thriving, energetic, and welcoming place to call home. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Middleridge and in thanking the residents and civic association members and officers for their contributions and service to our community.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing October as National Spine Health Awareness Month. 100 million Americans, or about one third of the U.S. population, suffer from neck and back pain each year. Individuals with chronic back pain are four times more likely to suffer clinical depression. It is the number one non-cancer related reason for an opioid prescription in the U.S. It costs $250 billion to the U.S. economy annually. Back pain is the number one cause of job-related disability in the U.S. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have been sitting more, eating more, moving less, and not exercising or visiting the gym, all of which contribute to bad backs and necks. Many Americans working from home have reported experiencing more back pain, neck pain, and other musculoskeletal issues. Located in my district in Reston, Virginia, the National Spine Health Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to improving spinal health care through education, research, and patient advocacy. Their medical research team conducts multi-center studies evaluating innovative approaches to treatments, including regenerative medicine, minimally invasive approaches, and non-opioid pain management. They educate Americans about treatment and prevention and support patients on their journey to good spinal health, striving to reduce the uncertainty and anxiety experienced by all those who suffer from neck and back disorders. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the importance of learning about good spinal health and in honoring those health care providers and organizations nationwide that help Americans reach that goal not just in October, but all year long.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Beverly Myers and to congratulate her on her retirement following decades of service to Fairfax City and our Northern Virginia community. As Chairman of the Fairfax City Independence Day Celebration Committee, Beverly has donated her time, skills, and talent with faithful displays of leadership and commitment. Fairfax City's Independence Day Celebration continues to be one of the biggest and best celebrations of our nation's birthday in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its signature event, the Independence Day Parade, attracts participants and spectators from throughout the region and is an event that I have had the privilege of participating in for years. Every year the parade has continued to grow and flourish, and due to Beverly's efforts, all who attend are guaranteed to have a wonderful time. Beverly has also dedicated her time serving as Chairman of the Chocolate Lovers Festival Committee. Her leaderships with this festival, another event that I have enjoyed attending over the years, has helped increase the festival's popularity and attendance. Because of Beverly's tireless work behind these events, the City of Fairfax benefited tremendously in reputation, city visits, and economic gain. Through Beverly's work, she has brought together the community and enhanced volunteerism. Because of her selfless dedication, she has received several community honors and awards recognizing her efforts. These honors include the PRAB Exemplary Service Award (2020), Volunteer of the Year Award (2017), Mayor's Award for Outstanding Community Service and Dedication to Volunteerism (2012) and VFW Post No. 8469 Americanism Award Citation (2010) to name a few of her accolades. I often say that the health and happiness of a community can be measured in part by the spirit of community and volunteerism that exists. Beverly embodies this spirit of service and we have all benefited from her service. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Beverly Myers and in thanking her for her years of selfless service to our community. As Beverly retires and returns home to Missouri, we wish her continued health, happiness, and success.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I think this is a good bill. I think as Mr. Khanna indicated, it adds to the corpus of information technology legislation where we are trying to modernize the Federal Government; we are trying to retire legacy systems; we are trying to move to the cloud for cyber reasons, for efficiency reasons, and to be of better service to the American people. I think this is another piece in that mosaic, and I urge its passage by our colleagues here in the House. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material about the measure before us.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5901) to establish a program to facilitate the adoption of modern technology by executive agencies, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna), the author of this bill.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Information Technology Modernization Centers of Excellence Program Act is the product of great bipartisan work between Representative Ro Khanna and the ranking member of our committee, Mr. Comer. Since 2017, the Centers of Excellence have provided state-of-the-art technical expertise to assist Federal agencies with their IT modernization so that they can serve the American people more effectively. The program aims to leverage private-sector innovation and centralized expertise to help the Federal Government improve its services to the public, deploy cutting-edge technology, attract top talent to its workforce, enhance its cybersecurity, and optimize the data resources available to it. Today, six Centers of Excellence support agencies in the strategic competency areas of artificial intelligence, cloud adoption, contact centers, customer experience, data and analytics, and infrastructure optimization. This bill would codify that program and to support agencies in efficiently improving customer service, implementing cloud computing systems and data management, optimizing IT infrastructure, and sharing best practices and expertise. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations with responsibility for Federal IT modernization, I have kept a close eye on this program since its inception, and I intend to keep a close eye as it continues to put its mission and goals into practice. I applaud the improvements made to the bill to ensure that assistance is provided to agencies by request on a reimbursable and transparent basis. I support the commonsense bill before us to modernize and improve the functioning of the Federal Government. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Reform be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 5988) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2600 Wesley Street in Greenville, Texas, as the ``Audie Murphy Post Office Building'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I urge my friends in the House, on a bipartisan basis, to join with me in honoring Chai and preventing further deaths and further infections from COVID-19 within the Federal workforce and the Federal contract workforce. This is a prudent measure, and, as I said, President Trump's OMB does not oppose this bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material about the measure before us.