Elaine Luria

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the late Katherine A. Nixon, who was senselessly murdered in the Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting. Virginia Beach lost Katherine far too soon. Katherine, also known as Kate, worked as a civil engineer for the City of Virginia Beach for over 10 years. Kate's coworkers and loved ones described her as a smart and caring person who was the supervisor everyone would want. Kate's life of hard work and service to the community, as well as her compassionate heart, will forever be remembered. Kate will be missed by all her loved ones. Hampton Roads significantly benefited from her presence; she made our community a better place. Today we remember and honor her life.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the late Ryan Keith Cox, who was senselessly murdered in the Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting. He displayed a heroic and selfless act right before his death. Virginia Beach lost this hero far too soon. For 12 years, Cox, known as Keith, worked as an account clerk in the Department of Public Utilities for the City of Virginia Beach. Keith, during the horrific shooting, led several individuals to safety and barricaded them in a secure room. After ensuring those individuals were safe, Keith bravely reentered the line of fire to find more individuals to carry to safety, which then lead to his death. Keith did not think about himself in the midst of danger, but instead thought about how to protect and save others. Friends described Keith as someone who would sacrifice for others. Keith's life of hard work and service to the community, as well as his sacrificial and heroic acts, will forever be remembered. Keith will be missed by all his loved ones. Hampton Roads significantly benefited from his presence; he made our community a better place. Today we remember and honor his life.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the late Christopher Kelly Rapp, who was senselessly murdered in the Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting. Virginia Beach lost Christopher far too soon. Christopher worked as an engineer for the Department of Public Works for the City of Virginia Beach. Rapp graduated from Old Dominion University and studied civil engineering. He brought his knowledge and expertise to the city just 11 months prior to the shooting. Friends described Rapp as positive and kind. Rapp's life of hard work and service to the community, as well as his positive attitude, will forever be remembered. Christopher Kelly Rapp will be missed by all his loved ones. Hampton Roads significantly benefited from his presence; he made our community a better place. Today we remember and honor his life.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the late Robert Williams, who was senselessly murdered in the Virginia Beach Municipal Center shooting. Virginia Beach lost Robert far too soon. Williams, known as Bobby, worked for the Department of Public Utilities for the City of Virginia Beach for over 40 years. Bobby was a true public servant and was dedicated to his work and mission. Many remember learning from him and praised his knowledge of the institution and the system. Bobby's life of hard work and service to the community will forever be remembered. Bobby will be missed by all his loved ones. Hampton Roads significantly benefited from his presence; he made our community a better place. Today we remember and honor his life.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Chair, as a Navy veteran, I believe in focusing our limited resources toward efforts that will make our forces more effective, reliable, and efficient. I oppose this amendment that would decrease the National Nuclear Security Administration's budget by $20 million and allocate the money to a program to develop low-enriched uranium fuel for submarines and aircraft carriers. Drawing on my 20-year Navy experience in the supervision and operation of naval nuclear propulsion systems, it makes little sense to divert these resources. Our highly enriched uranium reactor design has successfully powered our submarine fleet, delivering a critical leg of our nuclear deterrent and our aircraft carriers, providing our unique sustained forward presence capability for nearly seven decades. There is no need for this amendment. Top Navy leadership and the Secretary of Energy clearly state that a low-enriched uranium design for naval nuclear propulsion ``would result in a reactor design that is inherently less capable, more expensive, and unlikely to support current life-of-ship submarine reactors.'' Meanwhile, Admiral James Caldwell, Director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, says that investing in LEU would negatively impact reactor endurance, reactor size, and ship costs, and its success is ``not assured.'' I have no doubt that we could eventually develop a reactor design using LEU, but would it continue to meet our operational and strategic defense needs? No. It would make our platforms inherently less capable, less operationally available, and more expensive to operate. In turn, it would require more of these assets to accomplish the same objectives. If the genesis behind this amendment is to advance issues of nonproliferation, it makes little sense to draw down the budget of the very agency that is tasked with the security of nuclear weapons and nuclear fuel. I will conclude as I began. We need to commit our limited resources where they are most efficiently used to support our operational forces and our national defense. These dollars are best spent on the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Speaker, today I am happy to announce House passage of a commonsense amendment to prohibit Federal spending for offshore drilling throughout the entire Atlantic Ocean. Protecting our coastal Virginia district from the threat of offshore drilling is among my top priorities. One of my first actions in Congress was cosponsoring the Defend Our Coast Act. This bipartisan bill would forbid any drilling, exploration, development, or production of fossil fuels off the Continental Shelf in the mid-Atlantic region. As a 20-year Navy veteran who trained off the Virginia coast, I know that having to dodge oil platforms would impact military readiness and undermine our national security. I also know what offshore drilling could do to Virginia's beautiful shorelines and thriving economy. This is why I proudly cosponsored and continue to support Congressman Frank Pallone's amendment to protect and preserve the Atlantic Coast from offshore drilling. I urge the Senate to follow the House's lead.