[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 181 (Thursday, November 15, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H9530-H9531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LIFE OF DAMON P. NELSON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Costa) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and honor to an 
individual who made a difference, Damon Nelson. When I think of Damon I 
think of the quintessential staff person, and I think of three words: 
duty, honor, and country.
  Like a lot of us who grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, he was always 
in touch with his roots. Damon was a person who obviously loved our 
country and dedicated his entire career to serving, first in the 
American military in the Air Force, and then later coming to our 
Nation's Capitol to try to make a difference.
  He was a problem solver. He understood that oftentimes cooler heads 
prevail in bringing people together and that the efforts to bring the 
art of the political compromise ultimately served the people not only 
of our valley, but the people of our Nation.
  He will sorely be missed in terms of his contributions, and we wish 
him and his family Godspeed during this time of mourning. We thank him 
for his service to our country.


              40th Anniversary of Marjaree Mason's Passing

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because this month marks the 
40th anniversary of the tragic death of Marjaree Mason, a woman whose 
life was filled with so much promise and purpose.
  In 1978, Marjaree was soon approaching graduation from Fresno State. 
She had a job she enjoyed, working for the National Economic 
Development Association. She was committed to serving others and 
surrounded herself with the support of family and friends.
  That was until her life was cut short by a brutal death. At the age 
of 36, Marjaree was heinously kidnapped, abused, and murdered by her 
ex-boyfriend at his Fresno home.
  To celebrate her life and continued legacy, the folks in Fresno 
dedicated the Marjaree Mason Center, which was founded in 1979, to 
provide victims and survivors of domestic violence a safe and 
supportive environment. The center offers long-term safe housing, legal 
assistance, educational opportunities, crisis support, and counseling 
to victims and their families. It is in constant need. The center 
offers long-term safe housing.
  For decades, I have been working hard to end these horrific crimes 
plaguing our community and the Nation. Over 10 years ago, Congressman 
Ted Poe and I founded the bipartisan Congressional Victims' Rights 
Caucus in the House of Representatives to give a

[[Page H9531]]

voice to victims of domestic abuse and other crimes that sadly occur on 
a national scale.
  The Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, a piece of legislation working 
to improve responses to domestic violence, is one of the major 
initiatives the caucus works on to protect, reauthorize, and expand the 
needs for this sad occurrence around our country.
  In my district, we have several organizations, including the Central 
California Legal Services, Choice Women Empowerment, Centro La Familia, 
and Valley Crisis Center, in addition to the Marjaree Mason Center 
working nonstop to provide safety and support of domestic violence 
survivors.
  I would like to thank Marjaree Mason's family for the continuous 
support and commitment to expanding the mission of its center over the 
past 40 years. Former Sheriff Steve Magarian and so many others 
continue to contribute to this important work that this center does, 
for domestic violence is still sadly prevalent in every community, 
affecting more than 10 million people each year in the United States.
  We must continue to fight to ensure that no one in our valley and in 
our Nation suffers the same fate that Marjaree Mason faced. We must 
continue to work together to end domestic violence once and for all.

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