Haley Stevens

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my dear friend, Emily Stover DeRocco, a generous spirit and dedicated public servant who inspired others to discover their purpose and to follow their dreams. Known for getting things done, Emily headed to Washington after graduating from Penn State University, determined to find a role working in the Federal Government, hoping to make a difference in the lives of everyday Americans. As the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training in the George W. Bush administration, Emily was instrumental in redesigning our country's workforce development programs, particularly in strategically realigning education and economic development initiatives with the needs of the business community, workforce development coming together with our manufacturing sector and, in particular, for emerging technologies. After leaving the Bush administration, Emily became a leader in the manufacturing sector when she joined the Manufacturing Institute as their president. Under her innovative leadership, the institute researched and confirmed the changing workforce needs and, in response, implemented national strategy on education and workforce reform. Emily founded E3, an aptly named consulting firm--educate, engage, employ--focused on helping others by linking education, workforce, and economic development, yet again harnessing her creativity and her special, keen ability to connect people and bring them together. In addition to her incredible career, Emily was a loving mother and wife. She met the love of her life while working full-time at the Department of the Interior and taking classes at Georgetown Law School, tenaciously walking across the stage while 8 months pregnant with her incredible daughter, Lauren. Emily spent her life coaching and mentoring others and impacted my life and work tremendously. She was, in fact, on everyone's speed dial. Her work led her to Detroit, Michigan, where she collaborated and led the workforce development efforts for the Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow Institute, a public-private partnership intent on harnessing new technologies for our automotive sector and other industries of scale. She was the workforce leader. I had the privilege of speaking on numerous panels with her all over the country, with our friends at the NATC, ASME, in the defense sector, at NIMS, at NAM, and of course, yet again, the Manufacturing Institute. The need for workforce talent is the conversation of today. I met Emily in the middle of the Great Recession, when unemployment was through the roof, yet there were open jobs in our manufacturing firms all across the country. It is not a simple formula. What Emily sought to change and address in this country by training not only the next generation of workers but an existing workforce in the 21st century begat many new challenges: the advent of the digital age and the combination of computer technologies with our old-school manufacturing devices and pieces of equipment. She led the way. While she left us suddenly, she also left a legacy of work. We thank her so much for her service and her inspiration and the mark that she made on this country.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the gun violence plaguing this country and the elected officials who stand by and watch, content on not passing new laws to address its scourge on the American people. I rise for the 9-year anniversary of the mass shooting that took place in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, 9 years ago this week--12 lives gone, 70 injured. I rise for all of those who were at the baseball game just this last weekend around the corner, running for their lives because they heard there was a shooting. Your gun rights are not under attack when 23 million firearms were sold in the United States of America in 2020 alone. But what is under attack is your ability to live freely in this country without the threat of gun violence in a movie theater, in your place of worship, in your school, in your backyard, or driving around at night. I rise for the students who marched for their lives, and I rise because the need to pass a law for gun safety is of the fierce urgency of the now.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the vice chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee from the State of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the INVEST in America Act which authorizes billions of dollars in direct infrastructure investment over the next 5 years to address America's crumbling wastewater and local water quality challenges--something we know all too well in Michigan, particularly in the wake of our communities being deluged by storms and deluged by wastewater coming up into our roads and into people's homes. Less than 50 years ago, many U.S. rivers were little more than open sewers with some so polluted that they literally caught fire--something that, yet again, motivated Members of Congress from Michigan to enact landmark legislation. But even today, communities are struggling. For instance, for decades, to this day, residents of Centreville, Illinois, a nearly all Black town of 5,000 in southern Illinois, just a 12-minute drive from downtown East St. Louis, had been dealing with persistent flooding and sewage overflows. The smell of it is in the air and all over the town after a rain, and bits of soggy toilet paper and slicks of human waste cling to the grass in the neighborhoods where children used to play on warm days. This, Mr. Speaker, is why we commit to an infrastructure bill because we are standing for the guarantee that everyone deserves to live safely and in clean environments. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill that will get us the wastewater spend and make our country great.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the NSF for the Future Act, a bipartisan bill to revitalize one of the most important pillars of our Federal Government's investments in innovation, the National Science Foundation. I certainly want to recognize the great work of Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas for their leadership in developing this forward-looking legislation. I was so proud to help usher it through my Subcommittee on Research and Technology. The commitment to bipartisan collaboration and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders has resulted in a carefully crafted bill that provides a much-needed infusion of funding and addresses needs across the agency's portfolio. The NSF for the Future Act has been endorsed by nearly 50 organizations, including the AFL-CIO, American Society of Civil Engineers, the Semiconductor Industry Association, and higher education institutions across the country. The bill puts forth a suite of sweeping proposals, from scaling up preK-12 STEM education research innovations and modernizing higher education student training to funding more research infrastructure and expanding opportunities to participate in NSF-funded projects. The NSF for the Future Act also supports the evolution of the NSF by ramping up support for use-inspired and translational research through the creation of a partnership-driven, solutions-oriented directorate. The National Science Foundation plays a pivotal role in our research ecosystem. As the only Federal agency charged with supporting fundamental research across all scientific disciplines, we cannot risk undermining or diminishing this function. Our capacity to innovate will be constrained if we choke