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record a statement submitted by Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman, founder and spiritual leader of the new Temple Lev Tikvah (Heart of Hope), a Reform Jewish congregation in Virginia Beach. My heart indeed overflows with hope, gratitude and love as I humbly though proudly announce the blessed birth of the youngest synagogue in Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads. It is housed in a unique ecumenical Christian setting, the only such in the world, making it now an even more exceptional interfaith center. Church Of The Holy Apostles, established in Virginia Beach in 1977, is both an Episcopal and Catholic congregation. Their loving embrace of my new Reform Jewish Temple is ample and inspiring testimony to their genuine ecumenical spirit reaching beyond their own common and diverse Christian traditions. With this golden opportunity we are making and impacting history. Our one God is surely smiling upon us. They graciously invite their Jewish brethren to tend to our four-thousand-year-old nourishing roots that have blessed the human family, instrumental in birthing the two other great monotheistic world religions of Christianity and Islam. Bishop James Magness of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia and Bishop Barry Knestout of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond are to be commended for their broad ecumenical vision, spiritual fortitude and shining faith in action. Together we reaffirm a holy bond in face of a complex and trying history. We are committed to overcome troubling past shadows. Having already made major strides forward, we should maintain and build upon those breakthrough accomplishments of monumental change. We are mutually enabled to cultivate a precious interfaith linkage, appreciating each other's differences and particularities while celebrating our often overlooked but no less important commonalities, as we collectively admit to our shortcomings, ignorance and biases. This awesome journey of mutual discovery while interfacing under one roof, challenges us all to bring out the best God planted within us. It gains added critical significance against the unsettling backdrop of the global resurgence of consuming dark forces. Anti- Semitism with its recent deadly and shocking manifestation in American synagogues, along with horrific terrorist attacks on Christians, Muslims, Sikhs and others at worship and elsewhere. I am acutely mindful of my personal sacred responsibility to ever be a builder of Shalom's essential bridges of healing, hope and harmony. After all, I am a family member of the Holocaust's surviving remnant of European Jewry. Let us count our blessings even as we commit to turning blemishes into blessings and keep from turning blessings into blemishes. We shall together yet repair our blemished planet into a blessed and better home for all of God's children. The Divine delights in diversity, God's divinity and human dignity are one and inseparable.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor life of Colonel Richard Beland of Poquoson, Virginia--a dedicated patriot and public servant who passed away surrounded by family on Friday, May 10, 2019. His 30 years of service in the United States Air Force included training students for a decade, flying 290 combat missions in Vietnam, serving as an Advance Agent for Support and Security for Air Force One for two different administrations, and serving as a member of the NATO Flight Safety Group. Following his retirement in 1989, Colonel Beland served his local Poquoson Community's Board of Zoning Appeals for 18 years, with eight of those years as Chairman. He also faithfully served as a lector and usher at Langley Air Force Base Chapel. Colonel Beland's dedication to his country and local community brings great honor to our district. I am proud to recognize Colonel Beland's leadership and the role he played in making America a better place.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today grieving for Virginia Beach, a great city in our district, where the year's most devastating mass shooting happened last Friday. That morning, 12 innocent people left their homes for work, but they didn't return home to their families, and they never will. Eleven of them were devoted public servants with more than 150 years of combined experience, and one was a dedicated contractor. I am honored to remember them today. Laquita C. Brown, a right-of-way agent who lived in Chesapeake, was an avid traveler who chronicled her trips to New York City, Europe, and West Africa. A friend of hers called her ``Ms. Worldwide.'' Her 40th birthday was coming up in November. Ryan Keith Cox, an account clerk who lived in Virginia Beach, had a golden voice and sang in his church choir. He had recently accepted his own calling to the ministry to follow in the footsteps of his father, a friend, Pastor E. Ray Cox, and the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church. During the shooting, Keith guided colleagues to safety, but did not join them so he could look out for others. Tara Welch Gallagher, an engineer who lived in Virginia Beach, educated the public about clean water and served her city for 6 