Bruce Poliquin

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Chair, I would like to point out for the Record that both Mr. Walz and Mr. Wenstrup are both veterans, and we are so grateful for their service to our country in so many different ways. Mr. Chair, it was our first commander-in-chief, George Washington, who said, and I paraphrase, that we can never expect young men and women to rise to the occasion to fight for our country and for our freedom unless we take care of those who have already sacrificed on the battlefield. So the wonderful thing about serving on the Committee for Veterans Affairs, Mr. Chair, is that it is completely bipartisan. This is all about our veterans. We just love them in the State of Maine--66,000 veterans strong in our Second District of Maine, Mr. Chair. We have one of the highest percentages of our population that are veterans in the country, and we are very, very proud of that. I must say that, in my dealings with Togus--which is, by the way, Mr. Chair, the first military hospital in the country. It is about 150 years old now. They set up to take care of our Civil War veterans about 150 years ago. In any event, in talking with the folks at Togus, they made it very clear to me, Mr. Chair, that one of their biggest problems they have, and it is ongoing, is: How do we hire quickly and retain the best quality doctors, nurses, and medical technicians to care for our heroes? That is why I am so excited and grateful for this opportunity to vote for H.R. 1367, because it helps solve one of these problems. It removes red tape in the hiring process. It streamlines the hiring process. The Veterans Administration has about 360,000 employees, so it is a very large organization. When that happens, of course, you need to deal with administrative burdens and red tape and what have you. So I am encouraging all of my fellow colleagues here, Republicans and Democrats, to make sure they vote for this bill, H.R. 1367, because our best fought for us, Mr. Chair, our best fought for us. It is time that our best take care of those who fought for us.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago, right here, I congratulated our New England Patriots on winning their fourth Super Bowl championship. Today I am proud to share the excitement of my fellow Mainers to congratulate our Patriots on capturing their fifth world championship. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday night, more than 100 million football fans from around the world witnessed the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. Against an outstanding Atlanta Falcons team, our mighty Patriots battled back from 25 points down with only 17 minutes left to play. Now, our Patriots, Mr. Speaker, showed the world what can be achieved if you work together and you never give up. We in Congress, all of us, can learn from that example. Coach Belichick, you have earned your place in history as the greatest coach in NFL history. And co-captain Brady, you, sir, have earned your place as the greatest quarterback of all time. Mr. Speaker, Maine is so proud of all of our New England Patriots, and I humbly congratulate them. I will see everybody on this team at the White House this spring.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. ``No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty-five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen. ``The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct.''

