[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 177 (Thursday, December 8, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1635-E1636]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CELEBRATING INDIANA'S BICENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2016

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the State of 
Indiana's Bicentennial Anniversary. 200 years ago, on December 11, 
1816, our great state was admitted to be a part of the United States of 
America, and I am so proud to call Indiana and its Northwest region my 
home.
   I believe that Northwest Indiana is the best place in the world to 
live, work, visit, study, and raise a family, and it is an honor and 
privilege to represent this area on the 200th Birthday of our state. I 
also want to thank my Indiana colleagues for establishing the time 
today to discuss this historic event. It is always a privilege to be 
able to work with you, along with Senator Coats and Senator Donnelly, 
on behalf of the issues that impact our great state.
   Our state and our region have a rich history in agriculture 
production, and in addition to the value of Indiana land, I believe 
that people have been drawn to Northwest Indiana because of the 
pristine beauty of our lakeshore and the Lake Michigan water. We are so 
fortunate to be situated along the largest body of fresh water on the 
planet. For 200 years, our shoreline has been an invaluable natural 
asset that has attracted people and has driven economic opportunities, 
and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so for the next 200 
years and beyond.
   We also are fortunate that over a hundred years ago, businesses saw 
the value in the Northwest region of Indiana and decided to make 
investments to create unprecedented steel mills and oil refineries. It 
is because of these investments in Northwest Indiana that our 
steelworkers and steel mills are able to currently make the best and 
most efficient steel in the world. No other area of our country makes 
more steel than Northwest Indiana. Steel is the foundation of our 
economy, our national defense, and is essential for our

[[Page E1636]]

transportation infrastructure. It has been an economic engine for our 
state this past century and we must continue to work to see that our 
industrial base and Indiana manufacturing continue to power us forward 
in future centuries.
   Finally, I am proud of all the hardworking people in Northwest 
Indiana and our state and the contributions that they have provided to 
our nation over the past 200 years. They have built transportation 
infrastructure in our state that connects rail, road, and waterway 
systems that traverse our nation. Our airports and ports along Lake 
Michigan serve as gateways to connect people and economic activity 
within our state to the rest of the world. Our Indiana National Guard 
servicemembers have also selflessly protected us every day of our past 
200 years, including during the Civil War and the over 17,000 
servicemembers who have been deployed overseas since September 11, 
2001.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join 
me now in celebrating the vibrant history of Indiana's steel and 
manufacturing industries, our unparalleled natural resources, and our 
industrious and courageous people, by wishing Indiana a very happy 
200th Birthday.

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