Eleanor Norton

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to commend Representative Wasserman Schultz and the 367 bipartisan cosponsors of House Resolution 364. I recognize, Madam Speaker, that this is an unprecedented bill, but the bill commemorates an unprecedented act, the sacrifice of the life of a staffer of the one of our Members who, herself, is still recovering from that tragedy, Representative Gabrielle Giffords. We do not often have opportunities to speak on the floor of the House of our staff, whose duties are performed almost entirely behind the scenes. The tragedy in Arizona, however, does remind us that staffers are often exposed as much as Members to harm and are in harm's way. Therefore, I think it entirely appropriate that we commemorate this loss of life, first in the history of the Congress, by naming a room after Gabriel Zimmerman in our Visitors Center. I rise in support of House Resolution 364 and am pleased today to speak in support of a bill that designates a room in the Capitol Visitor Center as the ``Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room''. Gabriel ``Gabe'' Zimmerman was a Congressional staffer who was killed along with five others, at a community meeting at a local grocery store sponsored by Representative Gabrielle Giffords on January 8th, 2011 while 13 other individuals were wounded, including Representative Giffords and two other Congressional staffers. Gabe Zimmerman was a dedicated Congressional staffer who had worked for Representative Giffords since 2006, first as an aide to her first congressional campaign, next as a Constituent Services Supervisor in Tucson, and eventually rising to the position of Director of Community Outreach where his duties included managing the logistics for all of Representative Giffords' public District events and helping her constituents with the day to day details of navigating various federal agencies. Gabe Zimmerman, a Tucson, Arizona native, was a 2002 honors sociology graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz, and a 2006 graduate of Arizona State University, where he received a Masters in Social Work. Before he went to work for Representative Giffords, Gabe Zimmerman worked as a social worker assisting troubled youth. He had a strong reputation of being dedicated to providing services to Representative Giffords' constituents. Gabe also served on the boards of several organizations including the local YWCA, the Comstock Foundation, and the Child and Family Resources organization. At the time of his death, Gabe Zimmerman was 30 years old and engaged to be married. Gabe Zimmerman was a respected Congressional aide serving on the front lines of providing services to the Arizonians that Representative Giffords represented. There are nearly 15,000 Congressional aides that stream into House Office buildings and District offices across the nation, assisting Members of Congress in conducting the business of the American people. In many ways Gabe Zimmerman represents some of the best aspects of these men and women, with his colleagues describing him as ``fiercely loyal to his boss'' and ``dedicated to providing services to the constituents of the 8th Congressional District of Arizona''. It is important to note that Gabe Zimmerman is the first staffer in U.S. history to be killed while in the performance of his official duties. Sadly, Gabe Zimmerman had been responsible for organizing Representative Giffords' ``Congress on Your Corner'' event and was staffing the event when he was killed. This dedication should also be seen as a tribute to not only Gabe Zimmerman but to all staff members who work behind the scenes to assist Members of Congress. Given Gabe Zimmerman's dedication to public service and in honor of his death while in service to the U.S. Congress, I believe it is appropriate to designate room HVC 215 in the Capitol Visitor Center as the ``Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room.'' I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be managed by its sponsor, Representative Wasserman Schultz.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, before he died, Frank Kameny had already won a place reserved for Americans who make personal sacrifices for human rights. There can be no doubt that Frank's pioneering sacrifices for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, LGBT, community place him alongside the nation's human rights heroes. What exactly did Frank do? At a time when it was unthinkable, Frank refused to suppress who he was to keep his job with the Federal Government. A World War II veteran with a Harvard Ph.D., Frank had everything going for him except, of course, his identity and, thus, his legitimacy. It was being forced out, not coming out, that was the issue, and Frank took his dismissal from the federal service (for which he later received an apology) as a badge of honor. As we in the Civil Rights Movement began wearing our hair natural, i.e., nappy, to show that ``black is beautiful,'' Frank coined ``gay is good.'' But it was Frank's lonely act of defiance, without reward, that sets him apart. Frank no more set out to sacrifice his livelihood when he refused to deny his sexual orientation to federal authorities than Rosa Parks intended to give up her work as a seamstress when she refused to move to the back of the bus. Rosa Parks got tired of suppressing her full identity and dignity, and so did Frank. Frank did not put in those years of hard work for his Ph.D. in order to come out as a gay man. Like Rosa Parks, Frank wanted the same kind of life as the rest of us. But at a moment of reckoning, Frank summoned something few of us have: raw, pure courage. It is a brand of courage that is the opposite of self- preservation. Long before there was a LGBT movement, Frank lost his job and his livelihood for the rest of his life. Yet Frank lived to see historic advances that bear his signature, including security clearances for gays in the Federal Government and the admission of gays into the United States armed services. We honor those who fight for human rights. We revere those who make sacrifices for human rights. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose memorial we dedicated in October after he sacrificed his life. Anita Hill, whose fearless testimony 20 years ago brought her controversy, while she brought record numbers of women to the House and Senate. As we honor Frank, in a place that is part of the government that dishonored him, we remember that it is one thing to join a movement; it is quite another to start one. We revere Frank because his life tells us that great human rights victories often begin with the courage of a single individual like Rosa Parks and, yes, Frank Kameny.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I am introducing the Universal Prekindergarten and Early Childhood Education Act of 2011, Universal Pre-K, to begin the process of providing universal public prekindergarten. The bill is meant to fill a gaping hole in the ``No Child Left Behind Act'' which requires elementary and secondary schools to meet more rigorous standards yet ignores the prekindergarten years, among the most critical years for children's brain development. My bill is particularly necessary today because legislation pending to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act solely targets K-12. My bill makes a breakthrough in elementary school education by providing the initial funding for states to encourage local school districts to add prekindergarten for children four years of age and younger, so that every child can excel. We cannot afford to continue to allow the most fertile years for childhood development to pass, only to later wonder why we cannot teach Johnny to read. The bill responds both to the great needs, which are still growing, of parents who seek early childhood education, as well as new science, which shows that a child's brain development begins much earlier than previously believed. However, many parents are unable to afford the stimulating educational environment necessary to ensure optimal brain development. The bill would add prekindergarten for children four years of age or younger, similar to kindergarten programs for five-year-olds, that are now routinely available in public schools. The bill would eliminate some of the major shortcomings of unevenly available commercial day care and, importantly, would ensure children access to qualified teachers and the safe facilities of public schools. This bill reflects what