Anna Eshoo

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of four important bipartisan bills that address the mental health crisis in our country during the pandemic and economic recession. H.R. 1646, the Helping Emergency Responders Overcome Act of 2019, H.R. 4564, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2019, H.R. 4585, the Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act and H.R. 5619, the Suicide Prevention Act advanced through my Health Subcommittee and I'm pleased to support them on the Floor. In a recent poll, half of adults report that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to the coronavirus. Add to this the mental impacts on those Americans who are grieving loved ones lost to the virus. The economic downturn is also taking a mental toll on our fellow Americans. Studies found for every 1 percent increase in the unemployment rate, the suicide rate increases by 1 to 1.6 percent. Despite the frequency of mental illness, too many suffer in silence. Mental health is a neglected part of our health care system, with less than 40 percent of people with mental illness receiving any treatment. These bills address this mental health care crisis. H.R. 1646, the bipartisan HERO Act introduced by Rep. Ami Bera creates a data system at the CDC to capture public safety officer suicide incidences and study successful interventions, authorize grants for peer support behavioral health and wellness programs within fire departments and emergency medical service agencies. It also requires the development of best practices for addressing post-traumatic stress disorder in public safety officers and educational materials. H.R. 4564, the bipartisan Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2019 introduced by Reps. Katko, Beyer, and Napolitano increases the authorization funding level of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program to $50 million each year, from FY 2020 through FY 2022. The bill also includes a pilot program to research, analyze, and employ various innovative technologies and platforms for suicide prevention. H.R. 4585, the bipartisan Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act, introduced by Reps. Beyer and Gianforte directs HHS to carry out a national suicide prevention media campaign to advertise the new 9-8-8 number. Finally, H.R. 5619, the bipartisan Suicide Prevention Act, introduced by Reps. Stewart and Matsui, establishes two grant programs to prevent self-harm and suicide. Our health as a Nation, both physical and mental, will be tested in the months ahead. These bills will help people find the care and treatment they need and can save lives. I urge my colleagues to support these bipartisan bills.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4866, the National Centers of Excellence in Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Act of 2019. I'm proud to have advanced this bipartisan bill through my Health Subcommittee and I'm pleased to support it on the Floor. The National Centers of Excellence in Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Act was introduced by Chairman Frank Pallone and Representative Brett Guthrie. The bill directs FDA to designate National Centers of Excellence in Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing which would work with the FDA and industry to craft a national framework for continuous manufacturing implementation. The bill authorizes $80 million to be appropriated from 2021 through 2025. Continuous Manufacturing is an emerging technology that has been shown to greatly reduce both the time and the cost of developing and manufacturing medicines. It also enables significant improvements in the quality of the final product and the reliability of the manufacturing process. Through H.R. 4866, the Centers of Excellence in continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing will organize industry efforts to develop continuous manufacturing technologies. The Centers could help grow the number of companies capable of using these technologies from the current group of approximately ten companies to as many as 100 users. Our nation's dangerous overreliance on foreign production of critical drugs and their ingredients have led to drug shortages, subpar manufacturing and drug quality. This threatens patient health and safety and poses national security risks to our allied forces. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this vulnerability and demonstrates the national security and public health risks inherent in allowing China or another foreign nation to gain control of critical drug manufacturing. This bill is an important first step to bring pharmaceutical manufacturing back to the United States, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2271, the Scarlett's Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act. I'm proud to have advanced this bipartisan bill through my Health Subcommittee and I'm pleased to support it on the Floor. No family should suffer the death of a child without knowing why, yet over 400 children and 3,600 infants die each year from unexplained causes. We honor these children today by passing the Scarlett's Sunshine Act, which provides funding to improve data collection and death scene investigations related to unexpected deaths and promotes safe sleep practices. Because of the lack of a specific way to record sudden and unexplained deaths in children, it's impossible to know how widespread the problem is or to conduct more research into the potential causes. The Scarlett's Sunshine Act addresses this problem by funding child death review teams and improvement to the CDC's National Review Case Reporting System. The bill also provides resources for the promotion of evidence-based safe infant sleep which the American Association of Pediatricians say will clarify guidelines making them easier for parents to follow. I urge my colleagues to honor these lost children by supporting this bill.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4995, the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019. I'm proud to have advanced this bipartisan bill through my Health Subcommittee and I'm pleased to support it on the Floor. My thanks to Reps. Engel, Kelly, Bucshon, Torres Small, Latta, Adams, and Stivers for introducing the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019, a bipartisan bill to address the maternal health crisis. ``The U.S. is the most the dangerous place in the developed world to deliver a baby.'' This quote was the conclusion of a major investigation by USA Today. Each year, 700 American women die and 50,000 women are severely injured due to complications related to childbirth. If you're a Black woman in the U.S., the risks are greater. Black women are three times more likely to die from childbirth than white women in the U.S., a startling statistic. This is unacceptable and it's preventable. The CDC estimates as much as 60 percent of these deaths could be prevented. This bill would prevent these deaths by expanding programs that improve the practice of maternal care across the country by developing and disseminating best practices. For example, the bill authorizes and funds the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health or AIM, which includes provider, public health, and consumer groups working at the state level to implement evidence-based ``maternal safety bundles.'' AIM works. States who implement AIM safety bundles have reduced their maternal morbidity rate as much as 22 percent. This data-driven approach was spearheaded in my Congressional District. Stanford's California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative has reduced severe health problems from pregnancy-related hemorrhages by 21 percent and has contributed to reducing the maternal mortality rate in California by 55 percent. H.R. 4995 also addresses the maternal mortality crisis in rural areas. Rural mothers are 60 percent more likely to die during or after having a child than mothers in American cities, and it's even more dangerous for rural minority women, including Native American women. Fewer than half of rural women live within a 30-minute drive to a hospital with perinatal services, and over 10 percent have to drive 100 miles or more. This bill will close those gaps by expanding telehealth grants and increasing training opportunities for medical professionals to provide care in rural community-based settings. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5918, the Emergency Reporting Act. The human impacts of natural disasters are worsened when our communications infrastructure is not resilient, and this is an issue Californians know all too well. On October 28, 2019, 874 cell towers were out in California, caused by wildfires and power shutoffs. My constituents were worried they wouldn't be able to call 9-1-1 during emergencies, receive emergency alerts, download evacuation maps, or check-in on loved ones. This horrific situation led my good friend, Congresswoman Matsui, and me to work on this legislation. H.R. 5918, the Emergency Reporting Act, requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to hold field hearings after disasters, issue preliminary and final reports about each disaster, and ensure 9- 1-1 centers know when outages will impact calls they may receive. Wildfires are becoming more intense and more frequent because of climate change, and this wildfire season is now a historic one, with the expected peak of the season yet to occur. Over a month ago a siege of lightning strikes ignited the CZU Lightning Complex fire in my congressional district, and it is now the tenth most destructive wildlife in California's history. The fire has destroyed nearly a thousand homes in my district and forced 77,000 of my constituents to evacuate. Last year, I asked FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to visit California and hold a field hearing following the fires and associated power shutoffs in California, and many of my colleagues from California did the same. The Chairman agreed to do so at the request of Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. While Chairman Pai never visited California, learning about communications outages shouldn't be a matter of political pressure. At a Hearing of the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology on September 17, 2020, I reissued my request of Chairman Pai to visit California and hear directly from the people impacted by the wildfires. We need to learn from every disaster, especially by listening to and learning from local public safety leaders, municipal, county, and state officials, and members of the communities impacted. This should be required. H.R. 5918 is critical legislation for Californians impacted by wildfires. It will also help those on the Gulf Coast victimized by hurricanes, Midwesterners who've had their communities destroyed by tornadoes, and those in the Northeast who have experienced far too many superstorms. The Emergency Reporting Act is important legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, it is wonderful to see the gentleman in the Chair. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, a month ago yesterday, a siege of lightning strikes ignited the CZU Lightning Complex fire in my congressional district, and it is now the 10th most destructive wildlife in California's history. Over the past month, the fire has destroyed nearly a thousand homes in my district and forced 77,000 of my constituents to evacuate. Thanks to the extraordinary--and I mean, extraordinary work--of thousands of first responders, the fire is now over 90 percent contained. As we work toward recovery, much of the Bay Area and the entire western United States is still breathing the toxic smoke from these fires, which can have lasting effects and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases and have a terrible impact on children whose lungs are still developing. Congress should immediately pass my legislation, the Smoke Planning and Research Act to help local governments address this public health crisis. I am also calling on Congress to pass the WIRED Act to allow States to require wireless companies to deploy infrastructure that is resilient enough to support cell phone networks during disasters.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I am here today to speak on behalf of the Postal Service in our country. I am here today because I view it as a Democratic institution in our country. I am here today because the Framers placed it in the Constitution. I am here today because my constituents are not receiving their prescription drugs, businesses are not receiving their mail, and people are not receiving their mail. I am here today to speak on their behalf because they are outraged. They are outraged about two things that have happened, that the President has said and attacked mail-in votes. Guess how votes are counted? They are carried by the mail service. The Postmaster General, instead of building it up, is dismantling it. It is over the top to see pictures of postal boxes being unhinged. Vote for the Delivering for America Act. The people deserve it.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7027, the Child Care Is Essential Act and H.R. 7327, the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act. Taken together, these bills make critical investments in our nation's child care programs to meet the short and long term needs of America's families which are so long overdue. The next frontier is high quality, affordable, universal child care. Without it, American workers and in particular women to whom child care often falls, will not be able to reach their full economic potential. In the short term, Americans will not be able to return to work and the economy will not be able to reopen unless there are adequate, safe child care options for parents. 13 percent of Americans report having to reduce their work hours or leave their jobs because they don't have access to child care during the pandemic. Options for affordable child care are already scarce in many parts of the country, if available at all, and child care providers operate on very thin margins. This has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatens to permanently close thousands of child care providers, resulting in a permanent loss of 4.5 million child care slots according to the Center for American Progress. Congress has sought to address the most immediate child care crises created by the pandemic by providing over $4 billion for existing federal programs that support the care and education of young children and their families and expanded funding for child care providers to meet payroll, benefits, rent and other expenses. The House-passed HEROES Act provided an additional $7 billion for child care providers, but this is a relatively small amount compared to the growing need for stabilization of the child care sector as the pandemic rages on. H.R. 7027 doubles down on the House's commitment to child care providers by creating a $50 billion stabilization fund to be used for grants to child care providers to pay for increased costs during periods of low enrollment during the COVID-19 crisis and requires employers to keep child care workers on payroll to ensure that these providers will be able to reopen their doors once the pandemic ends. Most importantly, this stabilization funding requires child care providers operating during COVID-19 to meet strict health and safety guidance that ensures American children are kept safe from the virus. H.R. 7327 makes critical investments in the long term needs of child care providers and expands the availability of high quality child care in our country. It provides funding to states for existing child care programs, invests in child care infrastructure, and fills in gaps in child care for essential workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill also makes the Child and Dependent Care tax credit fully refundable and creates new tax credits for employees and employers to access child care. Together, these bills will address one of our nation's enormous challenges--access to high quality, affordable child care. I'm proud to support both H.R. 7027 and H.R. 7327 and I urge my colleagues to vote for them.