John Sarbanes

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, if you get fair elections in place but, when the Representatives get to Washington they get taken hostage by the special interests and still get influenced by the big money, then you haven't solved our problem as the American people who want our voice to be heard. So we have to do the whole package. Let me close with this. John Lewis, who is not with us anymore, fought for voting rights. He knew the vote was sacred. He told us to keep our eyes on the prize. Today we do that. Elijah Cummings, whom I served with in Baltimore for many, many years, often told the story that on his mother's deathbed she beckoned him close, and the last thing she said to him was: Don't let them take the vote. We are not going to let them take the vote.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, this beautiful Capitol dome is a symbol of freedom and democracy, not just for Americans but for people the world over. The action we take today, this impeachment, is a declaration to the world that when there is an attack on our democracy, whether it comes from without or whether, tragically, in this instance, it comes from within, we will respond to that threat and attack, and we will do what is necessary to strengthen our democracy.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader for yielding. I thank you for your friendship with my father, Paul Sarbanes, for so many years. You go back with him a long way, and he cherished that friendship, as he did the relationship with all the members of the Maryland Delegation during the time that he served. I thank my colleagues here tonight who have come to help remember him and pay tribute. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my brother, Michael, and my sister, Janet, I thank all the people who, over the last 48 hours, have been sending in these remembrances and tributes to my father from his time in the Senate, and before that, here in the House where he was for 6 years, and for time periods before that, even. I want to thank right up front, and in particular, his staff, who over the course of his 40 years in public service he understood were the ones that made him or broke him. He was a tough taskmaster, but he chose people that had that same set of principles and values and commitment to hard work. A lot of the tributes that have been coming in have talked about him being a workhorse, not a show horse. The idea that you put your head down, you get the job done, you try to build consensus where you can, but you always remember that you are here for a reason, that is to make good, strong policy that can help people. He lived a full life, he made a difference in the lives of others, which is all he ever wanted to do. He knew he wanted to be in politics from a very early age, but his motivation was in looking at the opportunities that he had, the son of Greek immigrants who came to this country with very little, and he had the opportunity for education and advancement. His motivation was to make those available to others. He loved being with people. He had a dry sense of humor. He enjoyed bantering with all who crossed his path, was intensely interested in the journey that others had taken to whatever station they held in life. And he was always asking: ``Where are you from?'' ``What do you do?'' ``What is next for you?'' He had an inherent integrity that was strengthened by always striving to meet the expectations of those who put their confidence in him. In politics, he was motivated, as I said, by the burning conviction that every individual has dignity and the potential to succeed if given a fair shot, and he was determined others would have those same opportunities that he had enjoyed. He understood that if you share the credit, if you don't seek credit, you get a lot more done. That was how he operated. A few years ago, I prevailed upon him to sit for about 20 hours of videotaped oral history because I wanted to make sure we captured the essence of his life and his career. So, we have this treasure, which we will make available to people as we move forward. I wanted, in his own words, to grab a few excerpts from that, that I think convey who he is and what he cared about. I remember I came home one time, and he was sitting in the living room on the couch, and he was revved up about something. I don't know what the issue was that day that had gotten him sort of motivated. But he banged on the side of the couch, and he said: ``I am for the little guy. I am for the little guy.'' He might as well, in that moment, have been stating his purpose in public life. That is what motivated him from the moment he got up in the morning until the moment he went to bed at night. I am going to read a couple of these things from his oral history. He talked about getting public housing, senior citizen affordable housing, in the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. He was very proud of the fact that you had this senior citizen housing there. He said: ``Next door to it is an expensive hotel, and behind the hotel is a big condominium building with very expensive condominiums in it. Every time I go by that building, I get a sense of satisfaction out of it, particularly in the nice weather. I look up, and all of these seniors are sitting out on their terraces, looking out over the water. ``I know the developers would give their eyeteeth to get ahold of that piece of property, but they don't have it. It is part of this affordable housing initiative, so a lot of seniors who worked hard all their lives and are now retired but don't have a lot of money have the benefit of this housing.'' He said: ``I always get a measure of satisfaction out of that.'' We are in the midst, as we know, in our country of some really challenging moments addressing issues of justice. Here is a story about how my father, in a small way, made a statement around justice. He said: ``We had a situation in one of the rural towns on the Eastern Shore, and when they delivered the mail, the postman, he would come down the street here, and there would be these big houses, and he would go up to the house and put the mail in the mailbox. And then as he moved on down the street, the composition of the neighborhood would change, and the houses would get smaller, much smaller. ``The complexion of the people living in the houses changed, too, as you went down the street, so they went from White to Black. And down the street, instead of the postman going through the gate or whatever and up to the house, they were going to require those people to put a postbox at the street. So, some people came to us about that, a couple of pastors or ministers, and they pointed out this situation. ``So, I got the postal people in for a meeting in my office,'' my father said. ``'Now, what is happening here? As I understand it, up here with the big houses and the White residents, you are going to continue to go up to the house and put the mail through the door slot. But when you get down this way to the little houses and the African- American residents, you are going to require them to put a mail receptacle out at the pavement or at the curb, and you are not going to go up to the house anymore. What is the rationale for this policy?' ``Well, of course, if you lay it out like that, there isn't a rationale, at least not an acceptable one that can withstand the light of day. So, they dropped the project and went on delivering the mail.'' Here is what my father said: ``That is the way it ought to work. And I felt it is not a big issue, but we got some justice done for those people.'' Small things that stand for big principles, that is what he was about. I am going to close with just a couple of final thoughts here. First of all, I want to thank the Greek-American community, which was fiercely proud of my father's achievements. He was deeply proud of where he came from. It was an inspiration to him