Barbara Comstock

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the accomplishments and service of retired Major Jesse Baltazar on this, his ninety-fifth birthday. Major Baltazar's service includes over forty years of dedication to the United States military through the Battle of Bataan in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Still recovering from wounds suffered at the hands of a Japanese attack on his camp in 1942, Major Baltazar managed to escape ``the Bataan Death March'' after more than three days of marching. His bravery earned him the honor of a Bronze Star, a POW Medal, and a Purple Heart, which was awarded to him this past January. As the first Filipino native commissioned into the United States Air Force, Major Baltazar is a true trail-blazer and has helped pave the way for the many men and women who have since immigrated to the United States and joined our military. The United States has been blessed by the sacrifices of outstanding people such as Major Baltazar who have adopted this country as their own. I am proud to represent Major Baltazar and all of the selfless men and woman who serve our nation in uniform. They are truly invaluable members of our society. The debt of gratitude owed to these men and women is impossible to repay, but today, we do our small part by recognizing one special man: Major Jesse Baltazar.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Heritage Fellowship Church of Reston, Virginia. Heritage Fellowship Church, initially named Christian Community Fellowship, began in 1978 as the town of Reston's first African-American church. In the church's early stages, it moved around, having its services in different high schools. Howard University's School of Divinity and the Washington DC Community of Faith provided pastors to lead the church and the church's first pastoral advisor was Dr. Harold Hunt of Howard Divinity School, who served from May of 1978 to January of 1979. Dr. Earnest W. Armstrong, Sr. was next to give pastoral leadership to Heritage Fellowship Church, serving from January of 1979 to March of that same year. Over the years, Heritage Fellowship Church has had many distinguished advisors from the religious community, attesting to its deep community ties. In 1995, on the first Sunday in November, Reverend Dr. Norman A. Tate began his 20 year tenure at Heritage Fellowship Church as an Interim Pastor. Three dedicated years later he rose to the office of Senior Pastor. In June of 2012, a 73,000 square foot building was finished, the result of a years-long capital campaign. This building houses a youth center, staff offices and many other rooms that benefit the entire community. This year, on Saturday, October 10th, they will celebrate two significant events. The first is the 37th anniversary of Heritage Fellowship Church and the second is the 20th anniversary of Reverend Dr. Tate's leadership at Heritage Fellowship Church. Heritage Fellowship Church and Reverend Dr. Tate have both made a great impact on our community, and for that, we are all grateful.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr Speaker, I rise today, on the fourteenth anniversary of the September 11 th terrorist attacks, and the third anniversary of the Benghazi attacks to join the bipartisan opposition to the president's unverifiable, unenforceable, and unconscionable Iran deal. This deal will lift sanctions that will unleash billions to Iran and reward those who chant ``Death to America''--those who are the world's leading state sponsor of terror In March, I signed a bipartisan letter with 367 of my colleagues saying, ``A final . . . agreement must constrain [Iran] . . . so that [it] has no pathway to a bomb . . . . On this floor, Republicans and Democrats alike have explained how this deal will lead to a nuclear Iran in a dozen to 15 years or earlier. Will a nuclear Iran make the world a safer place? When I spent a week in Israel in August, the answer I heard from civilian and military leaders across the political spectrum was resoundingly ``NO'' to this deal. Iran's neighbors are among those most opposed. The senior Democratic Senator on the Foreign Relations Committee has said, ``If Iran is to acquire a nuclear bomb, it will not have my name on it.'' I urge my colleagues to add their names to the bipartisan opposition to this dangerous deal with Iran.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, the raucous Gonzaga fight song was sung quietly for the first time in a long time on Tuesday, September 1st when Dr. John C. ``Doc'' Warman's coffin was borne from a packed St. Aloysius church in Washington, DC where men and women met to mourn the passing of a legend. A lover of the classics, a supremely gifted musician, and a director of plays and musicals at Gonzaga College High School, Warman began teaching Latin and Greek at the all-boys Catholic institution on Eye Street and North Capitol, just a few blocks from the Capitol, in 1967. Born to Frank and Louise Warman on October 18, 1939, Warman began playing the piano when he was still in diapers and could quote the classics from memory by the time he was seven years old. Warman's recitations from the classics could bring a dead language to life. ``Arma virumque cano,'' he would begin before launching into Virgil's Aeneid. For those who don't know, that means ``I sing of arms and of a man,'' in other words, a Warman. Warman was the