Jackie Speier

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor The Avalon Academy, a unique and visionary school in Burlingame, California which is celebrating 10 years of exceptional service. The school provides educational and therapeutic opportunities to children with cerebral palsy and similar movement disorders. Avalon Academy was founded by two sets of parents of children with cerebral palsy, Annie Noonan and her husband, Jeffrey Wohl, and Lynette Mullens and her husband, Stephen Dilly, and a special education teacher, Kinga Czegeni. They were frustrated with the fragmented educational system for children with motor disabilities and decided to create a learning environment that addresses the academic, motor skill development, recreational, social and emotional needs of these students. The outcome is a beautiful school that for ten years has allowed the children to thrive and give their families peace of mind and certainty that their children are developing to their fullest potential. Avalon Academy is certified as a non-public school by the California Department of Education for grades K through 12. It started ten years ago with three students, three staff members and three volunteers. Today it serves 8 children and has 27 staff members. Most of the students have cerebral palsy. Their degree of mobility ranges from being able to walk with assistance to being dependent on a wheelchair. Their cognitive abilities also vary greatly and the faculty caters to their individual needs. Cerebral palsy commonly coexists with related challenges from communication delays, intellectual impairment, social and emotional difficulties and eating challenges. Traditional schools are mostly not specialized to meet those challenges and that is why Avalon Academy is so effective and essential because the school addresses all the needs in one location. The teachers, physical therapists and speech pathologists integrate movement into all classroom activities, no matter the level of physical limitation of the student. This unique approach enhances motor abilities and encourages the children to be as independent and safe as possible in their lives. I have the highest regard and admiration for the faculty at Avalon Academy who work miracles every day. They are led by Kinga Czegeni, the Head of School. She holds an M.A. in Special Education from the International Peto Institute in Budapest, Hungary and was recruited to California in 1997. Before co-founding Avalon Academy she was the director of Step by Step in Millbrae. She is a certified practitioner in the Ana Baniel Method, has worked with children with cerebral palsy for two decades and has developed Avalon's unique Movement Integrated Special Teaching System. The two other founders and now board members are professional women and amazing mothers. My dear friend, Annie Noonan, is a successful attorney and employment law expert. She is the mother of Julianne and Sam, who developed cerebral palsy after an illness when he was 14 months old. Annie took Sam's condition and turned it into a rallying cry for better educational opportunities for children like him. I continue to be in awe of her energy and optimism. Lynette Mullens holds a Ph.D. and specializes in the clinical research and development of drugs for the treatment of neurologic and psychiatric disorders, including drugs that are commonly used for seizures associated with cerebral palsy. Her work in California with a non-profit that provides online access to clinical trials inspired her to enhance the lives of children with cerebral palsy. She is the mother of George, who has cerebral palsy, Fred and Harriet. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor the extraordinary individuals who founded and have run Avalon Academy for a decade. They provide the best education imaginable for children with special needs and should serve as a model around the country.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in sadness to recognize the passing of one of East Palo Alto's guiding spirits. Estella Mavis Knox, known as Mavis, passed from this earth on August 11, 2015. She had a profound impact upon the community in which she lived for five decades. Mavis Knox was born on January 15, 1939 in Durant, Mississippi. From this small town of 2,500 in America's segregated south, Mavis eventually settled in East Palo Alto, California, a remarkable community in my district, also a small town, set amidst the larger San Francisco Bay Area with all of its diversity, vibrancy and social activism. Mavis raised her three children as a single mother and still found the time and energy, at the age of 31, to earn a bachelor's degree in sociology from San Jose State University. She would later complete her master's at San Jose State. Mr. Speaker and members, this single mother, through her personal example and standards, also inspired her children to attend two historically black colleges: Morehouse and Tuskegee. Nairobi College opened in East Palo Alto in 1969. Mavis was an early administrator. A staunch, lifelong advocate of education, she was instrumental in founding this innovative and highly successful community college tailored to address the multiple academic, social and service needs of the East Palo Alto community. The college began with 120 students and grew to 200 within a few years. One year before its founding, Dr. Martin Luther King had been killed. As the war in Vietnam raged and several American cities went up in flames, Mavis Knox joined with visionary leaders to offer an alternative to fires burning within and without: the light and hope of a quality college education. Her love of education would distinguish Mavis Knox in years to come, and her community leadership was built upon this bedrock commitment. Mavis began her career with San Mateo County in 1982 and retired in 2005 after spending much of her county career in Children and Family Services as a social worker and supervisor. When she supervised the Long Term Placement unit she was the driving force in enhancing the Independent Living Skills program and the Moving On ceremony. Mavis was elected to the Ravenswood City School District Board of Trustees and served the community from that position for 12 years during the 1970s and early 1980s. This was a time of tremendous change in the district, with historic segregation and its legacy being challenged regularly. Newspaper reports of the time indicate that students and parents demanded equality of opportunity, and they demanded that the district overcome the impacts of decades of racial segregation. Mavis Knox was a vocal advocate for equality. This required hiring staff that would set high standards and be held accountable to the community. Press reports from that time indicate that such routine decisions as hiring a superintendent were sometimes contentious, but the stakes were also high. While she demanded accountability by the staff to the community, Mavis Knox also held herself accountable. She successfully advocated for better school financing, and strongly urged the community to unite in creating a first-rate system. Mr. Speaker and members, Mavis Knox was a dedicated member, committee chair, and leader in the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, earning the Bertha Pitts Campbell Award in 2011, the Chapter's highest honor for outstanding service to the sorority and community. Among other distinguished community service, she served as Foreman of the Grand Jury of San Mateo County and charter board member of the East Palo Alto Girls' Club of the Mid-Peninsula. She was a prolific fund raiser for at-risk youth. She is survived by her son Anthony D. Jones, daughter Brenda Destiny Knox, brother Ronald Knox, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. A leading advocate for social justice has now passed from our midst. In our sorrow, it is important to note that the lessons she taught by example will offer guidance and comfort for years to come. Ultimately, this is the greatest gift to us all of Mavis Knox, a mother, educator, community advocate, and an outstanding American.