[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 14, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL COURT REPORTING AND CAPTIONING WEEK

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                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 14, 2018

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National Court 
Reporting and Captioning Week and in appreciation of court reporters 
across the country. Our court reporters play a critical role in our 
communities--they hold the vital responsibility to record history, 
assist those who are deaf or hard of hearing, and preserve judicial 
proceedings. I witnessed the dedication and professionalism of court 
reporters through my time as a special prosecutor, but more importantly 
I have seen the tremendous devotion of court reporters through my wife, 
Tawni, who has been a court reporter in western Wisconsin for over 25 
years. Additionally, I want to recognize the outstanding work done by 
the Official House reporters, who transcribe proceedings verbatim in 
the Congressional Record and provide needed support for congressional 
committees.
   The National Court Reporters Association and its members have also 
been instrumental for the success of the Veterans History Project, 
which was created by legislation I authored. This project is the 
largest oral history collection in United States history, having 
collected over 100,000 stories from our nation's veterans that are 
permanently stored at the Library of Congress and available to the 
public.
   Shortly after the Veterans History Project was launched, court 
reporters across the country partnered with the Library of Congress to 
preserve the narratives of our nation's veterans by assisting in 
transcribing veterans' stories. To date, over 4,000 oral history 
transcripts have been submitted by court reporters to the Library of 
Congress. Not only have court reporters worked diligently with the 
Library of Congress to transcribe stories that had already been 
submitted, but many have personally interviewed veterans within their 
own communities. Without this admirable dedication from court reporters 
throughout the country, we would not be able to preserve many of these 
veterans' stories or record the sacrifices they made for our nation.
  The National Court Reporters Foundation also launched a program 
called ``The Hard of Hearing Heroes Project,'' where veterans with 
hearing loss can be interviewed for the Veterans History Project 
through the use of real time captioning. This is a vital service 
because hearing loss is among the most common service-connected injury 
and an estimated 60 percent of veterans from the post 9/11 era who have 
returned from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer some form of hearing loss. 
The ``Hard of Hearing Heroes Project'' will help ensure every veteran 
has a chance to share his or her story.
  As we celebrate National Court Reporting and Captioning Week, I want 
to thank the National Court Reporters Association and its many members 
throughout the country for their contributions to preserving history 
and for supporting those who are deaf or hard of hearing. I also 
particularly want to thank court reporters for their commitment to the 
Veterans History Project and to preserving veterans' stories for 
generations to come.

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