[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 186 (Friday, December 11, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2967-E2968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        SPECIAL AGENT SAMUEL HICKS FAMILIES OF FALLEN HEROES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ANDER CRENSHAW

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 8, 2009

  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2711, the 
FBI Families of Fallen Heroes Act. This legislation would ensure the 
families of our FBI Fallen Heroes are properly cared for and that the 
final remains of the fallen heroes are treated with the honor and 
respect they are due. The government would fully fund the 
transportation and relocation expenses of the immediate family members 
of FBI employees who have given their lives in the line of duty. This 
will allow the family members to relocate from their

[[Page E2968]]

spouse's last FBI assignment location to their hometown. In addition, 
the expenses of preparing and transporting the remains of the deceased 
to their final places of interment will be provided by the federal 
government.
  For over a century the FBI's primary goal has been to protect and 
defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence 
threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States, 
and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, 
state, municipal, and international agencies and partners.
  To accomplish these goals, the FBI has 56 field offices, 400 
satellite offices, 62 international offices, and 14 legal attache 
offices. With investigative programs including counterterrorism, 
cybercrime, civil rights, and organized crime, the FBI must continually 
update their techniques, strategies, and programs. FBI Special Agents 
and Professional Staff are rotated through these many offices to 
continue their training and to fill the FBI's staffing needs and 
investigative priorities.
  Proof of their success is clearly shown in the 2006 indictment, 
arrest, and conviction of Fadl Mohamad Maatouk, a resident of Orange 
Park, Florida who was convicted of conspiracy to provide material 
support to Hezbollah. The FBI has also been instrumental in the 
investigations of the Oklahoma City bombing, multiple World Trade 
Center attacks, the assault on the USS Cole, and the attacks of 9/11.
  These successes come at a price beyond the dangers in the field. FBI 
families, like military families, are under a great deal of stress. 
When a person chooses to serve in the FBI, every family member is 
affected. Every person experiences not just the benefits but also the 
downsides--the relocations, the long periods of separation, the not 
knowing if your spouse, dad or mom is in danger. Spouses and children 
must make new friends, enter new schools, find new employment, and try 
to adjust to new environs almost every three years. They do this while 
always knowing that their loved one, who has chosen to help defend the 
country, could be in the line of fire--maybe not today, but maybe 
tomorrow. It is a burden the family shoulders. I believe this 
legislation will in some small way lighten that load.
  FBI agents and other employees make a choice to engage in a career 
that is vital to our national security. They understand that there are 
dangers, but still they make the choice to do their part to defend our 
country. My colleagues and I in the House unanimously agreed to this 
legislation because I believe we must honor those who have served and 
paid the ultimate price.

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