[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 179 (Tuesday, November 13, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H9500]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       WELCOMING THE HONORABLE MARY GAY SCANLON TO THE HOUSE OF 
                            REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Michael F. Doyle) is recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I would invite all 
of my Pennsylvania colleagues to come up and join me if you would like.
  Mr. Speaker, as the dean of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation, 
it is my great pleasure to welcome our newest colleague.
  For the last 35 years, Mary Gay Scanlon has been a public interest 
lawyer, working for voting rights, equitable education funding, 
immigration, and criminal justice reform. She is an advocate for low-
income families, children, women, veterans, and seniors.
  She and I worked together on securing asylum in this country for the 
internationally recognized Sudanese human rights activist Hawa Saleh, 
who was imprisoned and tortured by the Sudanese Government for speaking 
out against it. And I am pleased to note that Hawa is here in the House 
gallery today.
  Mary Gay's career reflects her deep commitment to aiding and giving 
back to her community. She has worked tirelessly to help those in need 
in Pennsylvania, and she now plans to continue that work at the 
national level here in Congress.

  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to welcome such a dedicated individual to 
this body. I know we all look forward to working with her and our 
colleagues in the Pennsylvania delegation to serve the Commonwealth and 
this great Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Thompson), the senior Republican member of the delegation, for some 
remarks also.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, obviously, on behalf of 
our entire delegation, Republicans and Democrats both, we welcome our 
new colleague to this Chamber and look forward to serving with her. We 
are pleased to have her here.
  Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the 
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon).
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, Members of the 115th Congress, I am honored 
to have this opportunity to serve our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I chose tonight to be sworn in on our Constitution, a 
document that begins with our uniquely American creed, ``We the 
people,'' a charge and a challenge to faithfully represent the people 
of my district and the entire country, a charge I promise to honor 
every day with all of my might.
  I am particularly honored to serve as the advance guard not just for 
Madeleine Dean, Chrissy Houlahan, and Susan Wild, who will soon join me 
and our brethren in the Pennsylvania delegation, but also as an advance 
guard for the army of new Members who will join us for the 116th 
Congress, a Congress that may look substantially different than the one 
we see today.
  I am eager to continue doing the work that we, the people, entrust to 
the equal branches of this government:
  To ensure that fairness, civility, and opportunity are available to 
all and to right the wrongs that hold far too many back;
  To make sure that the people get a fair shake, whether in their jobs, 
in our classrooms, in the courts, or in the voting booth;
  To treat others with civility, particularly here in our Nation's 
capital, as we work in service to the people of this great country;
  To ensure opportunity and safeguard the world we pass on to the next 
generation.
  I promise to continue fighting for the underserved, for children and 
families, for seniors and veterans--to bend the arc of justice for 
those in need; for students like those on my mock trial team from 
Constitution High School in Philadelphia, who are the next generation 
of civic leaders; for veterans like Bob in Media or Pixie in 
Philadelphia, who want assurance that their benefits will not be 
treated as simply a line item in our budgets; for families like 
Malcolm's in Chester, whose lives have been forever changed by gun 
violence; and for my friend Hawa Salah, a human rights activist from 
Darfur who was forced to flee her homeland after her advocacy for 
oppressed people led to her kidnapping and torture by her own 
government.
  I am eager to continue this work right here with all of you.
  Finally, I am grateful to the voters, to my friends and family, and 
particularly my husband, Mark, for believing in me, and I hope that I 
make him proud.

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