Marcy Kaptur

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Nolan) for yielding me the time. Talk about working hard, you are here at 9 o'clock in Washington and the day started very early. I thank the gentleman for being here and defending the Great Lakes. I support his amendment. I personally represent about 200 miles of Lake Erie's coast, the shallowest and most abundant of the Great Lakes. We know what zebra mussels are and quagga mussels. We also know about aquatic plants like phragmites that are just invading and causing all kinds of problems along our shores. The Aquatic Nuisance Species Research Program works on other species in other parts of the country, so I thank the gentleman for being a champion of the Great Lakes and a champion of so many important causes. We know that in our Great Lakes we have about a $6 billion fishery that we are trying to protect, but these quagga and zebra mussels are spreading rapidly. The gentleman is right. It is just an explosion. There is no other way to explain it. They came in in ballast water. We tried to adopt ballast water regulations so it has to be dumped when it is further up the Saint Lawrence Seaway before those ships come down. It didn't happen, so now we have this to contend with. We are trying to keep these invasive species out of our lakes. We are threatened by the Asian carp. We are trying to fish those out temporarily while we try to find a more genetically impactful solution. I want to thank the gentleman for transferring $1 million from the Corps' operation and maintenance account to increase the Corps' Aquatic Nuisance Species Research Program. I commend the gentleman for that and thank him for working so late into the night. Your constituents are lucky Congressman Nolan is here.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, essentially, the LaMalfa amendment would prohibit funds from being used to enforce the criteria for abandoned prior converted cropland. Currently, if land categorized as prior converted cropland has not been used for agricultural purposes for 5 consecutive years, if the owner of that land wanted to fill or dredge it, they would need to get a section 404 permit from the Corps, and those are generally wetlands. So this amendment would basically create a ``once exempted from having to get a Section 404 permit, always exempted'' standard, overturning 35 years of Federal policy. The amendment makes a significant change to the Clean Water Act regulations, one that deserves thoughtful consideration. Under current law and regulation, activities that convert wetlands that occur as a part of existing ongoing farming, ranching, and silviculture activities do not require section 404 wetlands permits. Let me repeat that for my colleagues. The Clean Water Act explicitly exempts certain activities from regulation, including normal agricultural activities like plowing fields, planting and harvesting crops, and maintaining irrigation and drainage ditches. The gentleman from California wants to go further than the exemptions already in the law and in the underlying bill. In his view, wetlands should be able to be filled, even when prior converted farmland has had no action or indication of actual agricultural use for 5 consecutive years; that is, there has been no cropping, no management, no maintenance activities related to agricultural production. I say to my dear colleague from California, it is hard to understand how prior cropland wouldn't be abandoned if none of the activities of farming are performed there for 5 consecutive years. I would also like to point out that this specific regulation has been on the books for 35 years; yet this amendment would overturn at least 35 years of policy to create a ``once exempted, always exempted'' standard for any land that was ever used as farmland. Now, let me tell you, additionally, why this concerns me. According to the Ohio--my home State--Environmental Protection Agency, since the late 18th century, 90 percent of Ohio's wetland resources have been destroyed or degraded through draining, filling, or other modification. Because of the valuable functions the remaining wetlands perform, including filtration to adjoining lakes and streams, it is imperative to ensure that all impacts to wetlands are properly mitigated. Wetlands help filter impurities from water. Sediment settles out the runoff, and contaminants bind to plant surfaces in wetlands, resulting in improved water quality. Wetlands perform other valuable functions, including reducing flood flow and shoreline erosion control. In Ohio, we also depend upon our wetlands as a haven for rare and endangered plants, and one-third of all the endangered species depend on wetlands for survival; and many wetlands are important fish spawning and nursery areas, as well as nesting, resting, and feeding areas for waterfowl. So we should make certain that any changes we make to wetlands policy that may result in the destruction of these important ecological areas are evaluated carefully and that we not overturn decades-old policy lightly. It is for these reasons that I must respectfully oppose the amendment, and I urge my colleagues to do so as well. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chair, I have to oppose my good friend Mr. Gohmert on this amendment. The gentleman actually wants to prohibit funds from being used to implement any activities regarding the social costs of carbon. And this amendment tells the Department of Energy to ignore the latest meteorological data and changes dealing with weather science. And the amendment denies that carbon pollution is harmful. According to this amendment, the cost of carbon pollution is zero. I remember my first trip to New York City after I graduated from college. Thank goodness it has changed. I had a pink blouse on. By the time I finished the first afternoon, it was so full of gray spots I hardly recognized it. And I didn't know what it was. Well, it was carbon. It was fallout from the chimneys and so forth in New York City. So we know that carbon has impacts. This amendment is tantamount to saying that weather changes and climate change have no cost and no one will get hurt. Well, that simply isn't true. Tell that to citizens in Puerto Rico who lost businesses, homes, and loved ones after Hurricane Maria, that there is no cost from weather changes. Last year's devastating hurricane season resulted in Puerto Ricans still without power 9 months later, almost 5,000 lives lost, and almost 200,000 people displaced from their homes. House Republicans can vote for this amendment, they can try to block the Department of Energy from recognizing the damage caused by climate changes, but they can't overturn the laws of nature. I am amazed in my part of the country how much water is coming down now, spring rains at such fierce levels. The way they come, it is very different from when I was first growing