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Goodlatte for yielding. We are very proud in our Second District of Maine to house Bates College, which I understand is the chairman's alma mater. I would like to speak a little bit today, Mr. Speaker, about these three gentlemen from Virginia, from a slightly different perspective, as a freshman Member of Congress and someone who has a business background but not a legislative background. Randy Forbes has been a tremendous help to my district by giving me counsel when it comes to Bath Iron Works and the tremendous shipbuilding skills that BIW has, making the best destroyers that keep our country safe and the best shipbuilders in the world. Randy Forbes' guidance on the Committee on Armed Services to help secure additional funding for BIW is something that I will never forget and something that the 6,000 workers at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, have a debt of gratitude to Mr. Forbes for his help in that regard. Scott Rigell, as a businessowner here in Virginia in the auto dealership area, has also been incredibly helpful to me in sitting on the Committee on Financial Services, Mr. Speaker, that deals with credit when it comes to the auto dealerships extending that credit to consumers, and Scott's guidance in that regard has been very, very helpful. I do serve on the House Committee on Financial Services with Representative Robert Hurt, who has become a very good friend and someone whom I have turned to on many occasions to make sure I understand what the legislative process is, Mr. Speaker. As a business professional, I understand what needs to be done to move our country forward, move our economy forward, and to create more jobs in Maine and throughout the country; but the gears of how Congress works is something that has been new to me, and I want to thank Robert Hurt very much for the patience he has extended to me to answer questions I have had. He is a very thoughtful man. He is someone who knows this process inside and out, and he has been very helpful to me, along with Mr. Forbes and Mr. Rigell. I thank Chairman Goodlatte for giving me an opportunity to salute these tremendous gentlemen from the Commonwealth of Virginia, for extending their help to me as a freshman, to our State, and to our country. Congratulations to all these wonderful Congressmen.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Huizenga and also Chairman Hensarling for bringing this very important issue before the American people. Mr. Speaker, it is a horrible idea to allow the United States Government to help the Iranian Government support terrorism. This bill helps make sure that does not happen. Now, the world knows that the Iranian Government has a very long history of using their state-owned Iran Air to transport weapons and military personnel for the Revolutionary Guard, which, in turn, trains, arms, and funds terrorist organizations around the world. The Revolutionary Guard and the Government of Iran has American blood on its hands. It should be very concerning to everybody in this Chamber, Republicans and Democrat, that the Iranian leaders for years have chanted, Death to America, and have vowed to wipe the State of Israel off the map. The Iranian Government cannot be trusted. Now, the United States financial institutions should not be allowed to help the Iranian Government purchase aircraft and other equipment proven to be used for military purposes. Mr. Speaker, this bill, H.R. 5711, is a good, commonsense bill. I implore everybody in this Chamber, Republicans and Democrats, to do what is right and to stand up and vote ``yes'' for H.R. 5711 to make sure we do not assist the chief sponsor of terrorism in this world to conduct its activities.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for recognizing that Oakland, Maine, is a central Maine metropolis, and I thank the chairman for quickly bringing this very important bipartisan bill to the floor. I want to salute the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Young), the Congressman who has been in the lead with respect to this issue. Mr. Speaker, when I was a boy growing up in central Maine, our brave men and women in uniform who were returning from the battlefield in Vietnam were not treated well. I remember those days, and a lot of us also do. I believe our country, Mr. Speaker, has learned a lesson that that shall never happen again. Sadly, Mr. Speaker, today, 22 veterans commit suicide in our country every day, and the majority of those veterans have served in Vietnam. When one of our veterans, any veteran, is in trouble and they call the crisis hotline, we need to make sure that those phones are answered and the individuals on the other end, our heroes, are not hung up on, inadvertently or otherwise. We need to make sure we take care of our veterans. Mr. Speaker, in the State of Maine, we love our veterans. The character of our country is measured in great part by how we treat our veterans. I am thrilled to cosponsor this bill because it will help correct this issue. I would like to close, Mr. Speaker, with a quote from George Washington: ``The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive how the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.'' Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Young for bringing this important legislation to the floor. I encourage everybody in this Chamber, Republicans and Democrats, to get behind this terrific bipartisan piece of legislation.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Chairman, I ask all of my colleagues here in the House, Republicans and Democrats, to stand with me, and to stand with our fellow Americans, and to stand with freedom-loving people throughout the world against terrorism. I ask, please, that everyone vote ``yes'' for H.R. 5461, the Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act.

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman very much for moving this very important bill through our Financial Services Committee onto the House floor. I also want to applaud my colleagues who have done so much work on this in our Terrorism Financing Task Force--of which I am a member--Democrat Steve Lynch from Massachusetts and Republican Mike Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, the Iranian Government is a chief state sponsor of terrorism and instability throughout the world. For many years, the senior political leaders and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard have trained, armed, and funded terrorist organizations. More recently, they have become experts at using the Internet and social media to recruit and teach other radical Islamic terrorists around the globe. The Iranian Government, Mr. Chair, has American blood on its hands. The primary responsibility for every Member of Congress, Republicans and Democrats, is to support and defend our Constitution. That means keeping our families safe and keeping them free. National security, Mr. Chair, is not and should never be a political issue. Today, about 70 to 80 top political and military leaders in Iran control approximately one-third of their economy. They use their power and their influence to corrupt the telecommunications, construction, and other important industries in that economy. An investigation by Reuters found that the Supreme Leader alone has accumulated a tremendous amount of personal wealth through a foundation claiming to help the poor. While this corruption has grown, the average Iranian citizen earns the equivalent of about $15,000 per year. Mr. Chair, the people of Iran and the citizens of this world deserve to know how much the chief sponsors of terrorism in Iran have accumulated and what the money is being used for. Businesses around the world that are looking to possibly invest in Iran should know before their investment who and what they are dealing with. Mr. Chairman, my bill, H.R. 5461, the Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act, is a straightforward Maine commonsense bill. It simply requires the United States Treasury Department to collect, maintain, and post online the list of 70 to 80 senior political and military leaders in Iran, their personal assets, how that money was acquired, and what it is being used for. My bill further requires the Treasury Department to post on its Web site this information in English as well as the three main languages spoken in Iran: Farsi, Arabic, and Azeri. The information must be able to be downloaded and shared easily by everyone. Mr. Chairman, sunshine is the best disinfectant. Let's use the transparency of one click of a computer from any corner of this globe to expose what the chief sponsor of terrorism in this world is doing with its money. Americans are alarmed and frightened about the increased terror attacks here at home and in peace-loving nations around the world. Secrecy and corruption in Iran breed more terrorism, so let's shed light on this destructive behavior and put pressure on the Iranian leader to change their ways.