off the flow of fundamental research dollars. As members of the Science Committee, we know all too well what is at stake and what we are doing to conduct our due diligence here today. We have held hearing after hearing to explore the challenges and opportunities for advancing NSF's mission through a comprehensive reauthorization bill. We heard from the NSF's director and chair of the National Science Board that the agency is poised to take on an infusion of funding and an expansion of its mission to deliver the benefits of research to the American people. We heard from stakeholders all across the country in academia and from the private sector and innovation policy experts that the NSF is an essential asset that has been squeezed by flat budgets for too long. Yes, here today is a bipartisan effort to commit to doubling scientific research funding in this country. We all remember the headline we got several years ago that diminished the funding for this agency, that gave us the projection of a lost generation in scientific research, yet here today we are committed to action because innovation is the great propellor of this Nation. The challenges--the unique challenges that we have faced in the 21st century have been bested time and time again because of what we do as Americans: We innovate. And I know that all too well as a Member of Congress from Michigan dedicated to the production and the patents and the hard work to produce results. Increasing the budget of the NSF is also not nearly enough. A new directorate charged with use-inspired research with a focus on expanding opportunities, forging new partnerships, and engagement with the public is needed to chart the course forward for this agency. It is time. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Congresswoman Slotkin, for organizing this tribute session to our friend and former colleague, Paul Mitchell. It is very symbolic of what it is like to be a member of the Michigan delegation. There are 14 of us--7 Democrats, 7 Republicans-- representing a State of just a little over 10 million people. And yet, we come together time and time again to champion matters and issues for our State, whether it is the Great Lakes or veterans' issues or our automotive industry. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we are doing here today. We are standing up for our friend who is in a fight--a fight against cancer. And we are doing it on the floor of the House of Representatives, for this man loves the floor of the House of Representatives. So there is no place more symbolic than this to tell Paul, ``You have got this.'' Sherry, you have got this. And to your kids, who I know you love dearly, we are standing by you every step of the way. Paul was certainly a champion not only for the legislative process and the business of doing government right by people, but he was a champion for Michigan. And if you hear his words, if he has talked about his experience, his recent diagnosis, you hear Paul saying: This was a gift from God. This was a gift from God. Even when it got scary, because he is getting a little bit more of life. He is getting more of a chance to continue to push and to stand up for what he knows he has worked his life for, which is the creation of his wonderful family, and being in the State he loves so dearly. Paul, I will just tell you, I have so many fond memories of you. I have fond memories from learning from you on this very floor. I have fond memories of being at Chrysler with you, which was really exciting for a first-term Congresswoman to be alongside you, seeing the new vehicles, and having discussions with the workforce at Chrysler in my district, but I know you have many Chrysler employees in the Michigan 10th District as well. So those are the memories and those are the things that we celebrate with your service and also with your continued dedication. So it is a real privilege and honor to be here with my colleagues, telling you, Paul: You have got this, you are going to keep going, and we are going to keep fighting another day.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the longtime service of Oakland County Treasurer Andrew ``Andy'' Meisner. Andy has served the families of Oakland County at the Federal, State, and local levels. He served three terms as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives--eventually chairing the House Commerce Committee. Andy began serving as the Oakland County Treasurer in 2009, when our country was in the depth of the foreclosure crisis. He worked diligently with stakeholders to help them get back on their feet and stay in their homes, all while maintaining Oakland County's AAA bond rating. Over the past 12 years, Andy has made it his priority to protect the financial well-being of Oakland County and its residents. He has creatively educated students on the importance of financial literacy through his Financial Literacy Art Contest and created the Financial Empowerment Center, a program aimed at advising county residents, especially small business owners, through financial challenges. We in Michigan's 11th Congressional District, and across the county, are so very grateful to him for his dedication to our community. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Oakland County delegation, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Andy Meisner for his service and many contributions as Oakland County Treasurer.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 70th birthday of Mr. Harvey Solway of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, who reached this milestone on March 24th. Harvey has spent his long and loving life dedicated to his beloved family and countless friends. He has maintained a vibrant career as the successful Chief Executive Officer of Pet Supplies Plus, and now investment enterprises. Harvey's family encouraged friends around the country to write to him and share a favorite memory, and I would like to include mine here for this record. It is well known that the first time I met Harvey Solway was when I was in high school, and I entered his house after school with his daughter, Alison, one of my best friends, I mistakenly thought he was asking me how my day went, when in fact, he was speaking to his wife. My precocious seventeen-year-old self responded that I was exasperated to find out that a government education program for young adults had concluded its application period, and that I had missed the deadline. While Alison regales many with this story frequently, what many do not know is that Harvey Solway was one of the first people to encourage and support my run for Congress. Harvey has lent generous wisdom and counsel to many aspiring young professionals. He does so without seeking credit or attention, but because he likes to contribute to the better outcomes of those around him. Today, I am pleased to celebrate my friend, Harvey, on his birthday. I am glad that he got to spend this milestone day with his loving wife, Nancy, by his side. Here's to many more.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, just a few weeks ago, the Census reported that the U.S. population grew at its slowest rate since the Great Depression. Birth rates are falling for the sixth year in a row. A recent Harvard Business Review study declared that the United States has the most family-hostile policies of any industrialized country in the world. This is a wake-up moment for us, and this is why H.R. 1065, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, couldn't be more important, particularly for the unheard, the suffering expectant mother who has to time when she can go to the bathroom. I hear from teachers all across Michigan who explain this to me: the woman who is bleeding and bloating and wondering when she can check in with her doctor, and then being egregiously pushed out of the workplace. We are talking about stools, we are talking about a place for a pregnant woman to sit in the workplace. That is why it is so joyous, Mr. Speaker, that this bill today is bipartisan. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter in support of this legislation on behalf of the 1.4 million AFSCME workers.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, this week honors law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities, and it also recognizes the incredible contributions, hard work, dedication, and loyalty of our law enforcement officers. I rise to recognize the nine law enforcement officers who lost their lives last year while serving Michigan: Stephen Splan, of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; Jonathan Parnell, of Wayne County; Waldis Johnson, of Wayne County; William Darnell, of DeWitt Township; Caleb Starr, of the Michigan State Police; our beloved Benny Napoleon, of Wayne County; Bryant Searcy, of Wayne County; Dean Savard, of Wayne County; and Donafay Collins, of Wayne County. We also remember our beloved Collin Rose, who lost his life in 2016 to gun violence while serving at Wayne State. Our community rose up to support his family. We honor his contributions. My friend, Eddie Osmond, the owner of a Marathon gas station, used pennies on the dollar as people were pumping their gas to raise $10,000 for this man's family. That is part of what we are here to recognize, the contributions of our law enforcement officers.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of my incredible friend, Tom Hess, a beloved resident of Northville, Michigan, who we lost last month after a courageous battle with cancer at the age of 76. Tom was born in Detroit in the summer of 1944 to Raymond and Jessie Hess. After graduating from Michigan State University in 1966, he joined the United States Army, where he attended Infantry Officer Candidate School. He went on to complete all the training necessary to become a Green Beret and proudly served his country as a first lieutenant during the Vietnam war. This was something that Tom was deeply proud of, his service to the country. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army, Tom returned to Detroit, where he graduated from Wayne State University Law School and was admitted to both the Michigan and Florida Bar Associations. He became the managing partner of a law firm in Daytona Beach and had many exciting real estate ventures in Florida before moving back to metro Detroit in 1990 to establish his own firm, where he practiced for another 18 years. Tom married his exceptional wife, Janet, in 1991. Together, they opened their hearts and their home in Northville to members of our community on countless occasions. This was the stuff that the Democrats of Western Wayne County are made of, and it is what raised me as a young candidate for Congress to propel me into office. Their generosity was boundless and their ability to connect people endless. It is something that we will remember for all of time, in their home, in downtown Northville, that looked as if it was built in the 1800s but was actually built by Tom himself. With his generous spirit and political acumen, Tom was a tireless advocate for the causes closest to his heart. He cared very deeply about the work being done in this Chamber, and he was focused on efforts to make our democracy more fair, strong, and inclusive for generations to come. During my final visit to Mr. Hess, when I got the opportunity to say good-bye to him--because in classic Tom Hess fashion, he insisted, as he lay in hospice, on having an open, living wake--he looked me in the eye and said to me that his ultimate wish, his dying wish, was to see H.R. 1, the For the People Act, signed into law. He was passionately committed to ensuring the success of our democracy, and he recognized the historic opportunity we have before us right now to bring our elections into the 21st century and to ensure that everyone has the right to vote. He looked me in the eye and said: I ask you to tell your colleagues on both sides of the aisle, but most penetratingly, the other side of the aisle, to join you in getting H.R. 1 done. Now, we know we have taken the H.R. 1 vote in this Chamber, and it is going to the Senate. So I send the message from Northville, Michigan, as any good representative of their constituents would do: Pass H.R. 1 now. Send this to the President's desk for his signature. Tom showed us a life well-lived. For if cleanliness and perfection of home is godliness, that was Tom and Janet. The Wall Street Journal in August 2020, just last year, reflecting on the hobbies that people were taking up in the pandemic, shared stories about people building model trains in the bottom of their homes, and that was something that Tom already had in his home. He had this model train station that we would, during the pandemic, go down and look at. He disassembled it and gave it to a museum before he passed away. So, he beat the pandemic trend. We know that Tom is survived by his loving wife of 29 years, Janet Hess; his children, his son, Raymond, and his beloved granddaughter, Hazel; his in-laws; many nieces and nephews; and extended family members throughout Michigan and Indiana. The family pays tribute to Angela Hospice, providers who I had the chance to meet when I was visiting with Tom, for their tireless work and dedication to the people in the most sacred time in their life, and, of course, the VA hospital in Ann Arbor, which Tom loved so dearly. I thank my colleagues for joining me and recognizing my beloved constituent, Tom Hess.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 51, in the esteemed tradition, the responsibility that we have as legislators of this body to evaluate adding a 51st State to this Union, to form a more perfect union; yes, in the tradition and in the written words of our Constitution because, as when my native Michigan became the 26th State in 1837 added to this Union, the President recognized that we will admit Michigan on equal footing. But we know that the Founders and the originators of our beautiful Nation did not know a Michigan when they were writing our Constitution. They did not know a Wyoming. So we ask ourselves here, as the ambassadors of democracy, what message we send to the world when we deny over 700,000 people the right to vote; when we tax them without the proper representation. This, my friends, is an exciting and profound and welcomed day in this body that deserves debate, and this legislation deserves to pass.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, on April 15, 2021, I missed Roll Call Vote 112 on the Debarment Enforcement of Bad Actor Registrants Act. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 112.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, as I rise in support of the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, I pose the question: Where were you, Madam Speaker, at 2 a.m. last night when a gunman stormed into a FedEx facility in Indianapolis killing eight colleagues who did not have a workplace safety plan because their phones were in their lockers, unable to text their loved ones that they were alive? This is what we are asking our colleagues on the other side of the Chamber this morning as we debate this very important legislation. Because when you refuse to change the laws to enact gun safety in this country, when you refuse to enact a bill that will allow for workplace safety prevention plans to be put into place, you are simply accepting the status quo of the perpetuation of violence in our workplaces. We are at a moment of crisis in this country when it pertains to gun violence. We have the testimonies of the doctors and the nurses. This has been extremely well-vetted. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from National Nurses United in support of this legislation. National Nurses United, February 23, 2021. Dear Representative: On behalf of the 170,000 registered nurses represented by National Nurses United, we write to urge you to cosponsor the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, introduced by Representative Joe Courtney. Across the country, registered nurses and other health care workers are put at risk every day when providing quality care for patients in need. Over the course of the past year, the dangerous working conditions in our nation's hospitals and health care facilities have been exposed due the Covid-19 pandemic. But these hazardous working conditions pre-date Covid-19. The danger of violence in the workplace has become its own epidemic in our nation's health care and social service workplaces. In 2019, nurses reported more than three times the rate of injuries due to workplace violence than workers overall. Nurses report being punched, kicked, bitten, beaten, and threatened with violence as they provide care to others-- and far too many have experienced stabbings and shootings. Violence on the job has increased for nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a recent survey conducted by National Nurses United, twenty percent of nurses report facing increased workplace violence on the job over the course of the pandemic, which they attribute to decreasing staffing levels, changes in the patient population, and visitor restrictions. There are practical steps that healthcare and social service employers can take to fulfill their obligations to protect their employees from these serious occupational hazards. We know that violence can be prevented through the development and implementation of plans that are tailored to specific patient care units and facilities. These plans must assess and address the range of risks for violence--from the sufficiency of staffing and security systems to environmental and patient-specific risk factors. The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act mandates that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration promulgate a workplace violence prevention standard that would require healthcare and social service employers to develop and enforce plans to protect their employees from violence on the job. To ensure that workplace violence prevention plans are effective, workers (including nurses, other direct care employees, and security personnel) must be involved throughout all stages of plan development, implementation, and review, which go hand- in-hand with the standard's comprehensive training requirements. The enforceable occupational health and safety standard established in this legislation is necessary to create and maintain protections against workplace violence that our members, other workers in healthcare and social settings, and, importantly, our patients deserve. Last Congress, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act was passed in the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. As nurses and other health care and social service workers continue to put their lives at risk to do their jobs, it is imperative that Congress pass this legislation and ensure it is signed into law. Sincerely, Bonnie Castillo, RN, Executive Director, National Nurses United. Zenei Cortez, RN, President, National Nurses United. Deborah Burger, RN, President, National Nurses United. Jean Ross, RN, President, National Nurses United.

Ms. STEVENS. Workplaces need violence protection. Vote to pass H.R. 1195.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in response to the exceptional number of lives that have been stolen from American communities just this month to the continued scourge of gun violence in this country. On March 16th in Georgia, a gunman went on a deadly rampage at three spas in the Atlanta area, murdering eight people. Six of the precious lives lost were women of Asian descent: mothers, sisters, and partners. On March 20th in Pennsylvania, a gunman opened fire at a party in Philadelphia, killing one and wounding five others. And on March 22nd in Colorado, a gunman took ten innocent souls at a grocery store in Boulder--one of which was a police officer who arrived to help. I fear that many have grown numb to the news of violence, death, and dreams unrealized in this country, and to those I plead: see your neighbor as yourself. Protect your fellow Americans. Do not give up on the possibility of a future free from pain and fear of preventable death. On behalf of the victims of gun violence and their families, we cannot be deterred in our mission to institute basic protections to shield the American people from continual loss. I will not surrender to hopelessness, and neither should my colleagues in this legislative body. Americans Are Stubbornly Unmoved by Death (By Robin Givhan) The scene looked heartbreakingly familiar: the rumble of tactical vehicles, the swarm of law enforcement officers, the long ribbons of yellow police tape and the eyewitness descriptions thick with residual terror. Monday evening's deadly shooting in Boulder, Colo., which resulted in the deaths of 10 people, including a police officer, was the second mass shooting in a week. A dreadful normalcy has returned. Muscle memory demands that we lament it--even as all evidence suggests that many of us are unmoved by death. It doesn't cause behavior to change. It doesn't shake people from their moorings at the center of their own universe. Death is not a deterrent. In the days after a mass shooting, the nation mourns and those who died are named. The hearts of our elected officials have been broken so many times that surely they must be in shards by now. The flags are lowered to half-staff. And the president speaks. Joe Biden, a man who is expert at consoling, did the best that he could to say something true that did not sound like a cliche. ``I even hate to say it because we're saying it so often: My heart goes out. Our hearts go out for the survivors, the-- who had to--had to flee for their lives and who hid, terrified, unsure if they would ever see their families again, their friends again,'' Biden said Tuesday afternoon from the State Dining Room. ``The consequences of all this are deeper than I suspect we know. By that, I mean the mental consequences--a feeling of--anyway, it just--we've been through too many of these.'' The images from these shootings can be gut-wrenching. In video and still images, people see shellshocked survivors pouring out of the school, the night club and, this time, the grocery store. There's blood in these images, sometimes even the blurred image of one of the deceased. There's nothing sanitized about them. The shooting may happen behind closed doors, but the death is in the open. The terror rises off the survivors like a stench; the sound of fear reverberates. And still the deaths don't spur action to make the guns harder to get, to make the guns less efficient. The president, some politicians and many activists cry out