up there. So, in the National Climate Assessment, our Nation's leading climate scientists reiterated what we have known for years: Climate change is real, evidenced by the climate-related indicators we have observed, including longer seasons, extreme droughts, and sea level rise. The amendment tells the Department to ignore these scientific findings. That is irresponsible and a blatant disregard to the well- being and security of our great Nation, not just now but into the future. The truth is that unchecked climate change would have catastrophic impacts here in the United States and across the globe. They are already starting. Those who are less fortunate will face the heaviest impact. I remember going down to New Orleans and seeing the Ninth Ward. The poorest people in New Orleans lived in the Ninth Ward, and it was the most dangerous place to live. While claiming that climate change has no cost, House Republicans and the Trump administration seem to be arguing that they are the champions of the working class, decrying the critical EPA safeguards and their alleged impacts on working-class Americans and their access to healthcare. It is amazing to look at maps of where trees exist. Many times in cities across this country, where the poorest people live there are no trees. And there is a direct relationship between asthma, the lack of oxygen, and trees. So you don't have to pay attention to the science, but it is pretty clear. I think it is outrageous that the opposition party has the nerve to pose as the defenders of working-class Americans because, actually, you have a pretty poor record of defending those who are the poorest, ranging from dropping food stamps, to the GOP tax scam selling out Medicare and Medicaid to pay for corporate tax breaks, to Republican Governors deciding not to approve the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and now trying to get rid of people on insurance who have preexisting conditions, to failing to quickly provide funding resources and the necessary leadership to help the victims of last fall's hurricanes. The evidence is all out there if anybody cares to look. But to hear you tell the story, the only way to protect the health of America's workers and their children is to weaken longstanding public health protections. To say we should allow polluters to pollute more? That is nonsense. More air and water pollution won't make our Nation's citizens any healthier. More toxic pollution certainly isn't the answer. And the answer certainly isn't pretending that climate change won't have real costs to all Americans. I was interested to hear tonight some of our colleagues from New Mexico telling about how very, very dry New Mexico is, with one of the shortest snowfalls in history. So it is time to stop denying the science and accept reality: Climate change is occurring, it is caused by humans, and it is already causing serious damage. We are at the beginning of a new hurricane season, and now is not the time to pretend that extreme weather events, rising seas, and more frequent storms do not have a cost. Before the Trump administration abandoned common sense, the social cost of carbon was a very conservative calculation. The full costs of a rapidly changing climate are almost certainly significantly higher, but the social cost of carbon is a much, much better estimate than assuming the costs are zero. Unfortunately, that is what this amendment would require the government to assume: zero harm and zero cost from carbon pollution and climate change. So I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment. Pretending climate change doesn't exist won't make it go away. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce our bipartisan Resolution condemning Russian transgressions against international law during the upcoming World Cup. I want to thank my counterpart, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen for her work with this important Resolution. Russia will host the 2018 World Cup this June 14 to July 15. And the games have an expected global viewership of 3 billion, granting Russia global prestige, a platform to spread disinformation, and a tourism windfall. All undermine global sanctions. This trivializes Russia's malicious efforts to weaken democracies through disinformation, election meddling and other violent measures. Russia illegally invaded and occupied Ukrainian territories since 2014, resulting in 10,000 deaths. A dark cloud hangs over these games with allegations of corruption associated with the selection of Russia for the World Cup. I call on my colleagues to support this resolution, which would call out Russia's malign behavior, and on FIFA to justify holding the World Cup in a country internationally sanctioned for military aggression. Ideally, sports should be used to unite people for peace, not bankroll corrupt and violent regimes and their oligarch patrons.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, on this Memorial Day weekend, I rise to remember the life of Sister M. Maurice Wodarski, a dedicated servant of the Franciscan Order of Sylvania, Ohio. Of proud Polish/American heritage, she left us for God's grace this past January. Throughout her blessed life, she tended souls so faithfully, generously, and jovially. The sparkle in her eyes revealed a loving heart. And her crisply ironed beige habit with veil alerted you: this was a woman of serious purpose. Sr. Maurice was on a mission and she had no time to waste. Having entered the convent from Nativity Parish in Toledo, OH in 1951, Sister Maurice lived her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as a dedicated woman of faith and service who ministered for over six decades indefatigably to the young, young at heart, the home bound, those in nursing homes, and veterans. For 35 years she taught the young minds of students in Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Maryland. She took great pride in teaching math, even helping other teachers decorate their bulletin boards, and instructing altar boys on Mass. Sister Maurice had a gift for helping the elderly. After teaching, she began working on the ministry of care for Rosary Hall at St. Vincent Medical Center in Cleveland, OH for the elder Sisters, and then later at the new Franciscan Nursing Care Center in Sylvania, Ohio. She had trained as a home health aide, and went on to care for the elderly individually in their homes for over two decades. She brought joy and compassion. And she worked very hard. A fierce and devoted advocate for veterans, Sister Maurice sought to honor her Korean War Veteran brothers who served in the Marines through her own service. She volunteered at the Toledo Community Veterans Outpatient Clinic, served as Chaplain for the Przybylski Post 642, and was a State Officer of the Ohio Chaplains. She received accolades for her veterans' work and was awarded the Volunteer of the Month in the