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Chai Suthammanont Remembrance Act would require each Federal agency to publish online a plan to reopen the Federal office building at least 30 days prior to the return of their workforce. The legislation also requires agency inspectors general to report on whether their agencies have, in fact, complied with the provisions in this bill and provided adequate personal protective equipment for their employees returning to office spaces. This bill is named after my constituent who tragically lost his life to coronavirus on May 26, 2020. Chai's picture is behind me. Chai was a real human being. He wasn't a statistic. He left behind a family. He is survived by four sons, his wife, and four grandchildren. He succumbed on May 26, 2020. Chai immigrated to the United States from Thailand when he was 17. Throughout his life he was known for helping others. When he first came to our country, he landed in the restaurant industry at a famous jazz club in Greenwich Village in New York City, where he made it among the first restaurants to offer health insurance to its employees. After retiring from that industry, Chai moved to the National Capitol Region and returned to work as a Federal employee in the Marine Corps Community Services Child Development Center in Quantico, Virginia. Chai wanted to continue giving back to his adopted country. He was a proud American citizen. Chai was also a beloved employee working in the development center's kitchen, preparing meals for the children of our Marine families. He developed a unique handshake for each kid in the daycare, making each child feel special and included. At the beginning of this terrible pandemic, Chai's workplace was not enforcing or taking proper precautions to protect its workers. On April 27, Chai worked his last full shift at the daycare kitchen as one of his coworkers coughed repeatedly and looked very ill. There was no protective equipment for the other employees, including Chai. Sadly, soon after that, Chai was informed that the coworker had, indeed, tested positive for coronavirus. Almost exactly 1 month later, after 13 days on a ventilator, Chai died on May 26. Let me be clear: This was an avoidable death. Had there been protocols in place, had there been PPE in place and available to employees like Chai, Chai would still be alive today, in my view. Chai's widow, Christina, has worked with my office to make sure this never happens to anybody else again. I named the bill after Chai because, although the provisions in this bill can no longer help him, they can help the millions of Federal and contract workers who will reenter the Federal work spaces across the United States. This legislation is designed to save lives and protect those who serve the American people. We, as Members of Congress, have an absolute obligation to protect the Federal workforce that keeps our country running, keeps our country safe. We must ensure that Federal employees have the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding agencies' reopening plans. Currently, Federal agencies are failing to communicate with employees across the board and other stakeholders about their coronavirus practices and policies. As some agencies begin calling employees back to Federal office buildings, many civil servants are receiving incomplete or unclear instructions, leading to fear and uncertainty about health. I represent the third largest number of Federal employees of any congressional district in America, but there are Federal employees in every Federal congressional district. This bill matters and ought to matter to every one of us and our constituents. I refuse to sit idly by and risk more and more of our Federal workforce being forced back to office buildings under superficial plans with zero accountability. This bill simply includes the commonsense provisions taken directly from the best practices recommendations of the Government Accountability Office to communicate effectively with the workforce and to ensure they have adequate PPE. The Trump Office of Management and Budget had no concerns with this bill. The least we can do for our Federal employees is to ensure the Federal agencies they work for are being transparent with their plans so that there is a level of reassurance and security before they are called back physically to the workplace. I wholeheartedly support this bill dedicated to my constituent Chai, and I encourage every one of my colleagues to join me in doing the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Reform be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 2454) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 123 East Sharpfish Street in Rosebud, South Dakota, as the ``Ben Reifel Post Office Building'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I would just simply close by reminding everybody that bad planning exacerbated greatly the severity and duration of this pandemic. And if we have learned anything, we have learned that we need to plan, we need to have a plan, and that is certainly true with our Federal agencies. I believe this bill is a commonsense bill that will add to our capability to respond quickly in the event of a resurgence of the coronavirus, and I urge its passage. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7496) to require Federal agencies to submit plans for responding to any resurgence of COVID-19, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I do think it is important when we talk about Operation Warp Speed and we talk about the promise of vaccines, that we remind ourselves that not all vaccines are curative. In fact, many vaccines exist to lessen the severity of the illness that could follow. We are 100 years after the Spanish flu, and we still don't have a cure for the flu. We have an annual vaccine to lessen the severity of the illness should you get it and to prevent it in some cases, but not a cure. We have been grappling with AIDS for over 40 years. We don't have a drug or a vaccine that completely cures AIDS. So when we talk to the American public, we have to be careful about the implied promise or explicit promise those of us in public life make. That is why I think Mr. Schneider's bill and Mr. Katko's bill is so important. In the event we don't have a vaccine that is efficacious, we need to have contingency planning. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider), the author of this bill and my friend.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Reform be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 5954) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 108 West Maple Street in Holly, Michigan, as the ``Holly Veterans Memorial Post Office'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Reform be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 3680) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 415 North Main Street in Henning, Tennessee as the ``Paula Robinson and Judy Spray Memorial Post Office Building'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Reform be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 5307) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 115 Nicol Avenue in Thomasville, Alabama, as the ``Postmaster Robert Ingram Sr. Post Office'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. CONNOLLY

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Oversight and Reform be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 4725) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 8585 Criterion Drive in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as the ``Chaplain (Capt.) Dale Goetz Memorial Post Office Building'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.