Brian Higgins

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. HIGGINS. I yield to the gentleman from Iowa.

Mr. HIGGINS. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Chair, since the creation of the Community Development Block Grant in 1974----

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the celebration of Mother Brunette Washington. On June 6 she will be celebrating her 100th year of life. Born in 1914, Mother Washington has seen some of the greatest accomplishments of our country. Furthermore, she has added to them with the love and kindness her community currently treasures her for. To this day she is an active member of the American Baptist Association, the Pratt Willard Center and fellowships with the Crucial Center. As a member of the Macedonia Baptist Church, Mother Washington has been a pillar of her community. Volunteering throughout her entire life, Mother Washington has devoted her time to giving back, participating in the community through such positions as Sunday School Teacher, Senior Choir President and the President of the Missionary Society. As a result of her tireless service for both her church and community, Mother Washington has received numerous rewards for her achievements including the Queen of Macedonia, Senior Choir Service Award, and the Pratt Willert Senior Award. In addition to her numerous community endeavors, Mother Washington is a family leader. She has four children and is the proud grandparent to ten grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren. Mother Washington is truly fortunate to have such a large and loving family. Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing me to recognize the long life and legacy of a woman who has devoted so much of her life to the betterment of those around her. For 100 years Mother Washington has made an impact on the lives of those who have had the great fortune of knowing her. She has cultivated a loving family and been an exemplary member of her community, who has had a lasting impact on others because of her caring ways. It is my honor to celebrate her birthday here with you and hope you will join me in wishing a very joyous birthday celebration and wishing her many more years of good health.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize the honorees of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Awards Luncheon and Showcase here today. Each business/business leader has done their part to lead by example, demonstrating leadership in the business community and a shared dedication to improving the economic conditions of our region. As small businesses, they are in a unique position to not only push the community forward through job growth, but also to test drive new products and ways of doing business that will no doubt have a lasting impact in the world around us. With a motto of ``We Want Better'', Block Club has been working on improving not only their customers' brands, but also strengthening the brand of the entire Western New York (WNY) area. Being featured in such publications as the Boston Herald and the Washington Post, Block Club has demonstrated to the rest of the country some of the outstanding work accomplished right here at home. I commend this year's Trailblazer Award recipient, Patrick Finan, Founder & Principal of Block Club. Another individual being honored today is Maureen Munzert from Key Bank. Maureen has utilized her expertise in financing and the banking industries to better serve her clients and her strong record of accomplishments have led her to being recognized here today. Maureen's ability to go beyond a banking role and truly become a financial partner to her clients is exemplary. Her dedication to guidance and leadership is expressed not only in leading junior members of her team, but also her being a champion of the Key4Women sub-organization. I am pleased to recognize this year's Small Business Advocate of the Year, Maureen Munzert. Dr. Lavigne is another individual who has had a great impact on the community. As a leader of many business support programs in the WNY region, not to mention her stewardship of the NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Dr. Lavigne has driven economic returns of over 60:1. This incredible stewardship of governmental funding has seen hundreds of new jobs created and demonstrated Dr. Lavigne's excellence in utilizing public funds for the public good. It is my honor to recognize Dr. Marnie Lavigne as this year's Community Stewardship Award recipient. EnergyMark is a company which is leading the way in being an active business community member. Through model leadership, EnergyMark has helped countless aspiring community leaders through internships at both the undergraduate and master's level programs. Furthermore, in creating their space in the market, EnergyMark is allowing its customer to grow faster through innovative savings that have kept over 5 million dollars in the hands of local business for their own growth and development. I commend this year's Award of Excellence recipient, Energy Mark, LLC. One of the newest additions to our city will be the HARBORCENTER facility opening later this year. The culmination of many proud accomplishments, the HARBORCENTER will provide 2 NHL sized hockey rinks and numerous support facilities around the venue including a hotel, restaurants, and training facilities which