Kathleen Rice

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of H.R. 2770, the Keeping Our Travelers Safe and Secure Act. Mr. Speaker, last May, the Department of Homeland Security inspector general released a report with a blunt and revealing title: ``The Transportation Security Administration Does Not Properly Manage Its Airport Screening Equipment Maintenance Program.'' The report revealed that TSA lacks strict policies and procedures for maintaining critical screening technology, including x-ray machines and explosive detection equipment. The consequences of this deficiency could be severe. First, as the inspector general's report noted, the lack of regular maintenance reduces the life of screening equipment, which means TSA would have to incur the cost of new equipment. That is a problem for American taxpayers. Even more importantly, the inspector general also noted that, if screening equipment becomes less than fully operational, TSA will be forced to rely on alternative screening measures that may not be as effective at detecting dangerous items. That creates serious risks for passengers, risks that we can and must eliminate. As threats to our homeland evolve, particularly threats to our commercial aviation sector, we cannot afford to be complacent about maintaining screening equipment. This legislation, which I introduced with Ranking Member Thompson, Chairman Katko, and Representative Payne, requires TSA to get serious about maintaining security-related technology in our Nation's airports. Specifically, it requires TSA, within 180 days of enactment, to develop and implement a comprehensive preventive maintenance validation process. This process must include strict maintenance schedules, clear guidance for TSA personnel and contractors on how to conduct and document maintenance actions, mechanisms to ensure compliance, and penalties for noncompliance. These measures are common sense. This is a threat that we can neutralize. I urge my colleagues to do so by supporting this bipartisan legislation. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to thank members of the Committee on Homeland Security for supporting this legislation. There was truly a constructive bipartisan effort to make this legislation what it is today, and because of it, the commercial aviation sector will be more secure. I once again urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation. I thank Chairman Katko for his support. I yield back the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2843, the TSA PreCheck Expansion Act. A decade after Congress directed the establishment of a trusted passenger program, TSA announced its PreCheck pilot program in 2011. Initially, PreCheck participants were frequent flyers of major airlines, Active Duty military members, and participants in other Department of Homeland Security known traveler programs. Over the past 4 years, PreCheck participation has expanded significantly and now encompasses over 1 million Americans who submitted biographic and biometric information and paid a fee to participate in the program. While I am pleased that TSA has reached the milestone of enrolling 1 million people, there are 650 million people who fly in the U.S. every year, and we must keep working to bring more of them into the program. Enrolling in PreCheck is a win-win for passengers and for airport security. Passengers get the benefit of expedited screening, and we get the benefit of an expanded universe of passengers who have undergone extensive vetting and are known to be low risk, and that allows TSA to focus its limited resources on passengers who are unknown and may be higher risk. We can expand PreCheck participation by streamlining the enrollment process to make it more convenient and more accessible. H.R. 2843 seeks to do just that by requiring enrollment standards to include secure technologies such as kiosks and tablets that can collect biographic and biometric information. Additionally, this bills directs TSA to more aggressively market the PreCheck program. Getting the word out about the merits of PreCheck is vital to ensuring that the program continues to grow. To keep Congress engaged in its progress, this bill requires that TSA report any fees in excess of administration costs. This is also an opportunity for the private sector to work together with the Federal Government to expand PreCheck participation, and this partnership will continue to push the program in the right direction. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, Mr. Speaker, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I support this commonsense legislation, and I congratulate my partner on the Transportation Security Subcommittee, Chairman Katko, for authoring it. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2843, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of H.R. 1300, the First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by commending my colleague from New York, my good friend, Mr. King, for working to make sure we are prepared to respond to an event involving a weapon of mass destruction. For nearly a decade, Mr. King and Mr. Pascrell have partnered to improve our ability to prevent, prepare for, and respond to WMD incidents; and I am pleased to be here today to help advance part of that agenda. As the Capitol Hill community witnessed just over a decade ago, even a relatively small-scale anthrax attack can be devastating. An anthrax attack on a larger scale would not only result in more sick people, but would also demand a larger response effort that could stretch our emergency