VA's 2014 newsletter and the St. Agnes Medal from the National Catholic War Veterans Auxiliary. The St. Agnes Medal is the highest national honor a CWVA member can attain. On June 1, 2018, I will attend a tree planting in honor of our late Sister at the Veterans Clinic in Toledo. I could not think of a more appropriate setting, as her memory will live on inspiring and comforting the veterans she cared for and appreciated. Please allow me to share a favorite memory recalling the sunny day when ground was first broken to build the new clinic. Photos were being arranged for those present and we soon realized Sister Maurice was not to be found. Hurriedly, I rushed behind the stage and scaffolding to see if we could locate her and sure enough, I spotted Sister Maurice on her knees planting holy medals in the soil around the perimeter of what was to be the future new Veterans Clinic. That describes Sister Maurice. In her own words, ``I've always had a big heart for the veterans, watching them come home crippled and with health problems. I am happy that we are able to help them at the VA Clinic.'' I hope the tree will also serve as a reminder of the sacrifices our veterans give that fosters the altruistic support of such remarkable individuals as Sister Maurice. Sister Maurice's work and spirit will live on through her chosen Order-the Sisters of Saint Francis of Sylvania whom she loved. She will be fondly remembered and dearly missed for her dedication to God, service, and fellow men and women. Our country surely owes her a debt of gratitude. The hallmark of a public servant is to leave the world a better place for humanity after you leave it Sister Maurice Wodarski fulfilled her mission. May God bless her and keep her in celestial comfort and joy.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the life of Pastor Isiah J. Johnson; senior pastor and founder of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church, who, through his ministry, brought hundreds to Christ, was one of the longest tenured Pastors in the United States, and served as a valued member of the Toledo community. Pastor Johnson was born to Mary and Levi Johnson in Troy, Alabama. He was one of eleven siblings. He was a graduate of Academy High School in Troy and Easonian Baptist Seminary in Birmingham. His call to ministry came to him from youth experiences at church where his father was a deacon and he looked forward to Sunday services, especially listening to the preacher at his family's church. His family tells us that at the age of only 12, he felt the spirit had called him while playing church with some friends. After that moment, he would preach ``to the corn stalks and any siblings who listened to him.'' After being ordained at the age of 19, he served as a pastor of four churches in Alabama before settling in Toledo and founding St. Mark's in 1955. Pastor Johnson met the love of his life, Betty Rae Johnson in Toledo and they were married on August 26, 1958. Pastor Johnson served the Toledo community for many years on various committees and boards. He is the past Chairman of the Civic Committee (Pastor's Conference--Toledo), President of the Baptist Ministerial Alliance, TARTA Board member, founder of the Fairside Community Center, Mental Health Board of Toledo member, and a member of the Evangelist Board of the National Baptist Convention. Pastor Johnson was recognized by Mayor Ford of Tuskegee, Alabama on July 20, 1994, who sponsored a resolution that instituted July 20th as Rev. I.J. Johnson Day in Tuskegee. He was further recognized by the Mayor and City Council of Toledo on June 3, 2008 where Detroit Avenue from Fernwood Avenue to Dorr Street was dedicated as Rev. I.J. Johnson Way. He is survived by his wife of 48 years; daughters Annie Wright, Denisee Gaston and Angela Taylor; sons, Jim, Eric, Izear, the Rev. Michael, and the Rev. Curley Johnson; brother, Alonzo Johnson; 28 grandchildren and 39 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by daughters Mary Stokes and Darlene Baker. Pastor Johnson will be remembered admirably by the many people he ministered to, his fellow church and community members, and his family and friends. We offer them our prayers and hope that they find comfort in the wonderful memories of what Pastor Johnson had meant to each of the people who shared in his life. Mentor and friend to many, his charismatic leadership will be cherished.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, President Trump promised to drain the swamp, but the Financial Times reports his pay-to-play scheme catering to Chinese investors sure looks like he is in the swamp. Vox reports this week President Trump has a direct financial interest in a major real estate development project essentially underwritten by a state-owned Chinese bank in Indonesia called Lido City and secured a $500 million loan from the Metallurgical Corporation of China, billing it as Asia's first Trump community, featuring a resort golf course, condominiums, and private villas. According to the Financial Times, the President and the Republican Party are soon to host a $150,000-a-plate dinner in Dallas, where a Chinese-owned bank is now encouraging its top investors to attend so they can get face time with the President and key members of his team at $150,000 a plate. Meanwhile, the American workers still don't know what is in President Trump's trade deal to increase Chinese purchases of American goods, but we do know we need a guard dog to protect American economic and security interests from the President's apparent conflict of interest on his personal dealings, not in the national interest.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I thank my fellow Great Lakes Member, Representative Schneider, for yielding the time. I also want to thank the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Lowey, for offering this amendment. I rise in support of this effort to help communities that are left with radioactive waste after the closure of a nuclear power plant. The Great Lakes region, I might point out, has no energy umbrella like the Bureau of Reclamation for the 17 Western States, or for portions of the South, the Tennessee Valley Authority, that can help communities readjust on a large scale for energy disruptions or changes. In my district of northern Ohio, the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station is scheduled to be shuttered. We are not waving the white flag just yet, but this community and its people need the tools to cope with the aftermath, should the worst happen. When nuclear power plants close, the impact on local economies, due to the loss of jobs and tax revenue, will be severe. For years, the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station has provided 700 good jobs and generated $20 million a year in tax revenue for a rural county, called Ottawa County, in which $12.1 million each year goes to its school district. That 900-megawatt power plant does more than produce power. It builds community. This major financial support could disappear and leave the community and that entire county struggling to support schools, law enforcement, and roads. Therefore, I strongly support this amendment to help these communities adjust, as necessary, to access Federal resources and make a plan for economic revitalization. I thank Congressman Schneider for offering this commonsense amendment, one that is so vitally necessary, especially across the Great Lakes region, which is so often neglected. I also want to thank Chairman Shimkus and Ranking Member Tonko for their leadership and urge my colleagues to support it.