will compliment the development occurring on our waterfront. This project will be an attraction for families in our region and beyond and will boost the economic conditions of Downtown Buffalo. Under the leadership of John Koelmel, the HARBORCENTER is likely to generate nearly 2,000 jobs and a projected $48 million dollars in state and local taxes. I applaud the work of all those involved with the HARBORCENTER project and congratulate you on your Sponsor's Award from the Amherst Chamber of Commerce. Lougen Valenti Bookbinder & Weintraub LLP are actively working to redefine how a CPA firm can be a part of the community. Balancing an approach of personal attention and national firm level resources, LVBW has pooled over 100 collective years of experience to serve clients from single employee businesses to multi-national corporations. While this alone is a tremendous accomplishment, the team at LVBW pushes further, encouraging employee volunteerism and providing assistance to such notable local charities as the WNY Foodbank, United Way Day of Caring, and Journey's End. I am pleased to recognize Lougen Valenti Bookbinder & Weintraub, LLP as the recipient of the Small Business of the Year Award. Sweet Jenny's chocolates and ice cream has been a great story of success here in WNY and will soon reach its 30th year in business. In using a ``charity based business model'' Sweet Jenny's has utilized corporate giving to promote their brand on a local level and to provide ice cream and products to charity organizations and local food banks. I had the pleasure of visiting Sweet Jenny's and can attest the strength of their business and outreach in the community. It is my honor to commend this year's At Your Service Award recipient, Sweet Jenny's. This impressive list of Small Businesses being honored at this year's Luncheon and Showcase deserve the extra recognition and I thank the Amherst Chamber of Commerce for bringing these distinguished business leaders together. It is through your actions that other business leaders have a guidepost for exemplary action. I wish you all continued success in the years to come.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from New Jersey for his leadership on this issue, for his eloquent opening, and I want to echo his sentiments in congratulating the American Society of Clinical Oncology. As my colleague has said, we have made major advancements in cancer research in this country. Thirty years ago, less than 50 percent of those who were diagnosed with cancer lived beyond 5 years of their diagnosis. Today, it is over 65 percent for adults and over 80 percent for children. Historically, you had, really, three options with cancer. You could burn it out through radiation, you could cut it out through surgery, or you could poison the fast-growing cancer cells; but the problem is you were also killing healthy cells, as well, through chemotherapy. Today, because of medical research, we now have smart drugs, drugs that will attack fast-growing cancer cells, without attacking fast- growing healthy cells. We also have a number of clinical trials going on, including right in Buffalo, New York, at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, clinical trials for vaccines that treat the body's dendritic cells toward the goal of helping the body naturally fight cancer. We have made major progress, but as my friend from New Jersey has said, we still have much further to go. People realize that early detection is very, very important in effectively treating cancer. Less than 10 percent of cancer deaths occur from the original tumor. It is when cancer metastasizes, when it grows, when it advances to a vital organ that we need, is when cancer becomes lethal. That is why it is important for early detection, which will dramatically increase the survival rate of cancer patients. As the gentleman from New Jersey also indicated, Buffalo and western New York is home to Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the first comprehensive cancer center in the entire Nation. Roswell Park gave the Nation and the world chemotherapy in 1904. It gave the Nation and the world the prostate-specific antigen test, the PSA test, to detect prostate cancer; and it also did groundbreaking work in the link between tobacco use and smoking and cancer. One of every three women in this Nation will develop invasive cancer in their lifetime. One of every two men, during their lifetime, will develop invasive cancer. The incidence is higher for men because they smoke more. We have a long way to go. We have made major progress. The gentleman had said Richard Nixon had declared a war on cancer in 1971, and that was a major, major initiative on the part of the Federal Government. What we know also, from cancer research, is the only failure in that research is when you quit or you are forced to quit because of lack of funding. A lot of these new drugs that are coming to market today have been in various phases of discovery for the past 20 years, so to sustain cancer research is to produce promising new therapies, but to also encourage young researchers to stay in the field. That is our obligation, as Democrats and Republicans of this body, in recognizing that we must fully fund the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate three highly impressive students from City Honors High School in Buffalo, New