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay homage to John Robert Lewis and his remarkable life as we mourn his passing on July 17th. John Lewis was my trusted friend and colleague and his passing leaves me, my colleagues, and our entire nation with an aching sadness. He was an icon, the tireless champion for justice, equality, civil rights, and human rights. He fought for the most vulnerable in our society and never stopped working to perfect our union. John Lewis shaped the course of history in America. Profoundly moved by the Montgomery bus boycott as a young man which he said ``changed my life more than any other event before or since,'' he threw his mind and body into the civil rights movement to advocate for equal access to jobs, housing, education, health care, public accommodations, and voting rights. John recognized at a young age the transformative power of knowledge and education to build a better life and a better world for himself and others. He loved school and vividly remembered the hope he felt after the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education requiring public schools to desegregate. He dreamed of attending Troy State University and first met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1958 when he attempted to desegregate the university. He would remain a fearless advocate of Dr. King's Beloved Community for the rest of his life. John was a man of extraordinary faith . . . faith in God, faith in the country he loved and served with passion, and faith in the inherent goodness in all of us. He began preaching at a young age and after graduating high school he enrolled in the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville and was ordained a Baptist minister. While in Nashville, he was introduced to the concept of civil disobedience and ``redemptive suffering'' and helped organize sit-ins to desegregate public accommodations. His efforts served as a catalyst for Nashville to become the first southern city to integrate its lunch counters. John went on to become a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and once again demonstrated his courage by becoming one of the 13 original Freedom Riders, allowing himself to be beaten and jailed in pursuit of justice while remaining true to nonviolence. He was one of the `Big Six' who helped organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 and pushed the Kennedy Administration to take up the cause of civil rights. John Lewis revered the sanctity of the right to vote and he was willing to die for it. He was at the vanguard of the struggle for equal voting rights and made history during the Selma to Montgomery marches when he led activists across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and was savagely beaten during `Bloody Sunday.' Eight days later, President Lyndon Johnson addressed a Joint Session of Congress to call for the passage of the Voting Rights Act which would be signed into law within five months. John Lewis continued his fight for justice during his entire service of over 30 years in the House of Representatives where he championed equal education, affordable health care, gun control, economic opportunity and equal rights, I'm enormously proud and deeply grateful to have served with him and I will always treasure our time together as colleagues. As a Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on the Deadliest Cancers, I will offer an amendment next week to increase funding for Pancreatic Cancer research, the disease that claimed John, in loving memory of him. John Lewis was the living embodiment of courage and conviction, and a hero to tens of millions of Americans. He was a humble and kind man who served the public with honesty and integrity. He was a holy man who worked every day to perfect our union and now he is perfecting heaven where he was welcomed by Dr. King. Future generations will be inspired by his faith, his courage, and his vision of equality for all God's children which has strengthened and bettered the nation he so loved.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of several important provisions in H.R. 6395, the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act/or Fiscal Year 2021 (NOAA) that I authored or cosponsored, as well as amendments to the bill. This legislation will ensure our country retains its leadership in artificial intelligence (Al), cybersecurity, and semiconductor manufacturing. NDAA includes several smart provisions authorizing investments in Al research and development (R&D). The Global Al Index, which quantifies the Al arms race among nations, finds that the U.S. is ahead of China today but ``experts predict China will overtake the U.S. in just five to 10 years.'' Section 5107 of the NDAA includes my bipartisan and bicameral legislation, H.R. 7096, the National Al Research Resource Task Force Act, which establishes a task force of experts from government, academia, and companies (large and small) to develop a roadmap for a national AI research cloud to make available high-powered computing, large data sets, and educational resources necessary for AI research. The national Al research cloud expands access so that American universities and companies can participate in AI R&D. My legislation is supported by Chairman Eric Schmidt and Vice Chairman Bob Work of the National Security Commission on Al; 12 leading public and private research universities, including Stanford, UCLA, Princeton, and Ohio State; research and tech nonprofits Mozilla, Open AI, and the Allen Institute for Al; standards body IEEE-USA; leading technology companies, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM; and startups, including Calypso AI and Scale AI. I thank Representatives Anthony Gonzalez and Mikie Sherrill; Senators Portman and Heinrich; and the House Committees on Science and Armed Services for their partnership in advancing this highly important legislation. I'm proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 6216, the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act, comprehensive and bipartisan legislation which establishes an initiative to accelerate and coordinate investments and partnerships in Al research, standards, and education. This legislation appears as division E of the base text of NDAA, and it is a major investment in our country's future that will pay dividends for decades to come. The House will consider two Al-related amendments I authored that expand reporting requirements for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) of the Department of Defense. Amendment No. 131 requires the JAIC to report to Congress on its contribution to the development of AI standards in multi-stakeholder bodies. The U.S. must lead international and multi-stakeholder standards bodies to ensure our democratic and liberal values guide the evolution of AI. Amendment No. 132, which I offer with Congressman Gonzalez, requires the JAIC to report on the assignments servicemembers receive after they complete their duty with the JAIC. We need to ensure AI experience is recognized and celebrated in the armed services. I'm proud to cosponsor Amendment No. 24, offered by my good friend Rep. Matsui, based on her bipartisan legislation with Rep. McCaul, the CHIPS/or America Act. The amendment will restore American leadership in semiconductor manufacturing by increasing incentives to enable advanced R&D, which will bolster our country's national security and economic competitiveness. I thank Reps. Matsui and McCaul for including, at my request, a provision ensuring that small businesses are given preference for grants authorized by the legislation, in subsection (b)(2)(C)(ii)(III) of the Semiconductor Incentive Grants section. Finally, I'm pleased to cosponsor Amendment No. 15, which creates the role of the National Cyber Director within the Executive Office of the President, based on Rep. Langevin's bipartisan legislation, the National Cyber Director Act. Cybersecurity is critically important for our national security and economy, and we need a senior official at the highest level of the Executive Branch to coordinate how the federal government and military are investing to mitigate cyberattacks and respond to disruptions in government and the private sector. I urge my colleagues to support Amendments No. 131, No. 132, No. 24, and No. 15.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Rigdon Francis Currie, a former long-time resident of Palo Alto who is celebrating his 90th birthday on July 17, 2020. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Constance Berry Currie and Charles James Currie and he had one sibling, Charles James Currie, Jr. Georgia born and bred, Rigdon retains the elegant accent and perfect manners he learned growing up in the South. A Georgia Tech and Harvard Business School graduate, Rigdon served our country in the Air Force for two years, and went on to lead a productive and adventure-filled life. His great career at Xerox was followed by a productive tenure as a venture capitalist, creating hundreds of well-paying jobs. Exceedingly generous with his time, resources and talent, he mentored countless career-seekers, leading them to positions that ideally suit them. His generosity extended to many non-profit organizations, including the Pacific Theological School in Berkeley where he served on the Board for many years. His efforts in Mann County resulted in many miles of roads in Point Reyes being free of trash. Rigdon is an ardent birder. He has seen and identified more than 5,000 species during his birdwatching avocation, and travelled to 90 countries in pursuit of them. He loves sharing his love of birds with others, and often carries a tripod and telescope to make sure others are able to see and appreciate his finds. Rigdon is the adoring father of two sons, Steven and David, their partners and his grandchildren. He is the proud stepfather of Chris and Alexis, their spouses and children. There is nothing any of them can ask of him that he would refuse. The center of his family is his wife of 40 years, Trish Johnson. Together they have welcomed hundreds into their Palo Alto and Point Reyes homes, creating havens for those in need. They also created parties, hikes, apple pressing and good times for friends in need. A brilliant business man, an extraordinary birder, a most generous philanthropist, a friend to so many and a devoted family man, Rigdon Currie sets an example for all of us to emulate. His ninety years have been filled with adventure and giving to others, and we are a better and stronger country because of him and his work. Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in honoring Rigdon Francis Currie as he celebrates his 90th birthday, and in wishing him many more years of living life to the fullest.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Dr. William C. Dement, a distinguished Stanford scientist and professor who died on June 17, 2020, at the age of 91. Known as ``The Father of Sleep Medicine'', Dr. Dement made unparalleled contributions to the field of sleep medicine. Dr. Dement's contributions to sleep research include the association of REM sleep with dreaming; the neuropharmacology of sleep; the quantification and causes of daytime sleepiness; the pathophysiology and genetics of narcolepsy; the assessment of jet lag and other circadian disorders; the behavioral and cardiovascular impact of sleep apnea; and pharmacotherapy for insomnia. Dr. Dement was an ardent supporter of insurance coverage for sleep analysis and treatment, and advocated widely and effectively about the dangers of sleep deprivation and need for sufficient sleep for students, drivers and others, and he had a deep impact on the lives of the Stanford University students who enrolled in his iconic Sleep and Dreams course. Dr. Dement founded the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and helped to establish the professional society that is now the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and additional professional organizations such as the Sleep Research Society. He was often seen on Capitol Hill in his role as Chairman of the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research. The cornerstone recommendation of the National Commission was the establishment of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, and in 1993, during the reauthorization bill for the National Institutes of Health, Congress followed through with the statutory establishment of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research at NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Madam Speaker, I consider myself fortunate to be among those who knew Dr. Dement and benefited from his wise counsel and his warm friendship. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the life and contributions of Dr. William C. Dement and in extending our sincere condolences to his two daughters, Elizabeth and Catherine, his son Nick, his son-in-law Gary, and six grandchildren. Dr. Dement bettered our community and strengthened our country by a life lived well and with high purpose for so many.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to memorialize the poignant words spoken by my constituent, the Honorable LaDoris Cordell, in praise of her beloved mother, on the occasion of her mother's passing. A tribute to Clara Hazzard from her middle and tallest daughter. We don't get to choose our parents. If we are lucky, we get parents who are adequate. If we are blessed, we get parents who are exceptional. My sisters and I were truly blessed. Our parents were extraordinary. While my words are dedicated to our mother, always know that she and my father were a team who together led remarkable lives. There are two types of people in the world: bystanders and upstanders. Bystanders are those who stand by on the sidelines and when injustice raises its ugly head, they stand by, throw up their hands, sigh, complain, and do nothing, hoping for someone to come along to make things better. The upstander, on the other hand, stands up, sits up, speaks up, sings up, and lawyers up for justice. Clara Hazzard was an upstander all of her life. Here are just a few examples. She stood up to racism when the white teachers and administrators at the Ardmore Avenue Elementary School placed disproportionate numbers of Black students into special education classes. As one of the leaders of the local NAACP, our mother organized the picket lines that showed up every day at the school to protest. That was in the day when there were no computers, or Internet, or cell phones. Every night, I recall her getting on the phone to line up people to volunteer to be on the picket lines. In the 1960s, she protested when a local department store had only white dolls on its shelves. She followed up with a letter to the management demanding that dolls of color be sold at their stores. She prevailed, of course, and black dolls soon filled the shelves. She opened up our home when there were people in need of a place to stay. Some of those people who benefited from her kindness and generosity are here in this church today. When Roxana auditioned for the Haverford High School cheerleading squad and made it, the schools' white administrators threw up a big roadblock by telling her that they had run out of the pleated skirts cheerleaders were required to wear, so she couldn't participate. When she told our mother, her response was to work through the night making a pleated skirt. Clara Hazzard stayed up, and sold up, to get justice for her child. Some of you may remember that there was an A&P market where Mate's is now situated. One day, when my mother and I were in the market's parking lot and I was pushing the grocery cart next to her--I was maybe seven years old at the time--the cart accidentally bumped the side of a parked car, causing no damage. The white man who was sitting in the car got out and yelled at me, using the N-word several times. Well, Mrs. Hazzard spoke up and laid that man out, whereupon he shut up and quickly got back in his car. Clara Hazzard would not hesitate to lay you out if you didn't behave. Spring Cleaners, the business that our parents ran for more than forty years that supported our family, was also a place where Ardmore's Black community would frequently gather to address political issues. Our mother was a terrific organizer and strategist whose sage advice provided guidance to our community. And then there were the good times at 814 Aubrey Avenue. On Saturday mornings, our mother and her three daughters cleaned up. Every Saturday we'd clean the house from top to bottom before we could maybe go to the Ardmore movies or play at the laundry field on Aubrey Avenue. Dirt was not her friend. And, she could step up, and by that I mean that she'd make these surprise visits to the third floor where Denise and I each had bedrooms. These visits were like pop quizzes. She'd give a warning by yelling ``I'm coming up to see if your rooms are clean!'' And of course, they weren't. Then we'd hear her steps on the stairs, loud and firm. I don't know about you, Denise, but my room was a mess. So, I just pulled the covers over my head and waited for the inevitable. She'd pull out each of the drawers in my dresser, see a mess of clothing, then dump the contents of each drawer on my bed and say ``I'll be back.'' Well, you all will be pleased to know that today my clothing is so neat and organized that even my socks are neatly folded and stored by color. Our mother loved to see things grow up, especially when it came to flowers. She'd spend hours in the summer planting red and white flowers all over her back yard, front yard, and porch. One summer, I decided to count the flowers and to name each one, writing the name on Popsicle