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor northwest Ohio's own Rogers High School women's basketball team on their monumental achievement of winning the Division II State Championship. This breaks a nearly 37- year drought in women's basketball State titles for the city of Toledo. The joy of their victory is shared by everyone in Toledo: the students, coaches, families, friends, teachers, and loved ones. The city even honored the Rams with a ceremony at Promenade Park. Well deserved, Rams. Each member of this team has now chiseled their name into the history books. What a great start for this young generation of future leaders, the players who worked so hard for this. Go Rams. You have made Toledo proud, as you set your sights on excellence. I include in the Record an article written for the Toledo Blade titled, ``Toledo Celebrates Rogers Girls Basketball State Champions.'' Thank you, Rams. [From the Toledo Blade, Apr. 21, 2018] Toledo Celebrates Rogers Girls Basketball State Champions (By Lauren Lindstrom) The whooping cheers, celebratory signs, and ample crowd Saturday made one thing clear: Toledo loves its championship- winning Lady Rams. Rogers High School girls basketball players were feted with a parade through the streets of downtown Toledo and a rally at Promenade Park, where they basked in the admiration of their ardent and vocal fans. The team won the Division II state championship game March 17 in Columbus with a 51-37 victory against Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio. First-team all-state guard Zia Cooke scored 33 points, sealing the first girls basketball state title for a Toledo team since 1981. ``I want to thank you for all of the Toledo support,'' said Miss Cooke, a junior point guard who also thanked her coaches, teammates, and parents. ``Toledo may be a small city, but our fan base is bigger than most. Man, it's a blessing to be a state champion in 2018.'' Miss Cooke teared up when talking about her grandmother, who died late in the team's season. ``She was my drive to do better, and she still is my drive to be a better person in life,'' she said. ``I made this promise to her, and I kept it.'' Rogers head coach Lamar Smith reveled in his team's underdog status. ``They said we couldn't bring this home, we've been hearing it: Rogers is done, Toledo can't win a state championship,'' he said. ``Well, we proved them wrong. I'm very proud of these ladies.'' Those who spoke Saturday highlighted not only the players' athletic successes but also their status as role models for younger students. ``It's important as a city that we celebrate our successes; that we have pride in Toledo, pride in TPS, pride in where we come from,'' said Toledo Public Schools Superintendent Romules Durant. He lauded the girls' success on the court and in the classroom. ``Our ladies represent what Toledo is all about,'' he said. ``The minute they begin to think they can count us out we continue to keep fighting . . . these are our leaders today, our leaders tomorrow, and more importantly [they're] leading the city of Toledo as we move to the future.'' Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz presented the team with a key to the city and congratulated the players and coaches. ``For an occasion this historic and a moment this important, we're going to go to the big guns,'' he said as he presented the key. ``Post it with pride and--no pressure-- let's do this again next year.'' Members from the 1981 Libbey High School team were on hand to celebrate the next generation of champions. ``They are going to have a lifetime of memories,'' said Ann Strong, a center forward and class of 1981. ``We still talk after 37 years about our state championship win. They have a lot to look forward to and talk about for years to come. It's a great feeling.''

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the majority in this House has just exacted a great injustice. The unwarranted, unjust, forced resignation of a sworn officer of this United States House, the House Chaplain, Patrick Conroy, is a complete, complete violation of justice. It is also a complete violation of the rules of this House and the 229-year precedents of this House. As well, Speaker Paul Ryan's unilateral decision to remove the House Chaplain, who is elected by the entire membership of this House, is simply wrong. The Chaplain deserves just and fair treatment by every Member of this body that would attend to any Member who is subjected to such treatment or any citizen in our country who appears before the law. Every life in our Nation should matter.

Ms. KAPTUR. And the lives and reputations of the officers of this House should matter. Our heads should hang low today----

Ms. KAPTUR. * * *

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, Father Conroy has served this institute honorably for the past seven years. He is only one of two Roman Catholic clerics ever to have served as pastor for the U.S. House of Representatives since the founding of our Republic 229 years ago, of 60 who have served. As an elected officer of this House, the Chaplain serves as its spiritual leader, abiding the heavy weight that the Chaplain bears for hundreds of Members, their families, hundreds more staff members, visitors and others who seek guidance and help. From what is trickling out in the media, this political crucifixion of Father Conway was executed following a visit from Speaker Paul Ryan's Chief of Staff in which Fr. Conway's resignation was demanded. Fr. Conroy complied. He transmitted a letter of resignation under coercion on April 15. On April 16, under cover of convoluted parliamentary procedure, with the vast membership of this institution unnoticed and unaware, Speaker Ryan requested ascension from the entire body. But who in this House even knew procedurally what was occurring? There was no notice. There was no prior House official proceeding to hear this matter. There was no one to object as no Member other than the Speaker and his inner circle knew what the Speaker was demanding. In such an important matter of a human being's life and reputation, what happened to our House Rules? What happened to regular order? This forced