in public service. I want to thank so many who helped him along the way from that community. My mother, Christine, who died 10 years ago, she came into his life like a bolt of lightning. He didn't know what hit him. He met her at Oxford, this brilliant, beautiful woman who could match him step for step in her intellect, and she knocked his socks off. I think the great regret of his life was that he had hoped in his retirement--you know, public life is hard. We know that. I think all along the way, he was looking forward to that time when the two of them could spend more time together. Unfortunately, she passed away within a couple of years of his retirement, and they didn't get that opportunity together. I don't think he ever fully recovered from that. I think about his legacy, and I understand, certainly, that there is no way his children--myself; my brother, Michael; and my sister, Janet--are ever going to match that legacy because it is a pretty unmatchable one when you look at the record. But I think we are all doing what we can to continue it, to nurture it, to sustain it going forward. Again, I thank you for the time to speak here, and I thank my colleagues for all of your support and kind words over the last couple of days.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3051, America's Conservation Enhancement, or ACE, Act. I just want to thank Congressman Wittman for all his work. We partnered together, as he indicated, on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force with Congressman Harris and Congressman Scott. I want to salute the efforts of Congresswoman Luria in introducing and authoring the Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act, which I was proud to cosponsor. This is an exciting day. This bill has taken a winding road, as these things do. But we are close to the finish line here, and we look forward to passage of the bill. It is bipartisan. It is bicameral. We conserve and protect fish and wildlife habitat, support outdoor recreation, and combat invasive species, as we have heard. It includes several bipartisan provisions that will protect the long-term health of the Chesapeake Bay, specifically, as I indicated, two bills: one, the Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act, and another one, the Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense Act, or Chesapeake WILD Act, which would establish a grant program to bolster habitat restoration and protection throughout the watershed. It also includes a bill I was proud to introduce, the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network Reauthorization Act, which would expand recreational opportunities for millions of Marylanders and bay watershed residents across the region. It is comprehensive. It will significantly boost the health of the bay and ensure that it remains an environmental treasure and an economic driver for years to come. As Congressman Wittman said, we have worked together on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, and through that task force, we have pulled together real bipartisan support for this effort. As the largest estuary in the U.S., the Chesapeake Bay is an important ecosystem, a model for restoration efforts throughout the country. That is, in large part, due to our successful bipartisan work at the Federal, State, and local levels. I would like to thank Chair Grijalva, our House leadership, and their staffs for their work to negotiate a bipartisan and bicameral environmental conservation package. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this important legislation so that our Nation's natural habitats and scenic landscapes, like the Chesapeake Bay, can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Pallone for his leadership of our committee with respect to all of these bills, particularly the health bills we are talking about today, and, also, Ranking Member Walden. As you know, many of these are bipartisan. They reflect the input and work of Members over a period of years. I am very pleased that H.R. 2075, the School-Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act, is on the floor today. I introduced this bill with our colleagues, Representatives Stefanik, Tonko, and Upton. I want to thank them for their work and the bipartisan dimension of this effort. This would reauthorize, as was indicated, Federal support for school- based health centers through 2024. These are institutions that provide critical primary and mental health services to vulnerable children and youth. ``Institutions'' may not be the best word. Teams of professionals, I think, is how you describe these school-based health centers across the country. These health centers really marshal response to the needs of young people in schools in a way that you really can't replicate anywhere else in the community. That is why they are so vital. They offer comprehensive healthcare to youth, delivering it in a setting where they already spend, obviously, much of their time, a captive audience, in a sense. Let's take advantage of that and provide the services that they need. There are 80 school-based health centers in the State of Maryland--I am familiar with many of them, having visited a number--and over 2,500 of them nationwide that serve 6.3 million students. Many of these school-based health centers provide care to underserved communities. In fact, over a third of them are located in rural areas. What the research shows us is that, when a student has access to a school-based health center, we see a decrease in negative outcomes, such as asthma morbidity and the rate of hospital admissions, while educational outcomes, such as school performance and graduation rates, increase. Now, of course, the services that school-based health centers provide are needed more than ever, given the coronavirus pandemic. Young people are grappling with uncertainty and changes to their lives, and being able to receive care in a familiar and supportive setting is critically important. Again, I thank my colleagues for their support of this, and I urge all of the Members to support this bill.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairwoman of the committee for yielding. I support this bill strongly. I want to speak a little bit to what the Postmaster General acknowledged--admitted--yesterday. He called it a dip in service. He finally admitted that after being pressed extensively on it. I want to tell you what the dip looks like in my district. So, in all of 2019, our constituent service folks opened 11 cases to deal with delays and service problems with the mail--11 cases in 2019. So far this year, there have been 106. Now, I am not talking about people who are just calling in and complaining because the mail is late and then they hang up the phone and so forth. This is where they have got real concerns about what is happening and they ask us to open a case. There have been 106 this year compared with 11 last year, and 103 of those in the last 4 weeks. That is not a dip in service. That is a collapse of service, and it tracks exactly to the time that Louis DeJoy has been on the job. Here is what is so terrible: When you attack the Postal Service from within, which is what he is doing, it has the effect of trying to separate the postal workers from the public that trusts them. Over 90 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the Postal Service. We have to restore that bond. That is what this legislation does.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember John Lewis, our colleague, our friend, our inspiration. In life, you are blessed if the chance comes to cross paths with those history has anointed to be great difference-makers in the journey towards a more compassionate and just world. I will forever be grateful for the last 14 years. I had the opportunity to serve with this extraordinary man, to witness his commitment to improving the lives of every American. Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege to work closely with John in our efforts to clear a path to the ballot box, to insist on accountability and transparency in government, and to push back on the influence of money and special interests in our politics. Whatever the issue, whatever the struggle, John Lewis' exhortation to us was consistent: ``Keep your eyes on the prize.'' ``Never give up'' and ``never give in.'' We carry his legacy forward--his struggle for voting rights, civil rights, and human rights, for the voiceless, for a democracy that respects the people and lifts our Nation. His struggle is our struggle, and we will keep marching, knowing that he is at our side. May his memory be eternal.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, our colleague across the aisle a moment ago talked about the District of Columbia being special. There is nothing special about being second class, which is what has happened to the residents of the District. For two centuries, the people of the District of Columbia have been disenfranchised, denied fair representation, excluded from our great democratic experiment. Over 700,000 residents--who just like my constituents and your constituents--work hard, pay their taxes, and contribute every day to the betterment of our society. Yet, they do not have an equal voice in this Chamber. Mr. Speaker, it is time to remedy this great injustice. Eleanor Holmes Norton should have the same opportunity that every one of our Members does: To see her name on that board for every vote, to walk into the well and cast her ``yea'' or ``nay'' on behalf of the constituents she represents. We thank Congresswoman Norton for her service and for her tireless fight to bring dignity to the residents of Washington, D.C. House Democrats committed to this moment when this body passed H.R. 1 more than a year ago. We observed then and we reiterate today: There are no constitutional, historical, financial, or economic reasons why the 700,000 Americans who live in the District of Columbia should not be granted Statehood. At a time when Americans of all political stripes are demanding a greater voice and participation in the political town square, the residents of D.C. are being forcibly kept out of the town square by this bizarre and indefensible anachronism. Today, we are declaring enough is enough. It is time to give a voice and a vote to the residents of the District of Columbia. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 51.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, for too long, we have not had the courage as a Nation to say, ``Black lives matter.'' Well, now it is a new day. Anguished and outraged by the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many others whose families have been left grieving, we are finally beginning to speak truth and take action. These killings have left us despondent and deeply angry that America cannot rid itself of the disease of racism and violence, and the police, and prosecutors, too, often inflict pain on the very communities they are charged with serving. But we are also determined-- determined not to let this moment pass without an uncompromising demand for justice on behalf of the victims' families and on behalf of a Nation in search of its soul. For the sake of our future, we must overcome this legacy of violence and ensure that the civil and human rights of every person in our country are protected. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, 1 year ago, almost to the day, this House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a transformative anticorruption and clean elections bill that would give people their voice back in their own democracy. It would fix gerrymandering; it would fix voting; it would fix ethics; it would protect the ballot box; it would push back against foreign interference and foreign disinformation coming into our campaigns; and it would lift up the voices of average Americans in competing with big money and lobbyists here in Washington. It would change the status quo so every American would feel that their voice counts here, that their opinion matters, and that that is how we make policy. Unfortunately, Mitch McConnell, the majority leader in the United States Senate, has refused to bring H.R. 1 to the floor of the United States Senate. One whole year of folding his arms at the gates of our democracy and saying to the American people: You shall not pass. Madam Speaker, we are not going to be deterred; we are not going be to be diverted; and we are not going to be defeated. We are going to keep pressing on to pass H.R. 1 for the people and restore the voices of the American people.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2427, the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network Reauthorization Act. This bipartisan bill will provide robust, long-term federal support for the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Program, which helps increase public access to the Bay. As the largest estuary in the nation, the Chesapeake Bay extends through six states and the District of Columbia. It's home to more than 18 million Americans and thousands of species of plants and animals. However, roughly 98 percent of the Chesapeake Bay's 11,684 miles of shoreline is privately owned, leaving only a small fraction of shoreline available for public use. The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Program helps maximize this tiny fraction of public shoreline by improving infrastructure, signage and exhibits at key public access points throughout the Bay Watershed. The program also supports education initiatives that connect young Americans with the Bay Watershed and help instill a passion for environmental stewardship. To date, the Gateways Program has invested more than $20 million in 300 projects across the Bay Watershed, helping boost our region's outdoor recreation economy. This small investment over the last few decades has not only succeeded in promoting meaningful educational and recreational experiences for Marylanders and residents across the region but has also helped the National Park Service fulfill its responsibilities under the Chesapeake Bay Agreement. As a key ally in the effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the National Park Service works to increase land conservation, public access to the Bay, environmental stewardship, diversity and environmental education--all of which is supported by the Gateways Program. By connecting more Americans with the Bay, we can deepen ties to one of our country's most important environmental treasures, inspire future generations of environmental stewards and give a tremendous boost to our region's economy. I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this small, but mighty program. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this bill.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the two Articles of Impeachment against President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Voting to impeach the President is a weighty decision. It is not something you reach for; it is something you are brought to reluctantly when the evidence presented can no longer be denied. In this sober and historic moment, Members of Congress are called upon to uphold our oath of office and our duty to the Constitution. Today, we answer that call. The President's actions compromised the national security of the United States, undermined the integrity of our democratic process, and betrayed the trust of the American people. In soliciting foreign interference, President Trump took direct aim at the heart of our democracy. The American people should decide our elections, not a foreign country. As long as the President continues to invite foreign interference into our democracy, the integrity of the 2020 election remains at risk. The question is: Will Congress allow the President to place his personal interests above those of his country? Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to join me in answering that question with a resounding ``no'' because no one, not even the President of the United States, is above the law.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I am pleased today to congratulate the Daughters of Penelope on the 90th anniversary of its founding and commend the organization for its commitment to public service and civic engagement. Since its founding in 1929, the Daughters of Penelope has been a preeminent organization of women of Hellenic descent and Philhellenes. The Daughters of Penelope works to improve the status and well-being of women and their families and to provide women the opportunity to make significant contributions to their communities. By providing financial support and assistance to victims of natural disasters, donating children's books to libraries and schools and contributing to the preservation of our national landmarks, the Daughters of Penelope has truly made a lasting impact on American society. The Daughters of Penelope instills in all its members the spirit of philotimo, a belief in civic duty and volunteerism. I am proud to honor the Daughters today, and I believe that this organization will remain a pillar in communities across the country for years to come. I congratulate the Daughters of Penelope for all its accomplishments, and I thank the organization for its commitment to public service.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Today the House of Representatives will affirm, finally, that we recognize the horrors of the Armenian genocide and are committed to remembering the victims of this crime against humanity. Our moral standing in the world requires us to acknowledge the truth of the Armenian genocide. For too long, we have acquiesced in Turkey's policy of genocide denial, unwilling to risk the ire of our so-called ally. However, Turkey's actions against the Kurds in Syria have reinforced what many of us have long known: Erdogan's Turkey does not stand for human rights or religious freedom, but instead spreads authoritarianism wherever it goes. Erdogan's disdain for democracy and contempt for an ally was on display 2 years ago when his bodyguards attacked peaceful demonstrators right here in our Nation's Capital. I am pleased that later today the House will vote to impose sanctions on Turkey for its actions in Syria. This resolution and that bill are tied together. They are both powerful statements that we respect fundamental human rights and that we desire to stand on the right side of history.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairwoman Lofgren for her incredible work. Nobody has done more in this Congress to protect our democracy and lift up the voices of everyday Americans than Zoe Lofgren, so I thank her for yielding. The measure of partisanship here is not whether the Republicans have refused to get on this and it is a Democratic bill. That is not how you measure partisanship, because that is an easy maneuver. You decide: None of us will get on the bill. It will be all Democrats that are supporting it or voting for it, and then we can say it is a partisan bill. The measure of whether something is partisan or not is to go out and talk to the people in the country. And this is one of the most bipartisan bills you could possibly put together, judged by what people out in the country want to see. Republicans, Independents, Democrats coming off of the 2016 election said to this Congress: ``Protect our house.'' Not this House, the United States of America. ``Protect our elections from foreign interference.'' That wasn't just coming from Democrats. That wasn't a partisan voice out in the wilderness. That was everybody saying it, including Republicans and Independents. So the fact that the Republicans don't want to get on a bill that Americans want to see doesn't make the bill partisan. It means that Republicans are not listening carefully enough to what the American people want to see. We have tried now, three times--three times--to get our Republican colleagues to support these basic measures that would safeguard the integrity of our elections. H.R. 1, the For the People Act, contained many of the same provisions. I get it. I heard what you said: Oh, the bill is too big. It does these other things. We love the election security stuff--we can go get those quotes from the H.R. 1 debate--oh, if you would just do the election security or the ballot box security measures to protect our elections, we would be on that in a minute. Well, you got a second chance, a second bite at the apple with the SAFE Act. I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) for shepherding that through the committee, the SAFE Act, that would protect the ballot box. But did Republicans vote for that to protect our democracy? No, they missed the second. Strike two. So now we have the SHIELD Act to protect us against foreign interference, foreign money coming into our elections and trying to influence the outcome, misinformation campaigns coming from overseas, all this interference that we have to push back on, that the American people are concerned about. So here you get a third chance to show that you want to protect our elections and safeguard our elections. This is the opportunity to stand up, support what the American people want to see, which is us protecting our democracy.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember a great American patriot, Elijah Cummings. On behalf of the people of Baltimore, I want to thank him for his incredible leadership, for his friendship to so many, for his mentorship of so many in the community and to me. I had the privilege for almost 12 years, the last 12 years of Elijah's life, to sit a few feet away from him in the Oversight and Reform Committee and to see what a national leader he was, how he fought for the left out and the locked out. I also had the opportunity to be with him on many occasions in Baltimore, to see how people responded to him, how they invested in his leadership. We will miss that dearly. I was thinking today as I drove from Baltimore through West Baltimore, the community he loved, about his fight for the soul of our democracy, and I had anxiety about if we can continue that fight without him. But it occurred to me that Elijah would not have left us when he did if he didn't believe that we had it within ourselves to finish that fight. Mr. Speaker, I thank Elijah for his inspiration. May his memory be eternal.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, last year, the American people embraced the Democrats' For the People agenda: lower healthcare costs, raise wages, and clean up corruption. Americans hate corruption. They hate the idea that people are cutting the line, breaking the rules, and getting ahead, cheating on the system. They want to see us clean that up in Washington. And they sent us last year with a very, very powerful message. Three things, they said: The first was: Make it so that I can get to the ballot box in America without running an obstacle course. Make it easier to register and vote in this country. And in H.R. 1, the For the People Act, we did that. We put that proposal forward to strengthen voting. The second thing they said was: When you get to Washington, behave yourselves. It is that simple. Be ethical, be accountable, and answer to the people. So we put ethics reforms into H.R. 1, the For the People Act. The last thing they said was: When you get to Washington, don't get tangled up in the money. Remember where you came from. Work for us, not the special interests and the insiders and the lobbyists. And we fixed that in H.R. 1. That was part of the For the People agenda.