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 30th anniversary of a California coastal tradition that now entertains 60,000 people over a weekend in September. The Pacifica Fog Fest is a community celebration filled with sun, fun, food, contests and music. In three decades it has grown from six community groups working booths to 49 community organizations working in food and beverage booths and behind the scenes to produce Fog Fest. Fog Fest perfectly reflects the personality of Pacificans: a sense of humor with a healthy dose of whimsy, the appreciation of the outdoors, the joy of life, and the commitment to give back. Locals know that fog in September is almost an oxymoron, but you don't have to go very far to hear the stereotypical ``It's always foggy in Pacifica!'' In fact, that is how the festival was christened. In 1986, a city council-appointed citizens committee was charged with creating a plan to increase commercial development in Pacifica. A subcommittee came up with the idea to attract tourists with a unique festival. Every time subcommittee member Jean Headley wore her ``I Love Pacifica'' pin in San Francisco, people would snidely say ``Why do you love Pacifica? It's always so foggy!'' It was time to dispel this myth, poke fun at Pacifica's weather and hold the festival on a weekend that was almost guaranteed to be sunny and hot. A new committee consisting of representatives from the city council, the Pacifica Tribune, the Chamber of Commerce, city staff and volunteers developed the idea further and eventually took its recommendation to the full city council. Not without controversy, the council voted 3-2 to create the Pacifica Coast Fog Fest on the last full weekend in September. The City of Pacifica, with the help of a professional festival planner, produced the first Fog Fest. The only fog to be found was fog made by a rented fog machine. Some 30,000 visitors walked Palmetto Avenue, watched the Discover Pacifica parade, shopped at 100 arts and craft booths, listened to live music, sampled clam chowder, jambalaya and Fog Dogs, and sipped wine, beer and Fog Cutters. They also participated in a surfcasting contest, a Family Fun Fest, a God and Goddess of the Fog contest, a 7K beach run, a fog photo contest, an ocean kayak race and the Councours D'Pacifica. Thanks to the creativity and hard work of the original steering committee the first Fog Fest was a success and a new tradition was born. The city continued to produce Fog Fest until 1993 when it authorized a newly founded non-profit to take over. Pacifica Festivals Inc. (PFI) produced the event for the next seven years and kept many of the existing traditions such as the Discover Pacifica Parade, the Friday night Fandango at the Sanchez Adobe, Family Fun Fest, Classic Car show, the Fog Jog on Sunday morning and the beautiful Pacifica Historical Society photo display. KRQR Radio began broadcasting from the event bringing it to the entire Bay Area. In 1992, the Human Fog Horn contest had its debut. And of course the food and arts and craft booths continued to offer local delicacies and treasures. In 2000, the Fog Fest Organizing Group (FFOG), a group of community minded residents, took on the leadership of the festival. Through tireless fundraising efforts the board members have spurred remarkable growth of sponsorships of Fog Fest. Today it features over 200 arts and crafts booths, three stages with live music, the Discover Pacifica parade and marching band competition on Saturday morning, the Family Fun Fest, the Great Sand Sculpture, Surf Art Experience, Fog Jog and Stride and many contests and games for every age. In addition to offering family entertainment, Fog Fest has a conscience and is socially responsible. FFOG instituted a ``Go Green Campaign'' and in partnership with Recology of the Coast recycles anything that's recyclable. It created a ``Gift to Pacifica Fund'' in 2001 and has given a special gift to the community every year since then. For example, it purchased the original painting featured on the 2004 Fog Fest poster and today it hangs in the Community Center. It donated a bench that sits in the Rotary plaza at the Center for the Performing Arts. For the last 30 years, almost $900,000 in proceeds from Fog Fest were given back to the community. While Pacifica's signature event keeps growing and evolving with the times, some things haven't changed: Fog Fest is a celebration of sun, sand, surf and the mythical mist. Fog Cutters will always be the cocktail of choice. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor the 30th anniversary of the Pacifica Coast Fog Fest that lasts only one sunny weekend in September, but benefits the community all year around.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, Planned Parenthood provides 865,000 pap smears and breast exams a year. That is more than the entire population of States like Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota. I want to introduce you, Members on the other side of the aisle, to Colleen from Albany, New York, who is 27 years old. I want you to look into her eyes, and I want you to tell me that you would rather see her dead because Colleen went to Planned Parenthood because she was in between jobs and sought health care. She received a breast cancer exam at Planned Parenthood. She had stage II breast cancer, and she is alive today because it was identified at a Planned Parenthood clinic. They operated, and she is healthy. She is not the only one. There are 86,000 men and women who seek services at Planned Parenthood every year for breast cancer or for pap smears for cervical cancer who are identified as having a positive test result. As a result, they get care--86,000. What you are saying is that it is okay for 86,000 people to die because that is how they were accessing their health care.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, there is an old saying that says you can catch a lot more bees with honey than with vinegar. It turns out that that is true in business, too. The confectioners industry employs a whopping 55,000 busy worker bees in the United States--that is 55,000 people who are working directly in the confectionery industry--and indirectly supports another 400,000 jobs in other industries from retail to trucking. Every confectionery job created in the United States supports another seven; but Congress continues to maintain an unbelievably wrongheaded policy that is destroying these jobs. The Department of Commerce found that protectionist provisions in the 2008 farm bill destroyed three jobs for every job they saved. They have cost consumers and businesses as much as $14 billion since 2008, and they have cost taxpayers over $300 million in subsidies. We have lost over 125,000 jobs in sugar-related industries since 1997. We cannot continue to hurt our own workers and consumers alike. This is not a sugar high. This is a sugar low. I urge Congress to pass the bipartisan Sugar Reform Act so we can provide relief to small- and medium-sized businesses.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, like slumber parties and sleepovers, a pillow fight doesn't sound like the type of activity that would leave 30 of our Nation's most promising future military leaders injured or call into question the management practices of the Army's top academy. Yet, that is exactly what happened. We just learned that, on August 20, West Point freshman cadets got together for an annual pillow fight, and according to press accounts, they swung pillowcases packed with large, hard objects, thought to be helmets. This fight badly injured 30 cadets, 24 of them diagnosed with concussions. There were shoulders dislocated, one cadet diagnosed with a hairline fracture of the cheekbone, some with broken noses and split lips. Before the fight, upperclassmen commanders reportedly encouraged the freshmen by telling them, ``If you don't come back with a bloody nose, you didn't try hard enough.'' The American people deserve to know what happened here. West Point and the Army have provided conflicting explanations, saying in one instance, ``Many members of the plebe class spontaneously participated in a pillow fight,'' while, in another, they suggested that a pillow fight is a hallowed annual tradition, dating back to 1897. Well, which is it? West Point, apparently, doesn't know how to run this pillow fight either. This rite of passage has a track record of similar injuries, followed by ineffective attempts to make this event safer. Two years ago, for example, the 2013 pillow fight was canceled after at least one cadet placed a lockbox as a weapon in a pillowcase. Now it is back, and according to reports, the helmets the cadets were using to give their teammates concussions had been mandated as protection after injuries in previous pillow fights. May I remind everyone that this education is being paid for directly by the taxpayers of this country. The U.S. Government funds everything the Academy does to the tune of millions of dollars a year. It is utterly irresponsible to think that a violent pillow fight is a way to build camaraderie and create a professional military. West Point has stated that all cadets are back on duty and that it is pursuing an investigation, but Congress needs to know what kind of investigation it is pursuing and when we will receive answers. As the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, I am calling on the Army and the U.S. Military Academy to provide a clear explanation of the incident and its causes, as well as a full accounting of who was responsible and what measures are being taken to prevent something like this from happening again. We will not create the world's most feared fighting force by hosting a concussion-filled slumber party. We must ensure that the august institution lives up to the exceptionally high standards that it represents and that our future military leaders live up to the great responsibility that rests on their shoulders. We can and we must do better.