[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 111 (Friday, August 7, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       PRAYER FOR ROBERT JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES H. MALONEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 6, 1998

  Mr. MALONEY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I want to bring to the 
attention of my colleagues in the House of Representatives a most 
unfortunate accident that occurred two weeks ago and severely injured a 
young man in my Connecticut congressional district. Robert Johnson, a 
bright, energetic and very talented young man from Oxford, Connecticut 
was thrown from a pick-up truck as it struck an abandoned car that was 
left on the road in the darkness of night. Head injuries led to a coma 
that continues today.
  We are all too familiar with accidents such as this that inflict 
injury upon the innocent, and the tremendous upheaval that results in 
the lives of not only those injured, but of course the families and 
friends of those injured, as well. We pray for the speedy recovery of 
Robert Johnson and that the strain of this accident be lifted from his 
family and friends.
  As terrible as this situation is, it has also come to underscore the 
importance of the Family and Medical Leave Act, passed by the 103rd 
Congress and signed into law by President Clinton. Because of this law, 
Robert Johnson's immediate family are free to take unpaid leave from 
their jobs in order to comfort their son without the threat of losing 
their employment. We pass laws here with the hope they will work as we 
intend. The Johnson tragedy has brought home just how important the 
Family and Medical Leave Act is for American families.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that every concerned individual keep Robert 
Johnson in their prayers.

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