response capabilities. Although we typically think about our WMD policies at the national level, it is important to remember that the initial response to an anthrax event is local. We have an obligation to make sure that those who are called upon to respond to an anthrax attack can do so without jeopardizing their own health in the process. As a member of the Emergency Preparedness Subcommittee, I have heard from emergency responders about what they need to effectively respond to an anthrax attack. I have also had conversations with first responders in my own district, and what I have heard repeatedly is that first responders need access to preevent vaccinations so that, if and when the time comes, they can respond swiftly without fear for their own health. These are the men and women we will rely on in the event of a WMD incident, the men and women we will call on to risk their lives, as they do every day; and they deserve every layer of protection we can provide. H.R. 1300 would direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a program to provide surplus anthrax vaccines and antimicrobials to emergency response providers, on a voluntary basis, before an attack occurs. This legislation has the support of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Emergency Medical Services Chiefs, and the Alliance for Biosecurity. In my opinion, a program like this is long overdue, and I want to thank Mr. King and Mr. Pascrell for their leadership in working to make it a reality. I urge my colleagues to support the First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we have a responsibility to protect the men and women we call on to protect the public when disaster strikes. H.R. 1300 is commonsense legislation. It will provide emergency responders with anthrax vaccines from the Strategic National Stockpile that are approaching their expiration. Certainly, our hope is that our emergency responders will never have to respond to an anthrax attack, but they deserve to know that, if that call ever does come, they can respond without fear for their own safety. Once again, I would like to congratulate my colleagues from New York and New Jersey on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2127, the Securing Expedited Screening Act. The Transportation Security Administration is charged with the great responsibility of keeping commercial aviation passengers safe and keeping criminals, terrorists, and dangerous objects off of flights. They do so using limited resources, relying on a risk-based approach that focuses those resources on the passengers about whom we know the least. The PreCheck program is a key element of this approach, granting expedited screening to trusted or ``known'' passengers who have undergone an extensive vetting process. But even as TSA expanded the PreCheck program, it was also granting expedited screening to other supposedly ``low-risk'' passengers through the Managed Inclusion process--passengers who hadn't gone through the PreCheck application process, hadn't been vetted, and were not known to be low risk. Numerous classified reports from both the Department of Homeland Security inspector general and the Government Accountability Office have detailed the security risks created by the Managed Inclusion process. We must take action to eliminate this vulnerability, and we can do so by passing H.R. 2127. Ranking Member Thompson's bipartisan legislation will require TSA to limit expedited screening to the population for which it was intended: those travelers who have been vetted and are known to be low risk. I urge my colleagues to join Ranking Member Thompson, Chairman Katko, and me in supporting this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, I would like to again thank Members for supporting this legislation. H.R. 2127 will eliminate a significant gap in our aviation security and ensure that each passenger who boards a commercial flight receives the appropriate level of screening. I urge all my colleagues to join us in supporting this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in strong support of H.R. 2206, the State Wide Interoperable Communications Enhancement Act. Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to be here with my colleague and friend from New York. This legislation, introduced by Congressman Donald Payne, will help prevent Federal grant dollars from being spent on communications equipment that will not advance the goal of interoperability. After the September 11 attack, interoperable communications failures were identified as a factor that complicated first responders' efforts. In the immediate aftermath, Congress appropriated millions of dollars in grant funds to address national response capability gaps, including interoperable communications. Unfortunately, millions of dollars were invested on interoperable communications equipment before State and local governments had developed the strategies, plans, and governance structures to ensure that the investments would actually advance their interoperability goals. Nearly 10 years ago, when interoperability challenges plagued the Hurricane Katrina response, one of the major takeaways was that spending millions of dollars on the interoperability problem does not yield results unless there are mechanisms in place for coordination. In response to that tough lesson, Congress, in 2006, authorized the creation of the Office of Emergency Communications within the Department of Homeland Security and tasked the office with developing a National Emergency Communications Plan. The first plan, which was