years. Tara's survivors include her husband and her 22-month-old son. Her husband told a reporter: ``She was everything to me.'' Mary Louise Gayle was a right-of-way agent who lived in Virginia Beach. A proud grandmother, she had just turned 65, and her children planned to take their mom to Portland later this month to celebrate her birthday. Alexander Mikhail Gusev, a right-of-way agent who lived in Virginia Beach, moved from Belarus to seek a better life in America. He was a generous and thoughtful person, who was said to grab his lawnmower and cut his neighbor's lawn without even being asked. Joshua O. Hardy was an engineering technician who lived in Virginia Beach. He was a loving uncle, a healthy eater and runner, he smiled on the job, and found time to write a beloved children's book that spoke to youth about strangers in their midst. Michelle ``Missy'' Langer, an administrative assistant who lived in Virginia Beach, loved the Pittsburgh Steelers, Paul McCartney, and the ocean. A friend said, ``I will miss her smile and her hugs. That is the hardest thing.'' Richard H. Nettleton, an engineer who lived in Norfolk, helped design, install, and maintain Virginia Beach's water and sewer systems. An Army veteran, he enjoyed mentoring young engineers. Katherine A. Nixon, an engineer who lived in Virginia Beach, was a devoted wife and mother to three daughters, one of whom is just 15 months old. According to her neighbor, her final call was to her husband just moments after she was shot. Christopher Kelly Rapp, an engineer who lived in Powhatan, played the bagpipes and loved Scottish music. Compared by some to Mr. Rogers, he was known as encouraging and enthusiastic. Herbert ``Bert'' Snelling, a contractor who lived in Virginia Beach and was visiting the Municipal Center for a permit; he led his church's security team, and in his work, he did everything from small handyman repairs to building homes. Robert ``Bobby'' Williams, a special projects coordinator who lived in Chesapeake, worked for Virginia Beach for 41 years. He helped build the seawall in our city and planned on retiring this year to spend more time with his family. The losses here will never be replaced, but so many heroes emerged to prevent further horror. Over the weekend, I saw heroic first responders--police, fire, and EMS personnel--who ran into the line of fire to save others before comforting our community in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy. As the hours and days go by, we hear tens, if not hundreds, of stories of the heroism of individuals who helped save lives during this tragic event, including the officer among the first responders who, in the performance of his duties, took a bullet to protect our community, and was, by the grace of God, saved by his protective vest. I saw believable bravery in Sentara Hospital where Sunday, I had the honor of visiting a survivor of the shooting. She clasped my hand as I stood at her bedside, and her strength and resolve were palpable as she had only narrowly come away alive. I saw love and hope at heartfelt vigils across our community where people of all faiths joined in prayer to remember those who left us all too soon. I saw strength among our city leaders and police chief as they addressed our grieving community, determined to remember the 12 we lost far too soon.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Speaker, I continue today in grieving for Virginia Beach and for those that we lost. Those who knew the victims are making statements that we need to hear. Bert Snelling's neighbor told a Virginian-Pilot reporter, ``It's the world we live in now, and it's a shame.'' A friend of Missy Langer's told The Washington Post, ``This kind of stuff has got to stop.'' And another friend said, ``She didn't deserve to die like that.'' None of them did. This is a moment where doing nothing is no longer an option. To prove that point, all we have to do is look at the first responder who ran into the building and took a bullet to protect his fellow citizens. To him, it was never an option to not act. If there is a lesson that we take out of this tragedy, all we have to do is look at him. We must run into the building together. We must act.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember and honor the 12 wonderful people whose lives ended far too soon in Friday's mass shooting in Virginia Beach. Our city, our Commonwealth, and our Nation grieve. Now is the time for healing, coming together, and determining ways to prevent this kind of tragedy from ever happening again. Mr. Speaker, I ask my House colleagues to please join me in a moment of silence for those who lost their lives.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, we are all in Congress because we see room for improvement in America, especially for our servicemembers, veterans, and our military families. As a 20-year Navy veteran myself, I know it is not just the brave men and women who fight for America, but also the families who support them every step of the way. When Gold Star widows from Virginia Beach contacted me about how their tax bills jumped thousands of dollars as a result of the 2000 tax law, I knew I had to do something. That is why I took action to introduce the bipartisan Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act, which fixes the unintended tax hike that many Gold Star families experienced. A number of families across our coastal Virginia district have shared their stories about how this tax law changed their lives. One woman, the widow of a Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan, saw the taxes on her son's benefits rise by $4,000 in 2018, another by $6,000, and another by $2,500. What this tax bill did to Gold Star families was wrong, but I have been heartened to see so many of my colleagues join me in a bipartisan effort to right these wrongs. As of today, we have 155 cosponsors and received endorsements of 20 veterans service organizations.

