[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H7336-H7337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           LIEUTENANT KENNETH M. BALLARD MEMORIAL POST OFFICE

  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6260) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 211 Hope Street in Mountain View, California, as the 
``Lieutenant Kenneth M. Ballard Memorial Post Office''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6260

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. LIEUTENANT KENNETH M. BALLARD MEMORIAL POST 
                   OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 211 Hope Street in Mountain View, 
     California, shall be known and designated as the ``Lieutenant 
     Kenneth M. Ballard Memorial Post Office''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Lieutenant Kenneth M. Ballard Memorial 
     Post Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Farenthold) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6260, introduced by the gentlelady from California 
(Ms. Eshoo) would designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 211 Hope Street in Mountain View, California, as the 
``Lieutenant Kenneth M. Ballard Memorial Post Office.'' This bill was 
introduced August 1 and reported favorably from the Committee on 
Oversight and Government Reform.
  Lieutenant Ballard committed his entire adult life to serving his 
country. Upon graduating from Mountain View High School in 1995, Mr. 
Ballard enlisted in the Army. During his military career, he served in 
Germany, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Iraq. Sadly, Lieutenant Ballard was 
killed in 2004 while deployed in Iraq. I'm truly grateful for the brave 
and heroic service of Lieutenant Ballard and for all those who serve 
and defend our Nation every day.
  Mr. Speaker, Lieutenant Ballard is a very worthy designee of this 
postal facility naming, and I urge all Members to join me in support of 
this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, I'm pleased to join my colleagues in support of H.R.

[[Page H7337]]

6260, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 211 Hope Street in Mountain View, California, as the 
Lieutenant Kenneth M. Ballard Memorial Post Office.
  The bill before us was first introduced by my good friend and 
colleague, Representative Anna Eshoo from the great State of 
California, and I yield her such time as she may consume.
  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and good friend and 
classmate Mrs. Maloney from New York, and I thank our colleague from 
Texas for his very kind and generous remarks about the designation of 
the United States post office in Mountain View, California, in my 
district, as the Lieutenant Kenneth M. Ballard Memorial Post Office.
  A Mountain View native, Ken Ballard joined the Army at the age of 18. 
He comes from a distinguished family that have given a long line of 
military service to our country. He attended basic training at Fort 
Knox, Kentucky. He went on to bravely serve our Nation in Germany, 
Bosnia, Macedonia, and Iraq.
  On April 3, 2004, Lieutenant Ballard's battalion, the 2nd Battalion, 
37th Regiment, 1st Armored Division turned in their weapons and began 
preparing to return home. The very next day, violence broke out in 
Baghdad, and shortly thereafter, Lieutenant Ballard's tour was 
unexpectedly extended for an additional 120 days.
  Less than 2 months later, on May 20, 2004, after 9 years of service, 
Lieutenant Ballard was killed in Najaf, Iraq, by accidental discharge 
of the M-240 weapon on his vehicle. He was a recipient of the Purple 
Heart and three Bronze Stars, two with valor device.
  Lieutenant Ballard was a true American hero, and his ultimate 
sacrifice deserves our formal recognition of gratitude, which is what 
we are doing here today. In paying tribute to him and his service, the 
House will not only honor his sacrifice, but also that of every brave 
American who dons a uniform in defense of our Nation each and every 
day. So many have given their lives so that we may live ours freely, 
and each deserves our gratitude, our respect, and our remembrance.
  I want to thank the city council of Mountain View, California, for 
their support of this effort, and I want to pay tribute to Lieutenant 
Ballard's mother, Karen Meredith, for her unswerving advocacy on behalf 
of her son that the truth would be documented and put forward, and of 
course her support in the renaming of the post office of his hometown 
after him.
  So I urge my colleagues to vote for this legislation. I thank 
everyone on a bipartisan basis that has been involved in this.

                              {time}  1820

  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleague and compliment her on 
her very moving tribute, not only to her constituent but to all the men 
and women who serve our great Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for 
their support of this renaming in honor of a true American hero. And 
noting that I have no additional speakers, I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I join the gentlelady from California 
and the gentlelady from New York in support of this legislation 
honoring Lieutenant Kenneth M. Ballard, naming the post office the 
Lieutenant Kenneth M. Ballard Memorial Post Office, and urge my 
colleagues to enthusiastically support H.R. 6260.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Farenthold) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 6260.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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