for ``common sense'' gun laws to stop the senseless death even as it seems that they are pleading with a country that's engaged in a completely different kind of calculation. Increasingly it seems that we simply do not care about the other person, that other family, someone else's child. The self is everything. It's freedom and liberty, whims and desires. Community doesn't extend beyond one's front door. Everything else is someone else's concern. Studies have shown that the human brain can lose the capacity to process death, to absorb the meaning of it, when the numbers of the dead begin to reach staggering levels. We have been told that the heart can go numb in response to such enormity, This is one of the explanations for why people have continued to engage in risky behavior during the coronavirus pandemic even as it has become ever clearer how best to protect our fellow Americans. The end is on the horizon, and if people simply wear a mask, social distance and persevere with patience, we might get there--not all of us, sadly, but most of us. Yet unmasked revelers crowded onto the streets of Miami Beach. The very real possibility of death has not been a deterrent. The community didn't matter as these partyers and tourists ostensibly shot a different kind of deadly slug into the Florida air. More than 544,000 deaths in the United States due to the coronavirus have not sent everyone scurrying to protect their neighbor. To follow common sense recommendations. To center the community instead of the individual. If that number is too big for people to grapple with, what is the right number? What number is small enough that each death touches the heart and therefore motivates people to act, to be better? Is it 58--the number of people a man killed at a Las Vegas country music festival in 2017? Is it 49--the number killed in a shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub in 2016? Or perhaps the motivating number is nine, which accounts for those who were fatally shot in Charleston during a prayer meeting. Is it eight--the number who were killed in Georgia just last week? It surely can't be one because there are singular deadly shootings in communities all too often and still nothing happens. Nothing. We have not gone numb to death. To ``go numb'' suggests that once there was feeling, once there was sensitivity. When was that? Perhaps it was back in 1968 when, after the deaths of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, Congress passed gun laws that formed the basis of federal regulation that has been regularly eroded and only occasionally strengthened. We haven't cared for a long time. Not when the dying were schoolchildren, people in the midst of prayer or contented folks just living quiet lives. Harris's self-evident truth Crowds gather in the street while a speaker blasts music an hour past curfew in Miami Beach on Sunday. (Daniel A. Varela/ Miami Herald/AP) Today, some in this country argue against gun laws with a ferocity that moves beyond a right to hunt rabbits, or defend oneself against an assailant or one's property in the face of an intruder. We refuse to relinquish the delusion that 21st- century America is a frontier town in which gunplay is a form of justice. Many insist that the very real possibility of mass deaths does not outweigh a personal inconvenience or the setting aside of a myth. Give up large-capacity magazines. Wear a mask. These deaths matter. We are not numb to death. We stubbornly, selfishly dismiss it. We shake it off. But there is always an assault that has the capacity to bring an individual low. Some bracing gut punch that stings and startles. The pain might finally register in a way that is deep and lasting. And that person begins to feel something. But that may require death coming directly to their own doorstep, since that's the only one that, for many of us, seems to matter. Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the year of the shooting at a Las Vegas country music festival. It was in 2017, not 2018.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 70th birthday of Mr. Harvey Solway of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, who reached this milestone on March 24th. Harvey has spent his long and loving life dedicated to his beloved family and countless friends. He has maintained a vibrant career as the successful Chief Executive Officer of Pet Supplies Plus, and now investment enterprises. Harvey's family encouraged friends around the country to write to him and share a favorite memory, and I would like to include mine here for this record. It is well known that the first time I met Harvey Solway was when I was in high school, and I entered his house after school with his daughter, Allison, one of my best friends. I mistakenly thought he was asking me how my day went, when in fact, he was speaking to his wife. My precocious seventeen-year-old self responded that I was exasperated to find out that a government education program for young adults had concluded its application period, and that I had missed the deadline. While Allison regales many with this story frequently, what many do not know is that Harvey Solway was one of the first people to encourage my run for Congress. Harvey has lent generous wisdom and counsel to many aspiring young professionals. He does so without seeking credit or attention, but because he likes to contribute to the better outcomes of those around him. Today, I am pleased to celebrate my friend, Harvey, on his birthday. I am glad that he got to spend this milestone day with his loving wife, Nancy, by his side. Here's to many more.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bipartisan bill to protect Americans from violence and abuse and to ensure that survivors of domestic abuse have access to the services they need. I rise in support of a single mom hiding in a shelter with her two children. I rise in support of a mother looking to flee an abusive marriage with her children covered in disinfectant chemicals. These are the conversations I have had with women in my district, in Michigan 11. The Violence Against Women Act reauthorizes funding for a variety of critical grant programs, including for victim services, prevention, training, education, enforcement, economic stability, and on. Two years ago, Mr. Speaker, I walked with my colleagues over to the Senate majority leader's office to demand a vote on this reauthorization, and he refused to see us. He refused to even allow a vote. Today, Mr. Speaker, as I rise, I look forward to working with a new Senate majority leader and a new President who will commit to protecting all Americans from violence in the household.