Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 112 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 112 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 157 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2011 No. 49 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was arose in Joshua’s head: What else can I diers than killed by enemy fire. This is called to order by the Speaker pro tem- do to help? In the weeks following, a national disgrace, and the longer it pore (Mrs. ELLMERS). Joshua would create the basis to what goes unaddressed, Congress becomes an f has now become a great charity in our accomplice in these crimes. community. You know, we in Congress do some- DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO Today, Joshua’s Heart Foundation thing really well—we hold hearings, TEMPORE has grown from feeding a handful of and then we do nothing. Congress has The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- families to over 1,000 throughout south held 18 hearings in the last 16 years on fore the House the following commu- Florida in just a few years. Later this this issue, and nothing has changed. nication from the Speaker: month, Madam Speaker, on April 30, The Department of Defense estimates WASHINGTON, DC, from 12 to 4 p.m. at Palm Island Park that over 19,000 servicemembers were April 6, 2011. in Miami Beach, in my congressional raped or sexually assaulted in 2010; but I hereby appoint the Honorable RENEE district, Joshua’s Heart Foundation due to fear of retribution and a failure ELLMERS to act as Speaker pro tempore on will be holding a celebration of its 5- to prosecute these crimes, only 13.5 this day. year anniversary, and, yes, they will be percent are reported. These are Depart- JOHN A. BOEHNER, feeding the hungry. ment of Defense figures: 19,000 soldiers Speaker of the House of Representatives. I encourage all in south Florida to raped in the military every year. f join Joshua at this amazing event and So beginning today, I am going to MORNING-HOUR DEBATE again congratulate him on his many tell these women’s stories on the House years of service to our community, floor, and I’m going to keep telling The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- even at such a young age. them and keep telling them until ant to the order of the House of Janu- f something is done about it. ary 5, 2011, the Chair will now recog- Earlier this year, 17 servicemembers, nize Members from lists submitted by RAPE IN THE MILITARY 15 of them women, filed a lawsuit the majority and minority leaders for The SPEAKER pro tempore. The against the Federal Government accus- morning-hour debate. Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from ing the Pentagon of ignoring their own The Chair will alternate recognition California (Ms. SPEIER) for 5 minutes. cases of sexual assault. Today, I want between the parties, with each party Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to tell you about one of those, Tech- limited to 1 hour and each Member today to speak about an abomination, nical Sergeant Mary Gallagher. She de- other than the majority and minority and I vow to speak about it every week ployed to Iraq in 2009 as a member of leaders and the minority whip limited until this Congress and this adminis- the Air National Guard. Her allega- to 5 minutes each, but in no event shall tration does something more than offer tions are as follows. Now I’m warning debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. lip service. you, some of the language is graphic. f Read my lips: The military must end On November 5, 2009, while she was rape in this country, and those who deployed in Iraq, a coworker offered RECOGNIZING FIFTH ANNIVER- commit such crimes must be brought her a ride home to her living quarters. SARY OF JOSHUA’S HEART to justice. The fact that women in the When she accepted, instead of driving FOUNDATION military are being raped and our gov- her home, he drove her to a remote The SPEAKER pro tempore. The ernment is turning a blind eye is dis- area and tried to kiss her. Technical Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from turbing enough. Even worse, it is not Sergeant Gallagher threatened to re- Florida (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) for 5 min- our enemies abroad who are commit- port him. He became angry and ver- utes. ting these horrific crimes. It’s Amer- bally assaulted her. She reported the Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speak- ican soldiers abusing many of our own, incident to command, but they claimed er, I rise today to recognize an extraor- often with nothing more than a slap on that they could do nothing about it. dinary young man from my congres- the wrist and sometimes with an unbe- On November 7, the coworker began sional district, Mr. Joshua Williams, lievable promotion. to stalk Technical Sergeant Gallagher. on the fifth anniversary of his out- We have a military culture that con- He tried to break into her room, claim- standing organization called Joshua’s dones, and in some cases rewards, this ing she didn’t know what she was miss- Heart Foundation. type of abusive and violent behavior ing. He telephoned her repeatedly. She At the age of 5, while watching ‘‘Feed against female soldiers, who are now again reported her coworker’s threat- the Children’’ one evening, a question more likely to be raped by fellow sol- ening behavior to command but was b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H2329 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:25 May 09, 2012 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD11\RECFILES\H06AP1.REC H06AP1 bjneal on DSK2TWX8P1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE H2330 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE April 6, 2011 advised that they could do nothing be- b 1010 abiding gun owners will not unknow- cause it was a ‘‘he said, she said’’ situa- SUPPORT THE BATFE REFORM ingly end up in a Federal gun registra- tion. ACT tion database. Congress has included Five days later, on November 12, the this language in its annual appropria- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The coworker sexually assaulted her in the tions bills banning the creation of an Chair recognizes the gentleman from restroom. He pushed her up against the index for more than a decade. This Pennsylvania (Mr. ALTMIRE) for 5 min- left side of the wall, took his right time we want to give it the weight of utes. hand and pulled her pants and under- law so we can give gun owners cer- Mr. ALTMIRE. Madam Speaker, I wear down and then used his hand to tainty and make this policy part of the rise today to ask my colleagues to sup- rub her vagina. He simultaneously existing law. port a legislative effort to modernize ground his penis against her and talked The NRA has endorsed this legisla- the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire- about how much he was enjoying the tion, and I would ask my fellow Rep- arms, and Explosives. I have joined assault. resentatives to show their support for with Congressman STEVE KING to in- the Second Amendment and small busi- Technical Sergeant Gallagher de- troduce the BATFE Reform Act, which nesses nationwide by cosponsoring the scribed the incident this way to NBC: will safeguard American citizens’ Sec- BATFE Reform Act. ‘‘I thought he was going to kill me that ond Amendment rights by bringing f night. I felt completely isolated and commonsense reform to the BATFE so alone and really scared. Here I was in that it can do a better job of punishing REMEMBERING APRIL 10 IN the middle of a foreign country in the lawbreakers and keeping guns out of POLISH HISTORY middle of a war.’’ the hands of criminals, without placing The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Sergeant Gallagher did not report undue restrictions on local businesses Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the violent assault immediately be- in this difficult economy. Ohio (Ms. KAPTUR) for 5 minutes. cause command had advised her that Our proposed legislation would make Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise nothing could be done after she had re- sure that federally licensed firearms to honor the memory today of the vic- ported the coworker’s threatening be- dealers are not subject to poorly for- tims of the April 10, 2010, plane crash in havior before. Two weeks later, when mulated and unnecessary regulations Smolensk, Russia, that 1 year ago she was asked for more details of the by updating the rules and potential killed much of the Nation of Poland’s events on November 5 and 7, at that penalties governing individuals and national leadership. Last year, the point she reported the violent assault. businesses that hold a Federal firearms House and Senate overwhelmingly Command’s only response was to reas- license so they are clear and fair. passed resolutions to express America’s sign the assailant and order him to re- Our goal is to create a fair system unwavering support for the people and frain from any contact with her. She under which firearms dealers with Government of Poland, and to offer our was then lectured by the base chaplain, minor paperwork errors are no longer heartfelt sympathies for the families who claimed that 96 percent of sexual threatened with the loss of their liveli- and loved ones of those who perished.