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I very strongly support the SAFE Act. This is something that the Democrats have been focused on from day one. Day one meaning, the day after the 2016 election, when we saw the attacks that had come in against our democracy, we realized we were very exposed, and we needed to take action. This is our chance to stand up against interference from foreign adversaries who are trying to hack in, sow discord, undermine our elections, and create havoc here in our own country. This is fundamental to protecting our democracy. So we were on the case from the beginning. We convened the Election Security Task Force, which was led by Zoe Lofgren, Bob Brady, Bennie Thompson and others. They looked at all of the best practices that we need to put in place to make sure that our elections are strong and sturdy, and how do we fortify them, and they produced those recommendations. We then took those recommendations and we put them into H.R. 1, the For the People Act, and we passed those on March 8 of this year, because we knew that this was a priority and that there is no time to waste. Now, our Republican colleagues, unfortunately, did not want to go along with those broad, sweeping reforms that were contained in H.R. 1, including election security measures. So we made it easy for them, we said, ``Okay. We will start to break those things out. We will take the election security piece and we will bring it as a separate bill to the floor of the House.'' That is the SAFE Act. But we still, apparently, don't have their support. This is their opportunity, this is their chance to stand up and show their patriotism, to defend our democracy, to protect our Constitution, to make sure that our elections are going to be safe. So let's talk about what is in the SAFE Act, the Safeguarding America's Federal Elections Act. We have significant resources that are going to be brought to bear to build up, to fortify the election security infrastructure of our country. This is what the public wants to see. They want to be ready for the 2020 election. We have risk-limiting audits to make sure that States across the country are figuring out what is going on. Where do we make changes? How do we protect ourselves? Paper ballots. We have had a lot of discussion about that today. Paper ballots are incredibly important in terms of boosting the confidence of the public that elections will be carried out in a way that you can verify the tally, people have the confidence that when they go to the ballot box, they put their ballot in there, that that vote will be counted. We have no time to waste. We need to get this done now if we are going to be ready for the 2020 election. Bob Mueller came along with his report and he said that the Russian interference was sweeping and systematic in 2016. Every leader in our intelligence community has also echoed the fact that 2016 was a dress rehearsal. They are coming in 2020. We need to be ready. We need to protect our elections. Let's support the SAFE Act.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record an obituary of Gerald Fischman, a writer for the Capital Gazette in Annapolis Maryland. [From the Baltimore Sun] Gerald Fischman, Capital Gazette Victim Editorial Writer, Was Known and Respected for His Sharp Wit and Command of Facts (By Frederick Rasmussen) If veteran Capital Gazette editorial writer Gerald Fischman could have chosen what he would be doing on the last day of his life, this was it: He was a newspaperman. Mr. Fischman, longtime editorial page editor for The Capital, was killed June 28 in the attack on the newspaper's Annapolis office. He was 61. ``You know the cliche, still waters run deep? That was Gerald,'' said Rick Hutzell, editor of the Capital Gazette newspapers. ``He was thoughtful, witty, dedicated to his craft--all the things you hear other people say. But he also had a strong sense of what was moral and what was right.'' ``He was a wonderful person and really quiet, but if you took the time to get to know him you discovered how brilliant he was and his extraordinary dry wit,'' said Teri Winslow, a former Capital Gazette writer, editor and State House correspondent who sat next to him for 20 years. ``He was a walking encyclopedia of Maryland history and just plain facts. His desk was overrun with books,'' said Ms. Winslow, a Hanover resident who is now digital news manager for the state Department of Transportation. ``At night, Gerald wrote his editorials and when he was finished, would help me proof the paper. . . . He never missed anything, and if we found something funny we'd crack up and double over laughing,'' she said. ``When he finished an editorial he'd read it out loud to check its cadence, and had a clicker he used to count the words,'' she recalled. ``He was incredibly thorough.'' Gerald Fischman was born in Washington, the son of Morton and Charlotte Fischman. He was a year old when the family moved to Silver Spring. After graduating from high school, Mr. Fischman attended the University of Maryland, College Park, and received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1979. During his college days he was an editor for The Diamondback, the university's student newspaper. He began his career in 1980 as a reporter at The Carroll County Times and later was promoted to copy editor. Edward J. ``Mac'' McDonough, public information officer for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, was sports editor of The Times during Mr. Fischman's tenure there. ``Fisch, we always called him that, was very meticulous, quiet and gifted, with a wry sense of humor,'' said Mr. McDonough, a Towson resident who was later an editor on The Baltimore Sun's old Carroll County edition. ``As the chaos of deadline approached, he'd come up with some wry observation, and then he'd go back to work. This happened fairly frequently,'' he said. ``He was a great copy editor; the paper would never have gotten out on time without him.'' He recalled Mr. Fischman as being ``not gregarious . . . but very engaging when talking to you. [He] was not the kind of guy who'd go out for a drink with the staff after the paper was put to bed.'' In 1990 he joined the staff of The Montgomery Journal in Rockville. He did a two-year stint as a copy editor, then was promoted to assistant city editor. Ron Jones was a friend of Mr. Fischman's for more than 30 years. They had worked together at The Carroll County Times and later The Montgomery Journal. ``As an editor, Gerald was incredibly thorough and always had tons of questions for reporters unless their pieces were incredibly well-written, which was not often,'' said Mr. Jones, a Gaithersburg resident who is a night copy editor for The Washington Post. ``He rarely got upset or raised his voice and was always calm, collected and very detailed- oriented. ``He wanted stories to be as objective and accurate as possible,'' he said. ``He wanted to know their core themes and that everything made sense, and it was the same with his editorials.'' Mr. Fischman went to work for The Capital in 1992, and quickly developed a reputation for his trenchant, hard- hitting and fact-laden editorials that reflected the newspaper's community temperament and roots. Mr. McDonough said his colleague ``found his niche'' at The Capital. ``When he had an idea for an editorial, he'd parse every word and check every fact,'' he said. ``That he was a survivor for more than 30 years in the business is a testament to who he was.'' Mr. Fischman was fascinated by the bizarre absurdities of government and wrote often about them. He also wrote about mass shootings, gun violence and gun ownership. ``He loved the odd things from history, and was skeptical of any New Age stuff and religion,'' Mr. Jones said. Mr. Fischman's work earned him numerous awards from the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association--including two recent honors for editorials related to the case involving a noose found at a Crofton school, and a piece about censorship at County Council meetings. He also received awards from the Chesapeake Associated Press, as well as Mark Twain Awards for Outstanding Editorial, Best