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the contributions of Steve Livengood to the U.S. Capitol Historical Society and his decades of service educating the public about the history of this institution. Congress chartered the United States Capitol Historical Society (USCHS) to ``foster and increase an informed patriotism'' in our nation's citizenry. Steve Livengood is a leader in executing that important mission. Those across the Congressional community and around the country have benefited from Steve's expertise. For a quarter- century, Steve provided continuing education and talks about the Capitol and Congress, giving briefings before every Presidential Inauguration, as well as offering background information and perspective to tourism professionals and the press. Additionally, Steve is considered the go-to expert on Capitol Ghosts and is one of the few people to publicly admit that he has seen the ghost of John Quincy Adams in Statuary Hall. Since 1996, Steve has served as a full-time Capitol tour guide, volunteer coordinator, and director of other public programs for USCHS. He led tours for notable entertainers such as Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, and Martha Stewart; foreign dignitaries like the Attorney General of Italy, the President of Hungary, and at least one current crowned head of a prominent European country. Steve also guided tours for titans of industry such as the President of The Ford Motor Company, Indra Nooyi, President of PepsiCo, and several hedge-fund managers through the halls of the Capitol. When the Capitol was closed to public tours after the 9/11 attack, Steve organized the first regular public tours around the Capitol grounds to allow visitors an opportunity for a guided interpretive tour despite the building's closure. Steve's contributions to USCHS extend far beyond leading tours. He served as the co-organizer of the We the People Constitution Tour program for DC Public School students, which helps Washington middle schoolers experience the Constitution as embodied in the buildings and work of their city. Furthermore, Steve wrote the We the People Constitution Tour Program's Capitol script and personally led tours for upwards of ten thousand students over roughly fifteen years. When COVID-19 closed the Capitol to visitors, Steve helped to develop the Society's virtual learning series exploring the history of the Capitol and the Capitol Hill neighborhood--a series now attended by Congressional staff and alumni, as well as history buffs from around the country. Steve became a member of USCHS in 1973 and participated in many of their programs over the following two decades. His involvement increased dramatically in 1993 when he began serving as a USCHS volunteer tour guide. Fondly remembering the tours he'd given as a college student, Steve quickly became one of the most active tour volunteers for the Society. As the Society grew, Steve jumped at the opportunity to take a tour program position. Steve became the Society's first employee dedicated solely to organizing the tour program, later taking on such additional responsibilities as sales of USCHS calendars to Members' offices in the House and Senate. Steve Livengood's passion for the Capitol began when he was just twelve and his parents tasked him with planning an educational vacation. Over the next two years, he arranged for his family to visit Washington, D.C. During the trip Steve became so enamored with the city that he chose D.C. as his college home, attending American University to study Political Science and Government. While enrolled at American University, Steve leveraged a Kansas connection into volunteering with his Congressman Joe Skubitz. He spent Saturday mornings working on the second floor of the Cannon House Office Building doing such things as rubberstamping ``From the Office of Congressman Joe Skubitz, Kansas 5th District'' on copies of the official Capitol guidebooks to be distributed to constituents and other visitors. During spring break, the staff offered Steve a paid opportunity. From 1965 until his graduation in 1968, Steve worked part-time in Mr. Skubitz's office and full time during the summer of 1967. His favorite task was giving tours of the Capitol building for constituents and visitors. After a short, involuntary tour in Southeast Asia, Steve ventured to Emory University where he received a Master's in recent social history. Along with his studies, he served as Speaker in the Emory University Student Legislature and student body Vice President. Steve returned to Washington in 1973 for his dissertation research, titled ``Scandals in the 1938 Senate Elections and the Passage of the Hatch Act.'' Steve worked for various groups organizing many programs and meetings on Capitol Hill for political and policy organizations before he came to work for the Society. Steve Livengood dedicated his career to the belief that the United States Capitol is the Temple of Democracy for the world, and that Congress is the most important example of how to implement a representative democracy. Steve Livengood proudly claims that the United States government serves as the best example of government for all of humankind. We salute his 25 years of service to the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, and look forward to many more years of tours and public history lessons.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an exceptional constituent and community leader in Michigan's 11th District, Mr. Blair Bowman. Mr. Bowman is a lifelong Michigander who graduated from Farmington High School in Farmington, Michigan, obtained his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and law degree from University of Detroit School of Law. In 2005, after following in his father's footsteps by entering the real estate brokerage and development field, he built a facility in Novi, Michigan, which operates today as the Suburban Collection Showplace. This is one of a few examples in the country of a truly privately owned and operated convention and exposition center, with nearly two million people passing through annually. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Mr. Bowman wasted no time in offering his center to be transformed into an alternative care facility for COVID-19 patients. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District led the 250,000 square foot conversion of the Suburban Collection Showplace convention center into a medical facility in 15 days, where they created a 250-bed space for patients from area hospitals. Now, the previous regional field hospital is hosting one of Oakland County's COVID-19 vaccination clinics, helping to defeat this virus once and for all. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the outstanding contributions Mr. Bowman has made to his community, and to our country at large.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a piece of legislation of which I am a proud co-sponsor. Importantly, this bill protects workers' rights to unionize, holds employers accountable for violating workers' rights, and ensures unions can have free, fair, and safe elections. By empowering workers to exercise their rights to organize, workers will be given the power to override ``right-to-work'' laws that prevent unions from collecting dues from the workers they represent. It is significant to me that this body is coming together to pass this legislation on the same day as Mr. Joseph ``Joe'' Girolamo's 100th birthday. Mr. Girolamo of Livonia, Michigan is a veteran of World War II and the son of Italians, family he had a chance to visit while serving overseas. In a recent interview with Hometown Life, Mr. Girolamo shared that after returning home he moved to Livonia with his late wife Lillian. They met playing music and settled down in 1953. Mr. Girolamo worked at the River Rouge complex in Dearborn. He witnessed workers being treated unfairly and became a union man, and spent years advocating for workers' rights. His daughter Joyce Hermann shared with Hometown Life, ``So, there were actually thugs and goons running the place. It was a difficult situation until the union came in. He made sure everything was done by the book and his workers weren't doing anything unsafe. It was a really big change back then.'' Earlier today as I wished Mr. Girolamo by phone a Happy Birthday and thanked him for his work with the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, I got to listen to him play his harmonica and proudly informed him that today we were passing the PRO Act. He informed me he was smiling over the phone and glad to hear it. When I think about the legacy and shoulders of giants we stand on in the Congress, it's incredible patriots like Joe, who represent the best of America and Michigan. I am proud and grateful we were able to take another productive step in the direction of the working men and woman in this country and all they are counting on to earn a decent living and save for retirement.