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, coming out of committee, H.R. 6 was a bipartisan huge leap forward in our efforts to accelerate the development of lifesaving cures through medical research. Yet somehow, between the committee and the floor, the majority once again has tacked on antiabortion Hyde amendment language, which makes no sense at all. It is like the Republicans are cheap stage magicians attracting our attention with the promise of critically needed medical advances, all the while stuffing the same old, flea-bitten Hyde provision rabbit into their hat. We are tired of this tedious stage show. NIH is already subject to the Hyde provisions in appropriation bills. This is just a way to continue politics as usual. If H.R. 6 passes under a mantle of bipartisanship, they will pull out the rabbit, wave it around, and say, Look how amazing and wonderful we are. I, for one, am sick of the House being run like a boardwalk magic show. Adding this type of language between open, transparent committee consideration and open, transparent floor consideration makes a mockery of representative government. Adding an antiabortion rider to bills in the dead of night through sleight of hand turns the substantive bipartisan work that is crafted in H.R. 6 into a pathetic imitation of cooperation. Since the 114th Congress began, the House has taken 37 actions to restrict abortion access. While I don't agree with this paranoid focus on women's private and legal medical decisions, it is the majority's right to set the agenda; but I cannot stand by while these provisions are slipped into an otherwise excellent bill through underhanded maneuvers that run contrary to our democratic process. When similar provisions were slipped into a human trafficking bill, we said no. Why aren't we saying no today? I am a cosponsor of the original version of H.R. 6, but I cannot let the people's House become the people's House of smoke and mirrors.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker and members, I rise today to honor the departing City Manager of Foster City, Jim Hardy. He's had an extraordinary 34 years with the city, the last 21 years as City Manager. Jim leaves a legacy that is profound having joined the city just 10 years after it was incorporated. He is only the second City Manager ever hired by Foster City, following in the footsteps of his esteemed predecessor, Rick Wykoff. It is not quite fair to say that Foster City sits on San Francisco Bay. It's more correct to say that our beautiful bay envelops Foster City, and offers its residents a lifestyle that is, as Jim Hardy says, paradise. Boating, fishing, parks second-to-none, and excellent schools that compare to any in this nation--this is Foster City. Jim Hardy's role in stabilizing and growing this community was pivotal. The finances of the city and its predecessor agency were shaky for many years. Jim joined the city's staff as stability arrived, but the city and its councils have always made a strong balance sheet a top priority. As Jim has often noted, the city has wonderful public improvements but they are also on the bay, and they deteriorate rapidly. The roads need more care than most and the extensive pumping systems that fill and moderate Foster City's lagoons are expensive to maintain. The community rightfully deserves a first class police department, and all of these expenses have to be managed aggressively. Jim is the classic ``man with the green eyeshade'' who realizes that a community of sustained good living cannot exist unless the city's finances remain strong. As a consequence of his financial and community leadership, transformative public and private improvements have been accomplished during his years as City Manager. The Vintage Park Overcrossing was completed in 1992. A corporation yard project was finished in 1993. A lift station for water control purposes was finished in 1996. Upon entering Foster City, one is struck by its beautiful new library and civic center complex, completed in 1999 and 2003, respectively. The Leo J. Ryan Amphitheater was completed in 2004, a water main extension in 2006, a teen center in 2010, and the widening of two major roads in 2013. The Foster Square development was finished this year. These are just a few of the many physical manifestations of Jim's leadership. However, the most important and enduring legacy of Jim is the way in which he created a cohesive team amongst city staff. Employees are encouraged to accept responsibility but to work as a team to meet the public's needs. As we know, public service can sometimes entail resolving contentious issues. Jim's decent, non-controversial approach to problem solving was a steady voice during many staff and council meetings. Jim is not the only leader in the Hardy family. His wife, Luisa, is also retiring from her career and the two of them will be able to spend more time with their four adult children, all employed in challenging positions, and with the Hardy-family grandchildren. The airlines are going to be seeing a lot of Jim and Luisa as they make their way back and forth between Utah and the Bay Area over these next few years. Mr. Speaker and members, one of the highest compliments that we can pay to anyone leaving public life is to say that they served with honor. Jim Hardy did so. He was honest and fair in his dealings with the public, patient with his councils and dutiful towards their directions, mindful of his employees and their needs and conscious of setting the highest personal standard of propriety. There are no statues erected or brilliant orchestral compositions written to commemorate the ending of a distinguished career in local government. However, there are fond memories. Jim leaves thousands of these as he exits public service. These fond memories are themselves a type of ode to a life well led, and as enduring as any statue that we might erect. Now is the time to say thank you to Jim Hardy, a man called father, grandfather, leader and friend.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, ``Ruff.'' That is what my dog Buddy says when he wants to go out for a walk, and that is what dogs throughout the bay area have been accustomed to doing in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area for decades. I, like them, believe that the GGNRA should be able to afford the opportunity for people to recreate, whether one wants to watch a bird, ride a horse, walk a path, or climb a hill. Some of these uses are incompatible, but that doesn't mean we should ban them. That means that we should create opportunity for all. In San Mateo County, in my district, the GGNRA is proposing zero off- leash dog areas, closing down one site that has been in operation for over many decades. For 40 years, people and their dogs have been welcome at the beaches and trails of the GGNRA, which compromises 80,000 acres across San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo Counties. This public land provides much-needed recreational space in the densely populated bay area. Today, that access is at risk. The National Park Service is trying to dramatically change how it manages recreational areas in the bay area by turning the majority of open space in the GGNRA into what are called controlled zones, where visitor access and activities could be highly restricted. Public use could be denied for longstanding activities in the GGNRA, like hiking, surfing, bike riding, horseback riding, and dog walking. The bay area is densely populated, and open space is precious. For many, the GGNRA is the only option for time outdoors. My amendment would slow the National Park Service's regulatory overreach and ensure that people in the bay area continue to have recreational access to these urban parks. People and nature aren't incompatible. We can be good stewards and also allow those in the GGNRA to have access to this very beautiful area. I ask for an ``aye'' vote, Mr. Chairman, and I reserve the balance of my time. Point of Order