jurisdictions increasingly are trying to accomplish, but lack the leadership and the start-up funds to see through. The District of Columbia, for example, is attempting to achieve more extensive integration of early childhood education as part of a larger effort to improve the D.C. public schools. A recent report highlighted the economic benefits of early childhood education, emphasizing its role in expanding job opportunities and in decreasing the amount of money spent on programs to address teen pregnancy, crime, and the like. The bill encourages school districts across the country to apply to the U.S. Department of Education for grants to establish prekindergarten. Grants under Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act would be available for educational activities for children four years of age or younger to public school systems that agree to phase in, where possible, a prekindergarten program that is taught by teachers who possess equivalent or similar guidelines to those in other grades in the school system. The success of Head Start and other prekindergarten programs, combined with new scientific evidence concerning the importance of brain development in early childhood, virtually mandates the expansion of early childhood education to all children. Traditionally, early learning programs have been available only to the affluent, who can afford them, and to low-income families in programs such as Head Start. My bill provides a practical way to gradually move to universal public preschool education. The goal of the bill is to afford the great majority of the American working poor, lower-middle-class, and middle- class families, most of whom have been left out, with the benefits of early childhood education. Considering the staggering cost of daycare, the inaccessibility of early childhood education, and the opportunity that early education offers to improve a child's chances in life, schooling for three- and four-year-olds is overdue. The absence of viable options for working families demands our immediate attention. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to commend the achievements of two 19th century Hudson River School painters, Albert Bierstadt and Sanford Robinson Gifford. Two of Albert Bierstadt's paintings are currently displayed in the Capitol Visitor Center, ``Discovery of the Hudson River'' and ``Entrance into Monterey.'' The paintings were part of the first American school of painting, the Hudson River School, which focused on accurately capturing nature and a close attention to detail as a new style of romantic landscapes became popular. A fellow Hudson River School painter, Sanford Robinson Gifford, used the District of Columbia as a backdrop in many paintings about the Civil War, including ``Sunday Morning at Camp Cameron,'' which depicts soldiers listening to a Sunday sermon on the grassy hills of an area in the Northwest part of the city now known as Meridian Hill Park. Gifford, who traveled to Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa seeking new sources of inspiration, was known particularly for his use of indistinct light, which sometimes masked the landscape and was achieved through tiny, delicate brushstrokes, a characteristic of the Hudson River School. As we recognize the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, I ask the House of Representatives to commend the achievements of Albert Bierstadt and Sanford Robinson Gifford, and the impact and legacy of the Hudson River School.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Judge Ricardo M. Urbina, the first Latino appointed to the bench in the District of Columbia. President Ronald Reagan nominated Judge Urbina for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in 1981, and President Bill Clinton nominated him for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 1994. Both before and after these path-breaking judicial appointments, Judge Urbina has been recognized by his peers, his city, and many organizations for his many contributions to the law and to society. Judge Urbina began establishing his reputation with his broad experience as an attorney in the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, in private practice specializing in commercial litigation, and as an associate professor at Howard University School of Law. Among Judge Urbina's achievements while on the bench was his leadership of efforts by the bar and community organizations to create the Superior Court's Office of Interpreter Services, which for the first time institutionalized the practice of providing court interpreters for non-English speakers and the hearing-impaired. The District of Columbia and its residents are particularly grateful for Judge Urbina's attention to our youth and for his work in developing the next generation of legal achievers by exposing D.C. high school students to the court system, as well as by teaching law while on the bench. Throughout his career, Judge Urbina has been invested in improving both the law that serves our community and the community where the law is observed. Judge Urbina has now taken senior status on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, but he will continue to serve the city, the court, and the law in a multifaceted life and career that has been characterized by dedication and wisdom. Judge Urbina's career in the law has special meaning today particularly for Latinos, the fastest growing community in our country. The judge's roots in our Latino community make him a history-making role model particularly for a community that had no presence on either our local or federal courts before he paved the way on both. Yet, because of Judge Urbina's professionalism, excellence, character, and many contributions to the law and to the community, he has set a high bar as a lawyer, judge and distinguished citizen not only for lawyers, but for all who aspire to achieve in our city. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring Judge Ricardo M. Urbina for his accomplishments on the courts on which he has served and for his contribution to the law and to the residents of the District of Columbia.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce, together with the co- sponsor Representative Ken Calvert, the Fair Housing Memorial Authorization Act, to commemorate the accomplishments of the fair housing movement in the United States with a memorial on federal land in the nation's capital. The bipartisan bill authorizes the Fair Housing Commemorative Foundation, established by the National Association of Realtors, to raise funds to build the memorial in accordance with the Commemorative Works Act. No federal funds could be used for the memorial. This may be the first time that a sector of our economy has decided to establish a memorial commemorating a movement that led to the enactment of statutes that regulate some of its practices. The foundation's precedent is commendable. Fair housing and the movement to bring equal opportunity in the real estate markets are intertwined with our nation's history. The federal government has both been a part of the problem and an integral part of the solution, and every branch of the federal government has played a key role in our nation's progress towards fair housing. It is, therefore, fitting that we commemorate the fair housing movement's efforts to achieve equal opportunity in housing. The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution establishes a right to own private property that the government cannot take without just compensation. Early immigrants sought a place where they could own and transfer real estate without the arbitrary interference of the government. That right, however, was not universal. Slavery denied basic rights to a whole class of Americans based on their race, and reduced many African Americans to the status of property. Among other things, slaves were denied the right to own and use real property. The Civil War and the constitutional amendment prohibiting slavery were accompanied by laws that gave all citizens the same rights to own and use real property. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was our nation's first ``fair housing'' law, but that law was ignored and severely limited by court decisions, culminating with the philosophy of ``separate but equal'' in the U.S. Supreme Court Plessey v. Ferguson decision. In addition, Congress and some states passed laws that restricted private property ownership and use by Latinos and Asian Americans. In the early 20th century, social scientists and leaders within the real estate community established guides for neighborhood desirability based on racial composition. Homogeneous neighborhoods of whites from northern European backgrounds were seen as the best investment for homeowners and others. Some early zoning laws sought to limit, by race, the people who could live in certain communities, as did some practices of the real estate industry. Although the U.S. Supreme Court, in its 1917 Buchanan v. Worley decision, struck down these racial restrictions, racial bias formed the basis for many restrictive covenants on real estate. Following the World War II, returning GIs, through the GI Bill, were offered a path to homeownership. African Americans and other minorities, however, could not take advantage of these benefits in many communities. The great migration of the middle class to suburbs created segregated white suburbs and large isolated urban minority communities. There was little response by the federal government or the courts until, most notably, the 1948 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shelley v. Kraemer ended judicial enforcement of racially restrictive covenants. The Civil Rights Movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work in Chicago, brought renewed attention to housing discrimination. The federal government, first through executive order and then through the Civil Rights Act of 1964, banned discrimination in federally funded housing. By 1961, seventeen states had passed fair or open housing laws. However, it was not until April 1968, following the assassination of Dr. King, that Congress passed the Fair Housing Act. Also in April 1968, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Jones v. Mayer, held that the Civil Rights Act of 1866 prohibited discrimination in private real estate transactions. The Court noted that the law, which lacked an effective government enforcement mechanism, covered racial and religious discrimination. The federal government banned gender discrimination in housing in 1974, during the height of the Women's Rights Movement. And in 1988, in response to growing awareness of the housing issues faced the disabled, Congress amended the Fair Housing Act to protect the disabled. A memorial to the fair housing movement would celebrate the distance the nation has come to achieve fair housing and would remind us of the distance we still have to travel. Mr. Speaker, in light of this long battle for fair housing, I ask the House to pass this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the 160th anniversary of the University of the District of Columbia, the only public institution of higher education in our nation's capital. The University of the District of Columbia, then known as the Colored Girls School, was founded by Myrtilla Miner on December 4, 1851. Over the next 160 years, the single-room schoolhouse flourished into an exceptional institution offering academic programs to generations of students. The University, as we know it today, was formally established by a 1974 Act of Congress, and became a land-grant institution in 1862. Today, it is the only completely urban land-grant institution in the country. The University serves over 5,300 students and offers more than eighty undergraduate and graduate programs across six colleges. The University's new community college, established under the leadership of University President Dr. Allen Sessoms, is thriving and provides its students with associate, certificate, and workforce development programs in high-demand fields. Continuing its legacy of excellence in teacher education, which began with the Miner and Wilson Normal Schools more than a hundred years ago, the University recently founded the National Center for Urban Education, which will prepare teachers for the unique demands of our nation's urban schools. Fulfilling its land-grant mission, the University is pursuing an aggressive research agenda in dozens of areas, including renewable energy, urban sustainability, cancer biology, applied statistics, and computer science. The David A. Clarke School of Law, which joined the University in 1996, is the second most diverse law school in the country. Its unique emphasis on clinical education led Attorney General Eric Holder to declare its clinical programs a model for other law schools. This year, law students will provide over 85,000 hours of pro bono legal assistance to our community. To support its recent growth, the University is undergoing a massive physical transformation, with three major satellite campuses and a community college that opened in the past two years, upgrades to the main Van Ness campus, and a new state-of-the-art student center, which we will soon break ground on. Although the University was born out of the humble beginnings of a one-room school house, it has been dedicated to excellence in education and opportunities for all of its 160-year history. I am proud of the University and ask the House to join me in commending the University community on its accomplishments over the last 160 years.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce a resolution to establish a House of Representatives Summer Internship Program, which would allow youth, from college-bound to senior-level college students, to work in the House of Representatives for seven weeks in the summer. The students, from every state, territory, and the District of Columbia, would assist Members of Congress and congressional and Cloakroom staff with legislative duties, filling a void left after House leadership terminated the House of Representatives Page Program. The participants would still need to meet most of the qualifications under the former House Page Program, except students would need to be at least 18 years of age, be entering or enrolled in college, and have earned a 3.0 or better grade point average over the prior two academic years. The House Speaker and Minority Leader would select and appoint the interns, and the Office of the Clerk of the House would administer the program. My bill would also establish an oversight board, and require the Clerk to propose regulations to implement the program. In announcing the termination of the House Page Program, the House Speaker and Minority Leader cited the program's high operating costs and advances in technology that eliminated the need for Pages. My bill does not contain the major financial obligations of the Page Program, such as the costs of providing housing, residential staff, teachers and tutors, and a stipend for students. Under my bill, the House interns would be required to arrange and pay for their own housing and would serve without being paid. The interns would attend a one-hour class per week on the executive, judicial, or legislative process, which are already offered to all interns and congressional staff throughout the year by the Legislative Resource Center. Since the termination of the Page Program, congressional staff, fellows, interns and legislative branch employees have come to understand the unique and proactive value of the program. For example, congressional staff now have to make frequent deliveries to the U.S. Capitol, cutting into their daily work duties. But, perhaps the most valuable and lasting aspect of the Page Program was the invaluable experience it provided to young people. I urge my colleagues to support my bill, and I call for its immediate passage to continue youth participation in the legislative process.