sticks that I stuck in the dirt next to each set of flowers. I ran out of names. The woman had planted over 120 sets of flowers. I named each set after a family member, followed by just about every Black person in Ardmore. Clara Hazzard could cook up a storm. Her corn pudding, rolls, apple pies, chicken and dumplings, collard greens, were the best. Sunday dinners were ridiculously delicious. One final example. Our mother clerked up. For twenty years, she was the church clerk at Mount Calvary. She organized the office and took care of all of the church's financial and business matters. The high point of church services for me was watching and listening to her read the notices and announcements. She always looked good and had a lovely speaking voice with every word clearly enunciated. I could go on with many more examples, but let me close with this. Getting on with the business of living after our mother's death is what we must all do. It is what she surely expected us to do. So as we move on, the greatest tribute that you can pay to her is to continue her legacy of being an upstander. Every one of us should follow her example by standing up and speaking up for what is right and just. Finally, of all of the wonderful descriptions of our mother, the one that is most meaningful to me was her kindness. Let her legacy of kindness be yours. I believe that that would please her the most. Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in offering our condolences to the entire family of Clara Hazzard. It is an honor to represent her magnificent upstander daughter, the Honorable LaDoris Cordell, who continues her mother's legacy to bring justice and kindness to all.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the tragically shortened life of Allison Endert, who died on June 15, 2020, while taking an afternoon walk in Seabright, California. Allison was born in Eureka, California, in 1977. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she developed a deep love and respect for the beautiful Santa Cruz area, its mountains, its ocean and the spirit of its people. Allison was a true public servant. At the time of her death she was an analyst on the staff of Santa Cruz County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty. Prior to that she served as an analyst for then County Supervisor Neal Coonerty, and as Assemblyman John Laird's District Director. She used her exceptional talents as effective vehicles to make a difference in the lives of people. She was justly proud of helping to establish the Nurse-Family Partnership, which connects first-time mothers to nurses to ease the transition to parenthood, and of being a key partner in the Twin Lakes Beach Project. She loved Hawaii, music concerts, being an ardent supporter of her daughters' schools, and her great delight was watching them play sports. The people who knew and loved Allison have expressed their feelings about her in many loving words. They say that she had moral clarity and was incredibly talented. She had a passion for public service and always tried to find ways to make lives better. She was a bright light who was always committed, friendly, caring, and loyal, and radiated compassion. She was a great listener with a deep commitment to social justice. She held herself and others to very high standards, she did what she said she would do, and always did it well. She adored her family and they came first in her life. Allison's dear friend and mine, Les Gardner, said of Allison, ``She was pure of heart. The most incredibly kind and principled young woman I have ever met. Life did not change her. When she died she was the same kind, young principled girl I knew so many years ago. A testament to her life is how many people she touched and are now mourning her loss.'' Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in expressing our deepest condolences to Allison Endert's partner, Andy Tatum, and her two daughters, Molly Endert-Tatum and Lucy Endert-Tatum. She also leaves her mother, Kathy Huntley, two stepfathers, two brothers and a sister. Our community and our country have lost a shining star, one who contributed greatly and would have done even more, had she been given the time.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, a transformative investment of $1.5 trillion to create jobs, protect our climate, and modernize our highways, hospitals, schools, broadband connectivity, housing, clean water, and energy infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers evaluated the state of the nation's infrastructure in 2017 and gave the U.S. a D+ grade. They estimated that we need to invest $2 trillion more than we are today to bring our infrastructure to a good state of repair. While this is a significant amount, failing to act will lead to an estimated $4 trillion in lower economic output, including the loss of 2.5 million jobs. With the economy still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, this legislation takes on an even greater urgency. The Moving Forward Act is not only big, it is green. Climate policy is a cornerstone of the bill because the transportation sector contributes nearly one-third of our country's greenhouse gas emissions. The legislation invests $100 billion to make our public transit faster, cleaner, and more reliable, taking cars off the road and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These investments include significant funding for electric buses which will help transit providers such as SamTrans, VTA, and Santa Cruz METRO transition their bus fleets to all zero- emission vehicles by 2040. The bill also provides $1.4 billion to deploy electric vehicle charging stations across the country, $8.3 billion for state carbon reduction grants, and $70 billion to modernize the electric grid to support additional renewable energy, improve energy efficiency, and support an expansive electric vehicle charging network. Together these investments make the Moving Forward Act one of the most significant bills to address climate change ever considered in Congress. In addition to emission reductions in the transportation and power sectors, the Moving Forward Act also includes significant funding for environmental restoration, including $125 million for the San Francisco Bay. These funds will support ongoing work to restore habitats for endangered species and protect cities like Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Redwood City from sea level rise. The bill also provides funding to reclaim abandoned coal mines, increase drought resilience, and clean up drinking water contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). I'm pleased that the Moving Forward Act provides $3.6 billion in guaranteed transit funding for the Bay Area, a 50 percent increase from the last highway bill in 2015. It also adjusts the criteria for several discretionary grants that will make Bay Area transit projects more likely to receive additional federal funding. The dedicated $2.5 billion for grade separations nationwide will benefit both Caltrain riders and communities along the Caltrain corridor which has 42 at- grade crossings, including the crossing at the top of the California Public Utility Commission's priority list. This funding will be a welcome relief to my constituents who are choking in traffic, with commute times in the Bay Area prior to the pandemic nearly twice as long as they were ten years ago. The Moving Forward Act also provides $100 billion to ensure every American has internet connectivity. Tens of millions of Americans across the U.S. still lack basic access to high-quality broadband internet service. Access to high speed internet service is essential in the 21st Century, particularly as Americans are conducting more of their lives online during the COVID-19 public health emergency. I'm pleased that two of my broadband bills are included in this legislation. My bipartisan Nationwide Dig Once Act of 2020 is commonsense legislation that requires the inclusion of conduit--plastic pipes that house fiber optic cables--during federally funded highway construction. My Community Broadband Act protects municipal broadband networks from state laws that thwart the efforts of communities establishing their own networks. The Moving Forward Act provides $10 billion for hospitals and community health centers to make critical capital improvements and rebuild their infrastructure to meet the growing demands on these health care facilities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, the bill also creates a pilot program to fund upgrades to state and local public laboratories, which are essential to our nation's testing capacity as we work to control and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The infrastructure investments in the Moving Forward Act create good- paying jobs that cannot be outsourced, promote economic growth, reduce our greenhouse emissions, and expand broadband to communities across the country. I'm proud to support this legislation and urge my colleagues to join me in voting for it.