[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 23, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E190]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                       IN HONOR OF MARIA T. VULLO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 23, 2016

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay 
tribute to Maria T. Vullo, who is being honored by Eleanor's Legacy as 
part of its New York Women Making a Difference ceremony. Maria Vullo is 
an accomplished litigator who is passionate about women's rights. She 
oversaw research which has been instrumental in documenting the many 
reasons why the Equal Rights Amendment is still necessary. On January 
21, 2016, in recognition of her extraordinary breadth of experience in 
financial litigation, Governor Cuomo nominated Ms. Vullo to be 
Superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services, 
a position she will assume on February 23rd.
  Ms. Vullo is an experienced senior litigator and manager, who has 
more than 25 years of trial and appellate experience in a broad range 
of business litigation and investigations in state and federal courts 
across the country. Ms. Vullo's private practice has included matters 
involving fraud, real estate, health care, insurance, tax, consumer 
protection, bankruptcy, antitrust, constitutional and environmental 
law. Since 2010 she has been of counsel at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, 
Wharton & Garrison LLP, where she had been a partner for 20 years 
before a brief stint in the Attorney General's office.
  In 2010, Ms. Vullo oversaw the Economic Justice Division in the 
Office of the New York State Attorney General, with a staff of 
approximately 200. She was responsible for numerous investor 
protection, antitrust and consumer fraud matters, including Martin Act 
investigations and settlements, investigations and litigations 
regarding insurance company practices, allegations of price fixing, bid 
rigging and other antitrust violations, deceptive consumer marketing 
practices, and violations relating to cooperative and condominium 
offerings.
  Ms. Vullo has always spent a considerable amount of her time on pro 
bono matters. She is a recognized leader in protecting women's rights. 
She represented women raped by soldiers during the 1992-1995 Bosnian 
War--a case in which she secured a $745 million jury verdict for the 
plaintiffs. She also represented abortion providers whose lives had 
been threatened via an online ``hit list,'' securing a $100 million 
jury verdict for the plaintiffs.
  I came to know Ms. Vullo when she became involved in providing 
research to explain why we continue to need an Equal Rights Amendment. 
Her brilliance, dedication and determination were evident as she 
provided invaluable information on the broad range of ways in which 
women continue to face discrimination, including pregnancy-related 
discrimination, violence against women, pay inequity and other areas. I 
am hopeful that Ms. Vullo's research will lead to the passage of an 
amendment that will finally ensure that women's equality is guaranteed 
by the U.S. Constitution.
  Ms. Vullo is a member of the Boards of Directors of the National 
Organization of Italian-American Women, the Women's Equality Coalition 
and the ERA Coalition, Inc.; and is a member of the New York Women's 
Bar Association and the Women Trial Lawyers Caucus.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Maria T. 
Vullo, a New York woman who makes an extraordinary difference.

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