[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 46 (Monday, March 24, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H2574-H2575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           NATIONAL PARK RANGER MARGARET ANDERSON POST OFFICE

  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 1036) to designate the facility of the United States 
Postal Service located at 103 Center Street West in Eatonville, 
Washington, as the ``National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson Post 
Office''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1036

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

     SECTION 1. NATIONAL PARK RANGER MARGARET ANDERSON POST 
                   OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 103 Center Street West in Eatonville, 
     Washington, shall be known and designated as the ``National 
     Park Ranger Margaret Anderson 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 ``National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson 
     Post Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Farenthold) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which 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. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, once again, it is my honor to be up here speaking 
about a bill, this one, H.R. 1036, introduced by the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Reichert) that would designate the facility of the 
United States Postal Service located at 103 Center Street West in 
Eatonville, Washington, as the National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson 
Post Office.
  Mount Rainier National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson was fatally shot 
in the line of duty on January 1 of 2012. On the morning of January 1, 
at approximately 10:30 in the morning, Ranger Anderson was at Paradise, 
the park's most popular winter destination, when she responded to a 
radio call while she was welcoming visitors.
  The radio call asked her to set up a traffic block to intercept a 
vehicle that failed to stop at a chained-up checkpoint in the park. The 
driver of the vehicle opened fire on Ranger Anderson and then fled on 
foot into the woods.
  Unbeknownst to Ranger Anderson, the suspect was wanted in connection 
with a shooting the previous day in which four people were wounded.
  Ms. Anderson was an exceptional park ranger who served the National 
Park Service for 12 years and worked at Mount Rainier for 3 years. She 
is survived by her husband, Eric, who is also a Mount Rainier park 
ranger, and two children, Annalise and Kathryn.
  Margaret was only 34 years old at the time of her death. Ranger 
Anderson gave her life protecting park visitors and staff from a 
dangerous criminal. Paradise is a magnet for sledders, skiers, and 
families with small children, and at least 100 people had already 
arrived at the park on this day when Ranger Anderson was shot.
  Margaret's brave action very possibly saved many lives that day, and 
she is to be commended and remembered as a hero.
  I urge all Members to join me in strong support of this bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the 
consideration of H.R. 1036, a bill to designate the facility of the 
U.S. Postal Service located at 103 Center Street West in Eatonville, 
Washington, as the National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson Post Office.
  This measure before us was introduced on March 7, 2013, by my 
colleague, Representative David Reichert. In accordance with committee 
requirements, the bill is cosponsored by all members of the Washington 
delegation.
  H.R. 1036 was reported out of committee by unanimous consent on March 
12, 2014.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
my colleague from the State of Washington (Mr. Reichert).
  Mr. REICHERT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I think most of the Members here know that I had a 33-year career in 
law enforcement prior to coming to the House of Representatives a 
little over 9 years ago. During that time, I lost good friends and 
partners in the line of duty--shot, stabbed--and they left behind 
families, husbands and wives and children. Those are memories that 
stick with me--and I know the friends and partners I have in law 
enforcement--forever, and the families never forget and never recover.
  On this day that has been mentioned by my colleague--on New Year's 
Day, in the year 2012, Park Ranger Margaret Anderson responded to a 
call. Her job

[[Page H2575]]

usually is to guide folks through the park and show them the scenery 
and talk about the trailways and the flowers and the trees that are 
growing on Mount Rainier, educate the young children.
  But all of a sudden, she is called to duty, to switch gears, to put 
her life on the line. She showed up that day to block the road from 
this dangerous criminal who had already committed crimes in Seattle and 
was on the loose. There was a manhunt that was conducted trying to find 
this person before he hurt or injured or killed anyone else.
  Margaret Anderson served Mount Rainier Park for about 4 years. She 
was a National Park Ranger for 12 years. Her husband was serving with 
her on that very same day. He heard the call go out--officer down--and 
then realized it was his wife.
  We go about our days here in Congress, and we sometimes forget the 
men and women who guard this Capitol, who guard our lives each and 
every day; and when we go home, those men and women in uniform are 
there protecting our families and our communities.
  Sometimes, Madam Speaker, they lose their life. Sometimes, they put 
their life on the line, and sometimes, they don't come home.
  In this case, Margaret Anderson did not come home. She left her 
husband and her two children to grieve, but she saved lives that day. 
That is what we do.
  It is an honor for me to be here today with this piece of 
legislation, H.R. 1036, that honors a brave resident of Eatonville, 
Washington. It is a little town nestled right at the foot of Mount 
Rainier, with only 3,000 people, so to name a post office after her, I 
think, would be a great honor, a great memorial.
  It is one of the things that we can do, so that we can say we will 
never forget.
  Thank you, Margaret, for your service.
  Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, in closing, I want to thank my colleague 
from Washington State for bringing this bill.
  I ask that we pass this bill, without reservation, to recognize 
Margaret Anderson and her dedication to her family, the United States 
Park Service, and for paying the ultimate sacrifice in the line of 
duty, to ensure the safety and security of her fellow citizens.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I look to my colleagues here in the 
House of Representatives and say please join Mr. Reichert, Mr. Clay, 
the entire Washington delegation, and me in voting to designate the 
facility of the United States Postal Service at 103 Center Street West 
in Eatonville, Washington, to honor a hero who gave her life protecting 
park patrons, to name that post office the National Park Ranger 
Margaret Anderson Post Office.
  Please join me in voting ``yea'' on this important legislation.
  Madam Speaker, 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. 1036.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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