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and work of William A. Millichap, a native of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, who died on June 22, 2020, at the age of 76. William Millichap was a graduate of the University of Maryland and served his country as an officer in the United States Navy. In 1971, he joined what was then G.M. Marcus Company and quickly rose through the ranks. He became the President of Marcus and Millichap in 1986, a post he held until 2000, and he has been the company's Co-Chairman since then. Mr. Millichap was managing partner of Marcus and Millichap Venture Partners and served on the boards of Essex Property Trust and Loopnet. He was a Director of the National Multifamily Housing Council, and a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Urban Land Institute and the National Venture Capital Association. Among his many accomplishments he helped launch San Jose National Bank and the Mid- Peninsula Bank of Commerce. Hassam Nadji, CEO of Marcus and Millichap said that ``Bill's passion and commitment to providing the best support to our sales force and creating value for our clients were contagious and remain essential parts of our culture to this day.'' William Millichap's Co-Chair at Marcus and Millichap, George Marcus, is quoted as saying that ``Bill was the truest of friends that one could ever have, and a real partner in good times and challenging ones. He was a unique and exceptional leader, coach and innovator. All who knew him would point to his intelligence, endless energy, enthusiasm, discipline, loyalty and competitiveness as main ingredients that made him the life force that he was.'' Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in extending our sincerest condolences to William Millichap's wife Sherrie, to their children Laura, Greg, Jeff and Stacy, and their eight beloved grandchildren. Our country has lost a great patriot, a great innovator and an unparalleled leader who made our country stronger and bettered the lives of so many because of everything he did.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act. Today, we deliver on our promise to the American people to undo the Trump administration's total sabotage of the Affordable Care Act and make healthcare affordable for every American. Since the ACA was signed into law, 23 million Americans have been insured, every person with a preexisting condition was protected, and children could stay on their parents' health insurance policy until they turned 26. Now, in the middle of a pandemic and a recession, the Trump administration and congressional Republicans are supporting a lawsuit before the Supreme Court--imagine this--to strike down the entirety of the ACA. I think that there is one word for this: cruel. H.R. 1425 does the opposite. It strengthens the ACA and makes healthcare affordable by lowering premiums and reducing drug prices. The bill ensures that no American will pay more than 8.5 percent of their income for insurance premiums, benefiting approximately 20 million Americans. The bill allows Medicare to directly negotiate the price of the costliest drugs, and the lower prices will be available to every American, including those who receive their health insurance through their employer. H.R. 1425 extends coverage to nearly 5 million Americans by pushing the holdout States to finally expand Medicaid. This would be such a blessing to people in those States whose Governors denied them health insurance coverage. It also mandates 12 months of Medicaid coverage for eligible postpartum mothers.

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, it mandates 12 months of Medicaid coverage for eligible postpartum mothers and ensures that, once a person is enrolled in Medicaid, regardless of their income changes, they will be covered for a full year. The bill ends the Trump administration's expansion of junk insurance plans, which exclude coverage of routine care--imagine that; what kind of policy doesn't cover routine care?--and has left patients on the hook for thousands of dollars in medical bills, and it reinstates critical funding for outreach, marketing, and enrollment so more Americans can easily sign up for insurance. I am very proud that many parts of this bill originated in the Health Subcommittee, which I chair, where my first hearings as chair examined how to strengthen the ACA. This is good for the American people, especially during this crisis of a pandemic and a recession.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Bass for yielding, and I thank the Congressional Black Caucus for their extraordinary leadership. The death of George Floyd has shaken the conscience of our entire country and people around the world, and it has laid bare the racial disparities in policing that Black Americans face every day but for too long have been ignored. That is why millions of Americans are peacefully protesting across our country demanding justice. The Justice in Policing Act is bold and it is historic. It takes, head-on, chokeholds, no-knock arrests, racial profiling, and the militarization of the police. It will bring accountability and transparency to police departments across our country and raise the standards of the profession and instill best practices to ensure that all Americans feel safe when interacting with law enforcement. This legislation is the face of justice. It will make America fairer; it will make America stronger; and every Member of this body should vote for it.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and work of a distinguished resident of the 18th Congressional District, Joseph A. Zanardi. Joseph was born on April 16, 1943, and died on May 31, 2020. He was born and raised in Los Gatos, California, and was a proud graduate of Los Gatos High School where he was an outstanding baseball player. After high school he joined the family business founded by his grandfather near the turn of the 20th century. A lifetime of hard work followed, although he was always able to find time to coach local youth baseball teams. Joseph retired from Green Valley Disposal in 1999. Joseph adored his grandchildren and his dog, and he had a multitude of hobbies including hunting, cars, and taking care of his roses. He was a member of the Los Gatos Lions Club for more than 50 years, and he helped launch the Los Gatos Athletic Association which has raised millions of dollars for Los Gatos High School sports. Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in honoring the life of Joseph A. Zanardi and in extending our condolences to his wife Elizabeth, his sons and their wives, his grandchildren, and his entire family. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him and he will be remembered fondly by his entire community.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and extraordinary work of Barbara Allen Babcock. Born on July 26, 1938, in Washington, D.C., to Doris Moses and Henry Allen Babcock, she died at her Stanford, California home on April 18, 2020. Barbara graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pennsylvania and Yale Law School, where she was one of only 13 women in a class of 175. At Yale, she was an editor of the Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif. Her first job was a clerkship for Judge Henry Edgerton of the U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit, after which she was a criminal defense associate at Williams and Connolly. She left private practice in 1968 to become the first Director of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. Barbara Babcock joined the faculty of Stanford Law School in 1972, became its first tenured woman professor, and was the Judge John Crown Professor of Law, Emerita, at the time of her death. At Stanford she was beloved by her students, and four times was the recipient of the John Bingham Hurlbut Award for excellence in teaching. She left Stanford for two years during the Carter Administration to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division in the Department of Justice, and while in that position she advocated for the appointment of Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the United States Court of Appeals. Justice Ginsburg said later, ``I would not hold the good job I have today were it not for Barbara.'' Barbara Babcock was a strong and effective advocate for women and minorities, and an inspiration to thousands of her students and others aspiring to legal careers. So many described her as warm, graceful, a great raconteur and a true friend. She was a leader, a pathbreaker, trailblazer and role model. She was an advocate for the importance of lawyers in society and for clinical education in law school, and helped to found Stanford's first law clinic, now the Stanford Community Law Clinic. Barbara Babcock was the author of many legal articles and several text books. She also wrote a memoir, Fish Raincoats: A Woman Lawyer's Life, and Woman Lawyer: The Trials of Clara Foltz, about the first woman lawyer in California. Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in extending our condolences to Barbara Allen Babcock's family and honoring her extraordinary life. Because of her lifetime of shaping generations to practice and love the law, create a more just society, and an unswerving commitment to see that women advanced in our nation, Barbara Babcock bettered our country immeasurably and will forever be a national treasure.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, David Waksberg became CEO of the Bureau of Jewish Education in 2007, and retires on June 30, 2020, from his leadership of what is now Jewish LearningWorks. During his well-earned retirement he will spend more time with his wife and three adult children, and he plans to write and participate in political and environmental activism. David Waksberg's leadership of Jewish LearningWorks can only be called extraordinary. He is hailed by many as a great negotiator, intentional listener and a collaborator who respects and honors the opinions of others. During his tenure he helped renew synagogue schools and brought in new ideas for teaching. He expanded family learning programs, created greater opportunities for children with special needs, and initiated policy changes at synagogues and day schools which were all designed to make everyone welcome. David formerly served as the Executive Director of the Bay Area Council for Soviet Jews where he created programs that connected Bay Area Jews with those in the Soviet Union. He developed excellent relationships with the Bay Area Congressional Delegation and was a strong advocate for refuseniks and for the Soviet Jews who came to the Bay Area after the collapse of the USSR. Between his two positions with Jewish agencies, David worked at a high-tech company, but his heart was always with service to the Jewish community. David credits his commitment to Judaism and Jewish education to a photograph in his Polish grandparents' home in the Bronx, of their families in Poland. All except those who had gone to America or Israel, including David's father, were killed by the Nazis. Also in that home was an inscription that asked ``What have you done today on behalf of your people and your land?'' David Waksberg said ``For me, Jewish thought, tradition and wisdom from the last few thousand years really helped me be a better husband, father, son, brother, friend, neighbor and citizen. All this wisdom contributed to what some would call happiness. It helped me lead a good life. And that's the point of it all.'' Madam Speaker, we ask the entire House of Representatives to join us in honoring the extraordinary leadership and legacies of David Waksberg. His mission of promoting and furthering Jewish education has bettered our communities and made our nation stronger because of all he has chosen to do.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6800, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. Once again the Democratic House is leading the way by advancing a historic legislative package to support our nation's heroes and every day Americans who are essential to meet the challenges of COVID-19. Since the first coronavirus death in the U.S. in February, over 80,000 Americans have lost their lives to COVID-19, more than 1.4 million Americans have been infected, and 36 million Americans have filed for unemployment. Workers, families, health care providers and students are all hurting because their financial wellbeing, employment status and health are being tested by the coronavirus. The HEROES Act builds on the critical investments Congress made since this public health and economic emergency began. We passed a bipartisan $8.3 billion funding package on March 4th to strengthen our nation's public health response to the coronavirus. A week later we passed the bipartisan Families First Act, which provided tens of billions of dollars to help working families and provide free coronavirus testing to anyone who needed one. At the end of March, we passed the largest aid package in American history, the bipartisan CARES Act, to fund health care providers; provide an additional $600 per week in Unemployment Insurance; and funding for small businesses to retain their employees. On April 4th we replenished the Paycheck Protection Program and advanced a national testing strategy. The HEROES Act goes further than any legislation passed to date by providing desperately needed financial support to families, workers, and those who are risking their lives to perform essential jobs. It includes support for states, tribes, and local governments who are working to contain the pandemic, and the legislation guarantees that no American will go bankrupt paying for treatment related to COVID-19. It mandates workplace standards and protections for front line health care workers, and it protects our most vulnerable in nursing homes by creating a 'strike force' to manage infection and reduce the spread of COVID-19. Importantly, the bill also funds the U.S. Postal Service and requires all states to provide no-excuse voting by mail for November's election. As we work to provide health care resources, we must protect constitutionally mandated elections and the health of our democracy. Specifically, the HEROES Act includes: An additional round of $1,200 stimulus payments to every American making less than $75,000. A Heroes' Fund for essential workers, with $200 billion to ensure that those who risk their lives for others during the pandemic receive hazard pay. $4.5 billion for research and development of vaccines and therapeutics, with a focus on improving our nation's domestic manufacturing capacity. $75 billion for testing, contact tracing and other COVID-19 monitoring and suppressing activities. An additional $100 billion for health care providers who have lost revenue or experienced increases in costs related to COVID-19. $500 billion to states to cover lost revenues due to the pandemic. The State of California is projected to receive more than $47 billion, and local governments will receive $375 billion to cover lost revenues due to the pandemic in two installments. This funding will be a lifeline to local governments providing critical services including much of the social safety net. An increase to the minimum and maximum SNAP benefits. The bill rescinds work requirements and Trump Administration regulations that limit eligibility for SNAP. I'm especially proud that the HEROES Act includes many of my legislative priorities. The legislation requires the FDA to report foreign drug manufacturing sites and the volume of drugs manufactured overseas, and it authorizes the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a commission to report to Congress in 90 days on how to best bring the manufacturing of critical drugs and devices back to the U.S. Legislation I authored to allow the Strategic National Stockpile to sell soon-to-be expired products to other governmental agencies and an expansion of the Federal Communication Commission's telehealth program are also included. The HEROES Act also includes a study on the short and long-term health impacts of COVID-19 because we have much more to learn about the effects of this novel virus on the human body. The HEROES Act will not be the last legislation to address the public health and economic disaster wrought by coronavirus, but it's essential for the House to move expeditiously to stabilize our cascading economy, protect front line workers, help struggling families, and assist our state and local governments, and our health care providers so they can continue their heroic work. I'm proud to support this legislation to help the American people in one of our nation's most crucial hours of need and I urge my colleagues to vote for the HEROES Act.