York. Seamus Degan, Rex Herzberg, and Hakeem Salem made western New York proud by being selected to participate in the Congressional Science Student Forum, which was hosted yesterday on Capitol Hill. In recent months, these students have worked hand-in-hand with local researchers at esteemed medical institutions in western New York, including Roswell Park Cancer Institute, to research cutting-edge medical issues, form hypotheses, and conduct hands-on experiments. Mr. Speaker, when students start learning and experimenting with science, technology, engineering, and math as young adults, they are creating a lifelong commitment to learning and dedication to making a difference in the future. It is why it is so critical that Congress provide adequate funding to STEM education programs in our schools nationwide. I commend these students for their achievement and look forward to hearing more from these promising innovators in the years to come.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Teacher Appreciation Week. We know that a good education is critical for today's youth to have a successful future. We owe our thanks to the teachers who dedicate themselves to providing this. The need for education begins early, setting children on a positive path for learning at a young age. And, as students get older, it is essential to provide them with the skills, especially math and science education, that will give them the ability to compete in a globalized economy. Mr. Speaker, Congress should use this week to recommit ourselves to fund and support programs that improve education for our children. Education is the most powerful tool we have to fight poverty in our neighborhoods, improve opportunities for our youth, build stronger communities, and create a more successful tomorrow.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the United States Department of Transportation released a proposal to spend $302 billion over the next 4 years on highway and transportation projects in our Nation. Though this is an improvement on the current pathetically weak investment in roads and bridges, this is not nearly enough to adequately address America's broken infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, the American Society of Civil Engineers gives the United States infrastructure a D grade and predicts that an additional $3.6 trillion investment will be needed by 2020 just to bring America's infrastructure to a state of good repair. Making a real investment, going beyond the President's proposal, is not only an investment in our Nation, it is also an important investment in our Nation's people. Nation-building right here at home can't be outsourced and could create millions of jobs and dramatically lower the unemployment rate. I urge my colleagues to support large-scale investment in America, supporting American people and American businesses.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, this week of April 27 is our national Days of Remembrance and commemoration of the Holocaust. In communities across the country, we set aside this time to stand in solemn solidarity with millions of Jews worldwide to pledge never again to allow such evil to exist. In Israel, on Holocaust Remembrance Day a siren sounds for 2 minutes. Everybody stops what they are doing and stands silently in a powerful living memorial to those who were lost and a symbol rejecting the worst evil the world has ever known. As survivors perish each year, it becomes more important to internalize the lessons of the Holocaust and recall the 6 million Jews and other innocent victims who perished in the great shame of the 20th century. In western New York we are proud that one of our own, Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, was the chief prosecutor for the United States at the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals. His actions helped to inspire a deep commitment from our community to preserve and honor the story of the Holocaust for future generations.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a respected member of my Western New York community, Dr. Kulwant S. Bhangoo. Dr. Bhangoo is a specialist in plastic and reconstructive surgery and has a practice in Buffalo, New York. He has earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Cambridge and his medical degree from the University of East Africa, where he won the Mulgibhai Madhavani recognition which is awarded to the best student of the year. He completed his surgical training in England before coming to the Mercy Hospital of Buffalo to complete his residency in plastic surgery. He has continued his distinguished academic record in Buffalo, where he has been published on subjects including wound healing and scar tissue and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The history of Western New York is the story of immigrants who have brought their experience, training and drive to enrich our community, and Dr. Bhangoo's story is no different. Yet he has remained engaged with his native India. He travels often to conduct workshops and training for surgeons in India and has been recognized for his good work with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Aesthetic Surgeons of India. Through his hard work and generous spirit Dr. Bhangoo has changed the lives of patients and enriched the careers of surgeons on four continents. We are proud to have him in our community and look forward to many years of his continued service in Western New York.