valedictorian of his class at Gonzaga in 1957 and later graduated from Georgetown University with honors. He became ``Doc'' in 1986 when Georgetown conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. ``Doc's sense of optimism would lift us up when times were tough,'' said William J. Wilson, Jr., both a student and colleague of Warman's, of the Gonzaga he knew as a student--a school of dwindling enrollment in the late 1960s and early 1970s, threatened with potential closure. The 1968 riots in DC following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had left many parents worried and looking to other schools outside of the city to send their children. Doc's dedication to Gonzaga and support of his students helped usher the school through this difficult time. Warman was also well known for his formal dress in and out of the classroom. Students at Gonzaga testified that they had only ever seen Doc dressed in a suit and tie or the tuxedo he would don during his theater performances. ``Sometimes I wondered whether Doc was born wearing a suit,'' said Wilson. It was in a suit and tie that he passed quietly of heart failure before classes began on August 25, 2015. While the Gonzaga community mourns the passing of Warman, over these past weeks many kind and joyful memories of Doc have been shared by students, colleagues, family, and friends. The legacy of Doc Warman lives on through the indelible impression he left on the entire Gonzaga community. The back wall of Gonzaga's Sheehy Theater, which is nearly 120 years old, is spattered with graffiti, and among the etched-in autographs there, ``Warman '57'' looms large--``the heart of the Gonzaga stage'' that bears his name. He piloted more than 350 performances from the pit piano where he was a fixture, and he served as a producer, associate producer, director, or musical director in 83 productions. ``Gone, but not forgotten,'' said Ra'Mond Jamar Shephard Hines. Hines, a recent student from Gonzaga's class of 2014, said at the funeral that ``The way the Latin and the Greek flowed off his tongue was like poetry in and of itself.'' Warman never married, and having no biological children, he instead devoted his life to his ``Men of Eye Street.'' All classes were canceled on the day of his funeral--a beloved teacher, colleague, mentor, and friend's last gift to his students.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed from H.R. 2722.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember a truly selfless resident of Great Falls, Virginia, Col. Pete Hilgartner. Not long after graduating high school Col. Hilgartner began his service to our nation by enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps. He received a fleet appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy and upon graduation in 1951 was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. During the Korean War, he served as an artillery forward observer and received the Bronze Star with Combat ``V'' for meritorious conduct against the enemy in these actions. In Vietnam, he commanded the 1st Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, the most decorated combat battalion in the U.S. Marine Corp. His tour as Battalion Commander of a frontline Marine Infantry Battalion was one of the longest of any during the war and his battalion fought in numerous actions, including every major action that occurred in the 1st Marine Division sector from November 1966 to September 1967. His six and a half foot stature earned him the name ``Highpockets'' by his Marines, who loved him for his competency and his concern for his men's welfare. Under his command, his unit received two Presidential Unit Citations, for Operations Union, Union II, and Swift. Col. Hilgartner himself was awarded twice the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm, the Legion of Merit, and the Silver Star medal, for gallantry in combat during Operation Swift. Upon completion of his first tour, Col. Hilgartner completed a Master's degree only to return for an additional tour as a staff officer in Saigon eventually achieving the rank of Colonel by the time of his retirement from active duty in 1972. From there he would transition into a successful career in the brokerage investment business, author of two books and serve as an active member of the community; holding multiple roles as a Virginia Hunter Education Instructor, President of both the McLean Rotary Club and Northern Virginia Brittany Club, and in the aftermath of September 11th led the Great Falls Memorial Committee helping create the Great Falls Memorial in the remembrance of those lost in the September 11th attacks. Col. Hilgartner is survived by his wife, Sara Hilgartner, his five children by his first wife, Frances Haynes Hilgartner: Linda Bassett, Diana Boyd, Dale Cirillo, David Hilgartner, and Paul Hilgartner, 10 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, his stepson Greg Fernlund and his step-grandchildren. ``Uncle Pete'' was also a loving uncle and grandfather to his deceased brother Fielding's 5 children and 11 grandchildren. Col. Hilgartner will always be remembered for his heroic service to his nation and will truly be missed by all of the many lives that he touched and enriched.