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in celebrating David Isiah Stroman, Jr. on his 100th birthday today. Born in South Carolina, Dave, as he is affectionately known, has spent most of his life as a resident of the District of Columbia. After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School and attending Benedict College in South Carolina, Dave moved to the nation's capital. Dave was a natural athlete, so it came as no surprise that he fell in love with golf when he began working as a caddy at Indian Springs Country Club in Silver Spring, MD, earning $0.50 a round. During those days, the old West Potomac Park on Constitution Avenue was the only golf course in DC that African Americans were allowed to use, and Monday was the only day they were allowed to play on it. However, the Langston Golf Course opened in 1939, giving Dave and his friends a primary golf course to call their own. Over the years, Dave met famous golfers like Lee Elder, Calvin Peete and Charlie Sifford. In the late 1940s, Dave met and became golf partners with boxing great Joe Louis, and they shared many happy times competing against each other. Dave's successes did not stop at golf. He began his federal government career in 1935 at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which had just begun to hire African Americans. He worked there until his retirement in 1969. Dave was married to his first wife, Mildred, during his early years at the Bureau, until her death in 1939. Dave married his second wife, Pamela Wilhoite, in 1949. Dave and Pam have two daughters, Tayloria and India, one grandson, Azani, two sons-in- law, Purnell and Daryl, a step granddaughter, Ashley, and a step great grandson, Zion. During Dave's time at the Bureau, he cultivated many relationships with his co-workers. Together, they formed social clubs like ``The SWAGS,'' whose clubhouse dances and boat rides were the place to be in the 1950s. As a member of a club of retired golfers, the Monday Morning Golf Club, Dave played golf at different courses every Monday. Dave and his co-workers met the actor Bill Murray at the Bureau, who encouraged all of them to become members of the Masonic Temple. Dave later signed his petition as a Master Mason. He is a member of Mecca #10 Shrine Temple, Mt. Vernon Chapter #1, Holy Royal Arch Masons, Redemption Lodge #24, and Simon Commandery. Today, Dave continues to enjoy life by being in the company of family and friends, going to golf courses, and cheering on the Washington Redskins. In celebrating this significant milestone, we acknowledge the extraordinary personal qualities and contributions of David Isiah Stroman, Jr. to his family and to our community. His birthday gives his family and friends, and the residents of the District of Columbia, an opportunity to thank him for his many gifts of love and friendship. I ask the House to join me in celebrating the 100th birthday of David Isiah Stroman, Jr., a special man whose service to our community is greatly appreciated.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the District of Columbia National Disaster Insurance Protection Act. The bill would exempt from federal income taxation catastrophic insurance reserves held by insurance companies in the District of Columbia. Under current federal law, catastrophic insurance reserves are subject to federal income taxation, which has led insurers to hold these funds in offshore jurisdictions, such as the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, where they are not subject to U.S. income taxation. The bill would serve important national purposes by protecting individuals and businesses across the country from unpaid insurance claims in the event of a natural catastrophe, as well as U.S. taxpayers. Today, if a natural catastrophe occurred in the U.S., and offshore insurance companies did not pay claims, the U.S. government might need to step in and taxpayers could be on the hook for the claims. Indeed, after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the U.S. government had to establish a federal backstop for losses due to terrorist attacks, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, which is still in place today. As the recent financial crisis showed, the U.S. government has a strong interest in preventing systemic financial risks. However, U.S. individuals and businesses now rely on offshore jurisdictions to preserve and protect catastrophic insurance reserves. Rather than leaving little alternative to locating these vital catastrophic insurance reserves offshore, it makes sense for the funds to be held in the nation's capital, the most protected and secure city in the U.S., to eliminate an existing but overlooked vulnerability in the financial system. My bill is particularly timely considering that the president issued a record number of Major Disaster Declarations in 2010 (81) and has issued 87 so far this year.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Congress Leads by Example Act of 2011, to subject Congress and the rest of the legislative branch to the federal workplace laws and standards that protect individuals in the private sector and the executive branch. The Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, CAA, was an important first step in making the legislative branch accountable to its employees, but it did not finish the job. While the CAA did bring the legislative branch under thirteen major civil rights, labor, and workplace safety and health laws, it exempted the legislative branch from important notice and training provisions, and altogether omitted important substantive and administrative provisions. The Congress Leads by Example Act of 2011 is a follow-up to my 2010 investigation of Capitol Visitor Center, CVC, staff complaints and the recommendations from the Office of Compliance, OOC, which revealed a gap in authority to enforce the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA, provisions against the legislative branch. Last year, as chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, I held a hearing examining claims by the OOC of an estimated 6,300 safety hazards in the U.S. Capitol complex, as well as complaints by CVC guides that they were compelled to work in uniforms inappropriate for outdoor work in the summer and winter, and that they had limits on their water consumption. Our hearing demonstrated that many of the safety hazards had been resolved, and the Architect of the Capitol assured us that they continue to correct the outstanding hazards with due speed. Eventually, the formation of a union local by CVC guides led to specific improvements in uniform and water consumption practices and policies. In the 2010 report, Recommendations for Improvements to the Congressional Accountability Act, the OOC, which was created by the CAA, indentified additional provisions of federal workplace laws and standards that should be applicable to the legislative branch, including laws that grant the OOC General Counsel subpoena power, provide whistleblowers with protection from retaliation, and require the maintenance of employment records. In the 2011 report, State of the Congressional Workplace, the OOC presents the successes and shortcomings of the CAA by tracking the trends in legislative branch employee complaints and workplace safety hazards in fiscal year 2010. My bill takes into account the OOC reports, and seeks both to apply the standard of fairness to employees in the legislative branch that Congress requires for other employees and to provide a safer work environment for Capitol Hill employees by bringing the legislative branch further in line with what is legally required of private sector employers and the executive branch. As Congress searches for ways to trim the federal budget, it would be timely to provide whistleblower protections to legislative branch employees so that they can report misuse of federal funds and other legal violations without fear of retaliation. My bill provides general whistleblower protections, also championed by Senators Chuck Grassley and Claire McCaskill. My bill also makes applicable additional provisions under OSHA, including providing subpoena authority to the OOC to conduct inspections and investigations into OSHA violations and requiring the posting of notices in workplaces detailing employee rights to a safe workplace under OSHA. This bill also furthers the CAA's mission to prevent discrimination by prohibiting adverse employment decisions on the basis of an employee's wage garnishment or involvement in bankruptcy proceedings pursuant to the Consumer Credit Protection Act, CCPA, and Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code. The bill also requires employers to provide their employees with notice of their rights and remedies under the CAA anti- discrimination provisions through the placement of signage in offices highlighting relevant anti-discrimination laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The bill also requires legislative branch offices to provide training to employees about their CAA rights and remedies. Adding the CCPA and bankruptcy provisions will deter economic discrimination, while the notice and training provisions will empower legislative branch employees with the full knowledge of their rights. Finally, the bill bolsters the CAA's recordkeeping requirements. It extends to the legislative branch the obligation to maintain accurate records of safety information and employee injuries, as required by OSHA, as well as the employee records necessary to administer the anti- discrimination laws. The enhanced recordkeeping requirements will facilitate better enforcement of laws. On the eve of the CAA's passage, Senator Olympia Snowe may have best captured the intent of Congress and the will of the people when she remarked, ``Congress simply cannot continue to live above the law and call itself a body that is 'representative' of the America we live in today. After all, what kind of message does Congress send to Americans when it sets itself above the law? What kind of message does Congress send to America when it believes it is beholden to different standards? And how can Congress claim to pass laws in the best interest of the American people if Congress refuses to abide by those very same laws . . . Congress should be the very last institution in America to exempt itself from living under the nation's laws. Rather, Congress should always be the very first institution to be covered by the laws of the land, especially as the body legislating such laws.'' By passing this bill and heeding this wise call to action, Congress will help restore the faith of the public in this institution by redoubling our efforts to exercise leadership by example. I urge bipartisan support of this important measure.