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer the Poliquin amendment to the Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act. My amendment is very simple, Mr. Chairman. It adds the Committee on Foreign Affairs to the reporting requirements in the bill. Right now, the legislation requires the Department of Treasury to provide a report to the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee, the unclassified portion of which will be posted for everyone to see on the U.S. Department of Treasury's Web site. My amendment, Mr. Chairman, adds the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Relations in the Senate as appropriate congressional committees to receive the report. It is a small adjustment to the bill, but a good one, as I think we all benefit from the good work that Chairman Royce and his committee has conducted with regard to the Iranian regime. I urge support of this amendment and, once again, for the underlying bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 522, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, there are millions of Americans across our country who are frustrated that Republicans and Democrats are not working together to get things done. Well, I can tell you that is not the case, Mr. Speaker, in the great State of Maine. During the past 6 months, I have worked very hard with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, a Democrat, who represents our First District in Maine. I am a Republican representing our Second District. Together we have ushered through a very important bill, Mr. Speaker, that removes redundant and harmful red tape from being imposed upon 650 hardworking Mainers who harvest and process sea urchins and cucumbers from the ocean floor. Now, unlike lobsters, Mr. Speaker, that are caught in traps up in Maine, sea urchins and cucumbers are collected on the bottom of the sea floor by those who dive in the cold, dark waters. It is a very dangerous job, and the product is a delicacy in the Far East, but it is very perishable. Now already, Mr. Speaker, Maine officials inspect sea cucumbers and urchins before they leave the State, but the last couple years, U.S. Fish and Wildlife folks down in New York are imposing additional red tape before they can get on cargo planes. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that I am proud of the Maine commonsense, bipartisan bill that removes this redundant red tape from 650 people who work as hard as anyone you can find.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Chairman, the amendment that I was planning to offer tonight is related to the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposed rule 30e-3. If this rule, Mr. Chairman, is finalized in its current form, Wall Street mutual fund companies could take away the paper statements that are received from their Main Street investors by simply sending them a notice that their paper reports have been canceled. Investors would only regain those reports, Mr. Chairman, if they return a form opting back into paper. Now, this is particularly hurtful to the elderly, the poor, and those living in rural areas--all people who disproportionately lack broadband Internet access. Mr. Chairman, it is so easy to see how problems could occur with this current rule in its current form. Seniors could misunderstand the letter announcing their loss of paper reports and discard the letter, or an investor who sends in a request to continue to receive those paper statements, which could be lost in the mail. Mr. Chairman, my own parents, who are 86 and 88, struggle to even use a cell phone. How can we expect millions of our seniors across the country who live in rural areas with no Internet access to be able to log on to the Internet in order to receive critical mutual fund information? Mr. Chairman, if this rule 30e-3 is implemented in its current form, I believe and fear that millions of our fellow Americans will be left out in an information desert. Americans need to know how much money they have saved, whether it be for a new home or for college or for their retirement. Congress should encourage savings and market confidence among our families. At a time, Mr. Chairman, where 50 percent of the mutual fund assets are owned by our seniors, this rule in its current form does just the opposite.

