[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 13, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2685-H2686]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CONGRESS MUST MEET ITS CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Emmer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. EMMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart as another 
individual has lost her life on U.S. Highway 12 in my home State of 
Minnesota, in fact, right in my neighborhood.
  U.S. Highway 12 is the road we drive to get to and from our hometown 
of Delano, Minnesota. This is one of the most dangerous stretches of 
road in our State. The highway has actually been called the ``Corridor 
of Death.''
  On March 2, 2019, Marleena Anna Dieterich, an 18-year-old from 
Delano, Minnesota, lost her life in another crash on this highway.
  Marleena was a student at Delano High School, a member of our 
hometown, and a young life with so much promise. We lost her far too 
soon.
  Today I rise to remember the life of Marleena, to remember that she 
was an honor student, a black belt in Taekwondo, and was planning to 
major in biomedical sciences and minor in premed. Her life held endless 
promise.
  This accident, like so many on U.S. Highway 12, was tragic and 
senseless.
  Over the years, some improvements have been made to portions of U.S. 
Highway 12, but until massive improvements are made to the most 
dangerous stretch of this highway, tragic accidents will continue to 
occur.
  Since the beginning of 2019, just 2 months, 14 crashes have already 
occurred on that stretch of the highway leading into Delano in 
Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District. More must be done, and 
quickly.
  While we are committed to working with the Minnesota Department of 
Transportation and the Highway 12 Safety Coalition to ensure that 
Minnesotans can travel safely and securely on this road, I am inviting 
our Transportation Secretary Chao to visit us and see firsthand some of 
our most desperate transportation needs in Minnesota.
  At the Federal level, Congress must start to exercise its obligation 
under Article I of the Constitution to dedicate and direct Federal 
funds to build,

[[Page H2686]]

maintain, and improve our Federal highways, especially lifesaving 
safety improvements.
  Together, we can find a solution to the safety hazard that U.S. 
Highway 12 poses, and together, we will.


               Congratulations to the Minnesota Whitecaps

  Mr. EMMER. Mr. Speaker, this March, during the National Hockey 
League's Gender Equality Month, I want to congratulate the Minnesota 
Whitecaps for making it to the National Women's Hockey League playoffs.
  Not everyone can play professional sports, but everyone can 
participate at some level. Sports are a great training ground for life. 
Lessons in sportsmanship, teamwork, how to handle adversity are all 
important to the development of productive, contributing citizens in a 
civil society.
  Professional women athletes play a large role in the development of 
girls hockey in communities across the country, but especially the 
Minnesota hockey community.
  We are lucky to have inspiring players turn coaches that mentor the 
next generation of female hockey players and great Americans.
  I know the entire Minnesota hockey world is proud of the Whitecaps.
  Congratulations on your success, and good luck in the playoffs.


         HealthPartners Recognized for Serving the Underserved

  Mr. EMMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize HealthPartners for 
receiving the 2019 CMS Health Equity Award from the Centers for 
Medicare and Medicaid Services.
  This award recognizes organizations that demonstrate an exceptional 
commitment to serving the most underserved individuals among us.
  HealthPartners has locations throughout Minnesota's Sixth 
Congressional District, which I am honored to represent in this 
Congress.
  HealthPartners is committed to eliminating healthcare disparities for 
those with language, cultural, and other barriers.
  I am pleased to congratulate this outstanding company for receiving 
this well-deserved award.
  I hope other healthcare providers will take note of the small changes 
that can make a big difference in eliminating bias in the distribution 
of healthcare services.

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