resignation is without cause. It is unprecedented. It is wrong. It is simply a unilateral decision and abuse of power by the Speaker who himself will soon leave Congress. He should hang his head. The Speaker solely delivered an honorable man up for political crucifixion without hearing or trial. Justice in such a consequential action demands the full attention and engagement of this entire House. It is not the prerogative of a single individual, no matter how powerful that individual may feel he is. The Speaker's action is a violation of the fundamental Rules of this House. It cannot stand the light of scrutiny. This consequential decision about a human being's life was summarily imposed with no justice, no consultation, and importantly a complete abdication of our House Rules and Constitutional precedents. It must be overturned. Justice and regular order must return to this House. According to the Pew Research Center, Religious `nones' are underrepresented in Congress compared with U.S. adults overall: Christian: 485 members, 90.7 percent of Congress, 71 percent of U.S. adults [(Protestant: 299, 55.9 percent, 48 percent; Baptist: 72, 13.5 percent, 15 percent; Methodist: 44, 8.2 percent, 5 percent; Anglican/Episcopal: 35, 6.5 percent, 1 percent; Presbyterian: 35, 6.5 percent, 2 percent; Lutheran: 26, 4.9 percent, 4 percent; Congregationalist: 5, 0.9 percent, 1 percent; Non-denomational Protestant: 8, 1.5 percent, 6 percent; Pentecostal: 2, 0.4 percent, 5 percent; Restorationist: 2, 0.4 percent, 2 percent; Adventist: 2, 0.4 percent, 1 percent; Christian Scientist: 2, 0.4 percent, <1 percent; Holiness: 1, 0.2 percent, 1 percent; Reformed: 1, 0.2 percent, <1 percent; Anabaptist: 0, 0 percent, <1 percent; Friends/Quakers: 0, 0 percent, <1 percent; Pietist: 0, 0 percent, <1 percent; Unspecified/other: 64, 12 percent, 5 percent) (Catholic: 168, 31.4 percent, 21 percent) (Mormon: 13, 2.4 percent, 2 percent) (Orthodoz Christian: 5, 0.9 percent, <1 percent)]; Jewish: 30, 5.6 percent, 2 percent; Buddhist: 3, 0.6 percent, 1 percent; Muslim: 2, 0.4 percent, 1 percent; Hindu: 3, 0.6 percent, 1 percent; Unitarian Universalist: 1, 0.2 percent, <1 percent; Unaffiliated: 1, 0.2 percent, 23 percent; Other faiths: 0, 0 percent, 2 percent; Don't Know/refused: 10, 1.9 percent, 1 percent. For more information: ``Faith on the Hill, the religious composition of the 115th Congress,'' <http:// www.pewforum.org/2017/01/03/faith-on-the-hill-115/>.''

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize an important milestone in the life of one of the communities in my district. Sandusky Ohio celebrates it's bicentennial in the coming days, highlighted by a ball on Saturday April 28, 2018. Founded two hundred years ago in 1818, Sandusky was developed near the town of Portland, which it soon overtook. According to history, part of the city was built on ``land formerly occupied by a Native American man named Ogontz. Thus, the city is said to have been built upon `Ogontz' place.' '' The name ``Sandusky'' was taken from the Native American Wyandot word for ``water.'' In fact, Sandusky sits on the Western Basin of Lake Erie. As a result of its location on the Lake, Sandusky's population grew quickly. It was one of Ohio's first major ports and was ``an original terminus for the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad. Chartered by the state legislature in 1832 and envisioned to run between Sandusky and Dayton to the southwest, the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad was the first rail line located entirely in Ohio'' when Sandusky was the site of its ground breaking on September 17, 1835. The State of Ohio established Erie County in 1838 and set Sandusky as the county seat. Charles Dickens, who visited Sandusky in 1842, wrote this about the city in his travelogue American Notes: ``At two o'clock we took the railroad; the travelling-on which was very slow, its construction being indifferent, and the ground wet and marshy; and arrived at Sandusky in time to dine that evening. We put up at a comfortable little hotel on the brink of Lake Erie, lay there that night, and had no choice but to wait there next day, until a steamboat bound for Buffalo appeared. The town, which was sluggish and uninteresting enough, was something like the back of an English watering-place out of the season.'' However, the town soon grew and by 1846 Sandusky had become an economic hub, with its port and two railroads. According to the history, about three thousand people lived in Sandusky and were served by ``numerous stores, two printing offices, two machine shops, two banks, six churches, one high school, and several iron furnaces.'' The city's downtown was laid out similar to the pattern in our nation's Capital. Sandusky was a critical stop on the Underground Railroad. Many fugitive slaves who sought freedom in Canada boarded a boat in Sandusky to cross Lake Erie into Ontario. They were assisted in their journeys by a strong network of residents. The history notes that by 1880, ``Sandusky's population had reached almost sixteen thousand residents. This much larger population resulted in an increasing number of social institutions, including twenty churches and three newspapers. The community also became more economically diverse, with at least twenty-nine businesses with ten or more employees. Among the items that Sandusky businesses produced were lime, railroad locomotives and cars, carriages, wheels, crayons, chalk, beer, paper, baskets, and tools. In 1886, residents boasted that they were the leading manufacturers of wooden wheels in the United States. That same year, Sandusky was home to the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home and the Ohio State Fish Hatchery.'' Sandusky continued to grow and develop through the Twentieth Century. Today, Sandusky is known for its tourism: its beaches, boating and fishing, parkland and Cedar Point. It is home for higher education for adults of all ages at the Firelands Campus of Bowling Green State University, a thriving arts community and the MerryGoRound Museum, the active Sanduky Chapter of the NAACP, historic religious institutions and many thriving businesses. The. Ohio Veterans Home--one of only two in the state--continues to serve veterans. Its nearly 30,000 residents are members of a town that proudly celebrates its history while looking toward its future.