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, with this momentum, we can fix a problem for so many heroic families and ensure security for their benefits. I include in the Record a letter signed by 20 veterans service organizations in support of the Gold Star family tax provisions included within the SECURE Act. May 22, 2019. Hon. Elaine Luria, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Congresswoman Luria: As leaders of the major veterans, military, and survivor organizations, we are pleased to offer our support for H.R. 2481, the Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act. Surviving spouses of service members who die in the line of duty and military retirees who die from service-connected wounds, illnesses, or injuries are entitled to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Survivors who paid into the Department of Defense Survivor Benefits Plan (SBP) have a dollar-for-dollar offset of their SBP benefits by the amount of DIC benefits. To avoid the SBP/DIC offset, surviving spouses often sign over SBP benefits to their children to ensure the family receives both earned benefits. Due to a recent change in tax law, known as the ``Kiddie Tax,'' Gold Star families who were formerly obligated to pay 12 to 15 percent in taxes on their earned benefits are now being taxed up to 37 percent, leaving them thousands of dollars in tax debt. This important bill would rightfully repeal the Kiddie Tax and reinstate military survivor benefits to the previous tax rate. Thank you again for your leadership on this issue. We look forward to working with you and your staff to pass this important legislation immediately. Sincerely, Robert Wallace, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States; Bonnie Carroll, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors; Harriet Boyden, Gold Star Wives of America; Joseph R. Chenelly, AMVETS; Louis Celli, The American Legion; Joyce Wessel Raezer, National Military Famiy Association; Dana T. Atkins, Military Officers Association of America; Carl Blake, Paralyzed Veterans of America; Keith A. Reed, Air Force Sergeants Association; John Cho, AMSUS, the Society of Federal Health Professionals. James T. Currie, Commissioned Officers Assn. of the US Public Health Service, Inc; Norman Rosenshein, Jewish War Veterans of the USA; Vincent Patton III, Non Commissioned Officers Assn. of the United States of America; Randy Reid, USCG Chief Petty Officers Assn.; Jeff J. Schloesser, Army Aviation Association of America; Christopher Cole, Association of the United States Navy; Carol Setteducato, Chief Warrant Officers Association of the US Coast Guard; Thomas ``LPM'' Howlett, Marine Corps Reserve Association; Kenneth Greenberg, The Retired Enlisted Association; Brian Dempsey, Wounded Warrior Project.

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for the SECURE Act and, in doing that, fix this tax problem that has impacted so many of our Gold Star families across the Commonwealth of Virginia and the country.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Reverend Perez Gatling, the 13th pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Virginia Beach. I thank him for his powerful and poignant prayer on the House floor and know that his words will give Congress strength. Known as ``the church that reaches out,'' Ebenezer Baptist Church is the oldest African American church in the city of Virginia Beach and has been the cornerstone of our community since 1859. Pastor Gatling leads it by humble example, sharing with whomever he meets his personal motto: ``I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody about somebody who can save anybody.'' Pastor Gatling is not only a faith leader, but also a mentor to so many through his church's prolific community outreach, specifically, for students of all ages. Pastor Gatling is accompanied today by his loving family: Veleka Gatling, Lewis Gatling, Russell Gatling, Cleo Gatling, Leo V. Williams, Carolyn Williams, and Mary Bowen. Thank you for joining us today. Thank you, Pastor Gatling, for bringing your wise words and your wonderful family to visit us in Congress.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan bill, H.R. 1200, the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2019. In Congress, I have vowed to keep our Nation's veterans at the top of my mind, and I plan to deliver on that promise through this critical piece of legislation. I represent a coastal Virginia district with eight major military installations, including Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval station in the United States, so veterans are clearly a critical part of my constituency, just as they are honored members of every congressional district across America. Our veterans put their lives on the line and are deployed far from home to keep America safe. As a 20-year Navy veteran myself, I am proud to bring a bill to the floor that would eliminate the erosions of benefits they earned in service to our country. The Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act would recognize that the benefits we provide our veterans need to be modernized and increased the same way that Social Security has raised benefits to meet cost-of-living increases. My bill enhances benefits for wartime disability compensation, compensation for dependents, clothing allowance, dependency and indemnity compensation to surviving spouses, and dependency and indemnity compensation to children. We have seen costs for disability care, clothing, and childcare increase over the years, and it is vital that we continue to provide benefits that actually meet the demands that our veterans see on the ground. A cost-of-living increase would aid veterans, their families, and their survivors to help maintain the value of their benefits against inflation. Without consistent increases, veterans and their families may not be able to have a consistent quality of life into their later years. Providing quality benefits to our veterans and their dependents can change lives, and Congress must honor the commitment to those American heroes who served in harm's way so that we can live in peace at home. I thank my colleagues on the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee and my ranking member, Mike Bost, for being a cosponsor of this legislation, and I urge swift House passage so that we can do our part to push this into law and help our Nation's veterans.