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Alzheimer's disease is a threat to our country--not a direct threat like ISIS or al Qaeda, but it is an insidious, persistent threat to the minds and bodies of our family members and to the fiscal health of our country. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that the cost of caring for people with Alzheimer's right now through the Medicare system is $226 billion. By the year 2050, it will be $1.1 trillion. This is a genuine budgetary threat. If it grows unchecked, the cost to Medicare from a single disease will zap our ability to pay for national security. Interestingly enough and timely enough, on the front page of USA Today is a story that reads how 15 percent of seniors account for nearly one- half of Medicare spending. We also have an epidemic among our soldiers. It is called traumatic brain injury, known as the signature wound of veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq. It affects our soldiers at a much higher rate than the civilian population, and the VA projects its 10-year costs at $2.2 billion. TBI is also closely linked to Alzheimer's. For 30 years, we have known about a clear correlation between TBI and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. By researching the link between TBI and Alzheimer's, we can help cure both. I applaud the chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations for increasing the funding for the Peer Reviewed Alzheimer's Research Program from $12 million to its presequestration levels of $15 million, but the funding for Alzheimer's research in the United States is still underresourced. Today, I am offering this amendment to increase the funding for the Peer Reviewed Program by $5 million, which would take it up to $20 million. This modest investment on the front end in research can eventually yield billions in savings in the future on the cost of care. That is why I urge my colleagues to support our servicemembers with TBI and Alzheimer's and vote ``yes'' on this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I thank the Members on both sides of the aisle. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Cynthia Schuman Banks, an accomplished artist and designer, a philanthropist and community leader, and one of the most youthful people I know. I am blessed to count Cynthia as one of my closest friends. Cynthia has extraordinary talent and whatever she touches turns into a treasure. She has painted superb portraits including those of Senator Dianne Feinstein, Reverend Jessie Jackson, Dr. Linus Pauling and Vice President Walter Mondale. When former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev visited San Francisco in the early 1990s, Cynthia was selected to present him with one of her abstract paintings. She remains an avid painter to this day and recently had many of her works displayed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Cynthia was born in Oakland, California. She attended Stanford University before she started her career as a fashion designer at Lilli Ann, a San Francisco-based clothing company that her father Adolph Schuman founded in 1934. It was named for Cynthia's mother Lillian and renowned for its good workmanship and high quality fabrics. Adolph Schuman started the company in two rented rooms with $800 he borrowed. Fifty years later, Lilli Ann reported retail sales of $40 million. Mr. Schuman bought large quantities of French and Italian fabrics from small companies which helped revitalize those countries' war-ravaged textile industries. Cynthia significantly contributed to the legacy of Lilli Ann. She designed the most successful suit in the company's history. In 1965, she changed her professional focus from fashion design to interior design and founded Benatar and Cole Interiors. She has transformed many prestigious homes in the Bay Area with her unique and exquisite touch. In 1991, Cynthia met Dan Banks and they married the next year. For the last 23 years, Cynthia and Dan have made family their priority. They are the proud parents of Darrell Benatar, Denise Benatar, Pamela Banks Joyce and Tom Banks and grandparents Trevor, Parker, always- remembered Emily, Isabel, Maya, Colin, Sandra, Michael and Taylor. To say that Cynthia is a people person would be the understatement of the century--she loves people and loves bringing them together. Dinner parties at the Schuman Banks are must-attends for all of us. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House of Representatives rise with me to honor a remarkable woman who lives life with joie de vivre and my most favorite friend Cynthia Schuman Banks on the occasion of her birthday. She continues to enrich our lives every day.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Cynthia Simms who is retiring as the Superintendent of the San Mateo-Foster City School District after a remarkable career in education that spans more than four decades. She has been an educator for 43 years and a superintendent for 27 years, 14 of them in California. Dr. Simms' outstanding leadership, vision and communication skills have benefited thousands of students, parents, teachers and the community as a whole. Dr. Simms was the Superintendent of the San Mateo-Foster City School District for four years overseeing the largest elementary-middle school district in San Mateo County with 20 schools, 12,000 students and 1,200 employees. She hired 13 of 20 current school principals and three district administrators. Her priority has been to provide the best possible education for each child to prepare her or him for a successful life as a responsible, contributing citizen. She instills a wonderful sense of community by making every staff member feel appreciated through their significant role in accomplishing this mission. During her tenure, four schools were honored as California Distinguished Schools and eight school programs received J. Russell Kent Awards. Dr. Simms focused the school district on equity for all students by supporting and growing magnet school program choices for parents including STEM, STEAM, spearheading the transition of Horrall Elementary School to LEAD Elementary School, and expanding the Montessori program. She also adopted the Common Core State Standards that are designed to turn students into critical thinkers, effective communicators, collaborators and innovators. Always looking to the child's future, the district formed important partnerships with the San Mateo Union High School District, St. Mary's College and California State University East Bay. Dr. Simms understands that children cannot thrive academically if they don't feel safe or are unhealthy. This is why she implemented consistent safety protocols across the district that include security fencing, cameras, intrusion alarms and Columbine lock sets. The schools work closely with local police departments on gang resistance training. All students take music classes and healthy food is served at breakfast and lunch. There even is a growing number of vegetable gardens at the schools. Under Dr. Simms' leadership, the San Mateo- Foster City School District cares for and about the wellbeing of its students on every level. Dr. Simms is credited with developing extensive communication inside and outside of the schools. There is a weekly letter to all staff, a monthly newsletter to parents, collaboration with city councils and local legislators, and quarterly reports mailed to every resident and business in San Mateo and Foster City. Collaboration, partnership and inclusiveness are core values in Dr. Simms' philosophy. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House of Representatives rise with me to honor Dr. Cynthia Simms, an extraordinary educator who is deeply committed to our community and to the future of our children. She tirelessly strived for excellence, harmony and the success of her students. Her expertise, energy and enthusiasm will be missed as she enters her well-deserved retirement.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. I thank the gentleman from Rhode Island for yielding. Mr. Chair, one of our most solemn duties in Congress is dealing with emerging national security threats. We eliminated bin Laden. We are making process in weakening ISIL. Unfortunately, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have alerted us to a new threat emerging deep in the heart of the Western United States, a sort of feathery sleeper cell that just can't wait to disrupt our way of life. What is inspiring so much fear? It is the lesser prairie chicken. Listening to this debate, you would think that the lesser prairie chicken was single-handedly providing aid and comfort to the enemy, not just living on the prairie and doing the occasional little dance; but, as with its unfortunate relative, the greater sage grouse, my colleagues across the aisle are trying to use the NDAA to do a little dance of their own around the science of the Endangered Species Act. The prairie chicken has not attacked our citizens, threatened our allies, or disrupted our military operations. Listing the prairie chicken as endangered is a scientific decision not within the purview of Congress and will have absolutely no effect on Department of Defense operations. The worst that anyone can say about the prairie chicken is that it is really not a chicken, but a grouse. This amendment has no place in the NDAA, and I urge my colleagues to oppose it.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the additional time. Beyond that, we are saying if there is an anomaly and your fetus is not going to be able to survive as an infant outside the womb that you are going to have to carry that to term. Ladies and gentlemen, let me say this: I have had two abortions. One was at 10 weeks, when the fetus no longer had a heartbeat, and I was told, Well, you are going to have to wait a few days before you have that D&C. A D&C is an abortion. I said, I can't. I am in so much pain. I have just lost this baby that I wanted, and you are going to make me carry around a dead fetus for 2 days? I finally got that D&C in time. At 17 weeks, I lost another baby. It was an extraordinarily painful experience. It was an abortion. Women who go through these experiences go through them with so much pain and anguish, and here we are as Members of this body, trying to don another white coat. I think we should put the speculums down. I think we should stop playing doctor.

Ms. SPEIER. I thank my colleague from New York. Madam Speaker and Members, I am just so perplexed by our willingness every time an abortion issue is brought up that we don the equivalent of a white coat, that we believe that we are doctors in this august body, that we should be making decisions on behalf of women who are pregnant and on behalf of their spouses and of their physicians, and that we know better than everyone else. If we had women in America who saw their doctors as frequently as we talk about their health on the House floor, boy, they would have a lot of access to doctors. Four months ago, this bill was taken up, and many of the women in the Republican caucus thought it went too far, so it has been amended a little bit, and now they think it doesn't go too far. Let me tell you what ``too far'' is. First of all, remember that only 1.5 percent of abortions take place after 20 weeks. They take place for a lot of personal and profoundly physical reasons, and the decision is made by the physician in conjunction with the pregnant woman and her family. What in the heck are we doing putting our noses in their lives? It is constitutional, Members; it is legal in this country to have an abortion. Now, rape. If you are raped, and it is after 20 weeks, you have to go to a law enforcement officer or you have to have mental health services. Now, let me remind you, of the sexual assaults that take place in the military, 81 percent of them are never reported. When you are raped, the last thing you want to do is relive that experience, to be victimized again because you are so offended and feel so violated. And now we are going to say, whether you are 17 or 19, you are going to have to go report this to law enforcement or you are going to have to go to a mental health officer.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for their accepting amendments to address military sexual assault, increase oversight, transgender rights, whistleblower protection, and equal access to contraception for military women; but, despite these improvements and many others from my colleagues, I cannot support this bill in its current form. Instead of making tough decisions with our limited resources, this bill uses an accounting gimmick to further parochial and political interests above the readiness of the men and women protecting us and the interests of taxpayers we represent. We chose to address the sage grouse rather than the elephant in the room. By irresponsibly sheltering $38 billion--above the self-imposed budget gap--in the OCO account, this bill attempts to decouple national security from economic security. In reality, these are one and the same. Our military leadership gets it, but this seems to be lost on us. Admiral Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, stated that the deficit that we are unwisely adding to in this bill is the single greatest threat to our national security. Rather than empowering our military to align our force structure with the capabilities we need, we tied their hands; and, rather than addressing wasteful overhead, needless spare parts, or outdated weapon systems, we chose to ensure that corporations that move their headquarters overseas to avoid taxes continue to get Defense contracts. Provisions of this bill also attempt to force the DOD to keep our detention facility in Guantanamo Bay open. GTMO is a propaganda tool for our enemies and a distraction for our allies. Those aren't my words; they are George W. Bush's and 15 to 20 retired generals and admirals. Another provision of this bill prevents the military from saving lives by purchasing alternative fuels. Costly refueling operations and convoys are extraordinarily dangerous; yet, because the existence of climate change is a political talking point, somehow, servicemember safety is second rate. The military is not separate from the rest of the country. Along with defending us, members of the military need to drive on roads that are not crumbling, cross bridges that are not falling, and send their children to public universities that are not bankrupt. It also makes it difficult to fund basic research, which has been a key element to our global competitive advantage and the source of much of the technology that our military relies on. We are choosing to spend vast quantities of money on planes that the military does not want, while refusing to address problems that everyone in the Nation, including military members, needs fixed. We have to face the reality that we can't keep our Nation secure if we let our country rot from the inside. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor William A. Nack for a life and career dedicated to hard work, justice and integrity. Bill Nack recently retired as the head of the Building and Construction Trades Council of San Mateo County, AFL-CIO after a long and successful career in union construction. Bill left his mark all over the San Francisco Peninsula. Even people who don't know him see the results of his work every day. Some of the most prominent buildings in the county were developed during his tenure, including SFO, Mills Peninsula Hospital, Sequoia Hospital, Palo Alto Medical Center, Bay Meadows, San Mateo Public Library, San Mateo Union High School District, San Mateo Community College District, Millbrae BART Transit Village, Crossings in San Bruno, Redwood City Redevelopment, Brisbane Baylands Development, Genentech, Gilead and Facebook. Even this breathtaking list is not complete. Bill negotiated a total of 45 Project Labor Agreements and Letters of Commitment representing more than $16 billion of construction projects. For the last 16 years, he worked with developers, environmentalists, contractors and neighborhood groups advocating for environmentally responsible projects, good union wages and safe working conditions. Bill was born in St. Louis, raised in San Francisco, and has lived on the Peninsula for the last 50 years. In 1966, he was hired by United Airlines as an Aircraft Jet Engine Mechanic in Journeyman status. The following year he started his service in the U.S. Naval Reserve which he continued for six years, ably serving his country. While working for United, he earned an Associate Degree in Aeronautics and began his remarkable union career with Machinist Local Lodge 1781. He was the Union Shop Steward for 15 years fighting for the rights of his coworkers. He was elected to the Local's Executive Board, IAM Legislative Committee, and the Building Corporation. Bill was one of the people who founded a highly effective coalition between the machinists, flight attendants and pilots. In 1987, Bill became the Assistant Business Manager for the Santa Clara and San Benito counties Central Labor Council. He developed and implemented a public policy program for 100 affiliated unions. In 1989, he became Deputy Executive Officer for the Santa Clara and San Benito Building and Construction Trades Council where he was responsible for public policy, corporate research, and the monitoring of construction contractors and projects. Within a year, he was tapped for the top position at the Building and Construction Trades Council of San Mateo County and became Business Manager/Executive Officer. He was ideally qualified to advocate for environmentally and socially responsible projects utilizing top-quality labor, materials and construction methods. He led a vibrant council of 26 unions and 14,000 justifiably proud, middle-class workers. In addition to his impressive achievements at the council, Bill is a man of enormous compassion and empathy, a fact demonstrated by his extensive community engagement. He serves on a long list of boards, including the Boy Scouts of America, United Way, Rebuilding Together, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Advisory Council, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Advisory Council, and the San Mateo County Housing Leadership Council. Bill is passionate about housing people, recognizing that the dignity of a person is nurtured by housing. It is sometimes said of a generous person that he would give someone the shirt off his back. Bill Nack has likely done that many times, and in addition he's directly and indirectly helped to place a roof over the heads of tens of thousands of people. Bill was also appointed by the Governor to the Bay Conservation and Development Commission and to the Board of Directors of the Cow Palace. As you may surmise from the diversity of issues that Bill is engaged in, he cares deeply about helping others and improving the quality of life for everyone. I can say without hesitation that his heart is in the right place and he gives of himself generously and freely. He is a devoted husband to Rayna Lehman, another great labor leader in San Mateo County. They raised two wonderful sons, Patrick and Benjamin, their most important life achievements. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor my friend and colleague of over 30 years William A. Nack on the occasion of his retirement as the leader of the Building and Construction Trades Council of San Mateo County. He leaves behind an impressive legacy of construction projects, compassion, and a ready smile that welcomes every honest man or woman to work with him in pursuit of a better America.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 90th anniversary of San Mateo Park Elementary School, the oldest continuing elementary school in the San Mateo-Foster City School District. Park School has educated over 20,000 students and serves a diverse student body. The school community can only be characterized as open, enriching and striving for excellence. The comprehensive curriculum aims at supporting each student to reach his or her fullest potential. All students, those with exceptional abilities to those with exceptional needs, are prepared to become responsible, ethical citizens and leaders of the future. They are taught to develop critical and creative thinking, problem solving and good communication in a safe environment that encourages risk taking and self-reliance. To create such an environment, Park School relies on very talented and dedicated teachers and staff. Teachers are fully credentialed and many of them bring more than 10 years of experience to the classroom. Some of them hold advanced degrees in music, special education, administration or counseling. They speak multiple languages and have interests ranging from scuba diving to gardening. Staff members are trained in CELDT, Early Literacy Training, NOYCE training, Math Lesson Study and Art. Put succinctly, the staff is as diverse and interesting as the student body, a perfect dynamic to build an environment that fosters a love of lifelong learning and a deep sense of community. Park School has led the school district in initiatives that support literary skills for below-level readers through its Panther Reading program. The program was created by teachers and parents in 2013. It was so successful that the district quickly embraced it and rolled it out to other schools. Park School had modest beginnings. It started out as a firehouse on the corner of Clark Drive and Crescent Avenue that was remodeled into a two-room school in 1925. The small school soon couldn't meet demands and a new school with five classrooms and an auditorium was built and opened for 150 students in April 1929. Within a year, a cafeteria was added, a playground installed, a library organized and more land was purchased for additional expansion. In 1966, plans were made for a new school to be built on Clark and Crescent, the location where Park School remains to this day. The new school had a pod arrangement with the library in the center and rooms for individual, group and total class instruction around it. It opened in 1969. Everyone at Park School will tell you that change is constant. Over the years, a computer lab, a speech therapy room and a school child care were added. A large group instruction building opened in 1999 offering students a place for performing arts, physical education and leadership skills. The physical landscape of Park School continues to change and adapt, always keeping a focus on providing the most excellent education opportunities for the students. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House of Representatives rise with me to recognize the great and lasting contributions that a small elementary school in San Mateo, California has made to the community. Park School has given thousands of children the foundation for successful careers and lives as responsible and productive citizens. Park School is a shining example of what a school can be.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, last week before the Transportation and Infrastructure's committee on pipeline safety, I called the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, known as PHMSA, ``a toothless tiger that has overdosed on quaaludes and is passed out on the job.'' Today I stand before you to say I was wrong. I was wrong to call PHMSA a toothless tiger. PHMSA is actually a toothless kitten, a fluffy industry pet that frightens absolutely no one. This has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt by yesterday's excellent Politico investigation of PHMSA's ineffectual ``can't do'' attitude, written by Elana Schor and Andrew Restuccia. Allow me to highlight some of the shocking incompetence brought to light by this article. All rules made by PHMSA undergo peer review by two advisory committees: one on oil and one on gas. In theory, the committee is made up of five members each from industry, government, and public. Sounds good, right? Well, that might be true except the committee's current rosters are missing seven members on the government and public sides. This means the industry is calling the shots and voting for their own initiatives. On these committees there is almost no formal resistance to doing the industry's bidding. That is what Deborah Hersman, former head of the National Transportation Safety Board, meant when she said: ``For the regulator to delegate too much authority to the regulated to assess their own system risks and correct them is tantamount to the fox guarding the henhouse.'' As we have seen