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a Michigander as my home State is recognizing 1 year from the arrival of our first cases of COVID-19. I rise today to say that more help is on the way, that today we are delivering for the American people and delivering for my home State of Michigan. I rise today to say that we passed the PRO Act to stand up for hardworking Michiganders, that we will get rid of right-to-work, that people are at the heart of what we do here in this Chamber, and that by prioritizing the legislation that stands up for hardworking Americans, we are delivering for them. Tomorrow, we will pass the Butch Lewis Act. We will right the pensions of almost a million Americans. That is what we came here to do. That is what unity is.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I thank you so much for your dedication to this body and your oversight this evening. I thank all of the very hardworking professionals who help to run the floor of the House. I am so pleased to be back on the floor of the House of Representatives this day, February 4. Some on the outside project fair criticism, question, demand, want of us. Some may look at us even with a frustrated or loathing eye. We all know how often we hear the statistic about how popular Congress is. What pours in here through money, outside influence, the money that circles around this building. And when we walk onto this floor of the House of Representatives, though, we are all but just Members. We are representatives of our constituents, carrying a voting card, carrying a voice, representing the values, the determinations, the wishes and the wants of our district, and forced to come together to make a determination. We ask ourselves: What do we demand of this institution? I had the privilege of being here this evening as we have seen a long debate, a long time of Special Orders ensue, those who reflected on the events of January 6, the horrible insurrection that took place, the desecration of this institution, this pride and joy of the United States of America, both the House and the Senate momentarily taken over. And I join my colleagues in those reflections. We saw the other side of the aisle reflect on energy needs, energy resource needs. We also saw some contributions made to constituents back at home. Tonight, as you look out to the Capitol--and we know this--it is not a full Chamber right now. These are obviously also different times, Madam Speaker. We don't have many outside guests walking through the Congress due to the pandemic. But everyone is allowed to look at the Capitol and see the lantern, see the tholus that supports the Statue of Freedom, that supports Lady Freedom. That lantern is lit right now. And what is that lantern saying? That democracy rings out, that freedom rings out, that our future is still within our grasp. I am proud and grateful to be here tonight, Madam Speaker. I know that the time is not always a given. We certainly recognize that in the midst of this pandemic. We reflect just a month in to this 117th session of Congress. I am very excited about this 117th session of Congress because it is new. It is a new session. And what do we get with new? A month ago, January 4, the day after the swearing-in of the new Congress, we passed our rules package, we had procedural votes. I am very proud to say I introduced my first bill of the Congress, the Resilient Manufacturing Task Force Act, a bipartisan bill, focused on our domestic supply chain needs to ensure that we can withstand future disruptions, that we can continue to test our system, that we can bring together the best and brightest of America to get in front of challenges and create jobs and continue to create jobs. I come from Michigan, and I am really proud of coming from Michigan and I am proud of what Michigan's story is, particularly coming out of the year 2020, and what that means with regard to the first bill I introduced in the 117th Congress, our manufacturing economy, our innovation capabilities. We have continued to monitor this economy. We are seeing some ricochets, some growth in areas we weren't expecting, some job loss. Michigan's at about a 7.5 percent unemployment. We are going to build it back better. We are going to get people back to work with good wages and good benefits and a dignity for what they do. You see that in manufacturing, when people work with their hands, when they produce, when they are part of an outcome and a productivity. And it is really very exciting to see that Michigan will continue to be a leader. It must be recognized, our leadership, because when those supply chain disruptions hit almost a year ago, when we saw the PPE shortages in our hospitals, in our healthcare system for the individual American who was going to the grocery store looking for some hand sanitizer or a roll of paper towels, it was the Michigan manufacturers who stood up immediately to rework their supply chains, to rework their production channels, to source that PPE, from the big three--from Ford, Chrysler, GM--on down the supply chain. And it was absolutely amazing, and it was union workers to boot. And then the great innovation of America, the story that will also be heralded and seen coming out of this pandemic was the creation of a proven and tested vaccine that we invested in immediately. My colleagues and I will reflect on that, that the first thing we did as a body together, all of Congress, everyone who gets to stand in this body voted to fund the research for the vaccine, the very beginning of March. And we got that vaccine, and it got produced in a place called Portage, Michigan. As the year began to reach its conclusion, the trucks filled with that vaccine, and it started to get in the arms of the people who were counting on it. Absolutely miraculous. So unique to the place that I am privileged to call home. As we reflected in 2019, on the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, the question I would ask my colleagues is: What is our moonshot of the next 50 years? We certainly met one in the year 2020, yet we haven't stopped continuing to innovate. We haven't stopped continuing to keep our eyes on a future that we are inheriting and that our next generation is inheriting. I am optimistic about this next generation. I am optimistic about what they represent and about my opportunity to engage and to listen to the students of America and to advocate for them from the Halls of Congress. It is why I proudly sit on the Education and Labor Committee. President John Kennedy said: ``To govern is to choose.'' To govern is to choose. And we make those choices. See, I don't get to issue proclamations instead of voting. I take a vote. I come down, ``yes'' or ``no.'' Which way do we decide to come down as a nation? Are we going to agree as a people with one another every step of the way? Absolutely not. No union is perfect in that regard. But what makes and builds toward a more perfect Union, as our Founders compelled, and as we compel each other, is the constant