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Economic Growth and Reducing Unemployment Act, to address perhaps the two greatest workforce tragedies resulting from today's economy--our long- term unemployed and our unemployed young people--and to spur economic growth. Since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, many Democrats have tried to get them to shift from their one-sided, cuts-only fiscal policy to taking some steps to more quickly reduce stubborn unemployment throughout the country. Republican austerity policies, as predicted by history and Economics 101, have driven the economy into another ditch, with the possibility of a double-dip recession. We need to reduce the country's budget deficit and debt in the long term, but as virtually every economist and the Federal Reserve chair himself have said, we must also create jobs and stimulate the economy now, before it is too late. While 14 million Americans are unemployed, my bill targets those particularly hard hit by unemployment. In August 2011, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was six million, which accounted for 42.9 percent of the total unemployed population. In July 2011, the number of unemployed youth 16 to 24 years old was 4.1 million. To make matters even worse, the unemployed now face employment discrimination and employers are reluctant to hire the long-term unemployed because of the length of their unemployment. My bill would give employers a $5,000 tax credit against their payroll tax liability for each (net) new long-term unemployed person they hire. The tax credit is large enough to give employers an incentive to increase hiring and wages, which would inject demand into the economy. The credit would be available to the broadest base of employers because every employer--government, non-profit and for-profit--pays payroll taxes, and employers could claim the credit on a quarterly rather than annual basis. According to the independent, non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the proposal would ``increase both output and employment,'' through four mechanisms: (1) with lower employment costs, employers would reduce the costs of their products and services, which, in turn, would first boost sales and then hiring and hours worked; (2) employers would pass on some of the tax savings to employees in the form of higher wages or other compensation, which, in turn, would increase employees' purchasing power; (3) higher profits would lead to higher stock prices for public companies, increasing shareholders' wealth and therefore their willingness to spend; and (4) with lower employment costs, employers would increase hiring. The bill has safeguards to prevent employers from gaming the system, including denying a credit to an employer that fires one employee and hires a replacement. Particularly disappointing as well is the high unemployment rate for young people who heeded our advice to graduate from high school and college, only to try to enter the workforce in the worst economy in generations. By significantly expanding AmeriCorps, my bill, without needing a new administrative structure or bureaucracy, would allow unemployed young people to earn a stipend sufficient to support themselves and to obtain work experience and a good work history to help them obtain future employment. The net cost of the expansion would be low, because these young people would be providing urgently needed local services that are being dropped or curtailed because of federal, state, and local budget cuts, such as after-school programs, tutoring, and assistance for the elderly. The bill would significantly expand job opportunities for young people who have played by the rules but find themselves unemployed in this economy. The bill would increase the number of participants in the AmeriCorps State and National program from approximately 78,000 to 500,000 full-time participants. Participants receive a living allowance, which most find sufficient to meet their basic needs, and are also eligible for an education award equal to the value of a Pell grant, for school-loan forbearance, health care benefits and child care assistance. By expanding the program, we would reduce the number of unemployed young people, provide them with the work skills and experience they would not get while unemployed, and help cash-strapped states and local governments provide services that they would otherwise have to cut. For some time, it has been clear that policies to address today's unusually stubborn unemployment need to be targeted in order to be effective. The long-term unemployed and unemployed young people are the two groups that have been hardest to reach in prior measures. Without significant targeting, the long-term unemployed are in danger of becoming permanently unemployed and young graduates will face their first years as adults without jobs and with no way to acquire work experience. Both groups deserve better. I ask the House of Representatives to support this bill because it targets both of these neglected groups of Americans.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Federal Employee Short-Term Disability Insurance Act of 2011. This bill will offer federal employees short-term disability insurance at no cost to the federal government. Employees will be responsible for 100 percent of the premiums. If federal employees elect to purchase the short-term insurance provided for in my bill and they become injured or ill because of a non-work related injury or illness, federal employees will be able to collect disability insurance benefits, for up to one year, to replace a portion of their lost income. I decided to investigate how we could provide short-term disability insurance to federal employees after learning that many of them already buy short-term disability insurance in the private market at high individual rates. Although federal employees have good health insurance, federal health benefits do not replace lost income if employees are unable to work. And, while federal employees may have limited available sick or annual leave days, these are often insufficient to cover the costs of an employee's living expenses if he or she has to be out of work for an extended period of time. Moreover, although there are long-term disability options for federal employees who become permanently disabled, federal employees do not qualify if they have not worked for at least 18 months. My bill does no more than put federal employees in the same position as their private sector counterparts, who have access to disability insurance at group rates. The bill will not allow participating employers to exclude persons based on preexisting conditions. And, because of the federal government's purchasing power, the bill will provide all of these benefits at a more competitive rate than is available if the employees seek such insurance as an individual. According to the Social Security Administration, studies indicate that a 20-year-old worker has a 30 percent chance of becoming disabled by retirement age. The majority of disabilities are not caused by major accidents, but by conditions or illnesses such as cancer or back injuries, according to the Council for Disability Awareness. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in celebrating Alyce L. Dixon on her 104th birthday on September 11, 2011. As the nation and the city recalled a tragic day ten years ago that changed the lives of many and altered American history, the District of Columbia celebrated Alyce's birthday and applauded her for her support to the country and to the city. Alyce Dixon has spent most of her life as a resident of the District of Columbia. After graduating from Paul Lawrence Dunbar Senior High School, she attended Howard University in the District. Ms. Dixon worked at the Lincoln Theatre, at an insurance company, and was one of the first civilian employees at the Pentagon, from which she retired after 35 years of service to the federal government. Alyce Dixon was one of the first women to join the military and one of the first African-American women to become a member of the Women's Army Corps. While in the Army during World War II, Ms. Dixon served as part of the 6888th Postal Battalion in France, Scotland, and England, where she and other African-American women sorted mail for soldiers. Before retiring from the military, Ms. Dixon received the Good Conduct Medal to commemorate her service to the Army. She continued to serve the public by volunteering at Washington Hospital Center and Howard University Hospital for 12 years. As a resident of the Washington, DC VA Medical Center, Alyce is loved by the hospital staff, personnel, and residents alike. She has the unique ability to bring joy to others, and is known especially for her bubbly personality and comedic storytelling. Ms. Dixon is a member of Jones Memorial United Methodist Church, where she has graced the congregation with inspirations for a long life, filled with joy and laughter. She has also supported D.C. students in their pursuit of higher education through generous donations to church scholarships and youth programs. In celebrating this significant milestone, we acknowledge the extraordinary personal qualities and contributions of Alyce Dixon to her family and to our community. Her birthday gives me, her family, and friends, as well as the residents of the District of Columbia, an opportunity to thank her for her many gifts of love, friendship, and consideration for others. I ask the House to join me in celebrating the 104th birthday of Alyce L. Dixon, a special woman whose service to this country and community is greatly appreciated.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Dr. George R. Carruthers, a world-renowned scientist, an innovative leader in astronomy and engineering, and a resident of the District of Columbia. Through the guidance and encouragement of his father, Dr. Carruthers discovered his interest in engineering. After graduating from Englewood High School in Chicago, Dr. Carruthers earned a bachelor's of science degree in aeronautical engineering, a master's degree in nuclear engineering, and a doctorate degree in aeronautical and astronomical engineering at the University of Illinois. Though born in Ohio and raised in Illinois, Dr. Carruthers has spent most of his distinguished career as a resident of the nation's capital. Since joining the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in 1964, Dr. Carruthers has co-invented the far-ultra violet electrographic camera, which was first used in sounding rockets in 1966 and was used during the Apollo 16 mission to the moon in 1972, giving scientists fresh, revealing images of Earth and space. He was also the first to detect molecular hydrogen in deep space in 1970. Dr. Carruthers has been a driving force in the use of ultraviolet astronomy. Not only was he involved in the review of the early design of the Hubble Space Telescope, which was carried into orbit in 1990, where it remains and continues to operate, he has refurbished the telescope in the Observatory on the campus of Howard University, enabling students, educators, families, and the general public to use the telescope to view special astronomical events. Dr. Carruthers was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 2003, and has received numerous awards, including the Black Engineer of the Year in 1987, the Arthur S. Fleming Award in 1971, the Exceptional Achievement Scientific Award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1972 and the Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 1973. The District of Columbia and its residents are particularly grateful for Dr. Carruthers' work in helping to develop the next generation of engineers by creating the Science and Engineering Apprentice Program, a summer program in which D.C. Public Schools high school students work side-by-side with professional scientists. Dr. Carruthers has also edited and co-authored several publications and co-produced a series of instructional videos on Earth and space science for high school students. For more than two decades, Dr. Carruthers has been an active member of Science, Mathematics, Aerospace, Research, and Technology (S.M.A.R.T.), Inc., where he has shared his knowledge through presentations and hands-on activities with students, educators, families, and the general public. Dr. Carruthers spent six years coordinating workshops in aerospace, science and technology for African-American students in the D.C. metropolitan area for S.M.A.R.T. and the National Air and Space Museum. Dr. Carruthers is the editor of the National Technical Association (NTA) Journal and newsletter, is the President of the D.C. Chapter of NTA, and was a secretary of the Development Fund for Black Students in Science and Technology for more than two decades. For a lifetime of achievements and for continuing contributions to science, engineering, and astronomy, as recognized throughout the nation and the world, I ask the House to join me in celebrating the uniquely distinctive place of Dr. George R. Carruthers in science.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. I thank the ranking member for yielding. I thank the chairman for coming forward with this bill. Enough of the outrage on both sides--if I may remind us all that that's precisely what the American people told us during recess they didn't want to hear. I do want to correct one error that the prior gentleman just made: That there were no jobs in the American Recovery Act. There were 3 million jobs created or saved by the American Recovery Act; and if there had been more funds in that Act, we wouldn't be here today with the American Jobs Act trying to get more money to avoid a double-dip recession. This bill is not what the American people deserve, and I apologize to them that we have had to lower our standards, but it does save us from another jobs catastrophe like the one we experienced in July. It saves a million transportation jobs. Imagine furloughing that many people if this bill, the Surface Transportation bill, were to run out on the 31st of this month. Both FAA and transportation authorizations are very short term, but both are clean. Both are about yesterday's business--about yesterday's airports because there is not enough money to bring us into the 21st century, and they're about yesterday's surface transportation infrastructure. Yet it's hard to think of bills that would be on this floor during this time that would be carrying such a burden to get so much done at one time. At this moment, this bill is carrying the jobs burden all by itself--a million jobs in surface transportation with at least 100,000 jobs at the airports. It's allowing the modernization of air transportation infrastructure to continue, which is what we lost when there was a 2-week furlough, and it's keeping our infrastructure from further deteriorating. It's not what we deserve. You don't always get what you deserve, and we've got to fight to make sure the American people get just that.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, 2011 marks the 26th Annual Law Enforcement Torch Run to benefit the District of Columbia Special Olympics. The torch relay event is a traditional part of the opening ceremonies for the Special Olympics, which take place at Catholic University in the Nation's Capital in 2011. This event has become a popular event on Capitol Hill and is an integral part of the District of Columbia Special Olympics. Torch run participants will assemble at the U.S. Capitol Building on the west terrace steps for opening ceremonies and then proceed to run or walk a 2-mile course to Ft. McNair, also in the Nation's Capital. Each year, approximately 2,500 Special Olympians compete in over a dozen events and more than a million children and adults with special needs participate in Special Olympics worldwide. The goal of the games is to help bring mentally challenged individuals into the larger society under conditions where they will be accepted and respected. Confidence and self-esteem are the building blocks for the Special Olympic games. The Special Olympics District of Columbia has been operating for 42 years, providing services to a wide swath of D.C. residents, and I am pleased to support such a worthy organization and event. I also urge the House to support House Concurrent Resolution 67. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring native Washingtonian Gail T. Lovelace for 38 years of outstanding, tireless service to the federal government, and especially in celebrating her tenure at the General Services Administration (GSA). Gail graduated from Notre Dame Academy, where she was a proud member of the basketball team, the French club, and the glee club, where she honed her signature voice. She is an honors graduate of the University of Maryland and the University of Louisville. Gail is a human resources guru and served as the first Chief People Officer in the federal government, as well as GSA's top human resources executive. During her tenure, GSA has repeatedly been voted as one of the top agencies to work for in the federal government. Her expertise and skill set have made her the ``go-to'' person and a problem solver on matters dealing with federal personnel. She is equally well known as a strong advocate for civil servants. IN 2008, Gail served as the Director of Presidential Transition for GSA, an important role given GSA's responsibility for finding suitable and appropriate work space, for providing information technology services, and for providing a variety of administrative services for each incoming administration. Gail is known for her flawless approach to solving problems, and has received numerous awards and honors during her career, including the Human Resources Executive of the Year Honor Roll Award and the Meritorious and the Distinguished Presidential Rank Awards. In addition to her stellar career, Gail takes great pride in her family. Her husband, Reginald, her children, Ryan and Resa, her son-in- law, Salvatore, and her granddaughter, Lindsey, are highlights in her life. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in honoring Gail T. Lovelace for her accomplishments and devotion to public service and in wishing her well on her retirement. Our federal government is a better place because of her service.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce a bill to require greater accountability for a prized federal asset, Union Station in Washington, D.C. My bill would require an annual audit by the Department of Transportation Inspector General of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, USRC, and Union Station, which is owned by the Department of Transportation. For decades, no official audit has been performed and, increasingly, questions have been raised about the management and condition of the facility. Commissioned by Congress, Union Station first opened in 1907 as a train facility for the nation's capital, with a much heralded design by the famous architect Daniel Burnham. The station once was the largest building in the nation's capital. However, Union Station deteriorated from a bustling transportation hub and commercial center as rail use declined in the 1950s. Following a long series of failed ideas, wasted federal funds, cost overruns, major utility needs and mismanagement, Congress passed the Union Station Redevelopment Act (P.L. 97-125) in 1981, authorizing the Secretary of Transportation to create USRC, a non-profit corporation, to spearhead the redevelopment of Union Station into a modern facility, to maintain and expand it into a great intermodal facility, and to protect the federal government's interest in the station. In 1988, Union Station, which had become a neglected, boarded up wasteland hardly fit for trains, reopened after a multi- million dollar renovation with federal funds as a beautiful historically restored facility, shopping mall, and major multi-modal transit hub and tourist destination. When I chaired the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, we held what likely were the first hearings on Union Station since the USRC was formed and the renovations were completed. I was astonished to find that there was no master plan to account for the major renovations and modernizations planned for inside and outside of the station, including reconstruction of Columbus Circle, expanded Metro access for the busiest Metrorail station in the region, development of Burnham Place, a three-million square foot mixed-use development project over the rail tracks, and indispensable expansion of the concourse and waiting areas for Amtrak, the Maryland Rail Commuter Service, MARC, and the Virginia Railway Express, VRE. Today, the various components of Union Station have developed a master plan for the station, including a separate Amtrak master plan that currently is being developed because of the urgent need to improve capacity and service along the Northeast Corridor. Yet both the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management have met significant resistance as we continue to press USRC to create an intercity bus deck in its existing space, in accordance with its mission to develop and maintain a true intermodal facility. It was only after two hearings and letters from the committee and from me that USRC developed a ``pilot'' intercity bus deck. Even so, after failed negotiations with intercity bus companies, it has required many meetings between USRC and me and my staff, a meeting with Chairman Mica and me, and the inclusion of the Department of Transportation, which, by statute, chairs the USRC Board of Directors, to finally jumpstarted meaningful discussions on a permanent intercity bus program. The audit is particularly essential now because of increasing evidence that USRC may not be able to meet its mandate to be self- supporting. For example, Union Station contains the kind of popular retail shops and restaurants that pay significant taxes everywhere else in the city, including in other federal buildings. However, USRC has asked the District of Columbia for a reduced Possessory Interest Tax assessment, a tax levied by the District on private businesses located in federal buildings. Yet USRC was given authority under the Union Station Redevelopment Act to negotiate lease agreements in this valuable property in order to ensure that the needs of Union Station would be covered, but USRC has negotiated a master retail lease that obligated USRC to pay half of any Possessory Interest Tax, thereby depriving USRC of significant funds that could be used for station maintenance and improvements. USRC says that its payment of the Possessory Interest Tax would hinder its mission of maintaining and preserving Union Station. The amount of the Possessory Interest Tax is small compared to Union Station's needs and casts further doubt about USRC's ability to meet its congressional mandate to make Union Station self-supporting. Although USRC was created in 1984 to ensure that Union Station would be self-sustaining, it is impossible for Congress or the public to gauge the health and progress of USRC without a proper audit. Particularly today, when there are no federal funds to rehabilitate Union Station, as Congress provided before, it is essential that we have a definitive and continuing view of the financial viability of Union Station, beginning with a full annual audit that is made available to Congress and to the public. Major planned development, ongoing negotiations on the intercity bus deck and questions about USRC's maintenance and needed improvements for Union Station make an official annual audit essential. With nearly 90,000 visitors passing through Union Station every day, Congress is obligated to track the financial condition of this great asset in order to protect the significant federal investment and to avoid another cycle of the disrepair that once led to the closure of the facility. The only responsible course is to require a full annual and public audit of this historic federal property.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. I appreciate the remarks of the chairman and the ranking member. In light of those remarks and their generosity, I do withdraw my amendment and will work with them to try to implement it in other ways.