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Chairman, over 90 percent of the comments submitted to the SEC on this issue conclude that investors do, in fact, want to retain their paper financial reports. Mr. Chairman, I ask Chairman Crenshaw today, please, for his support to ensure that a final rule on this issue from the SEC is fair to all investors, especially our small senior investors living in rural areas.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman. Our great State of Maine has the oldest average age in the country. Like thousands of fellow Mainers, I help care for my special 86- and 88-year-old parents. Now, it is scary to realize that our vulnerable seniors, whom we love so much, are increasingly being victimized by aggressive financial scams. This fraud is costing them not only sleepless nights, but about $3 billion each year. So today, Mr. Speaker, here in the House, Republicans and Democrats have a chance to show our compassion and to help our seniors. Now, our Senior Safe Act will help local bank and credit union tellers and retirement and insurance advisers and others to identify and stop these crimes before they happen. Our bill enables professionals in the financial sector and the institutions they work for to report this crookery to the proper authorities. We must do everything humanly possible, Mr. Speaker, to stop these scams before our parents and grandparents are fooled into draining and transferring their savings accounts and their nest eggs. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Democrat Congresswoman Sinema and Congressman Murphy of Florida and for Republican Congressman Mulvaney to write this important legislation. I thank Chairman Hensarling and Chairman Garrett for quickly moving this bill through our Financial Services Committee. I also want to congratulate and thank our Maine Senator, Susan Collins, for authoring the original legislation in the Senate. I am proud to work and join with Senator Collins by authoring this companion legislation here in the House. As we all know in Maine and throughout the country, Senator Collins has been a national leader and a champion on all sorts of issues important to aging adults throughout our country. Finally, I want to thank Judy Shaw, Maine's Securities Administrator, who has been instrumental in developing this type of program in our great State of Maine where it has been so successful in preventing financial fraud against our seniors. Now, Mr. Speaker, we Americans are facing many challenges here at home and abroad. But that doesn't mean that we can't find solutions that we can agree upon--commonsense solutions--to the serious problems that hurt our seniors, and this is one case. As a result, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, to support the Senior Safe Act.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Chair, the Berry amendment has been the law of the land in the United States for 75 years. Very simply, it requires the Pentagon to issue American-made gear and equipment to men and women in uniform for basic training. This is very important because it promotes good-paying, U.S. manufacturing jobs and national security by assuring an American supply chain for that equipment. Today, the Berry amendment supports 600,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs--from T-shirts to combat boots to parachutes. I represent 900 of the most skilled, hardworking athletic shoemakers in the world. They are proud and they are honored to manufacture the highest quality athletic shoes for our troops. Mr. Chair, a vote for the Sanford amendment is a vote for manufacturing jobs in Asia. I ask everyone to please vote ``no'' on the Sanford amendment. Vote ``no'' on the Sanford amendment in order to support U.S. manufacturing jobs, to save taxpayer dollars, and to reduce injuries by providing the highest quality, 100 percent American- made athletic shoes made for U.S. recruits.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Chair, each month across our great country, our brave men and women in the National Guard and the Armed Forces Reserves leave their homes and report for duty. Each month they train on the ground and in the air and on the sea so that they are ready at a moment's notice to fight for our freedom. Our guardsmen and reservists often travel long distances to their training sites, and their travel costs often exceed their monthly training pay, which forces them to buy gas, meals, and sometimes hotel rooms out of pocket. Right now, today, under existing law, if you work for the IRS or the EPA or some other Federal Government agency, you are granted a tax deduction for out-of-pocket travel expenses if you travel beyond 50 miles of your home; but if you are a guardsman or a woman or if you are in the Reserves, you need to travel more than 100 miles to receive the same benefits. Mr. Chair, this is not fair, and this is not right. I urge everybody to endorse and support my amendment No. 300.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, it cannot be said enough that every 25 minutes in this great country, there is a baby born addicted to drugs. Last year alone, 1,000 of those babies were born in the great State of Maine. Now, 80 percent of these addicted infants are covered by Medicaid and treated at local hospitals, but our hospitals are overwhelmed. They are not equipped to provide the specialized care that these babies desperately need to recover from the drugs in their tiny bodies. I am very proud to serve as an original cosponsor of the Nurturing and Supporting Healthy Babies Act. I am thrilled that this bill, Mr. Speaker, is being considered today on the floor. I want to congratulate Congressman Evan Jenkins from West Virginia, a Republican, and I want to congratulate Congresswoman Bustos from Illinois, a Democrat, for their leadership on this issue. This is not a political issue, Mr. Speaker. This is about our kids. This is about our babies. This is about that generation. H.R. 4978 made sure that we get the information we need as to how hospitals and other medical facilities are currently treating these addicted babies, such that we can fill in the gap with Medicaid coverage. Mr. Speaker, every baby born into this world deserves our compassion and our care. This bill offers real hope for a healthy and a safe and a loving start for thousands of American babies born addicted to drugs. Let's all get together and get this done, Mr. Speaker. This is not a political issue. This is about our kids. Mr. GENE GREEN from Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Maine Troop Greeters on recently welcoming home our 1,500,000th American hero. I want to applaud and thank each one of these incredible individuals for their important, inspirational work to personally greet each American soldier--including hundreds of our canine heroes--when they return to U.S. soil through the Bangor International Airport, regardless of the time of day or night they arrive home. Many of us remember the disgraceful treatment our brave servicemen received upon their arrival home from Vietnam. Thanks to the Maine Troop Greeter's incredible dedication, every military member now deployed overseas is welcomed back the way they deserve--with a friendly Maine face and heartfelt words expressing our Nation's great gratitude for their selfless service and joy for their safe homecoming. I am privileged to be an honorary Maine Troop Greeter and to represent these incredible men and women in the United States Congress. I was also honored to invite Troop Greeter and American hero Norm Rossignol as my special guest at this year's State of the Union. America is the greatest country in the world because of patriots like these selfless individuals. Again, I want to congratulate the amazing men and women of the Maine Troop Greeters on reaching this incredible 1.5 million troop milestone and I look forward to joining them again soon. God Bless America and God Bless the Maine Troop Greeters.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. We only want to make sure that there is enough time for public comment. I ask everybody to support this bill. It is a great bill, and it keeps money flowing through the economy for our small businesses and job creators.