Editorial and Best of Show Editorial. Mr. Fischman brought an unflappable nature and strong work ethic to the newsroom. Long hours and days were not uncommon, and he steered clear of debates over long hours, low pay and where newspapers will be in 10 years--or in 10 minutes. ``When deadlines approached and things were going on, Gerald never panicked,'' recalled Mr. Jones. ``He was the kind of person who always kept his cool. He was level- headed.'' ``He was a human search engine and did he know Maryland politics,'' Ms. Winslow said. ``He was so loved by his colleagues.'' ``I've have the difficult task of trying to write in Gerald's place,'' Mr. Hutzell said. ``I've written four editorials so far, and before I start every one I ask myself: What would Gerald say? I wish I had half the insight into our community and human nature that he brought to the job every day.'' Mr. Fischman had lived most of his life as a confirmed newspaper bachelor, and surprised his colleagues when he announced some years ago that he had fallen in love and was marrying the former Saran Erdenebat, a noted opera singer from Mongolia. He had met the lyric soprano at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts while attending a performance of Richard Wagner's ``Die Walkure.'' They were married shortly thereafter. The Pasadena resident who enjoyed collecting books and reading was also a classical music, opera and ballet fan. Services scheduled for Sunday are private. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a stepdaughter, Uka Saran of Miami, Fla.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record an obituary of Rob Hiaasen, an editor of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis Maryland. [From the Baltimore Sun] Capital Gazette Victim Rob Hiaasen Remembered as a Writer With a Deft and Gentle Touch (By Jacques Kelly) Rob Hiaasen, a feature writer and editor recalled for the deft and understanding touch he applied to his off-center stories, will be remembered Monday at a private memorial service. He was one of the five staff members killed Thursday at the Annapolis Capital Gazette. The Timonium man was 59. ``Rob was a terrific reporter because he had an innate curiosity,'' said the former Baltimore Sun columnist Kevin Cowherd, a close friend. ``He was a master of asking questions of the people he wrote about. It was one of his strengths. He was also drawn to quirky characters. In all his writing he tried to bring out the humanity.'' Mr. Hiaasen was born in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Kermit Odel Hiaasen, an attorney, and Patricia Moran, a homemaker. He graduated from Plantation High School and earned a bachelor's degree in communications at the University of Florida. He initially worked as an AM radio reporter and landed a job in Raleigh, N.C. There he met a competitor, Maria Mills. ``It was a small town and small radio market and everybody knew each other,'' she said. ``We got married and moved around and landed in San Antonio. ``We both hated our jobs there.'' Mr. Hiaasen reconsidered his radio work and decided instead to pursue newspaper writing and reporting. He got a reporting job at an afternoon paper, the Petersburg, Va., Progress Index. But first, he had to pass the paper's oral spelling test. ``He remembered to put the P in raspberry,'' Maria Hiaasen said. ``He was always a good speller.'' Within 18 months, he and his wife moved on to the Palm Beach Post. He worked in its downtown newsroom; she covered police in Palm Beach, County. Tom O'Hara, the retired managing editor of the Palm Beach Post, recognized the last name on Mr. Hiaasen's job application. He knew Mr. Hiaasen's brother, the novelist and longtime Miami Herald columnist Carl Hiaasen. ``Rob was just charming,'' Mr. O'Hara said. ``It was a like a no-brainer to hire him. He was a Florida boy and that was a great attraction to me.'' Mr. O'Hara assigned Mr. Hiaasen to cover county government, a beat overseen by a meticulous editor. Mr. Hiaasen often began his stories with colorful anecdotes, while his editor required numbers. ``For Rob, it was a baptism by fire,'' Mr. O'Hara said. ``His editor would lop off the first three paragraphs. It was clear Rob belonged in features. ``He thrived there and was a delight. He was enthusiastic about his stories. Everybody loved him. I liked sitting by him and listening to his little asides.'' In 1991, Mr. Hiaasen wrote a feature about five people who contracted AIDS from a Palm Beach dentist. ``Dr. Acer's Deadly Secret: How AIDS joined the lives of a dentist and his patients,'' won a national journalism writing award, and Mr. Hiaasen was hired by The Baltimore Sun as a features writer. Colleagues recalled his daily routine. He took long walks, and became enamored of Baltimore's neighborhoods and their characters. He ambled through Bolton Hill, Mount Vernon and Fells Point in search of offbeat tales to tell. Friends said Mr. Hiassen steered clear of newsroom factions and social circles. One described him affectionately as ``a tall, brooding Norwegian.'' ``Only two words in that phrase are true,'' Mr. Cowherd said. ``Rob was never brooding. He needed to laugh the way he needed oxygen. He was the best colleague you could ever have. In a roomful of towering egos, he was the first guy to come up and say, `You did a great job.' '' Mr. Hiaasen wrote about Mel Sherr, a veteran of D-Day familiar to Baltimoreans as a strolling violin player. ``Mr. Sherr knows what your favorite song is,'' Mr. Hiassen wrote. ``While he's asking guests where they're from, he'll be guessing their age and era. He'll then pluck a song from his play list and play. Guests nod their heads and smile. Some blush. They now remember what they had forgotten. . . . Mr. Sherr will not be stumped by requests.'' He also wrote about Kirk Bloodsworth, the ex-Marine and Eastern Shore waterman who was the first person to be sentenced to death and then exonerated by DNA evidence. Mr. Hiaasen spent a year from 2003 to 2004 as a John Knight Fellow in Journalism at Stanford University. While there, he acted in a play and studied singing. Mr. Hiaasen accepted a newsroom buyout offer in 2008 and left The Sun. By 2010 he joined the Annapolis Capital. He mentored reporters as an editor and wrote a Sunday column. ``He did an amazing pivot to become an editor,'' Mr. Cowherd said. ``He became everything you want of a good editor--gently pushing them to do their best work and to not accept mediocrity.'' He also taught a news writing class at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. And he kept telling his stories in his gentle tone. ``When there's no hiding from news, it's time for a haircut,'' he advised in a column late last year. ``Getting a haircut--once a horrific, spirit-crushing event during the teenage years--is a safe haven for the news beleaguered. There, in the wrapped confines of your barber's or stylist's chair, you can slink away to a news-free zone. There, on your temporary throne, you are clipped and pampered by intimate hands.'' In addition to his wife of 33 years, an English teacher at Dulaney High School, he leaves a son, Ben Hiaasen, a Towson attorney; two daughters, Samantha Hiaasen, an assistant manager of the Pratt Street Barnes & Noble store in Baltimore, and Hannah Hiaasen, a craft associate at Apparatus in New York who lives in Brooklyn, NY; his brother, Carl, in Vero Beach, Fla.; two sisters, Judy Hiaasen of Plantation, Fla., and Barb Hiaasen of Davie, Fla.; and many nieces and nephews