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act. As a Navy veteran myself, this issue hits close to home, specifically in coastal Virginia, the district that I have the honor of representing. At my first townhall after taking office, the wife of a Virginia Beach Vietnam veteran posed a deeply personal question. She said to me: Where is the blue water Navy sailor bill? I have a dying vet at home from Agent Orange who wants his country to respond to his service during Vietnam. After the townhall, I talked with her more in depth on the issue, and with tears in her eyes, she asked me again for help and to make sure Congress did not forget her husband's service and what he sacrificed for our country. I stand today to speak on behalf of the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act so that my constituent and so many others across the Nation will know that we have not forsaken their service. I am thankful to the House of Representatives for stepping up to the plate and fulfilling our responsibility to our veterans and their service to America. I am proud to support their cause today. This bipartisan bill on the floor would finally correct an injustice for veterans who are suffering and dying from conditions related to Agent Orange exposure and who have been unfairly denied VA disability and health benefits for more than four decades. For those who may not know, blue water Navy Vietnam veterans are servicemembers who served at sea off the shore of Vietnam during the Vietnam war. A Federal Court, in January, ruled that the VA was wrong in denying disability and health benefits to blue water Navy Vietnam veterans who were exposed to the toxin Agent Orange; however, the administration has not yet committed to implementing this decision. As a result, the blue water Navy veterans are still in limbo, and Congress must act to secure their benefits. Mr. Speaker, I urge quick House passage of our bipartisan legislation so our Senate colleagues can do the same and get this to the White House and pass it into law.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the career and accomplishments of Mary Ann Melchers. Mary Ann Melchers has been a female pioneer during the 54 years that she has been an active member and volunteer in the credit union movement. She began her relationship with credit unions as a volunteer with Norfolk Naval Base Federal Credit Union following a merger with Amphibious Base Federal Credit Union in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Today, the credit union is known as ABNB Federal Credit Union and is the largest community credit union in Southeastern Virginia. Her credit union volunteer career is well documented. In 1965, she became a member of the Credit Committee at Naval Base Norfolk Federal Credit Union. This was an especially significant achievement considering that women were unable to obtain credit in their own name at that time in history. Despite those obstacles, she began her lifelong quest to ensure that all people of modest means regardless of gender, race or creed have access to credit and the other vital financial services they need. In succeeding years, deregulation dramatically changed the face of the financial services industry. In the late 1970's, Mary Ann guided the credit union's evolution by recognizing and then expanding the growth of products and services offered to members from simple savings accounts and small loans to full-service financial offerings. Through her leadership, she also made history as the first woman elected to the office of Chairperson of the Board of Directors at Naval Base Federal Credit Union. This achievement came at a time when women were rarely participants in American business boardrooms let alone serving in leadership roles. As chair she was instrumental in successfully consummating the 1996 merger of Naval Base and Amphibious Base Federal Credit Unions, resulting in what is now known as ABNB Federal Credit Union. At ABNB Federal Credit Union, Mary Ann has held numerous leadership positions serving as Vice Chair of the Board from 1996 to 1998. In 1999, she was elected Chair of the ABNB FCU Board, beginning a 20-year volunteer career as chair and only the second woman to hold that position in ABNB's history. Under her leadership ABNB grew from 32,615 to 59,469 members and from $182 million to well over $57 million in assets. Through her stewardship, the credit union also expanded its field of membership from solely serving military personnel on the Naval Base and Amphibious Base into the largest full-service community credit union. Today, the credit union serves over 60,000 members across Hampton Roads and Northeastern North Carolina with 18 branches and 24 surcharge-free ATM's. In addition, she was the 2016 recipient of the Virginia Credit Union League's highest honor, the James P. Kirsch Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is given annually to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the credit union movement over the course of their career. In summary, Mary Ann was able to deliver on her promise ensuring that people of modest means have access to credit and other affordable financial services. During her 54-year volunteer career she was instrumental in guiding a credit union that would eventually serve everyone in Hampton Roads and beyond with low cost and high-quality financial services.