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life and work of an extraordinary American, Donald Kennedy. Donald Kennedy was born in New York City to Barbara Bean and William Dorsey Kennedy, on August 18, 1931, and died in Redwood City, California on April 21, 2020. Donald Kennedy's career was long, productive and illustrious. He received his BA, MS and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. He began as a biology teacher at Syracuse University, then became an Assistant Professor at Stanford University in 1960, earning tenure in 1962, and he was made Chair of the Department of Biology in the School of Humanities and Sciences in 1967. In 1976 he was awarded the Dinkelspiel Award for Outstanding Service to Undergraduate Education, one of Stanford's highest honors, and served as a trustee of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. During the Carter Administration he served as Commissioner of the FDA, where he dealt with many controversies, earning the praise of consumers and industry alike for his leadership. He returned to Stanford in 1979 and became its eighth president in 1980. During his distinguished tenure he grew the University's endowment to $2 billion, inaugurated overseas campuses in Japan and England, established the Haas Center for Public Service and the Stanford-in-Washington campus. In 1992 he resigned from the presidency, and remained at Stanford. In 2000 he became Editor-in- Chief of Science, a post he held until 2008. He received the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization, and was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Sciences. He was the author of several books including his memoir, A Place in the Sun. No list of Donald Kennedy's extraordinary accomplishments can describe the man he was. Proud yet humble, erudite and playful, and beloved by his students. I was privileged to call him my friend, and I'm exceedingly grateful to have benefitted from his wise counsel. Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in extending our condolences to Donald Kennedy's wife Robin, and his children Page Kennedy Rochon (Mark); Julia Kennedy Tussing (Ted); Cameron Kennedy (Rick Desimone); and Jamie Hamill (Rosario), and nine grandchildren. Donald Kennedy made our country stronger and made our world a better place. He will always be missed by all those who had the good fortune to know him, and he will be a lasting source of inspiration to the generations he helped shape.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Shelly Knapp for her years of service to our nation. Her spouse, Colonel Lewis Knapp, is retiring on July 1, 2020 after 26 years of service and Mrs. Knapp's extraordinary service to the Army, Army Reserve, Army Families, Veterans and her community total over 4,500 hours of volunteer service. From 2015 to 2020 Mrs. Knapp served as the Senior Volunteer Advisor for the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Instructor/Facilitator, and Army Reserve Minuteman ROTC Scholarship Program Coordinator for the 63d Readiness Division, a two-star level Army Reserve Command located in Mountain View, California. She also volunteered in multiple capacities at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Palo Alto, California. In these capacities she volunteered over 1,500 hours as documented in the Army's Volunteer Management Information System. In her SVA capacity Shelly Knapp advised the 63d RD Commanding General on all Family Program activities. She trained and mentored Family Readiness Group leaders across the command, scheduling and conducting Family Readiness training, organizing and assisting with Family Days for the 63d RD Headquarters and subordinate units. This represents 390 hours volunteered. Shelly Knapp served as a YRRP Instructor/Facilitator and Army Family Advisory Panel Member where she trained and facilitated courses and seminars, and mentored Army Reserve Soldiers and family members at numerous YRRP events that occurred before, during and after mobilization. This service represents 429 volunteer hours. Shelly Knapp stepped up to coordinate the 63d RD's Army Reserve Minuteman ROTC Scholarship efforts for deserving USAR Soldiers and high school recipients on behalf of the 63d RD CG. Five candidates were awarded four-year or three-year Army ROTC scholarships. This service represents 236 volunteer hours. While at the 63d Readiness Division, Mrs. Knapp was selected by Army Reserve Family Programs to attend and obtain certification as a Department of Defense Master Trainer--one of the select few chosen in the Army Reserve. This represents 296 volunteer hours. Mrs. Knapp is currently employed as a Budget Analyst at the Veterans Administration Palo Alto Cooperative Studies Medical Research Program in Mountain View, California. During her time at the VA she volunteered as an artist/vocalist in the VA Palo Alto Arts Session Band, performing at ten VA-sponsored events and recording an original song, `America Begins', by a fellow VA Arts Band Veteran that won the Bay Area VA Creative Arts Competition. She also volunteers as a Wellness Ambassador and Employee Engagement Committee Leader where she has led efforts for a Wellness Fair attended by over 100 VA employees from multiple Bay Area VA campuses. She also displayed many of her own paintings and drawings for the Women Veteran in Arts Program. This represents 203 volunteer hours. During the five year period from 2015 to 2020 while Mrs. Knapp was associated with the 63d RD, she volunteered over 1,500 hours while maintaining full-time employment at the VA. She also graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Golden Gate University during this period, completing 65 credit hours in 22 months--a long-time goal accomplished after attending five universities previously due to 20-plus military relocations and multiple deployments during her spouse's military career. In 2014, prior to her family's final military assignment to the 63d RD, Mrs. Knapp served in a part-time paid position as Program Administrator for Texas A&M University's 4-H `Operation Military Kids' program where she managed a federal grant that directly assisted Guard and Reserve Families of all service branches at two military installations in Texas. Her efforts included coordinating community partner efforts at family readiness events, organizing multiple volunteer opportunities for military families, conducting cooking classes for military children and families, and briefing community officials on the challenges military families face. In previous roles as FRG Leader, Co-Leader and Treasurer over a period of 20 years, she accumulated over 3,000 volunteer hours and was instrumental in standing up Family Readiness Groups, training new volunteers, organizing and executing small and large-scale events and managing non-appropriated funds, demonstrating her adeptness at mentoring new volunteers and FRGs and re-energizing dormant ones. She has opened her home for years to military families for Thanksgiving and she and her family have long been active in Army and Army Reserve Family Programs, including her daughter Katie serving two terms on the National Army Reserve Teen Panel. Her volunteer service to Soldiers and Army Reserve Families culminated in 2012 with her FRG being awarded the DoD Family Readiness Group of the Year--Army Reserve while she served as Co-Leader of the 79th Theater Sustainment Command FRG. Mrs. Knapp's unmatched energy, excellent communication skills and devotion to serve and assist Army Soldiers, Families and Veterans has contributed greatly to individual, unit and family morale and readiness in every formation and location she has served over 26 years, including assignments in five states and three overseas locations. Her service in the Marines for four years on active duty (1989 to 93) laid the foundation for her volunteer service. Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in honoring and thanking Shelly Knapp, a force for good in military families, for her extraordinary service to our country. She has set the `gold standard' with her thousands of volunteer hours, touched thousands of lives and strengthened our country immeasurably with her devotion to service.