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would designate $300,000 from the National Recreation and Preservation Account for a National Park Service study of whether applying the same rules and regulations to all parks maximizes the highest and best use of individual parks, for the system as a whole, and for Americans who use our parks. This is but a study, and it would require the National Park Service to look at how NPS, cities, counties and States, as well as other countries, manage their diverse parks and to suggest, from the available best practices, appropriate ways to help NPS meet the needs of individual communities within the basic uniformity necessary to operate a national system of parks. Today, the NPS applies the same rules and regulations to all its parks, regardless of location, from the almost 1200-square-mile Yosemite National Park to small urban parks on street corners. I support a unified national park system, but NPS should develop flexible standards that take into account the unique circumstances and population of individual parks and changing conditions throughout the country in keeping with congressional recognition of both conservation and recreation as primary reasons for our parks. The neighborhood parks in the District of Columbia, for example, serve a very different function from Yellowstone. Dupont Circle Park is a central urban community meeting place in the District, not a place for enjoying the greenery of nature, as much as we love our parks for that purpose. On any given day, you will find people playing chess, sunbathing, playing Frisbee or passing out fliers. Madam Chair, I have come to the floor because I have tried, unsuccessfully, to get the Park Service to make small adaptations perfectly compatible with their mission to allow for the people in the parks in my own district, and I am certain that other Members have found similar roadblocks. For example, the Park Service won't allow bike share stations on or near Federal parks, and they are not permitting the three golf courses in the District of Columbia to be run as a public-private partnership. Both of these examples have run into the same one-size-fits-all concession concerns. Yet the National Park Service could negotiate concession agreements that accommodate bike share in the future; and an inflexibility in Park Service insistence on concession contracts that do not allow capital investment resulting in an astonishing deterioration of invaluable capital-intensive golf courses in the District could give way to other approaches, such as public-private partnerships operating under long- term leases that would allow private funding to assist the Park Service with upgrading and maintaining these public assets with Congress, which the taxpayers can't possibly by themselves maintain. Inflexible, one-size-fits-all policies keep Americans from using our parks for compatible purposes, such as bike stations, or, worse, condemn unique iconic resources to inevitable decline. Madam Chairman, my amendment is of the lowest possible cost. It is for a study to tell us what to do, to tell the Park Service what to do, to allow people throughout this country who live in very different locations and have to use our parks in very different ways just how this must be done compatible with a uniform National Park Service. I ask that my amendment be approved. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. NORTON. I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in celebrating the revival of ``The Rickey,'' a cocktail of Presidents and Members of Congress who, in the 1880s, frequented Shoemaker's Bar, which today is the home of the J.W. Marriott Hotel, near the White House. The invention of The Rickey, made with a combination of gin or bourbon, half a lime, ice, and sparkling water, is attributed to Colonel Joe Rickey. The cocktail became well known nationally, appears in cocktail books, and was recently named the District of Columbia's native cocktail in a resolution introduced by D.C. Council member Jack Evans and approved by the D.C. Council. This week at the J.W. Marriott, D.C. residents celebrated The Rickey as I unveiled a plaque commemorating it as a part of the city's rich history. Much of the energy for the revival of The Rickey as D.C.'s cocktail was driven by Garrett Peck, author of ``Prohibition in Washington, DC: How Dry We Weren't,'' and Bob Madigan, who acted as emcee at the celebration. As Congress tries to reach a sensible compromise on the debt limit, we would do well to remember The Rickey, the drink dejour at a time when Presidents, Members of Congress, and members of the press on ``Newspaper Row,'' as that part of 14th Street was known, drank together and enjoyed good relations. Let us take the spirit of The Rickey to heart this week and settle our debt-limit differences. Having a Rickey might even help. I ask the House to join me in commending the J.W. Marriott for their recognition of the political history of the city, especially to a part of Washington's history that will humanize politicians.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. I thank the gentleman from Illinois for yielding. Madam Speaker, the debt limit isn't the only deadline that is upon us. Here we are, facing Friday--D-day for the Nation's aviation system. This is the third Congress where our committee has passed this bill. Most of the sections of the bill do not have major disagreement. But, now, we are going for a bare 2-month extension. On the policy rider, all I've got to say is, why make it more difficult when you know that when it goes to the other body, it's either going to be stripped out or we're going to be facing another terrible deadline. I appreciate that negotiations have been going on all along with staff. I do believe, though, that the failure of the majority to appoint conferees is a problem with this bill because, once members are appointed, it seems to me that sends another signal and gets another set of people in it to move the bill. So the conferees do matter and should have been appointed. These are difficult issues, and they shouldn't be left to linger: Next Generation Air Transportation. If we don't modernize our air transportation, we're going to be left behind even developing countries. Runway safety. We've had collisions on runways at airports right here where there are major airports. Aircraft noise, and we always have this issue, of whether or not the perimeter rule is going to be extended or violated again. Well, you know, I oppose increases of the perimeter rule, but I oppose even more not sitting down to figure it out with conferees at the table. We've got the air ambulance operation issues, the oversight of foreign carriers and, of course, the notorious national mediation board issue, where what constitutes a majority could only be an issue in this Congress. Is it the majority of votes cast, or is the majority of those in the class or in the whole group? If it's a majority of votes cast, then, of course, it's what all of us in the Congress use every 2 years to get elected. There are matters in this bill that the Congress has to do anyway that would be especially useful to do now as we recover from the Great Recession. We should pass this bill providing jobs, which is something we have to do anyway, now, when it would count, would matter very much to the entire country. Let's reauthorize the entire bill and quit short-term extensions.

Ms. NORTON

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute an outstanding Federal employee and citizen of the District of Columbia, Veronica Lewis, who is retiring this month after forty-one years of service with the Federal Government. Ms. Lewis, a dedicated public servant, is known for her contributions to both the government and to her fellow employees. Ms. Lewis has lived and worked in Washington, DC all of her life. She began her career as a public employee in 1970 as a personnel information assistant with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 1986, she became a secretary with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where she is still employed today, in the agency's Division of Corporation Finance. She has been a loyal and dedicated Federal employee for the past 4 decades. Ms. Lewis attended public schools in the District of Columbia. Prior to her career with the Federal Government, she worked for the Metropolitan Police Department and also as a teacher's aide at Taft Junior High School. In 2000, Ms. Lewis was one of the original founders of the Federal employee union that now represents all of the non-management employees at the SEC National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), Chapter 293. She served as the union's chief steward for several years and, since 2006, has served as the vice president of Chapter 293. Ms. Lewis has two children, Cecilia Vernette Camp and Edward Walker, and three grandchildren, Angela Lewis-Camp, Veronica Lewis-Camp, and Edward Walker, Jr. In retirement, Ms. Lewis plans to travel as well as to volunteer at St. Jude Children's Hospital. Her hobbies are dancing, traveling and bicycling. Mr. Speaker, Veronica Lewis has been a dedicated civil servant all of her adult life, both as an SEC employee and as a leader of NTEU Chapter 293. It is appropriate that we honor her today for her many contributions and congratulate her on her retirement from the Federal Government.