[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 41 (Tuesday, April 4, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H1424]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        COMMENDING AND HONORING THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL POLICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and commend the men 
and women of the Capitol Hill Police Force. I think it is important at 
this time that Members of Congress step forward to say thank you: thank 
you for your service, thank you for your sacrifice, thank you for 
putting so much emphasis on training, and thank you for putting the 
emphasis on keeping this Capitol building and all the Members and staff 
and visitors who come here on a frequent basis to be safe, to be 
secure.
  I think it is important, with so much attention right now on the 
Capitol Police Force, that all Members of Congress, Republican and 
Democrat, unite to say that we support you; we think you are doing an 
honorable and good job.
  Mr. Speaker, the statistics show that there are over 1,500 Capitol 
Police officers, men and women of diverse backgrounds from all over the 
country, and some from around the world. They come here to save lives, 
to protect lives.
  There are over 3 million visitors that come to this historic place 
that we call our Nation's Capital, both Washington, D.C. and this 
Capitol building and this complex where we work, where some of us live.
  But I want to tell you, Mr. Speaker, that with so much attention on 
the Capitol Police, it is necessary that we look at what they do on a 
daily basis.
  It is not always easy, Mr. Speaker, to deal with the public, to see 
them on a daily basis; for visitors to come in, tourists, staff, 
Members of Congress; to see them on a daily basis. People aren't always 
courteous.
  But what I found out about the Capitol Police officers, these men and 
women, is that they always will greet you with a smiling face, even 
when they are having a bad day; that their training is shown through by 
the way that they have acted over the years that they have been in 
service here on Capitol Hill.
  As Members of Congress, we must say thank you: thank you for your 
sacrifice, thank you for your commitment, thank you for your dedication 
to our country, because after all, they are here to protect and save 
lives; and as Members of Congress, we should respect them for their 
dedication and their training; and we must honor them each and every 
day that we are here, because they are our colleagues as well here in 
the Capitol complex.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise, as I said, to commend and honor the Capitol 
Police. It is the right thing to do. I think my colleagues should join 
with me in supporting the resolution that Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart 
and I filed just this evening to honor them for their work and their 
service.
  So I urge my colleagues to join with me on this resolution; and I 
urge you, Mr. Speaker, to schedule a vote for us, so that we can honor 
these men and women who work with us each and every day.
  Thank you to the Capitol Police officers.

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