in my district and in so many others, the fox has very little incentive to prevent oil or gas from spoiling the henhouse or to prevent the hens from blowing up. Of course, everyone is very sorry about the fact, but the will to prevent these accidents in the first place is simply not there. That is what happened in Mayflower, Arkansas, in 2013 when PHMSA let ExxonMobil operate an oil pipeline that was known to be faulty for 7 years, and then it blew up. Nowhere is this more obvious than PHMSA's pitiful fines. Fines are supposed to be a deterrent, and yet the fines that PHMSA levies are so pathetic compared to the cost of pipeline leaks and explosions that they can't even be seen on this graph. Here you see that over the last 12 years PHMSA has issued just $44.2 million in fines for incidents that cost over $5 billion. Look at these tiny red lines. You can't even see them. You can see these other graph points that show how much damage was actually done, but the fines are next to nothing. Take the Mayflower, Arkansas, example where dumping 200,000 gallons of heavy crude into a neighborhood cost ExxonMobil $2.7 million, or 0.008 percent of that year's profits. To industry, this measly fine is just the cost of doing business. No need to fix a pipeline. Fines are so small, it is cheaper to just pay them. But, of course, damage from pipeline leaks and explosions can't be reduced to just gray bars. In my district, the city of San Bruno, where eight people were killed by a pipeline explosion in 2010, the public remains traumatized by the idea that their entire neighborhood could be wiped out by one carelessly inspected or uninspected pipeline. Life has risks, but one of them shouldn't be coming home to find your husband and son and mother-in-law dead and your house obliterated, as happened to one of the families in my district. That is why I find PHMSA's utter failure to implement more rigorous safety regulations so disgusting. PHMSA's reasoning that such regulations are ``too costly for the pipeline industry compared with the expected benefits'' is the reasoning of movie villains, not well- intentioned safety professionals who are supposed to be taking care of the public interest. Whose side is PHMSA on? Now, one could argue that the low penalties are Congress' fault, not PHMSA's. After all, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has power to impose civil penalties of a million dollars per day. Compare that to PHMSA's relatively paltry $200,000 a day. But that doesn't explain PHMSA's failure to even start civil penalty cases. Even as pipeline incidents increase, PHMSA started fewer civil penalty cases in 2014 than in the past 10 years and proposed 73 percent fewer fines. For the few fines that are proposed, PHMSA does that behind closed doors where the public is not welcome. ExxonMobil dumped 63,000 gallons of oil into Yellowstone River in 2011 but managed to argue that the original $1.7 million fine should be put down to $1 million. Why did PHMSA allow this? Nobody knows. Though I've talked about San Bruno, I want to emphasize that the lack of adequate pipeline safety measures is a nationwide problem, not a Bay Area or California problem. In 2011, a leak from an 83-year-old cast- iron main in Allentown, Pennsylvania, caused a blast that killed 5 people. In 2012, a gas pipeline explosion outside of Charleston, West Virginia, destroyed several properties. In 2014, a leak in a 127-year- old pipeline in Harlem, New York, killed 8 and injured 50 more. In each incident, we see the same, recurring problems--aging infrastructure and inadequate inspection. How many more of these tragedies do we need before we get serious about pipeline safety? The saddest part about this whole situation is that we know how to prevent pipeline leaks and explosions. The National Transportation Safety Board has been saying the same thing for years, after so many deaths and the destruction of property and the environment. We need automatic or remote control shutoff valves. We need existing pipelines to accommodate internal inspection tools. We need PHMSA to be a strong voice for safety for the public and we need industry to cease being apologists for lethal incompetence. Like so many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I'm tired of PHSMA's excuses and prevarications. I'm frustrated that Congress seems powerless to induce PHMSA to take its job seriously. That's why I'm looking into legislation that will provide PHMSA with the proper encouragement to do its job. It's time for the toothless kitten to wake up, smell the leaking gas, and take decisive action.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember an amazing American and an outstanding patriot. Mr. Les Williams has died at the age of 95. Mr. Williams was one of the heroic Tuskegee Airmen. He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his service to this nation. He was also a Stanford undergraduate and law school graduate, and a distinguished attorney in my district for many years. Mr. Williams grew up in San Mateo and was part of a middle-class African American community in San Mateo until the Great Depression financially devastated his family. In order to earn money for his college education, he started a business teaching dance. When America entered World War II, Mr. Williams volunteered to join the Army Air Corps. Only after the war did he learn that his original application was denied because he was African American. The Army drafted Mr. Williams and placed him into a laborer's job working on the docks, a job that ordinarily would have ended his flying career before it began. As disappointed as he was, however, Mr. Williams was a patriot. As he later said, ``I became a worker. I wasn't very proud of that. I had to go. One thing though, I was going to do what my country told me to do because I was an American and I'll always be an American.'' Mr. Williams and others also formed a band and Mr. Williams danced. After a performance at a Kaiser shipyard, a general congratulated Mr. Williams and the band. The general also asked if he could help the men in any way and Mr. Williams immediately volunteered, again, to fly. Shortly thereafter, Les Williams was on his way to Tuskegee, Alabama, truly a rendezvous with history. His training in Tuskegee was rigorous, but even more demanding was the culture of discrimination in Tuskegee. As he later noted, discrimination existed in his hometown of San Mateo, but it was nothing like Tuskegee. For example, failing to wait for a white person to cross the street could get you dragged from the car and beaten. This was a level of violence that Les Williams had not faced before. Les Williams was a great pilot. He'd never been near a plane before going to ground school, but Les Williams excelled. The white officer who gave him his check out flight test had a 100% record of washing out African American students. But he didn't wash out Les Williams. At the time, the officer noted that Mr. Williams was cocky, but also noted that fighter pilots needed to be cocky. Mr. Williams eventually switched to bombers and enjoyed flying the B-25. However, the war wouldn't wait. By the time the Army Air Corps assembled a full cockpit bomber crew, the war was over. After the war, Captain Les Williams returned to San Mateo and started a successful dance studio. Here, in his hometown, he again faced a lot of prejudice. He won the right to build his dance study on a 3-2 vote of the City Council, with at least one resident throwing her purse at him in anger over the idea that an African American could be allowed to build a new structure in a largely white part of town. By 1947, Mr. Williams also entered Stanford University on the G.I. bill, graduating with a degree in history. He continued operating his dance studio for about 25 years and eventually returned to Stanford to study law, graduating in the 1970's. He was an active and distinguished attorney in our community for many years. He is survived by his wife, Elsie, daughters Penny and Paula, two grandsons and two great-grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, through his dedication to America Les Williams proved one thing beyond a shadow of a doubt: He was a patriot. A man who loved America and who worked hard to overcome the barriers placed in his path, he personified the energetic pursuit of opportunity in this nation. We owe the Tuskegee Airmen our gratitude for helping to break the color barrier, but we owe Les Williams our respect because he not only broke the barrier but also set the bar of achievement higher for all America. Today, let us remember Les Williams when we think of equality under the law. At 95 years old upon his passing, Les Williams is a man who willed to each of us decades of opportunity, provided we have the wisdom to preserve and to nurture his legacy.