released in 2008, set as a milestone for every State the designation of a full-time Statewide Interoperability Coordinator. This was a major recommendation from first responders across the Nation. States initially met the goal of appointing full-time SWICs, and we saw the benefits firsthand during the response to the Boston Marathon bombings. In the years and months leading up to that day, the Massachusetts SWIC had engaged in significant planning activities and had coordinated with organizations at the Federal, State, and local levels to exercise the emergency communications capabilities. As a result of the high performance of the emergency communications systems, lives were saved that day in Boston. Due to recent budgetary pressures, however, the number of States that maintain dedicated full-time SWICs has dwindled. SWICs are charged with overseeing the daily operation of the State's interoperability efforts, coordinating interoperability and communications projects, maintaining governance structures, and implementing Statewide Communications Interoperability Plans. H.R. 2206 seeks to maintain the governance structures and coordination activities that have helped guide interoperable communications investments since Hurricane Katrina. Nationwide, over $13 billion of Federal money has been spent on developing robust interoperable communications capabilities, and the goal still has not been achieved. But we have made progress, and we cannot fall backwards by losing the governance and coordination that ensures we are making sound investments in emergency communications. H.R. 2206 requires that States, in some way, are overseeing emergency communications investments to ensure that the systems are interoperable. On behalf of the Emergency Preparedness Subcommittee Ranking Member Payne, I would like to thank full Committee Chairman Mike McCaul, Ranking Member Thompson, and Subcommittee Chairman McSally for supporting this measure and for helping to bring it to the floor today. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2206, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2206 will protect the progress we have made toward achieving nationwide interoperable emergency communications and prevent money from being wasted on investments that will not advance that goal. SWICs play a critical role in coordinating emergency communications investments and policies at the State level, and it is important that this work continue. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding work of Rabbi Anchelle Perl of Chabad of Mineola and the winners of the prestigious Good Deed Awards for Long Island Teenagers. For over two decades, the National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education (NCFJE) has worked tirelessly to showcase and celebrate the tremendous achievements and service of our youth and to help our greater community appreciate their work. The Good Deed Awards have helped provide so many young men and women with the recognition, confidence and encouragement they need to continue on a path of public service and become the leaders of tomorrow. This organization instills in them a sense of purpose and pride and demonstrates the potential that our nation's youth have for creating positive change in their communities and improving the lives of others. That is why I want to begin by congratulating this year's winners. These 31 incredible young men and women come from over a dozen different high schools, represent a diverse set of backgrounds and cultures, and were nominated by a variety of distinguished community members, including educators, religious and community leaders, elected officials, and members of the local business community. Brought together by their commitment to public service and the desire to help others, this year's winners truly embody the very best that our community has to offer. I also want to acknowledge Rabbi Anchelle Perl of Chabad of Mineola, who has graciously hosted the Good Deed Awards for the past 22 years. Having had the honor of attending this event in the past, I know the crucial role that Rabbi Perl plays in guiding and encouraging these incredible young men and women, and in promoting community support for their work. Rabbi Perl has devoted his life to serving this community and I am truly proud to be his representative in Congress.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 1382, the Boosting Rates of American Veteran Employment Act. I doubt there is a single Member of this body who would disagree that American veterans--men and women who have stepped up to protect our country and preserve the freedom that we cherish--deserve our full support when they have completed their service. They deserve the opportunity to find a good job, to support themselves and their families. They deserve the opportunity to succeed in civilian life, to adapt their extraordinary skills, training, and experience in order to thrive in a civilian workforce, and to continue making a meaningful contribution to our economy. We have seen real progress in adding veterans to the workforce, but we cannot be satisfied with that progress while so many men and women still struggle to find the good jobs they deserve. We cannot be satisfied when the unemployment rate among post-9/11 veterans remains higher than the national average. We cannot be satisfied if even a single American veteran who wants to work is not given the opportunity to do so--is left jobless, homeless, forgotten, and abandoned by the country he or she served. Unemployment among veterans is not only a stain on the character of