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Ed Borcherdt. He was a leader and entrepreneur. Mr. Borcherdt attended Stanford University and received his BA and MBA there. He was the president of his own company, Borcherdt & Co. Mr. Borcherdt served his country as a USMC Infantry Officer during the Korean War and later became a founding and vital member of the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation. He also served on the board of the Devil Pups Youth Program for America. Mr. Borcherdt was twice appointed by President Reagan to serve on the Board of Visitors of the Naval Academy. As Chairman of the Great Falls Memorial Committee, Mr. Borcherdt tremendously helped his community. Previously, he was the President of the McLean Rotary Club and founded and served as the President of the Northern Virginia Brittany Club. Mr. Borcherdt, known for his optimism, emphasized his motto: ``onward and upward''. He will also truly be remembered for his countless and endless service to his county and his community. I am confident that his passion and love for his country will serve as an inspiration for millions of people.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed the last two votes in this evening's series. Had I been present I would have voted as follows: 1) Democrat Motion to Recommit--``no,'' 2) Passage of H.R. 2578--FY16 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act--``yes.''

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise as a cosponsor of the amendment in support of the amendment.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 252, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Amendment No. 6 Offered by Mr. Griffith

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to thank the brave men and women of Virginia Task Force 1, a domestic and international disaster response resource sponsored by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. I was honored to welcome these miracle workers home this past Saturday morning after their 3-week deployment to Nepal. Virginia Task Force 1, in partnership with USAID, is always at the ready to answer the call when tragedy or natural disaster strikes, either at home or abroad. Nepal was devastated by two major earthquakes, resulting in the loss of over 8,500 lives, and Virginia Task Force 1 was there to help. With their incredible skill and teamwork, they were able to rescue a 15-year-old boy trapped in the rubble for 5 days. When the second earthquake hit, they saved a 41-year-old woman who was trapped in a four-story building. They also medically treated countless others. When they returned home on Saturday morning, they were enthusiastically greeted by their relatives and families. Those families also endure countless hours of worry while their family members and loved ones are halfway around the world in unfamiliar and dangerous circumstances. Mr. Speaker, the Members of Virginia Task Force 1 are truly fabulous and wonderful ambassadors for the Commonwealth of Virginia and our country, and it is an honor and a privilege to thank them for their courageous service to the people of Nepal and to the work they do every day in our country.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of H.R. 1119, the Research and Development Efficiency Act, which I introduced with the chairman and ranking member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, as well as the ranking member of the Research and Technology Subcommittee earlier this year. H.R. 1119 requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish a working group under the National Science and Technology Council to review Federal regulations that affect research and research universities. The working group is tasked with making recommendations on how to harmonize, streamline, and eliminate duplicative Federal regulations and reporting requirements and make recommendations on how to minimize the regulatory burden on research institutions. Mr. Speaker, there is a long history to support the need for this legislation. In 2012, the National Academies issued a report that included a key recommendation to ``reduce or eliminate regulations that increase administrative costs, impede research productivity, and deflect creative energy without substantially improving the research environment.'' Last year, the National Science Board referenced the results of two Federal Demonstration Partnership surveys on faculty workload--one in 2005 and one in 2012--that, on average, researchers spend 42 percent of their time on meeting administrative requirements. This drain on researchers' time and resources to answer Federal regulatory and reporting requirements leaves less time for researchers to spend on actual scientific work. To be clear, H.R. 1119 does not eliminate reporting requirements, because there is a need for such information for the purposes of oversight and transparency. Instead, the bill would initiate the process that should ultimately help researchers and research universities by reducing redundant regulations. This is accomplished by promoting efficiencies and getting the most out of our research investments. The National Academies is currently conducting a study of Federal regulations and reporting requirements, paying particular attention to those directed at research universities. H.R. 1119 would ensure that more of our Federal research dollars are spent on research and not on regulatory requirements. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mary Agee and her service as president and CEO of Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS). She will step down in June after leading the agency, with distinction, for 27 years. The organization we know today as the NVFS originated in 1924 in Alexandria, Virginia, as an organization with one volunteer and no operating budget. Mary Agee joined the staff of this organization as a family counselor in 1972 and rose to the position of deputy director in 1978. When she received this promotion NVFS had 11 staff and an annual operating budget of $178,000. Under her leadership the organization grew to its current size of 350 employees, 3,600 volunteers and operating budget of $32 million. NVFS is now the largest private, nonprofit human service organization in Northern Virginia. Mr. Speaker, every year, almost 34,000 families and individuals utilize the human service programs offered by NVFS which include: housing and emergency services, early childhood programs, health & mental health services, workforce development programs legal assistance, anti-hunger programs, and intervention & prevention programs. The NVFS has taken an aggressive role supporting community partnerships under the leadership of Mary Agee and has been able to collaborate with other human services agencies to provide comprehensive multi-agency service provisions for their clients. NVFS's dedicated approach to serving others has earned them an impeccable reputation for their ability to stabilize and assist families in crisis. They are truly angels in our community. Following the devastating September 11th Terrorist Attacks at the Pentagon, NVFS was selected by the Community Foundation of the National Capital Area to manage the 9/11 Survivors' Fund. Mary Agee has said that the ability of the NVFS to directly provide the families of the victims of the attack with vital human services is the proudest moment in her nearly four decades of service to her community. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mrs. Mary Agee upon her retirement from the Northern Virginia Family Service. Her dedicated hard work and service in the Northern Virginia Community has touched and improved the lives of countless families and individuals. We know she will continue to provide years of service to her community in whatever she chooses to do and we sincerely thank her for her service, and wish her the best on all future endeavors.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 6, 2015.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the bill (H.R. 1213) to make administrative and technical corrections to the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues for this opportunity to recognize this month as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and I thank my colleagues Congresswomen Ann Wagner and Kristi Noem for organizing this effort. I really appreciate how we are working together to raise awareness about this terrible crime that is happening in my district in northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, throughout Virginia, and throughout--unfortunately--our country. This growing criminal enterprise we know knows no boundaries. Mr. Speaker, the Fairfax County Police Department in my district has established the northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force to crack down on this scourge. In the past 12 months alone, just to give you an idea of this crime that is in the local area, the task force has had 156 leads, 109 victim recoveries, 267 victims identified, and 73 suspects. Mr. Speaker, while we have done great work to combat this terrible crime in Virginia, we clearly have more work to do on every level: the local level, State level, and national level. Four years ago, Virginia, for example, was at the bottom of the Polaris Project anti-human trafficking State rankings. Now, we are at the top because we passed many of the kind of bills that we are going to be able to pass here tomorrow and additional bills that are going to be here tomorrow. I am very honored to be able to join all of my colleagues and with our faith-based organizations and our law enforcement officials and to be able to continue this work now on a national level and to be able to vote for these important bills that we will be addressing tomorrow.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table (S. Con. Res. 2) authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for a ceremony to present the Congressional Gold Medal to the First Special Service Force, in recognition of its superior service during World War II, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged concurrent resolution and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mrs. COMSTOCK

Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3, the Keystone XL pipeline. This bill is about good-paying jobs and energy security. Republicans and many Democrats agree on this, as well as the unique coalition of unions like the Teamsters, LIUNA, the Tea Party, as well as the Chamber of Commerce. Listen to what the president of LIUNA said: To the tens and thousands of men and women in the construction industry, this isn't just a pipeline; it is their mortgages, college tuitions, car payments, and food on the table. And for our country, this isn't just a pipeline; it's a lifeline to family security, energy security, and national security. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote for the passage of this critical, bipartisan bill.