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record an obituary of John McNamara, a reporter for the Capital Gazette in Annapolis Maryland. [From the Baltimore Sun] John McNamara, Capital Gazette Sports Reporter, Recalled for His Vast Knowledge and Love of the Terps (By Jacques Kelly) John McNamara, an editor and sports reporter for The Capital Gazette who covered the University of Maryland Terrapins and was a high school basketball history specialist, died June 28 at the attack at the Annapolis newspaper's office. The Silver Spring resident was 56. ``Basketball was a love of his and he had a great feel for the game,'' said former Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams. ``He could have made a lot more money elsewhere, but he had the job he wanted and it was what he wanted to be. I gave him a lot of credit for that.'' Born in Washington and raised in Bethesda, he was the son of Thomas McNamara Sr., a federal Department of Education financial analyst, and his wife, Elizabeth Lynch. He was a 1979 graduate of St. John's College High School in Washington and obtained a journalism degree from the University of Maryland College Park, where he had reported sports for campus newspaper, The Diamondback. ``John was one of the most honest and fairest reporters I have ever met,'' said Johnny Holliday, sportscaster and longtime radio personality. ``I enjoyed being around him. ``He was of the mindset that he was going to pick out the positive aspects of an individual player. He told me he understood the greatest thrill for a 9- or 10-year-old was seeing their name in print.'' Mr. McNamara played softball and basketball informally in school and had delivered newspapers for the old Washington Evening Star. He retained childhood memories of watching the old Washington Senators play at RFK Stadium. He was also a Bullets basketball fan. While at Maryland, he covered high school sports for The Washington Post. ``He had two job offers right out of college,'' said his wife, Andrea Chamblee, whom he met while both were Maryland students. ``One was for $15,000 a year as an agate-type clerk doing box scores for USA Today. The other was writing sports for $13,000 at the Hagerstown Herald-Mail. He took [the Herald-Mail] because it allowed him to do what he wanted to do--and in that first year [1983] he covered the Orioles, who were in the World Series. ``He felt he made the right choice. His first year out of the college and he was covering a World Series. He was exhilarated.'' She said they married in 1985 because by then he was making $15,000--they had agreed to delay their wedding until he had passed that financial milepost. ``He could talk sports to someone who knew plenty and he could talk to someone who knew almost nothing.'' his wife said. ``And both parties would leave feeling they understood the game better.'' ``Coaches were always impressed by his insight and knowledge of the game, but John was a good enough storyteller that he could give a casual fan great insight,'' said Doug Dull, a friend and colleague at the Hagerstown paper. ``He'd hang out at the local grocery store when the Street & Smith's college basketball yearbook came out and he would pull out a highlighter as if he were doing homework. He knew more about Pepperdine and Fresno State than anyone in Maryland.'' In 1987 Mr. McNamara joined The Capital as a copy editor, then worked as sports editor for the old Prince George's Journal from 1989 to 1994. He then rejoined the Annapolis paper. ``John never changed,'' said David Elfin, a freelance journalist and friend who lives in Bethesda. ``He always loved sports and he was very passionate about the University of Maryland. I can't tell you how many games he had covered at Maryland for all the papers where he'd worked.'' He was particularly fond of the university's Cole Field House. ``No matter if I met him at a Nationals game or at the Capitals or Redskins, Maryland was his comfort level,'' Mr. Elfin said. ``It was almost as if he were walking into Cheers.'' In 2001 Mr. McNamara and Mr. Elfin wrote ``Cole Classics: Maryland Basketball's Greatest Men and Moments.'' Eric Prisbell, who previously covered college sports for The Washington Post and is now a Dallas sports freelance writer, said: ``John's basketball knowledge was second to none. He had a sharp eye and everyone respected him. ``He was an old-school journalist. He valued the relationships he'd established with coaches. John could be very funny. With just a look he could make a whole table roar with laughter.'' In 2014 his editors at The Capital Gazette changed his assignment and named him editor and reporter of the Bowie Blade-News and Crofton-West County Gazette. ``He took the job change as gracefully as any sportswriter can,'' said his wife. He had been completing research and conducting interviews for a book on the history and roots of high school basketball in the District of Columbia and its suburbs. As part of the project he had visited former NBA and college players who grew up in the area. A memorial service for Mr. McNamara will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday at the chapel at the University of Maryland, College Park. In addition to his wife of 33 years, a Food and Drug Administration attorney, survivors include two brothers, Charles McNamara of Bethesda and Danny McNamara of Amsterdam, N.Y.; and three sisters, Jane McNamara of Mercer Island, Wash., Mary McNamara of Washington and Peggy Pyles of Bethesda.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record an obituary of Wendi Winters, a writer for the Capital Gazette in Annapolis Maryland. [From the Baltimore Sun] Wendi Winters, a Prolific Writer for The Capital Enjoyed Sharing Stories About Local Residents (By Jacques Kelly) Wendi Winters, a feature writer for The Capital and The Maryland Gazette who earlier had been a public relations executive in Manhattan, died Thursday in the attack at the Annapolis newspapers' office. She was 65 and lived in Edgewater. Wendy Anne Winters--known throughout the community as ``Wendi''--was born in Coronado, Calif., the daughter of Leigh Cosart Winters, a Navy commander and real estate agent, and his wife, Dorothy Breuninger Grigsby, who had worked as a Capitol Hill secretary and was in the visitors' gallery in December 1941 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress for a declaration of war on Japan. She attended Saint Rita's School in Alexandria, Va. and was a 1971 graduate of the old St. Mary's Academy, a high school also in Alexandria. ``She vividly recollected her semi-nomadic childhood as a Navy brat,'' said her daughter, Winters Leigh Geimer. ``Her fondest childhood memories were of her family's time in Turkey when her father was a naval attache with the American Embassy in Istanbul. She spent most of her time getting in trouble with the local residents and exploring off-limits places.'' ``Our mother showed an aptitude for art and writing. At age 10, she wrote a poem for then-President John F. Kennedy and she received a personal response with photographs from his secretary, Evelyn Lincoln,'' said her son, Phoenix Winters Geimer. ``She kept the photograph near her desk and it has been in the house as long I can remember. She had a couple of recollections of President Kennedy coming into her church.'' She obtained a bachelor of fine arts degree with a specialty in fashion design from Virginia Commonwealth University and later went to New York City on a fellowship to the Tobe-Coburn School for Fashion Careers. She was class president at the school and graduated with honors. She remained active in alumni circles at Virginia Commonwealth, and was invited there to sit on critic panels of student work at university fashion shows. In a resume, Ms. Winters said most of her career was in public relations--backed by experience in fashion retailing, wholesaling, textiles, marketing, advertising, design and promotion. She created and directed campaigns for two ``international public relations firms and had her own successful fashion public relations, advertising, special events [and] runway show production firm for seven years,'' her resume said. She lived in the Gramercy Park section of New York City and later moved to Montclair, N.J. ``In her New York days her pay often included some of the clothing she was promoting,'' said her daughter, a Purdue University student who is a naval officer