our country, it is not only a dereliction of the promise we make to the people who risk their lives to protect us; it is a missed opportunity. Veterans have received the most advanced and sophisticated training the world has to offer. They have unique skills and experience. They know how to work as members of a team. They know how to succeed in the most difficult conditions. They know how to get the job done, whatever that job may be. They received that training, they developed those skills, and gained that experience because we invested in them as servicemembers, and we would be foolish not to double down on that investment. We would be foolish not to invest in them as veterans-- invest in their potential to adapt their training and skills and experience so they may use it to thrive in a civilian workforce and contribute to our economy. We need businesses in the private sector to recognize the benefit of having veterans in their workforces. We need businesses to recognize that it is in their self-interest to actively seek out and employ veterans, not as an act of charity, but because they are excellent workers who know how to get the job done and how to bring out the best in their fellow employees. That is why it is so important that we pass H.R. 1382. This legislation will make the kind of investment that Members of both parties can be pleased to support--the kind that costs no money. The Department of Veterans Affairs is already authorized for $19 billion in total procurement and contracting spending. This legislation will simply ensure that, when the Secretary of the VA is awarding those contracts, he has the authority to give preference to businesses with high concentrations of full-time veteran employees, businesses that make it a priority to actively seek out veterans and provide them with meaningful full-time employment. As has been noted, the VA can already give such preference to veteran-owned businesses, as it should. We should give that same advantage to contractors who actively invest in veterans, who recognize their value and their potential to thrive in the civilian workforce. Such companies do exist, and this legislation will reward them for their commitment to giving veterans the opportunities they have earned. But in doing so, in creating such an advantage, this legislation will also create an incentive for other contractors to do the same, to be proactive, to make it a priority to seek out veterans who are looking for employment. In time, I have no doubt that they will recognize the value of investing in veterans as they will find themselves with a more productive, efficient, and effective workforce. Mr. Speaker, I want to give a special thanks to my colead sponsor on the other side of the aisle, Congressman Paul Cook, a combat veteran who served 26 years and retired as a colonel from the United States Marine Corps. I also think it is important to note that this bill has the support of several major veteran service organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my support for another bill that I am proud to cosponsor, Dr. Wenstrup's legislation--H.R. 474, the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Programs Reauthorization Act. The HVRP provides critical support to help reintegrate homeless veterans into the workforce and to address the underlying issues that so often lead to life on the streets--services ranging from job training, job placement, and career counseling to clothing, housing, transportation, and treatment for mental health and substance abuse disorders. This program has been successful, and passing a 5-year reauthorization will secure its future and allow State and local agencies to plan long-term programming. I thank Dr. Wenstrup for his leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to give H.R. 474 their full support.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 67th anniversary of Israel's independence. On this day, Yom Ha'atzmaut, we celebrate Israel's establishment as a sovereign state and as a homeland for the Jewish people. Rising from the ashes of the Holocaust, Israel has come to embody the true meaning of perseverance and resilience. Since it's declaration of independence in 1948, Israel has overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges, defending itself time and again against enemies seeking to destroy it. Today, Israel stands proudly alongside the world's most developed nations and as the Middle East's sole true democracy--one rooted in equality and freedom of speech and religion. However, this prosperity has come at a high price, as over 20,000 brave Israeli men and women have given their lives in service to their country. That is why this week we also observe Yom Hazikaron, to pay tribute to the Israeli service members who made the ultimate sacrifice and to thousands of Israeli civilians who lost their lives in senseless acts of terror. Sadly, in the post-9/11 world, the United States has also grown familiar with the threat of terrorism and we have watched our own men and women give their lives to defeat it. This common struggle has created yet another bond between our nations, as we both understand the indiscriminant, unjustifiable evil of terrorism, the irreparable pain it causes, and the swift, unequivocal response necessary to destroy it. So today, we celebrate more than just 67 years of Israeli independence--we celebrate 67 years of strong and unwavering U.S.- Israeli relations. I am proud to have visited Israel as a citizen of the United States, and I look forward to returning this summer as a member of Congress representing New York's fourth district, which is home to many people of the Jewish faith and has a special bond with the State of Israel and the Israeli people. During my time in Israel, I saw firsthand the prosperity that this great nation has built, as well as the fear that accompanies the daily threat of terrorism. On Israel's 67th year of independence, I want to congratulate the Israeli people and assure them that the U.S. will forever remain committed to their security, their survival and their prosperity.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Miss RICE of New York. I am opposed to it in its current form.