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize Laura Habr on being named the First Citizen of Virginia Beach. This is an amazing accomplishment. This award recognizes Laura's lifetime of service and commitment to the welfare of our community. Laura's commitment to her business, Croc's, and her role as a civic leader is inspiring to many. Her business and leadership are well known in Virginia Beach. Additionally, her input on boards and committees--such as the Old Beach Farmers Market, Green Resort Ecofriendly Neighbors, and the Resort Advisory Commission--is invaluable. Laura's dedication to inclusion and to strengthening the community is truly inspiring. I am proud to honor and recognize Laura for her leadership and the role she plays in making our community a better place. Virginia Beach has significantly benefited from her presence.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the Honorable Dr. Amelia Ross-Hammond for her tremendous career and service in the Hampton Roads area. Honorable Dr. Ross-Hammond recently retired from Norfolk State University where she taught Music Appreciation and the Humanities. Not only has Honorable Dr. Ross-Hammond been dedicated to her work as a Distinguished Professor, but she has been a renowned public servant. She served on the Virginia Beach City Council, and various councils and boards at the State and local level such as the City's Diversity and Inclusion Forums, and co-chaired the Mayor's African American Roundtable--just to name a few. She currently serves as a Commissioner for the Hampton Roads Transportation Commission and President-Elect for the Virginia Beach Beautification Commission. These are only a select few of her numerous titles and positions. Honorable Dr. Ross-Hammond received awards for her service to the Hampton Roads community such as the Resolution of Appreciation from the Hampton Roads District Planning Commission and the Urban League of South Hampton Roads Young Professionals Award for Community Service. She was also the 2016 Honoree for the Norfolk State University Music Department's Spring Gala. Honorable Dr. Ross-Hammond's dedication to strengthening bonds among people of different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds is truly inspiring. I am proud to honor and recognize Honorable Dr. Ross- Hammond's leadership and the role she plays in making our community a better place. Hampton Roads has significantly benefited from her presence.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize Brittany Welsh, a senior at First Colonial High School. Brittany is an example of true perseverance and dedication, and I am honored to share her story. Brittany Welsh recently underwent surgery to have one of her kidneys removed due to an issue causing high blood pressure. At such a young age, Brittany persevered through health complications and used her experience to help others. Brittany dedicated her senior project to raising awareness of the need for organ donations. She decided to fundraise for Lifenet, a provider of transplant solutions. Brittany's project will include an acoustic concert by a well-known local band, educational speakers, and speakers who have received an organ donation. Her senior project will not only raise awareness, but will also provide much-needed funds for organ donations. Brittany is an example to all of us that organ donations can save lives. She also demonstrates how to persevere through trials and use an experience to help others. I am honored to recognize Brittany's story today.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Rabbi Israel Zoberman and include in the Record this article, Learning a Shared History of Sorrow: On February 22, 2019, George Washington's birthday, during Black History Month, I was privileged to travel to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, close to the Washington Monument on the inspiring National Mall of our nation's capital. I was in good company for the long-awaited tour organized by the Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission. The 44 passengers on the bus included members of the Commission, of which I am a grateful member, representation of the Virginia Beach City Council and the Mayor's office along with the Virginia Beach Police Department, students and staff of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools as well as leaders of the African American Culture Center of Virginia Beach. What an impressive array of civic commitment! As a family member of the Holocaust's surviving remnant of European Jewry. I knew ahead of the searing visit of the tragic bond between the African American experience and the destruction of European Jewry, of the binding bond among all affected by infectious racial, religious, ethnic, national and gender hatred seeking to demean, dehumanize and demonize the `other'. There is an unmistakable thread connecting the 2015 murder of 9 Black members at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston S.C., with the gunning down of 11 Jewish worshippers at a Sabbath service in Pittsburg's Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018; between the historical