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to welcome Pastor Darius Pridgen to the House of Representatives today from the True Bethel Baptist Church in western New York. Pastor Pridgen is well known and well respected in our community for his passionate and inspiring leadership. We could all benefit from adopting his style of cooperation and uniting people of different beliefs and ideologies. His contributions to our region are many. In addition to being a role model, he works through creative ministry to create jobs, to care for those in need, and to influence good in his church and far beyond. This is most notable by his expansion of True Bethel's reach from east Buffalo into the city of Niagara Falls. Pastor Pridgen is also a family man and encourages strong families. In addition to his ministry, Pastor Pridgen has served our Nation, as he is a veteran of the United States Air Force, and he currently serves as president of the Buffalo City Council. Pastor Pridgen is the embodiment of Buffalo's reputation as the City of Good Neighbors, and I am honored to have him here today to represent our community.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Water Week in order to recognize the critical need for clean water in our Nation. In my western New York community, we understand the link between the health of the Great Lakes and the economic vitality of our region. Studies have shown that nutrients, like phosphorus and nitrogen, are the cause of harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes. In order to fight this, I have introduced the Great Lakes Nutrient Removal Assistance Act, which would provide $500 million in funding to upgrade wastewater treatment plants in the Great Lakes Basin with nutrient removal technology. Madam Speaker, the Great Lakes contain 95 percent of America's freshwater, and they supply drinking water to more than 30 million people in North America. Additionally, the Great Lakes support 1.5 million jobs and $62 billion in wages annually. The protection of the Great Lakes is essential, and I commend local advocates, like the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper and others, who are in Washington, D.C., this week for Water Week, as well as those who work tirelessly to protect our water resources for the well-being of our Nation.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, across the Nation, Social Security offices are experiencing increased backlog, longer wait times, and insufficient staff levels. Despite this, the Social Security Administration has proposed the closing of four New York regional offices, including the Amherst office in my western New York community. Since 2010, 96 field offices have been consolidated into 46 without a uniform closure process. In response, I have introduced H.R. 3997, the Social Security Administration Accountability Act, which brings transparency to the Social Security field office closure process. This legislation requires the Social Security Administration to consult with local officials and the public before deciding to relocate or merge offices. In my own community, after the notice of proposed closure of the Amherst field office, we learned from the Buffalo Fire Department that the new office has insufficient capacity and would be a fire hazard. If this bill were already law, this would have been discovered before a proposed closure was announced. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in protecting our communities from hastily planned and ill-conceived Social Security field office closures.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we learned the details of the Ryan budget, a proposal that would have devastating impacts on my western New York community. For seniors, the Ryan budget would put Medicare on the road to privatization, handing older Americans a voucher and forcing them to fend for themselves to find quality health care. This budget slashes Pell grants that provide young people the opportunity for a college education; ends AmeriCorps, a program filling a critical need in urban schools and neighborhoods; and eliminates all support for the National Endowment for the Arts. The Ryan budget would gut domestic priorities such as infrastructure, education, and medical research, cutting nation-building here by $791 billion in less than a decade. A budget is the clearest message of a nation's values. The Ryan budget abandons seniors, students, patients awaiting medical breakthroughs, and struggling families. This is not who we are as a nation.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize March as National Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month. Myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow that can have a variety of effects on the body, ranging from bone pain to organ failure. The National Cancer Institute estimates that over 22,000 new cases will be diagnosed and 11,000 deaths will occur due to myeloma this year. While myeloma is not curable, it is treatable. I thank my colleagues, Congressman Bachus and Congressman Rangel, for drafting a resolution to establish March as National Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month and the International Myeloma Foundation for raising awareness of the disease year-round. Additionally, as Congress begins to develop a budget, I encourage strong support for medical research, increasing funding to the National Institutes of Health to $32 billion. Finally, I urge the House leadership to bring the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act to the floor, a bill I introduced to make sure that patients with myeloma and other cancers who are prescribed oral chemotherapy by their doctors will have the insurance coverage they need to treat their illness and to get healthy.