dedication to doing the work, to standing up for people, to calling out truth and what is right. I certainly am not shy of doing that, Madam Speaker, and I know that that was important for us at the beginning of the pandemic to listen to the science, to recognize the threat and to take its seriously, and to also be resilient. And I see that resilience all around my district, Madam Speaker. And I continue to be compelled to the constituents of the 11th District, to the falling COVID rates in Michigan. We continue to pay tribute and to recognize those who are suffering, those who are struggling from COVID-19, families who are separated from one another as an individual is getting their treatment. We hold them in our hearts. We think about them and we remain dedicated to the prevention and the cure and the effort to end this pandemic. I am so excited to welcome President Joe Biden to the White House. We were here for his inauguration. We were here to hear his remarks. His invitation for unity and unity by way of delivering; unity by way of delivering for the American people; the Buy American provisions that will continue to invest in American manufacturers and using our Federal dollars to identify new supply chain opportunities for us. I see this all over my district, from Northville up to Troy and Auburn Hills, what people are working on and how we can help them to continue to do that. Madam Speaker, I thank you for the time tonight and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the newly inaugurated Biden Administration. I have every confidence that my friend, and a good man, President Joseph R. Biden, will serve as the head of state that this weighty moment deserves. With Vice President Kamala Harris by his side, America will heal, America will innovate, and America will lead. My partnership with President Biden began on the campaign trail in 2008, and it continued to the U.S. Auto Rescue Task Force, where he showed every day his care for the needs of hardworking Michigan families and our manufacturing economy. I am ready to work alongside the Biden Administration and my colleagues in Congress to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, get our economy back on track, and help Michiganders get back on their feet. I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in congratulating the new Administration and welcoming the first family to the White House. Now, we begin a new chapter in American history--one of innovative, collaborative, and forward-thinking leadership to strengthen our nation for generations to come. We will build a future for our children that is guided by truth and science, energized by the will of the people, and fortified by love for our resilient republic. May we be successful in this endeavor, and may we never lose faith in America's promise.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to condemn the use of capital punishment in the United States and to call for its abolition. Capital punishment is an unjust and inhumane practice. It is past time we join developed democracies throughout the world and abolish this barbaric practice. The death penalty in the United States is deeply unfair and inequitable. It is a sentence disproportionately given to people of color, individuals with mental illness and the economically disadvantaged. Black people make up less than 13 percent of the nation's population while accounting for more than 42 percent of those on death row. And despite the Supreme Court ruling that intellectual disability lessens moral culpability, an estimated five to ten percent of all death row inmates suffer from a severe mental illness. The death penalty is also overwhelmingly imposed on poor people, with 95 percent of death row defendants from underprivileged backgrounds. The methods of execution used in the United States are unquestionably inhumane. States still allow people to be put to death by hanging, firing squad, electrocution and gas chamber. Although the recent adoption of lethal injection is purportedly more humane, recent botched executions have resulted in agonizing and prolonged deaths for individuals--undeniably a cruel and unusual punishment. As long as the death penalty exists, innocent individuals will be convicted and sentenced to death. Since 1973, 172 former death-row prisoners have been exonerated of all charges related to the wrongful convictions that had put them on death row. We cannot continue to employ a system of punishment that has such a high risk of taking innocent life. The United States stands out among our allies and other democracies in its use of the death penalty. Many of our allies consider it a gross violation of human rights. Defending human rights abuses abroad has been a key pillar of U.S. foreign policy, but the continued use of the death penalty at home undermines our global standing and enables other countries to criticize other diplomatic efforts. Under the Trump Administration's Department of Justice, executions of federal death-row prisoners have recently resumed for the first time since 2003. In the midst of our current public health crisis, the Department of Justice has executed more people in six months than the total number executed over the previous six decades. Most Americans know that the death penalty does not represent justice in our country. It is cruel, inhumane, arbitrary and clearly discriminatory. It is time for us to finally abolish the death penalty.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of Warner Timmons, another beloved husband, father and grandfather lost suddenly and senselessly to COVID-19 on December 15. I would like to use my personal privilege to share the words of his son, Jay Timmons, on the event of his father's passing: I am proud and blessed to be Warner Timmons' son. I share his name, as does my own son. I inherited his sarcastic chuckle and his devious laugh, as well as his love of practical jokes--and there has never been someone as good at them as him. His timing was perfect right until the end. He always looked out for those less fortunate and was always rooting for the underdog--traits that he impressed on me to carry with me throughout my career. He passed on his love of animals, especially rescued dogs and cats, of which there were many in our family. Dad taught me how to tie a tie perfectly as I entered the working world--a full Windsor knot with a dimple in the center, even though I was applying to work at a fast-food restaurant. He taught me to be respectful to every other human being I encountered and to always have confidence in myself. Even though he was raised in difficult economic conditions during the Great Depression, he coached me on the importance of table manners, of extending courtesy toward others and of maintaining a firm handshake. He taught me to work hard and to take pride in that work. His own work ethic was strengthened during his time in the U.S. Air Force, where he was an airman first class--and was also first chair trumpet in the Air Force Band on his last tour of duty in the former French Morocco in the 1950s. He enjoyed passing along his love of music to his grandkids. Maybe the most important thing I learned from my Dad is to never back down from a fight. So, Dad, I promise you one more time that I won't stop now. I'll keep fighting, in every way I can, to help others and to get our country that you loved so much to the other side of this nightmare that was so preventable. And I will hope and pray that doing so will protect other families from enduring the searing pain that we feel right now.