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I stand today in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Brain Awareness Week and the importance of educating students and the general public on brain science in the United States and around the world. I'd like to highlight an issue that's important to me and the people of California's 14th District. Traumatic brain injury, known as TBI, affects over 1.7 million people in the United States each year and costs Americans almost $77 billion annually in direct and indirect medical costs. The effects of TBI on the brain vary greatly. TBI includes concussions, which may not show brain damage on an MRI, but can lead to headaches, fatigue, behavioral changes, and long-term effects on cognition or personality. More severe TBIs may lead to loss of consciousness for over 30 minutes, and can result in severe headaches, seizures, loss of motor coordination, and agitation. TBI can result from falls, car accidents, or due to combat trauma or athletics. TBI has been called the signature wound of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and many of the TBI cases from these wars are due to injury from Improvised Explosive Devises (IEDs). The DoD states that since 2000, more than 287,000 U.S. service members have sustained a TBI. Research indicates that TBIs are related to development of PTSD or major depression in veterans, and being able to accurately diagnose and treat TBI is an important step in caring for the mental and physical health of our veterans. TBI is also an issue in athletes of all levels, ranging from high school sports to professional sports. It is estimated that 300,000 sports-related concussions occur each year. In recent years, repeated concussions in athletes have been shown to be related to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that leads to increased irritability, and eventually dementia. Many people with traumatic brain injury never get diagnosed, and there are not reliable treatments available for those who do get diagnosed. Being able to accurately identify and then treat TBI is important for the health and long-term well-being of high school athletes, professional athletes, service members, and veterans. In an effort to improve diagnosis and treatment of TBI, the University of California, San Francisco is leading several federally- funded research initiatives. UCSF will be directing an $18.8 million award from NIH that will support research on how to improve diagnosis and treatment for TBIs, which are frequently undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, and undertreated. UCSF has also received a $17 million Department of Defense award that aims to improve clinical trials for TBI which may lead to better treatments. Researchers will use data from thousands of patients to identify effective measures of brain injury and recovery using brain imaging, biomarkers, and other tools. This may lead to the first successful treatment of TBI. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Brain Awareness Week and the contributions that thousands of dedicated scientists are making to unlock the mysteries behind the human brain.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, this looks like it could be candy for kids, but it is not. These are detergent packs that we use in our dishwasher or in our washing machines. Last year, the National Poison Data System received 17,230 calls involving children who are exposed to chemicals in these packs. They bite into them, or they squirt them into their eyes. These are concentrated packs, and so they do much more damage--in fact, even burning the esophagus. 769 of these children had to go to the hospital, and one child died. I am introducing, along with Senator Dick Durbin, the Detergent Poisoning and Child Safety Act to require that companies that produce these detergent packs provide more child-resistant packaging. This is a consumer issue that should be addressed, and I urge my colleagues to join with me.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the iconic Dr. Carl Djerassi who died at the age of 91 on January 30, 2015. In the weeks since his death, a great deal has been said about Dr. Djerassi. Most of these comments focus on his key role in developing the contraceptive pill. Because Dr. Djerassi and two other scientists were able to synthesize norethindrone, a key ingredient of the pill was finally available for widespread use and commercialization. The human race owes Dr. Djerassi a great deal. Because women were finally able to control their own fertility, they were able to spend time in school, obtain work and to fully join the economy. Millennia spent bearing children and being denied education and advancement due to the demands of raising children were now upended in those nations that embraced artificial contraception. The pill is often characterized as a great advancement for women but in truth all human beings were advanced as women were freed to increasingly contribute their talents and intellect fully to the great research and economic challenges of their eras. For this reason alone, Carl Djerassi should be heralded as an advocate for human rights and economic development. Dr. Djerassi came to the United States with his mother as a refugee from a Europe increasingly dominated by Nazi Germany. After writing to Eleanor Roosevelt about his impoverished state, but inquiring mind, she offered him a scholarship. It was a fateful offer for Carl Djerassi and for human beings globally. Dr. Djerassi graduated summa cum laude from Kenyon College before his 19th birthday and then earned his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin. He subsequently worked for or founded several private companies, including early work for Syntex, the company that commercialized norethindrone into the pill. His research was also key to the synthesizing of antihistamines and cortisone. After positions at a number of other universities, Dr. Djerassi moved to Stanford where he conducted research and taught for decades. He was the ultimate professor who, because of his extraordinarily high standards, did not suffer fools gladly. Stanford University indicated that Dr. Djerassi published more than 1,200 scientific papers, and made early and important contributions in many areas of chemistry, including the use of analytical tools of chemistry such as mass spectrometry, magnetic circular dichroism and optical rotary dispersion. Those he mentored remarked on his willingness to look after their careers despite an extraordinary schedule that at times committed him to travelling 100,000 miles per year. In 1973, Dr. Djerassi was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Nixon. Stanford noted that he was the only awardee to simultaneously be given that award by the President while also being on Nixon's enemies list. In our region, Carl Djerassi was also known for his extraordinary love of art, poetry, and his books of ``science-in-fiction.'' According to those who knew him well, his short stories, novels and plays provided unusual detail about the lives and difficult choices of scientists who bear the burdens of historic discoveries. Mr. Speaker, some individuals leave as their legacy an endowment or a building or fond memories of a life well lived. At least from my perspective, Carl Djerassi left us all something that is much more valuable than any of these gifts: He gave us options in life. Thanks to Carl Djerassi, we can choose to live as human beings have lived for tens of thousands of years or we can acknowledge that human beings may seek a different path--one of self-determination and thus personal responsibility to leave the world a better place than when we entered it. Carl Djerassi left the world a much better place than when he entered it, having explored the greatest secrets of chemistry and some of the most difficult moral dilemmas confronted by inquiring minds. He was truly a man for all ages, and we can only hope that his insights passed down through these past decades will endure and be improved upon for decades yet to come.