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. Mr. Speaker, the most important job we have is to protect the American homeland and the American people. The threats against our country are ceaseless and constantly evolving, and we too must evolve and adapt in our efforts to maintain the domestic security that the American people have entrusted us to uphold. Passing H.R. 1560 will be a significant step forward in that effort. Our Nation's cyber infrastructure is under attack every single day from hackers, from foreign nations, and from terrorists. I believe H.R. 1560 will strengthen our government's ability to coordinate with companies in the private sector, share intelligence, and respond to these threats, but I also believe the legislation should be stronger. We know that foreign nations and terrorist organizations are actively seeking to steal American military intelligence and technology, and we know that terrorists are using the Internet to spread their poisonous ideology, recruit American citizens to join their ranks, and encourage attacks here in America. Just this week, six Minnesota men were arrested after trying to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State. Last week, authorities arrested an Ohio man who actually trained with a terrorist group in Syria and returned to the U.S., intent on carrying out an attack on our soil. Earlier this month, two women in my home State of New York were arrested for planning to detonate a bomb in New York City. Mr. Speaker, this amendment will help prevent a domestic terror attack by allowing Federal agencies to coordinate and prioritize the sharing of cyber threat intelligence regarding known terrorist organizations like the Islamic State, Boko Haram, al Shabaab, and al Qaeda and its affiliates, groups that use the Internet and social media as a weapon in their efforts to attack the United States and the American people. Likewise, this amendment will direct Federal agencies to prioritize the sharing of intelligence regarding attempts by terrorists and foreign nations to steal American military technology. This amendment will help protect our Nation and the people we serve. I have no doubt that that is the highest priority for my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, so we must also make it a priority to neutralize these threats and do all that we can to thwart the violent ambitions of those who want to do us harm. Again, Mr. Speaker, I believe H.R. 1560 is important legislation that deserves bipartisan support, but I believe this amendment deserves the same. It will make the legislation stronger, make the American people safer, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to give it their full support. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mr. Andrew Parise, the longtime mayor of the Village of Cedarhurst who passed away last month at the age of 90. A decorated veteran of World War II, Mayor Parise fought in the Battle of the Bulge and personally bore witness to the atrocities of the Holocaust when his division liberated the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. After the war, Mayor Parise returned home and spent 60 years as a decorated public servant, fully devoted to his neighbors and his community. I wish to share the following essay by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, remembering Mayor Parise as a man who led by example, who welcomed human beings of all religions, races and ethnicities and created a spirit of equality and inclusiveness in the Cedarhurst community that will live on long after his passing. [From AMI Magazine, Feb. 18, 2015] A Mayor To Remember (By Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky) I went back to the shtetl last week. You know, like the fellows who go back to Hungary or Poland 50 years after the war, the ones who left when they were little kids. When they get there, though, it's a different shtetl. Of course, some of their old neighbors are still there. You know, the Januariuszes and the Stanislaws in Poland and the Andrashes and Ferkos in Hungary. There they are milling around, looking at you with a mixture of disdain and curiosity, and you're not exactly sure what you're doing there either. Still, there's something that always draws a person back to his beginnings. What is it? Maybe it's a longing for ``your land, your birthplace and the house of your father'' that even pogroms, concentration camps and ruthless natives can't repress. You are wondering, I am sure, where I went. No, it was not the little village of Tzitivyan in Lithuania, nor was it Dolhinov, Minsk or even Ostrov. I went back to the world in which I was born and raised, before it was transformed into a vastly different universe. A remnant of that world was compressed and transplanted into a funeral home in Lynbrook, Long Island, where my father and I went to pay our respects to the old neighborhood and its colorful characters. Andrew Parise, our backyard