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life of a remarkable woman. Mary Gregory passed from this life on April 2, 2018. Her friends and family will gather this week to remember and honor her. Mary Gregory was born to Louise and Richard Booker in Marion Indiana in 1930. Though they lived in town, the family owned a farm and Mary participated in its daily operation. She regularly attended the Methodist Church. Surely, Mary's faith and discipline were instilled at an early age. Some of her family left for work in Toledo and eventually the rest of the family, including Mary, joined them. Her mother established a beauty salon, one of the first African American owned salons in Toledo. After graduating from Libbey High School, Mary was at first unable to pursue a nursing degree as she had chosen, because no nursing schools would admit an African American. In 1947 she was admitted into the St. Vincent School of Nursing and was the first African American to do so. She graduated in 1951, married Raymond Gregory, and together they raised a family of four children. Mary continued her education, completing her Masters of Education, Community Health and Administration Degree from the University of Toledo. She went on to a 47 year career at St. Vincent Hospital. Mary Gregory's tenure at St. Vincent's was writ large. Beginning in the Emergency Room, she later was an operating room staff nurse. Then Mary really established herself. She instructed and trained students as surgical technicians for twenty years. During this time she developed a ``patient centered'' curriculum and initiated a two year Surgical Tech training program. The program was so successful it was transferred to Lawrence Tech so that it could grow and was replicated in other places. Mary also supervised the St. Vincent Sickle Cell Free Testing and Education Program provided to Toledo's African American community. She even wrote the grants to fund this service. It was through her position as Manager of Health Promotions that Mary Gregory indelibly stamped her imprimatur on St. Vincent and the Toledo community. She developed free community health screenings and education, going out into the neighborhoods, migrant camps, and other underserved areas. She met the people where they were, at community events, shopping centers and health fairs. She talked to all people, especially those whose health and well-being were disproportionately addressed. Mary Gregory became the face of health promotion for many and fought to eliminate disparities in health care availability and accessibility. At the same time her career progressed at St. Vincent Hospital, Mary Gregory served our community in many ways, committed to community health. She was a member of the Toledo-Lucas County Board of Health, the Toledo HIV-AIDS Task Force, and the Ohio Commission on Minority Health. Mary was a co-founder of the Toledo Council of Black Nurses, serving as its first president. Additionally, Mary started a caregiver service at Warren AME Church, implemented health screenings at Toledo Public Schools, worked through the organizations of which she was a member to provide cancer, diabetes, and heart disease screenings, lupus support services, and smoking cessation help as part of April's Minority Health Month, and she was an Ambassador for the American Heart Association. Mary Gregory used her time and talents for the benefit of others. Through her efforts our community was compassionate, and our most vulnerable neighbors were ministered to in many ways. She lived Christ's message of Love. Surely at her homegoing, she was greeted as in Matthew 25:23, ``Well done, thou good and faithful servant.'' To Mary Gregory's family and friends, we offer our condolences. We hope they find comfort in shared memories and the gift of her life.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an achievement few American companies have attained: the 200th anniversary celebration of Libbey, a glass manufacturer in Toledo, Ohio. In fact, the company's legacy gave rise to Toledo's designation as ``the glass capital of the world.'' In 1818, the New England Glass Company was started in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Through successive generations including his father before him, Edward Drummond Libbey became the company's president in 1880. In 1888, the company's 70th year of operation, after studying a location for a move and noting the fine silica sand and natural gas qualities of the region, Mr. Libbey moved the entire plant--along with many of its skilled tradesmen and workers--to Toledo. In 1892, the company was renamed the Libbey Glass Company. The Libbey Glass Company produced bottles, containers, window glass and was best known for its cut glass . Always a visionary, Edward Drummond Libbey obtained the exclusive right to build and operate a glass factory at the 1893 world's fair in Chicago. Michael J. Owens, a skilled blower and inventive wonder who came to the plant as it arrived in Toledo, managed the World's Fair factory. Guests could tour the factory, watching the tradesmen and production of blown, cut and etched glass pieces, and purchase such pieces in a gift shop. The exhibition put the Libbey Glass Company on the world stage so that the company and its products were widely known and valued. The success of the Libbey Glass Company was due in significant part to the inventions of Michael J. Owens. In 1903, he invented an automatic bottling machine, revolutionizing the industry and lauded as the ``most important invention since the blowpipe 2,000 years earlier.'' In 1904, a machine was developed to automatically produce light bulbs. That same year, Libbey Glass Company was featured at the 1904 World's Fair where an amazing 25 inch cut glass punch bowl was showcased. In 1907, machine blown glass was made possible. These inventions enabled Libbey and Owens to go on to found the Owens Bottle Machine Company (later Owens-Illinois) and the Libbey-Owens Sheet Glass Company (later Libbey-Owens-Ford) as the company produced windshields for automobiles. In 1935, Owens-Illinois purchased Libbey Glass. As the 1940 World's Fair in New York approached, Libbey Glass again dazzled the crowds. Michael J. Owens' genius for invention partnered with Edward Drummond Libbey's incredible business acumen made the pair among ``the greatest developers in the 20th century.'' The Libbey Glass Company has been one of the largest glass manufacturers in the United States throughout its 200 years. Even as the original founders passed into history, the company continued remarkable progress. In 1970, a machine was developed to blow and press stemware in one piece, in 1989 the company invented the marbelique glassware process and in 1995, a computer controlled stemware blowing machine. Revolutionary techniques continue to the present day. Through the centuries Libbey has been a strong community partner. The company was responsive as a community leader and foundational investor in the revitalization of the farmers market complex in downtown Toledo, building a signature showroom as an anchor store. Libbey has even been a key partner in our annual Ninth Congressional District Art Competition. Intertwined and indelibly Toledo, Libbey will toast its 200 years with a reception and a performance by the Toledo Symphony Orchestra on Friday, May 4, 2018. The company will share its journey with our community even as it looks toward a bright future. As the oldest brand name and American table and decorative glassware in continued existence, Libbey--and Toledo--have a lasting legacy proudly shared.