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate Joseph Carubba, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Carubba Collision, as he receives the prestigious Anthony M. Castiglia Achievement Award from the Italian American Leadership Council of Western New York. As we come together in celebration of St. Joseph's Day, we also celebrate the remarkable contributions Joe has made to our region, through his esteemed business and generous philanthropic efforts. Joe began his career in the automobile industry in the 1970s, as a part-time employee at his father Anthony Carubba's company. Still a high school student at Williamsville North, Joe learned how to clean cars and sweep floors under his father's tutelage. After completing his education at Oklahoma A&M and Syracuse University, Joe joined his father's company full-time in 1981. In 1990, Joe's father passed away, and Joe was given the full responsibility of managing the business. At that time, Carubba Collision was a small shop of 5,500 square feet with only 12 employees. Under Joe's direction, Carubba expanded to four offices, a dealer satellite office, and six production facilities, occupying almost 80,000 square feet. The company now employs 130 people and has increased its profitability to 20 times that of its numbers in the 1980s. Today, Carubba Collision is widely known for its commitment to excellence and customer service. Autochex has awarded Carubba its ``Best in Service'' award a total of five times, and in 2013, Body Shop Business magazine named Joe Carubba their ``Executive of the Year.'' The company's dedication to its customers mirrors Joe's commendable civic involvement. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Better Business Bureau, the YMCA Leadership Club, and the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers, among others. Joe has generously supported countless organizations, including the Make A Wish Foundation, Cradle Beach, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Women & Children's Hospital, the Parkinson's Foundation, SUNY at Buffalo, Mercy Flight, the Food Bank of Western New York, and the Buffalo Niagara Victory Scholarship Awards. Perhaps most famously, Carubba Collision has partnered with the Buffalo Sabres to create the Carubba Collision of the Game, a beloved institution among Sabres fans. A proud family man who grew up in a close-knit Italian-American family, Joe enjoys spending his spare time with his daughters Jackie and Andrea, and his three grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I recognize Joe Carubba, a civic-minded business owner who exemplifies the American values of hard work and good will. Joe built a business both by and for the local community, and in doing so, turned what was once a small body shop into one of the region's leaders in automobile repair. I congratulate him as he receives the Anthony M. Castiglia Achievement Award from Italian American Leadership Council of Western New York, and wish him the absolute best in all his future endeavors.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the passing of Ralph Wilson. Wilson is best known in my western New York community as the founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills for a remarkable 55-year tenure. He was a savvy businessman and true lover of the game of football. I remember Mr. Wilson calling me to his office to discuss his concerns about the new NFL collective bargaining agreement. He believed that agreement was stacked against smaller market teams like Buffalo, and I found him to have a better command of the details than anyone on the subject. He was passionate not only about his beloved Buffalo Bills, but about its place in our community as well. Mr. Wilson's interest in our community did not stop at football. His foundation donated over $11 million in the past two decades, including to the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the community food banks, and the Hospice Foundation of Western New York. Mr. Speaker, we are forever grateful for Mr. Wilson's dedication to western New York and to our Nation as a World War II veteran. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to welcome Gil Kerlikowske, recently confirmed as Commissioner of the United States Customs and Border Protection. I am pleased to welcome a Commissioner who has an understanding of the needs of the northern border, as he previously served as police commissioner for the city of Buffalo. His firsthand experience comes at a critical time as we work to advance the United States-Canada Beyond the Border initiative. In western New York, this cross-border relationship is especially critical to the local economy. I worked with Customs and Border Protection in the past to advocate for increased border staffing levels along the border. At the Peace Bridge, there is also a pre-inspection pilot currently underway that hopes to ease congestion and shorten wait times. In the coming year, we hope to continue moving forward on plans to construct a new border station at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Base. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Commissioner Kerlikowske. I look forward to working closely with him and his staff on issues important to the Buffalo-Niagara region and the entire Nation.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Shirley Kenneth Quick, who regrettably passed away on March 9, 2014. A lifelong resident of Western New York, Mr. Quick was the husband of the late Catherine Mack, and was a beloved father to his son Kevin, daughter Karen, and their respective spouses Carol and Bill. A grandfather of six, Mr. Quick is also survived by a brother and a sister. Through my association with others who knew him well, the word I consistently hear in description of him is ``gentleman.'' A loving and devoted husband and father, good mechanically with his hands and patient and kind with his words, Mr. Quick was a stalwart resident of neighborhoods in the Black Rock/Riverside neighborhoods of Buffalo and, in his later years, in the town of Hamburg. Though I did not have the fortune of knowing Mr. Quick well, I am very well acquainted with his son and daughter in law, Kevin and Carol Quick of the town of Tonawanda. Kevin and Carol were devoted children to Mr. Quick and this loss must surely hit them, and their entire family, very hard. I am honored, Mr. Speaker, to have this opportunity to celebrate Mr. Quick's life with you and with our colleagues in the House, and to wish the Quick family Godspeed as they begin this new chapter in their respective lives, confident in the understanding and knowledge of the love and support of their late patriarch. May he rest in peace.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station is one of western New York's most critical resources. It is not only an asset to our region's economy, but also to our Nation's security. Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station employs over 3,500 western New Yorkers and has an economic impact of more than $200 million annually. I am proud to be a part of a large group of community stakeholders who are deeply invested in the successful future of the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. Last year, Customs and Border Protection selected the base as their top choice for construction of a new border patrol station. Mr. Speaker, I am committed to help see this proposal through, in addition to others that will ensure that the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station remains a fixture in our community for many years to come.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Frank & Teressa's Anchor Bar and the 50th anniversary of their signature dish, the chicken wing. The Anchor Bar is an establishment that is deeply ingrained in the fabric of Buffalo, New York; its story exhibits resilience and ambition that define the city in which it stands as well as the people who live in it. This Thursday, March 6, is a date which signifies the 50th anniversary of the chicken wing and its legacy, which transformed the landscape of American cuisine, and made Buffalo, New York synonymous with a finger food that has left its lasting impression on the culinary industry. Frank Bellissimo was born in Montemaggiore Belsito, a little town in the province of Sicily, Italy. His parents immigrated to the U.S. when he was just four years old. At the age of 14 during a night out in downtown Buffalo, Frank fell in love with the ambiance and persona of the city. He vowed to one day be a part of it. Frank met his wife Teressa while he was a butcher. Teressa, the daughter of Sicilian immigrants as well, was born in Buffalo. The two became married in 1934 and discovered their shared love of cooking. After accumulating a few hundred dollars, the two decided to open a restaurant and in 1935, rented a place on Canal Street at the foot of Main Street in downtown Buffalo. Teressa noticed how the sailors docking their boats in the adjacent Buffalo River would drop their anchors into the water. Henceforth, the Anchor Bar was given its emblematic name. The bar quickly grew in popularity, forcing Frank and Teressa to move to 1047 Main Street--the address at which the bar is located to this day. Not long after that, the dish that would revolutionize pub food was created. Frank and Teressa's son Dominic was tending bar at his family's restaurant on a late Friday night in March 1964. Some friends stopped by to pay him a visit and have a few drinks. Before long, they asked Dominic for something to eat, though they yearned for something out of the ordinary--something they could eat with their fingers while retaining the ability to drink and converse. Dominic went to his mother Teressa for help. She had recently received a large shipment of wings that were ``too meaty'' to be used in the stockpot for soup. Remembering those wings, she decided to deep fry them, toss them in a spicy red sauce recipe and serve them with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing. At 12:10 a.m. on Saturday, March 6, 1964, the chicken wing was invented in Buffalo, New York. Though Dominic and his friends were skeptical, the chicken wings became an instant hit, and the rest