neighbor for 58 years, and the mayor of the Village of Cedarhurst since 1995, passed away last week. At a time when Jews were a minority in Woodmere and Cedarhurst--and Orthodox Jews almost nonexistent--Mayor Parise opened his arms and embraced us warmly. Mr. Parise was loved and revered by everyone. Possibly the oldest active mayor in the United States, he commanded respect; indeed, no one ever referred to him as anything other than ``the mayor,'' It was, lehavdil, almost like ``the rosh yeshivah.'' It's hard for city folks to relate to a mayor who rode around in an older Lincoln Town Car with a license plate reading ``CEDMAYOR,'' stopping to kibbitz with the locals, and offering rides to people when it rained. He implored my father and me to cut through his backyard to shorten our Shabbos walk to shul, and worked diligently on solving zoning problems for the myriad shtiebelach popping up on village street corners. It was gentiles like Andy Parise who facilitated the harmonious transformation of Cedarhurst, a very secular town that, along with four other similar villages, burgeoned into the Orthodox community known as the Five Towns. My trip to the funeral home in Lynbrook was a trip back in time, as I met so many players of the original five shtetlach there, people whose influence and presence were so prominent when I was a kid. Of course, joining me in the room was my father and an Avi, an Asher and an Ari, much younger than I and strangers to the past to which I'd come to pay my respects. Still, for the most part it was the universe of the pre-frum Five Towns, when the Nickys, Jimmys, Tonys, Joeys and Jesses dominated. If I closed my eyes I could almost hear my father pleading and cajoling to get the garbage picked up, the zoning approved or the unions to back off. In those days, the Italians ran the town. Orthodox Jews were an anomaly; a yarmulke was such a strange sight on Central Avenue that I remember distinctly tugging on my mother's sleeve whenever I saw another one and shouting, ``Look, Ma! He's wearing a yarmulke!'' As I made my way up to the front of the room in search of the Parise children I was stopped by Nick Fabrizio. When I was a kid he was a bus driver; now he owns the bus company. It was one of the largest independent bus companies in our area. While he still comes into the business every day he has passed most of the reins--or the wheels--over to his son Michael. ``Hey! Rabbi!'' he called out. ``How's your pop? I remember how he used to call me at five o'clock in the morning on snow days, pleading with me to pick up the kids even though the public schools were closed!'' He was interrupted by Nicky DeSibio, whose father, affectionately known as Uncle Pete, used to be a big Republican politician. ``What a loss,'' he said, shaking his head. ``Were you aware that I did all the zoning work for you guys when your father had all these problems with the yeshivah back in the day?'' Then he spotted my elderly father and hugged him. ``Rabbi! I was just telling your son . . .'' He was relating some of his ``war stories'' when a voice rang out as if we were standing at a wedding. ``Hey! It's Mutty!'' Yes, that was my sobriquet well before my hair turned gray. ``I've never forgotten you! How's your dad? How's Tzqueaky?'' pronouncing my brother Zvi's name the exact same way all the kids, as well as Mr. Shave, our Irish tenant, used to. It was David Parise, the youngest of Andy's three kids, as enthusiastic and warm as always. I could remember myself as a seven-year-old kid with a large yarmulke, watching the older fellows, Parise, Ferguson, Collins and Newman, playing stickball. They always let me play with them and never made fun of my head covering or my religion. And I can't remember a negative remark against Leroy Collins, the first and only black kid in the neighborhood. I even joined them on some of their mischievous adventures at the Cedarhurst railroad station, which by today's standards are rather innocuous, but I would still rather not mention. David was peppering me with questions and I was asking him if he knew whatever happened to the rest of the gang. All of a sudden my mind was in a 50-year-old place, filled with Farinas, Lanzilottas and DiLorenzos. As the names came swirling back at me I wondered: Why hadn't I experienced all the anti-Semitism I'd heard so much about? Then my eyes glanced at the mayor, lying in repose in a half-opened coffin, next to the myriad medals he'd received fighting the Nazis and liberating Buchenwald, including a Purple Heart. I thought about the tone he'd set for his family and for all of his friends. When asked, he was proud to talk about his experiences. ``When we got to Buchenwald, there were no live people left; maybe a few. Mostly there were large pits filled with skeletons. General Eisenhower wanted us to go into the concentration camps so we could be witnesses to Hitler's atrocities.'' I thought of the early years, when he'd embraced my father's presence and vision for the town. I thought of all the times my father went to him to take care of a ``problem.'' I also remembered hearing stories from other rabbis, some of whom arrived years later. Rabbi Aryeh Ginzberg once related how the mayor had refused to let him sit on a folding chair in his office, insisting on schlepping in a big comfortable leather one for him. ``My rabbi doesn't sit on a folding chair if I can do anything about it,'' he said. The Mayor would always visit our sukkah, and I heard that after my parents started going away for Yom Tov he continued the tradition by visiting the sukkah of Rabbi Zalman