[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 154 (Monday, September 17, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1264-E1265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE LATE CONGRESSMAN MAURICE HINCHEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 17, 2018

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of the late 
Congressman Maurice Hinchey, our beloved colleague. He departed this 
life on November 22, 2017 after honorably serving two decades in the 
United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2013, and serving 
in the New York State Assembly from 1975 to 1992. He was a Navy 
veteran, an honorable and dedicated public servant, and stalwart for 
the working class people of New York. Of Ukrainian-American heritage, 
he was a founding member of the House Ukrainian Caucus.
  Recently, we were reminded of Congressman Hinchey's contributions to 
his people and our country. On Tuesday, July 24, 2018, President Trump 
signed into law H.R. 4722-A bill to designate the facility of the 
United States Postal Service located at 111 Market Street in 
Saugerties, New York, as the ``Maurice D. Hinchey Post Office 
Building''. With the naming of this USPS office building, Maurice's 
family and his grateful constituency will proudly honor and remember a 
treasured son of Saugerties.
  I had the distinct honor and privilege of working alongside Maurice 
on the House Appropriations Committee. Through the Committee, he fought 
to protect student aid by supporting higher education for all worthy 
students and championed Pell Grants. He secured funding that would help 
art revitalization for the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New 
Paltz. He understood governing started at the local level, and did all 
he could to direct federal support for a more prosperous life for his 
people.
  A fierce and notable environmental advocate, Maurice was dedicated to 
protecting his area's powerful and precious natural resource, the 
Hudson River. Through his dedicated work on the Appropriations 
Committee, he secured funds to modernize and develop environmental 
science laboratories at his district's local colleges. He also fought 
against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's lax initiative on 
cleaning up polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) pollution in the Hudson 
River. As a member of the House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee, 
and having my own congressional district surrounded by the Great Lakes, 
I found his leadership on renewable energy and cleaning up water ways 
both exemplary and inspiring. We are in his debt for his tireless 
environmental advocacy as he moved America along the path of progress.
  A man to stand up for blue collar workers, Maurice was very loyal and 
adored by the labor community. Having worked as a toll collector to pay 
his college tuition, and then a cement plant worker, he understood the 
economic difficulties of the working class people in his district. In 
the 106th Congress he introduced H.R. 2759, the Older Workers Pension 
Protection Act of 1999. This bill would have helped safeguard employees 
from age discrimination against their benefits. He also fought against 
funding cuts to Job Corps, a vital entity for young people in his area 
who need skill and job assistance. As we continue to fight for the 
rights and protections of our working women and men, may we continue to 
be inspired by Maurice's spirit and vision.
  Maurice and I shared a deep love for Ukraine and our central European 
roots. We served in the bipartisan Ukrainian Congressional Caucus and 
trumpeted a vision of an independent Ukraine, free of Russian 
aggression. Maurice uniquely understood the importance of a democratic, 
prosperous, and free Ukraine, as the edge of liberty on the European 
continent. He was a true champion of democracy both home and abroad.
  Maurice's leadership and indefatigable efforts on behalf of working 
people are sorely missed. May his life's work be an inspiration to the 
people of the Hudson Valley and his memory be cherished always. Rest 
well, my dear friend and colleague. May the angels of mercy usher you 
to a peaceful place where your genius and goodwill shower our planet.

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