is history. Before long, word spread across the city, state, and the country. Today, Anchor Bar serves up more than 70,000 pounds of chicken per month, and its bottled wing sauce retails in over 5,000 supermarkets worldwide. Consumers can even purchase Anchor Bar's famous wings online and have them shipped anywhere in America. Countless celebrities have graced the bar's Main Street location to experience the sensation for themselves. In 2003, Anchor Bar was presented with the prestigious James Beard Foundation award, given to restaurants ``that have timeless appeal, beloved for their quality food that reflect the history and character of their community.'' In 2014, the Anchor Bar has franchised that timeless appeal and is proudly serving their famed wings at locations in the Buffalo International Airport, Darien Lake Amusement Park, Hamilton, Ontario, and will soon be serving them on the West Coast at a location in Temecula, California. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to honor the 50th anniversary of the chicken wing. In doing so, I recognize a restaurant that stands as a testament to the American Dream. The children of Italian immigrants, Frank and Teressa Bellissimo took the creativity and resourcefulness of Italian cuisine and combined it with American values of innovation and ingenuity. What was produced was not only a business that has profited for over 65 years and remains a family owned and operated enterprise, but also a symbol that the American Dream, still stands proud today.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, in a recent nationwide realignment, the Transportation Security Administration made the decision to consolidate all administrative functions for its upstate region at the Albany Airport. I believe this decision was misguided and illogical. In all of the other proposed consolidations around the country, smaller airports are being made subordinate to larger airports; but in this case, inexplicably, the TSA proposes to make the Buffalo/Niagara Falls International Airport subordinate to Albany, despite the fact that Buffalo's airport has twice the passenger volume as Albany. Furthermore, nearly 40 percent of passengers flying out of Buffalo are Canadians and other foreign nationals, which would seem to necessitate a more complex TSA operation. Mr. Speaker, TSA's rollout of this proposed change has been full of inconsistencies and contradictions, and that is why I have asked TSA to reconsider this flawed decision and consolidate operations where it makes sense, in Buffalo.

Mr. HIGGINS

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor my good friend and colleague James J. Casion as he retires from an impressive and fulfilling career of service. Jim's body of work unquestionably has improved the lives of those among us in need of special services, especially the mentally and physically disabled. Since 1995, Jim has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Baker Victory Services, an organization that evolved from Father Nelson Baker's extensive social services programs. Today, Baker Victory provides extensive social services including adoption, residential, educational, outpatient, and services for the developmentally disabled. The organization is recognized as a leading institution in the field of behavioral health. Jim's impact on Baker Victory Services and its predecessor organizations is commendable and noteworthy, as he has served in the Associate or Executive capacity since 1980. His comprehensive knowledge of the institution and its many facilities, built throughout his career, provides him with intimate knowledge of the challenges and best practices in his field. Jim's passion for providing care and dignity extends into the classroom. His personal educational background includes an associate's degree in Liberal Arts from Orange County Community College, and three degrees and certificates from the University at Buffalo--a bachelor's degree in psychology, a Master's degree in Counseling, and completed a course of Special Study in Community Mental Health and Rehabilitation Counseling. To share his passion and expertise with students of the field, Jim has taught courses serving as an Adjunct Professor at the Canisius College Graduate School of Education, Trocaire College and Erie Community College. In addition to his work at Baker Victory, Jim has served on countless boards dedicated to improving care in our community and our nation. Some of his past and present appointments and memberships include the Canisius College Graduate School of Education, the Erie County Community Coordinating Council on Children and Families, the Coalition for New York State Children's Mental Health Services, the Child Welfare League of America, Care Management Coalition, Quality Behavioral Health, the National Association for Children's Behavioral Health, the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York, the Trauma Informed Community Initiative, and Dopkins and Company. Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing me to honor my friend Jim Casion and congratulate him upon the occasion of his retirement. His selfless work and compassion is inspiring and I admire his mission to provide all people with quality care so they may lead dignified, fulfilling lives. I am so grateful for his work, and sincerely wish him all the best in his retirement.