Wolowik, the local Chabad shaliach. When Rabbi and Rebbetzin Wolowik were sitting shivah for their son, Levi Yitzchak, the mayor visited every day. Somehow, he always managed to figure out a way to make things work, whether it was a shul having a problem with zoning laws or trying to get additional parking spaces. His favorite motto was something like the Gemara's ``koach d'heteira adif'': ``Some people in authority express power by saying no. I express it by saying yes.'' As I looked at the medals I thought of what it must have been like for an Italian kid fighting the Nazis and liberating the Jews. I also reflected on how the towns and the landscape have changed. Orthodox Jews are now on the board of local villages; the deputy (and soon to be) mayor of Cedarhurst is a trustee of the Young Israel of Woodmere. Torah-observant citizens make up the majority of the school board. I glanced at the coffin and the medals, and the Purple Heart. Being among all the people who had treated my father and our family with such warmth and accommodation, I thought, ``I may have gone back to the shtetl of my youth, but I was not with the Lithuanian, Polish or Hungarian collaborators.'' I was in the presence of the soldiers, and their children who are fighting the Nazis until this very day.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize retired United States Air Force Major General Joseph McNeil, a resident of New York's fourth congressional district who is being honored today by the Franklin Square Historical Society. Fifty-five years ago this month, General McNeil was a 17 year old freshman at North Carolina A&T State University when he and three other freshmen entered a Woolworth's store in Greensboro, North Carolina and sat down at the whites-only counter. They were denied service and asked to leave, but they kept their seats until the store closed. The next morning, they came back with more students. Again they were denied service, and again they refused to leave. They were ridiculed and taunted, but they resisted provocation in their commitment to non- violence. By the fourth day, as news spread, hundreds of students had joined the sit-in, and soon, similar peaceful protests had begun in other towns across North Carolina and beyond the state's borders. The young men who initiated this wave of civil disobedience live on in American history as the Greensboro Four. Their actions reflect the very best of the American character--the commitment to freedom and justice and equality, and the courage to confront injustice with the force of truth and disciplined nonviolence. As Black History Month draws to a close, I wish to recognize General McNeil for his instrumental role in a movement that has made the United States of America a better nation and the American people a better people. I wish also to recognize his distinguished service as a decorated officer in the United States Air Force and Air Force Reserves for more than three decades. I am tremendously grateful for General McNeil's contributions to our communities in New York's fourth congressional district, and it is my distinct honor to serve as his representative in Congress.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 719, the TSA Office of Inspection Accountability Act of 2015. Mr. Speaker, as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security, I have a responsibility to ensure that the Transportation Security Administration operates effectively and efficiently. Part of this responsibility includes working to ensure that not a single taxpayer dollar is wasted so that resources are properly expended to protect our Nation's airports and the traveling public. Regrettably, we have learned from the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general that the TSA's Office of Inspection is not operating effectively and efficiently. Specifically, we have learned that taxpayer dollars have been wasted in a manner that may well be undermining the effectiveness and integrity of internal investigations and inspections within the TSA. According to a report issued by the inspector general in September of 2013, some employees in the Office of Inspection were designated ``criminal investigators'' and have received the premium pay and early retirement benefits commensurate with that position, despite the fact that they perform little to no investigative duties. Apparently, the Office of Inspection knowingly made these improper designations and knowingly conferred better pay and benefits to employees who did not do the work required to justify such compensation. If no changes are made to the number of criminal investigator positions, the inspector general estimates that it will result in the wasting of as much as $17.5 million over 5 years. H.R. 719 seeks to put an end to this wasteful practice and prevent it from happening in the future. Mr. Speaker, this bill would require TSA to certify that all persons designated as criminal investigators are working on criminal investigations at least 50 percent of their time. If the TSA wants to provide an employee with the enhanced pay and benefits that criminal investigators receive, then they should have to certify that the employee is actually performing the duties of a criminal investigator. That is just common sense. This measure would not affect individuals in that office who legitimately hold the criminal investigator title and would not impede efforts to thwart terror plots and other criminal enterprises that threaten our national security. Again, this legislation is common sense. It reflects a commitment to good government and the careful stewardship of taxpayer dollars. The House unanimously approved identical legislation in the last Congress, and I urge my colleagues to do the same with this bill. This is an opportunity for bipartisan action to solve a problem and demonstrate the strength of our commitment to eliminate wasteful spending. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to commend Chairman Katko, as well as the gentleman from South Carolina, Representative Sanford, for their work on this legislation. If enacted, H.R. 719 will bring greater accountability to TSA's Office of Inspection and ensure taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently and that past abuses are not being repeated. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 720, the Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2015, and yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us today is named in honor of Officer Gerardo Hernandez, a Transportation Security Administration officer who was tragically shot and killed in the line of duty on November 1, 2013, at Los Angeles International Airport. Officer Hernandez was the first TSA employee ever to be killed in the line of duty, and this bill that bears his name seeks to better prepare our Nation's airports to respond to such security incidents in hopes that we can prevent another TSA officer, airport employee, or passenger from suffering the same fate. That morning in November 2013, a man entered LAX with a semiautomatic rifle, a bagful of ammunition, and the intent to target TSA officers. After killing Officer Hernandez at the TSA checkpoint, the man proceeded into the secure area of the terminal where he shot and wounded two more TSA officers and a civilian. Those two TSA officers heroically continued to help passengers escape to safety while the shooter made it as far as the food court at the end of the terminal before he was shot and wounded by LAX police officers. The men and women of the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department and all emergency responders who arrived on the scene that morning acted bravely and swiftly prevented further loss of life despite tremendous communications challenges. It is with those men and women and all emergency responders in mind that I rise to support this bill because this incident exposed serious deficiencies in planning, preparedness, and communication that must be corrected for the safety of emergency responders and all who use and work in our airports. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 720 would implement commonsense security measures to ensure that our Nation's airports have in place individualized strategies for responding to a security incident such as an active shooter scenario or an act of terrorism. This bill also specifically requires TSA to provide information to airports on best practices for responding to a security incident at checkpoints; provide Transportation Security officers with practical training for responding to active shooter scenarios; and conduct a nationwide assessment of the interoperable communications capabilities of the law enforcement, fire, and medical personnel responsible for responding to an active shooter event at an airport. These requirements are informed by postincident reviews conducted by TSA and LAX, as well as hearings and oversight work conducted by the Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security. Mr. Speaker, prior to my time here in Congress, I understand that the Subcommittee on Transportation Security also visited LAX to see firsthand how the tragedy unfolded and hear from TSA airport officials and the American Federation of Government Employees about how the response to a similar incident can be improved going forward. I hope that we can continue that productive dialogue with LAX and our other airports and work together to better prepare for such violence in the airport environment. We will never forget what happened at LAX on November 1, 2013, nor can we afford to forget the lessons to be learned from that tragic day. The threats to our Nation's airports are ceaseless and constantly evolving. There could be another attack on any given day at any given airport. We must assume that it will happen. We must be more prepared. We must do better. We owe it to Officer Hernandez and his family. That is why I rise today in support of H.R. 720, and I urge all of my colleagues to pass this important bill. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), the ranking member on the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services whose district encompasses Los Angeles International Airport.

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to thank Subcommittee Chairman Katko for the bipartisan, inclusive, and constructive way in which he has conducted the subcommittee's response to this incident. I am proud to join Ranking Member Thompson and Chairman McCaul as an original cosponsor of H.R. 720. This is bipartisan legislation that was unanimously passed by the House last Congress, and I urge my colleagues to do the same with this bill. I strongly believe that with our votes today, we will not only honor the life of Officer Hernandez, we have the opportunity to save lives, be they transportation security officers, airport workers, or members of the flying public. At the end of the day, saving those lives is the best way we can honor Officer Hernandez and his family. I once again urge my colleagues to pass this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Miss RICE of New York. I am opposed in its current form.