candidate. ``She had a fairly large wardrobe because she didn't believe in throwing things out. Her fashion aesthetic looked like the 1980s had never ended.'' Her son said Ms. Winters routinely corresponded with figures of the era--including Patty Hearst, Robin Leach, Michael Douglas, the Trumps, Christian Lacroix, Oscar de la Renta, Donna Karan, Iman, Keith Haring, Neil Sedaka, Leroy Neiman, Regis Philbin, Cybill Shepherd, Lionel Hampton and Sally Jessy Raphael. ``She regularly ran into Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali on the street,'' said her son. In 1990, she won the Golden Apple Award, presented by the New York City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, for a campaign she orchestrated for the Polyester Council of America. In 1986 she married Tod Geimer, who built computer networks for banks. He suggested a change of pace and less hectic life in the Annapolis area. They left New Jersey and moved to Arnold in 1999. They later lived in Cape St. Claire. ``My mother always needed to be doing something,'' her son said. ``She started writing for small local publications. ``Her day's schedule was filled with so many events,'' he said. ``You could plan for her showing up late, late--but with a great story to tell. Her daily routine was to wake up at 5:30 a.m. and work and work and work. At midnight she went to bed.'' She wrote on a freelance basis for The Capital and later joined the publication full-time. She often took her own photographs. Ms. Winters wrote three weekly columns: Around Broadneck, Teen of the Week and Home of the Week. ``My mother learned to type on a manual typewriter and she had a heavy touch. She could wear away the letters on a keyboard. She also typed very fast,'' said her daughter. ``She also wrote fast.'' She had written for many other publications, including Waterfront Living and Inside Annapolis Magazine, and wrote theater criticism for Theatre Spotlight and The Review and the DC Metro Theatre Arts website. She was a Helen Hayes Awards nominator for two terms. She was named honorary vice president of her father's Naval Academy Class of 1940. Family members said she organized the class's 70th reunion. Ms. Winters had also been a Girl Scout leader, a church youth adviser and ran an annual Red Cross Blood Drive. She was also a cat fancier and enjoyed roller skating sessions at Wheels Skating Center in Odenton. ``Wendi was always the same as the first day I met her in high school--we were both cast in `Witness for the Prosecution,' '' said Paul Donnelly, a friend who lives in Honolulu, Hawaii. ``She was tall, elegant, self-possessed and dynamic,'' Mr. Donnelly said. ``She lived life to the fullest and was not one to sit around and watch television. Her writing was meticulous and reflected her personality. She was compassionate about the people she wrote about. It was never a chore for her to write The Teen of the Week column.'' A celebration of life will held at noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase Street in Annapolis. A reception will follow from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, where she was a member. In addition to her son and daughter, survivors include two other daughters, Montana Winters Geimer, a Naval Academy graduate who is stationed in Pensacola, Fla., and Summerleigh Winters Geimer of Edgewater, a home remodeling manager; three sisters, Sandra Winters of Key Biscayne, Fla., Dana Rengers of Alexandria, Va., and Debra Winters of Yuma, Ariz. Her marriage ended in divorce.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the notice of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Special Awards and Citations awarded to the Capital Gazette of Annapolis, Maryland. The Pulitzer Prizes The 2019 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Special Awards and Citations A special citation to honor the journalists, staff and editorial board of the Capital Gazette, Annapolis, Maryland, for their courageous response to the largest killing of journalists in U.S. history in their newsroom on June 28, 2018, and for demonstrating unflagging commitment to covering the news and serving their community at a time of unspeakable grief. The citation comes with a $100,000 bequest by the Pulitzer Board to be used to further the newspaper's journalistic mission.

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record an obituary of Rebecca A. Smith, an advertising assistant for the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland. [From the Baltimore Sun] Rebecca A. Smith, Capital Gazette Advertising Assistant Who Held Family and Friends at Center of Her Life (By Frederick N. Rasmussen) Rebecca Ann Smith made sure family, friends and workplace colleagues were the center of her life. They brought her joy, and those who knew her say she returned it abundantly. ``Everyone loved her,'' said a cousin, Tammy Kaskel of Dundalk. ``Becca was always patient, supportive and never jealous or envious. She'd do anything for anybody and didn't have a mean bone in her body.'' ``She had such promise in life,'' said an uncle, Thomas A. Malinowski. ``She was a good kid and never got into trouble.'' Ms. Smith, who worked as an advertising sales assistant for the Capital Gazette, lost her life in the June 28 attack on the newspaper's Annapolis office. She was 34 and lived in Dundalk. Ms. Smith was born in Baltimore and raised in North Point Village and later Fort Howard. The daughter of Richard Smith and Beth Ann Malinowski, she was raised by her maternal grandparents, William Malinowski, a driver for County Ride, and Catherine Malinowski, a homemaker. ``I was very young then. I don't know what I would have done without them,'' said her mother, now Beth Rittenour, of Warren, Ohio. ``Rebecca was such a beautiful person, and she'll always be in my heart forever.'' Ms. Smith attended Battle Grove Elementary School and graduated in 2001 from Sparrows Point High School, where she excelled in field hockey, ran cross country and was an avid duckpin bowler. ``She also loved community theater and played the character A Star to Be in `Annie.' She was in middle school then,'' said Ms. Kaskel, who conducts a performing arts camp and works with special-needs children. ``She had such a great voice, was very supportive, and wanted to see others succeed.'' Mr. Malinowski, who also lives in Dundalk, recalled his niece being a Pink Floyd fan when she was little. ``I'd put on a Pink Floyd tape and she'd scoot her chair up to the

Mr. SARBANES

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, on June 28, 2018, a gunman shot and killed five employees of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. The Annapolis community, which I have the privilege of representing, was shaken to its core and will continue to grieve for years to come. But that same community also reached deep within itself to find an amazing resiliency which helped lift up the families who were victimized by this unconscionable act of violence. On this anniversary and in solidarity with those families as well as hundreds of friends, coworkers, and acquaintances, we honor the memory of Rob Hiaasen, Wendi Winters, Gerald Fischman, John McNamara, and Rebecca Smith. We must also confront the fact that those targeted by this cowardly assault were members of our valued local press corps. In America we cherish our free and independent press. We honor our journalists who follow the facts and find the truth. This terrible tragedy struck at the heart of newsrooms large and small across the country. The day after this tragedy the Capital Gazette went to press--an inspiring act of courage and determination that rallied the Annapolis community. Today, as we remember Rob, Wendi, Gerald, John, and Rebecca, let us also honor the courage of the whole Capital Gazette staff. Their dedication, their service to our community, and their commitment to a vibrant free press are a tribute to the journalism profession.