Paul Gosar

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In November 2012, the President signed into law the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act. This legislation was needed to update existing law to better help protect whistleblowers from retaliation for helping expose waste, fraud, and abuse in the Federal Government. Unfortunately, some managers were using loopholes in existing law to punish well-intentioned employees for bringing bad behavior to the light of day. These actions likely dissuaded some whistleblowers from coming forward to end wasteful or corrupt activities. In addition, during the Oversight Committee's work on this legislation, it became apparent that many whistleblowers also may not have been getting a fair shake in Federal circuit court. Therefore, the legislation created a 2-year pilot allowing for all circuit review of whistleblower appeals, enabling whistleblower cases to be appealed outside the Federal circuit. In the 18 months since the law's enactment, very few appeals have been heard outside of the Federal circuit, giving Congress an insufficient sample size to judge whether the various courts are appropriate venues for whistleblower appeals. H.R. 4197 simply extends the 2-year all circuit review pilot for an additional 3 years. Extending the pilot will provide additional evidence for Congress to consider as we seek to determine the fairest and most efficient way for whistleblower cases to be handled under the Federal court system. We must do everything in our power to help defend those who seek to do the right thing by protecting Americans and their hard-earned tax dollars. I want to thank Chairman Issa and Ranking Member Cummings for their work on this legislation, and I support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. 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 on the bill under consideration.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4197) to amend title 5, United States Code, to extend the period of certain authority with respect to judicial review of Merit Systems Protection Board decisions relating to whistleblowers, and for other purposes.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in support of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 2291, introduced by Representative Carolyn Maloney of New York, would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 450 Lexington Avenue in New York, New York, as the Vincent R. Sombrotto Post Office. Vincent Sombrotto was born in Manhattan in 1923. Mr. Sombrotto was a longtime advocate for postal workers. He joined the National Association of Letter Carriers in 1947 and served as its 16th president from 1978 to 2002. He passed away in 2013 at the age of 89. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. 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 on the bill under consideration.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2291) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 450 Lexington Avenue in New York, New York, as the ``Vincent R. Sombrotto Post Office''.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for acknowledging all the members of the Arizona delegation for looking forward to the post office in Miami to be looked at in fond remembrance of ``the Arizona Kid.'' It is fitting that today is an Arizona day for post offices here on the House floor. With that, I ask all Members of Congress to pass H.R. 4416, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 4416, introduced by Representative Ann Kirpatrick of Arizona, would redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 161 Live Oak Street in Miami, Arizona, as the Staff Sergeant Manuel V. Mendoza Post Office Building. Staff Sergeant Mendoza was born in Arizona in 1922. Mendoza entered the United States Army in November of 1942, at the outset of the U.S.'s entry into World War II. Mendoza was a highly decorated soldier. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his action on Mount Battaglia in Italy on October 4, 1944, where it is said he broke up a German counterattack on his own. Mendoza also served with distinction in the Korean war. In addition to the Medal of Honor, Mendoza earned a number of other medals and the Bronze Star. Staff Sergeant Mendoza passed away in 2001. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4416) to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 161 Live Oak Street in Miami, Arizona, as the ``Staff Sergeant Manuel V. Mendoza Post Office Building''.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This is a fitting tribute for the citizens of Arizona and particularly those in Yavapai County--and specifically Prescott, Arizona--who want to pay tribute to one of our great Senators in Arizona history, Barry Goldwater. He had a love affair with Arizona, from the Grand Canyon to its people, its indigenous people from the different tribes, to his way of communicating the art of conservatism to people across the country. It is a paying tribute that we look to Barry Goldwater to honor us with his name on the post office in Prescott, Arizona. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today as the House considers a piece of legislation I introduced, H.R. 3027, which would rename the postal facility at 442 Miller Valley Road in Prescott, Arizona, as the Barry M. Goldwater Post Office. As we know, Barry Goldwater was a businessman turned statesman who served five terms in the United States Senate and was the Republican nominee for the Presidency in 1964. He served Arizona and our Nation with honor and integrity for decades. Leading up to the 1964 Presidential election, he earned the moniker ``Mr. Conservative'' for being so influential in the revival of political conservatism. After the 1964 election, he returned to the Senate. Because of his experience as a senior officer in the Army Air Force Reserve, he took particular interest in national security issues, serving as the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 1981 to 1985 and then serving as chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee from 1985 to 1987. He was instrumental in crafting the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986, which was the mechanism which brought about one of the most important Defense Department restructurings in U.S. history. To honor Barry Goldwater's service to this Nation, I have sponsored this legislation which the House is considering today. The entire Arizona delegation, both Republicans and Democrats, are cosponsors of the bill, and for that, I thank each one of them. It would be a fitting tribute to an honorable Arizonan, one who served this Nation in so many ways. I thank each of my colleagues for their support. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. 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 materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3027) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 442 Miller Valley Road in Prescott, Arizona, as the ``Barry M. Goldwater Post Office''.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 3085, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 3085, proposed by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski), will designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3349 West 111th Street in Chicago, Illinois, as the Captain Herbert Johnson Memorial Post Office Building. Fire Captain Herbert Johnson was an outstanding member of Chicago's fire department, proudly serving the city and its people for 32 years as a firefighter. Tragically, Johnson passed away on November 2, 2012, while battling flames in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood. A decorated firefighter, Johnson earned the Illinois Medal of Honor in 2007 for the rescue of several children from a burning apartment. Captain Johnson was only 54. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOSAR. 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 materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3085) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3349 West 111th Street in Chicago, Illinois, as the ``Captain Herbert Johnson Memorial Post Office Building''.

Mr. GOSAR

Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to vote for this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.