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an article from the Toledo Blade, dated the 20th of April 2018. In doing so, I want to recognize the conservation work of the Sisters of St. Francis in Sylvania, Ohio and Sister M. Jeremias Stinson. As the superintendent of Environmental Stewardship, Gardens, Shrines and Woodland Management, in Sylvania, Sister Jeremias has committed her life to protecting over 250 native species of trees under her care. With Earth Day being this past Sunday, and a few weeks away from Arbor Day, we as a Nation need to recognize the part we take in our environment. As said by Sister Jeremias, ``To care for all creation, we have to balance the forces of creation. You have to make wise decisions.'' [From the Blade, Apr. 20, 2018] Nun Oversees Conservation of Saint Francis' Wooded Grounds in Sylvania (By Nicki Gorny) It's a bright spring afternoon at the motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Francis in Sylvania, and Sister M. Jeremias Stinson is zipping around the grounds on a John Deere Gator, navigating stick-strewn paths through the woods as adeptly as the manicured lawns between buildings. ``We're going to fly,'' the 74-year-old nun tells a reporter beside her at one point, fully committed to showing off the full scope of the grounds within a time-crunched tour. The tour, arranged just a few weeks before Arbor Day, celebrated in Ohio on the last Friday in April, covered just a sampling of the more than 5,000 mature trees that shade the grounds. As Sister Jeremias drove, she rattled off the names of species that stand tall in wooded areas and in deliberate clusters, like an arboretum between buildings just north of the Franciscan Center. There are oaks, firs, and pines--250 native species in all to keep straight. Sister Jeremias, superintendent of the environmental stewardship, gardens, shrines, arid woodland management, has mapped and documented them all. The motherhouseholds the distinction of having the most diverse number of plant specimens in the region, said Sister Jeremias, who undertook a canopy study of the grounds that began in 2006. The grounds are also recognized as a conservation sanctuary, as approved in 1930 by the Lucas County Conservation District and Ohio Forestry Division. ``They're a great leader in promoting conversation on private lands,'' said Jamie Kochensparger, education and outreach director of Lucas County Soil and Water Conservation District. Her agency is one of several at the county, state, and federal level to interact with Sister Jeremias and the religious community on forestry and conservation-related matters. With the vast majority of land in the United States under private ownership, Mrs. Kochensparger said, conscientious private partners play an important role in this arena. ``They've been great ambassadors for that,'' she said. The distinctions reflect deliberate planning and maintenance on the part of the sisters, who arrived in Sylvania. in 1916. Sister Jeremias sees practicality and spirituality in the number and diversity of trees on the grounds, pointing to their assistance as groundcover and windbreaks as well as their alignment with the values of St. Francis Assisi. ``Francis of Assisi; our founder, was extremely sensitive to all facets of nature,'' she said. ''He respected it in all its forms.'' ``As Franciscans, we are each called--we are all called, but as Franciscans, we have a strong leaning and a strong responsibility--to look and care for all creation.'' Sister Jeremias has overseen the grounds since 1974, when she submitted a proposal to leave her position as a local schoolteacher and ``put full time into the witness to the dignity of manual work and contemplation.'' She started with the renovation of the Portiuncula chapel on the grounds, she said, and went on to maintain and, in many more instances, develop the shrines, paths, and other landscape elements that create to a prayerful environment on the campus. Her work continues and forwards that of her predecessor, whose name came up frequently during her recent tour of the grounds. ``That fir tree over there, the tall one, was planted by Mother Adelaide,'' she said at one point, a variation on a theme that applied to some of the tallest trees on the grounds. Mother Adelaide led the original sisters who established a convent in Sylvania in 1916. While some of the 89 acres they settled on were natively wooded, Sister Jeremias said, much was farmland. Mother Adelaide took it upon herself to obtain and plant trees on the campus to stabilize sandy hills, create windbreaks, and fulfill other practical functions. ``Her footprint is still here,'' Sister Jeremias said. It's there, for example, in a cluster of Norway spruces behind the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. It's also there in a handful of original trees in the arboretum, whose establishment Sister Jeremias credited to Mother Adelaide, even if she's had to since replace many of the original trees that were planted there over the years. This sort of maintenance has been an important part of Sister Jeremias' work on the grounds. She's overseeing several ponderosa pine seedlings in a patch near the Rosary Care Center, which will find permanent homes on the grounds as they grow larger. When the emerald ash borer more dramatically killed off 1,841 trees on the campus in 2006, she replanted an area that she now calls the ``new woods'' on the grounds near Ten Mile Creek. Whenever she removes trees from the grounds, with an eye toward long-term sustainability, she replaces them with new trees that maintain respect to species diversity and the individual site. While all species are native to the region, not all thrive in the same soil or at the same elevation. ``To care for all of creation, we have to balance the forces of creation,'' Sister Jeremias said. ``You have to make wise decisions.'' When Sister Jeremias proposed that she focus solely on grounds work in 1974, Mother Adelaide had died only about 10 years earlier. Sister Jeremias recalled that she began to notice downed trees and other effects of the community having gone without a dedicated grounds presence in these years. It was a role for which the outdoorsy Sister Jeremias, who grew up in Port Clinton, tagging along to work sites with her father, a builder, felt she was well suited--and one that she's been fulfilling faithfully for more than 40 years. ``I followed her footprint,'' she said of Mother Adelaide.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, April 28. While prescription opioids may be a short-term, safe treatment for extreme pain management, misuse and addiction can become a tragic side effect and are extremely common, unfortunately. Ohio is second in our Nation in opioid overdose deaths per capita. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.4 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs in 2015. About half of the people over the age of 12 who misused prescription pain relievers obtained the drugs from a friend or relative. Americans of sound mind and body must do more to reduce this number and mitigate misuse by taking action. Please join your fellow citizens in participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, April 28. Proper disposal of drugs can save lives. Remember that you can go to a collection site any day of the year to deposit unused or extra pills and prescription drugs. Get rid of them. You can find a collection site near you by visiting takebackday.dea.gov. Do your part to prevent accidental poisoning misuse and overdose today. Your vigilance matters.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, for more than 30 years, greedy corporate chieftains, enabled by the Republican Party, have chip, chip, chipped away at workers' rights, decent wages, and secure pension benefits. In fact, they have even moved corporations to penny-wage environments, all in the name of preventing workers from improving their lives here and the lives of their families. Our latest fight is to ensure pension security for retirees who have already paid into their earned benefits. Since 2014, we have fought to protect millions of multi-employer pensioners at risk of insolvency. Pensioners should yield what they were guaranteed. Democrats have proposed solutions to ensure these retirees get a better deal. We have rallied behind the Butch Lewis Act, which has 156 cosponsors, including Republicans. But where is the House Republican leadership? Instead of helping retirees across this Nation with pension security, they forced passage of a $1 trillion tax cut for the rich. This should tell you all you need to know about the Republicans' raw deal. Our 2018 recent funding bill vote secured a Committee on Pension Solvency that is tasked to find a solution by the end of this year. America's retirees shouldn't be let down. They have earned a better deal.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, as certain as March 20 is the first day of spring, today, April 17, at midnight, is the tax filing deadline for 2017 returns. Months after passing the $1.8 trillion deficit-busting tax giveaway, Republicans are still trying to sell their trickle-down tax scam. In fact, Republicans are so desperate to spin the tax scam that a GOP-sanctioned PAC group will spend $1 million on TV ads to convince us of what we know isn't true. The American people aren't buying it. Republicans' huge tax bonanzas to corporations and billionaires is not trickling down to the American people. It is billions of dollars in tax givebacks to major corporations, but 12 cents to the average worker. Instead of stuffing the tax scam with corporate giveaways, we should have closed the carried interest loophole, one of many promises President Trump made during his campaign and then broke. That loophole lets hedge fund managers pay a 20 percent tax on their investment profits instead of the 37 percent individual income tax. The Republican tax plan is pure greed, and we should reverse it at our first opportunity.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, what a privilege it is to be with our colleagues tonight to join together to pay tribute to our friend, Louise McIntosh Slaughter, born in Harlan County, Kentucky, who wrote fresh pages in American history. There ought to be a statue at Seneca Falls that honors her service to America. It was astounding. She became one of only 288 women in American history to be elected to this House of Representatives, and she, as with all women Members who have served as House Members, was vividly aware she was an American pioneer, as only 3 percent of individuals who have ever served here to date have been women. What a marvelous person she was to be with. We had the privilege of serving together for over three decades. Her acuity, her passion, her perseverance, and her sparkling humor and keen mind brought new life and direction to our republic and to every Member here. She was a treasured friend and, yes, dean of the New York delegation. She also became the first woman to ever chair the exclusive Rules Committee, a committee whose unusually round-the-clock schedule required members to work through the night and into the wee hours of the morning, often past midnight, or convening at the crack of dawn. It wasn't an easy job. That committee is a place of grueling endurance, and yet she traversed that brutal track day in and day out without a whimper. How she could remain crisp on subsequent floor debates on hundreds and hundreds of bills and amendments managing thousands of details is a vivid testimony to her mental and physical strength which she devoted to our Nation. She was gracious to a fault. I recall her inviting Members to her Rules Committee office always helping Members to feel at home here. As the eldest woman in the House with 88 years of experience, Louise Slaughter brought wisdom that served America superbly. She was dedicated to the working people of our country and to the rights of women. She never stopped giving. The daughter of a blacksmith who worked in a Kentucky coal mine, she was a tireless advocate for workers in Rochester in places like Kodak or Xerox, and she stood shoulder to shoulder with her community and fought with full soul against bad trade deals that she correctly feared would hollow out her community's jobs and in turn the American middle class. She was right, and she never gave up fighting for them. She coauthored the Violence Against Women Act and fought full bore for equal pay for equal work and stood tall her whole career in our effort to make our Nation more just and equal. Last night, I attended an event at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and one of the women docents took me around. I told her what happened to Louise, and she said: Oh, my goodness. I am from upstate New York. I was her constituent. She gave me a ticket when I was a Girl Scout to come to Washington, and look what I am doing now, a very high-level person at that museum. I said: Louise's gifts keep on giving. A grateful Nation thanks Louise Slaughter and her husband, Bob, who was at her side for so many, many years, and her beautiful daughters, grandchildren, and all the constituents from the greater Rochester area. She will be truly, truly missed. Through her passionate and loving work for America and commitment to liberty, she has helped make America a much more just and equal nation. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Paul Tonko, for his love of Louise and for always sitting with her and for enjoying and sharing these years. He has done a superb, masterful job this evening of paying full tribute to her and her life.