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for bringing this very important issue to the House floor. I am pleased to stand up in support of H.R. 3340, the Financial Stability Oversight Council Reform Act. I want to congratulate Congressman Tom Emmer of Minnesota for his tireless work on this bill to come up with a commonsense piece of regulation that helps create jobs in this country. Mr. Speaker, I want to set the Record straight. There are some folks in this Chamber who continue to blame the economic problems we have had over these past years specifically on the financial services industry. Well, let's be honest here. There were D.C. regulators here in this town who put tremendous pressure on the banks to lend money at zero percent down and zero percent interest to folks who they knew could not afford these loans. When they were unable to repay these loans, the real estate market collapsed and brought the economy with it. Mr. Speaker, every business in America, every industry, should be fairly and predictably regulated. However, when the regulations are so intense and so complicated and so smothering that it kills jobs, then it is our responsibility to make sure that we give our small businesses in this country relief. Mr. Speaker, I have been here for a little over a year and I realize there is a fourth branch of government. Now, we all know what the Constitution says. It is that Congress, the legislative branch, creates the laws. The administrative branch, the White House, implements the laws that we create. If there is a question, then we get the referee involved, the courts. However, there is a fourth branch of government that is unconstitutional. It is called the professional regulator. Now, what has happened over the course of these past years is that the administrative branch wants to send directions to their regulators to put more and more pressure on our business community that creates jobs and gives our families opportunities.

Mr. POLIQUIN. One of those agencies is the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Mr. Speaker, this organization has tremendous power on our economy to regulate financial institutions that pose no risk to the economy, like credit unions in northern Maine and small community banks in northern Maine that did not cause the problems that we have had over these past years. However, all I am asking and all this bill does is make sure that the Financial Stability Oversight Council's operations are funded by the people's representatives. Mr. Speaker, we in Congress have the opportunity to fund that operation.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, our proud State of Maine has sent many hardworking, principled leaders to the national stage. Senator Margaret Chase Smith brought common sense and courage to Washington as the first woman to serve in both the U.S. House and in the Senate. Now, many other Mainers have served our country with distinction, but have seldom made the headlines. Michael Shinay grew up in a middle class family in Waterville and was a loyal alum of the University of Maine. He was an immensely talented public servant who, every day, helped American families and businesses during his 30 distinguished years at the U.S. Postal Service. Mike served as postmaster in Burlington, Vermont, and in the Postmaster General's Office here in Washington. In 1992, Mr. Shinay accepted the thankless job of cleaning up the theft and inside dealings right here at the House Post Office. He then cut costs and introduced new technology that streamlined this huge, complex mail system. In 1999, Mike retired from the Postal Service and consulted on global mail systems to some of the world's most successful companies. Two months ago, on January 23, Michael J. Shinay peacefully passed away, surrounded by his loving wife, Jeanne, of 39 years, and their two wonderful children, Katie and Jonathan. Two months ago, Maine and America lost a cheerful, hardworking public servant, full of fairness, integrity, and goodness. We will miss Mike Shinay.

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 117, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. POLIQUIN

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, one of our brave American heroes is the late U.S. Army Corporal Joseph O'Clair of Ashland, Maine. Corporal O'Clair fought for our freedom and was seriously wounded in the brutal month-long Battle of Heartbreak Ridge in Korea. In November, our congressional office presented Corporal O'Clair with his long-overdue Purple Heart. Sadly, Norm passed away just 2 weeks ago. Norm was a loving husband, father, and grandfather from a small town in Aroostook County, Maine. He and Lydia were married for more than 61 years and raised five terrific children. After the war, Norm worked alongside two of his three sons at the Fournier Logging and Pinkham Lumber companies. He was an avid outdoorsman, a terrific woodworker, and a lifelong member of the VFW, Post 9699, in Ashland. For 240 years, patriotic Americans from small towns across this great country have fought for our freedoms and our way of life. Corporal Joe O'Clair of Ashland, Maine, was among 66,000 courageous veterans throughout Maine's Second Congressional District. Thank you, Norm, for what you have given us. Your gift will last forever.