lynchings of Blacks and the 2017 White Supremacist mayhem in Charlottesville, Virginia, resulting in a murder, with the dreaded shouts of ``Jews will not replace us!'' still ringing in our ears. Vitriolic anti-Semitism is precipitously on the rise in the United States and Europe. The imposing structure of the African American Museum stands within sight of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. I recalled my first visit there and the subsequent ones, when I felt the overcoming sense of uncontrollable loss. It was the same sensation of being assaulted to the core of my humanity that I experienced traveling the challenging halls of the African American Museum. Yet, I emerged from both encounters with greater resolve to mend the world, Tikkun Olam, turning blemishes into blessings. Who can remain untouched gazing at the casket of brutally murdered 14-year-old Emmett Till and the photo of his agonizing mother, the only exhibit we are forbidden to photograph that we should focus uninterruptedly? We were guided by an incredible docent telling the story of proud Africans forcibly and so cruelly separated from their rich roots and brought to America--those who made it through the terrifying Middle Passage--and brought here to be violated of all that is sacred. Both they as slaves and Europe's Jews were deemed sub-human. The former ones by colonial powers and a new America promising to advance liberty's cause, and the latter ones by a Germany regarded the world's most civilized nation. The vital Jewish and African American partnership during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, needs to be revitalized in the context of a wider coalition to move America forward. I wish that both museums could be connected by a bridge or a tunnel to visualize their inseparable bond. Recently heroic French Father Patrick Desbois had a memorable presentation in Virginia Beach. He is renowned for documenting unknown Nazi massacres with local collaboration in occupied lands during WWII along with ISIS's mass crimes in Iraq. He shares a stunning statement in his unsettling book, In Broad Daylight, that applies as well to the inhumane treatment of African Americans, ``I feel a mounting disgust for our species. The sort of nausea that makes you want to quit the human race.'' But we dare not quit the human race. Great strides have taken place though progress is an arduous work in the making. The large number of visitors at the museum, particularly the many students, is a hopeful sign. We dare not despair of past and present pain, for that only serves the hateful aggressor, while indifference, as Eli Wiesel taught us, only enables evildoers to succeed. We need better tools to fight the scourge and resurgence of all forms of hatred, bigotry and discrimination. Democracies are at risk of backsliding, as was the case in Germany, and require eternal vigilance. A precious teachable window is open to us following trying circumstances, as we celebrate this year the 400th Anniversary of Virginia with its dark shadows and shining lights. Let us pledge, one diverse but united family, to rise together higher and higher.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize Lifeguard Lieutenants Courtney Hutchens and Madeline Solano and Lifeguards Beatty Barnes and Robert Warren for their excellent emergency response during an emergency on September 1, 2018, in Ocean View, Norfolk, Virginia. Each lifeguard recognized the situation and responded promptly with the proper treatment the injured swimmer needed. They met the proper protocol and fulfilled the action plans required for an emergency. Because of their exceptional and rapid response, these lifeguards received the 2018 Dr. Frank Pia Lifesaving Award from the Virginia Lifeguard Association Annual Aquatic Management Symposium. This is a great honor. I am sincerely thankful that Virginia has lifeguards like them to watch over and guard our Commonwealth. I am confident our beaches are a safer place because of their presence.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize Ohef Sholom Temple's 175th anniversary. Ohef Sholom Temple is a strong light in the Norfolk community. The fact that Ohef Sholom has provided a spiritual home across many generations throughout its 175-year history clearly shows the Temple's importance to the community. Ohef Sholom Temple stays true to its mission and works for the betterment and welfare of Norfolk. Since Ohef Sholom was established in 1844 and is the largest and oldest Reform Jewish congregation in Hampton Roads, it has been a welcoming and open community to all people. The words written above the sanctuary doors ring true: ``My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. `` I am proud to honor and recognize Ohef Sholom for this important milestone. I know Norfolk and Hampton Roads are better because of Ohef Sholom Temple's leadership, congregation, and good work.

Mrs. LURIA

Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Thirteenth Annual Taste of India 2019. This is a very special event which occurs annually in Norfolk, Virginia. The Hampton Roads region is lucky to have such an active Asian Indian community. The Hampton Roads Asian Indian community consists of wonderful people who make our region a better place. The annual Taste of India event has been an amazing success and has hosted local, state, and federal officials. Taste of India provides all Hampton Roads residents with a valuable cultural, political, and educational experience. Taste of India is crucial for Hampton Roads' awareness, education, and enjoyment. This event will continue to thrive for many generations to come.