[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 24, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H7255-H7256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  ANNIVERSARY OF DEATHS OF CAPITOL POLICE OFFICERS JACOB CHESTNUT AND 
                              JOHN GIBSON

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1

[[Page H7256]]

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, this is a sad day in the history of the 
House. Some 21 years ago, a deranged individual came through the door 
that we now call the Memorial Door and took the lives of two of our 
officers.
  I rise to pay tribute to my constituent Officer Jacob Chestnut and 
Detective John Gibson from the State of Virginia. Both of them were 
shot and killed defending this Capitol 21 years ago today, July 24, 
1998.
  A lone gunman burst through what we now call the Memorial Door and 
attacked this sacred home of American democracy. These brave officers, 
whom we remember today, placed themselves in the line of fire and gave 
their lives to protect Members, staff, and visitors in the building 
that morning.
  Memorial Door, Mr. Speaker, is right outside my office. I go through 
it almost every day. Every time I pass through it, I look at the 
memorial plaque and remember these two extraordinary and brave men 
whose sacrifice will not be forgotten by those who serve in and work in 
this House, by their brothers and sisters in the Capitol Police force 
who still stand sentry and watch over it, and by their grateful fellow 
Americans.
  Today, America, let us pay tribute to Officer Chestnut and Detective 
Gibson and give our thanks to all the men and women of the U.S. Capitol 
Police and, indeed, to all law enforcement officers who, every morning, 
get up and put a badge perhaps on their chest or on their belt or in 
their wallet and go out to protect us, their neighbors, their friends.
  Let us thank all law enforcement officers in communities across this 
country for their service, their dedication, and their sacrifices, 
which make the exercise of democracy possible.


   Honoring Melinda Walker Upon Her Retirement as Chief Reporter of 
                                Debates

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I just spoke about two who served our Capitol 
and our country. Unhappily, they lost their lives.
  I now speak about one who has served our House of Representatives as 
an institution much more happily, because she has served so well and so 
faithfully and so long and is now retiring, hopefully, to a very happy 
retirement.
  We could not do our job representing the American people without the 
tireless and sometimes thankless labors of the men and women who make 
this House function behind the scenes.
  They sit at the desk behind us. They sit at the upper rostrum. They 
make a difference. And they record what we have to say.
  From the Clerk's Office to the Parliamentarian staff, from the C-SPAN 
crew to the stenographers, the nonpartisan, professional staff who 
enable the work of the House and its Members are central to the success 
of our constitutional mission.
  The House has relied on the services of shorthand reporters of 
debates for almost 200 years, and the verbatim proceedings of House 
business have been published as the Congressional Record since 1873.
  We have a young woman who is now taking down my remarks, which may or 
may not be profound, but somebody will be able to say: ``What did Hoyer 
say?'' ``What did my Representative say?''
  A division of the Office of the Clerk, the Office of Official 
Reporters is charged with providing nonpartisan, professional 
stenographic services for the House floor, committees, and leadership.
  It has grown from a 5-person shop in the 19th century to a diverse 
43-person operation today. They work extraordinarily long hours; they 
work very hard; and they are extraordinarily competent.
  Today, I join all my colleagues in thanking one of those outstanding, 
wonderful individuals who is retiring as the Chief Reporter of Debates, 
Melinda Walker.
  Melinda is with us on the floor today.
  Melinda, thank you very much.
  And I know, Mr. Speaker, if it weren't out of order, I would mention 
that her family is in the gallery, but because that is not in order, I 
won't do that.
  Melinda will step down in August, after more than 20 years of service 
to the House of Representatives.
  A proud native of Texas, Melinda came to the House in 1999, after 
serving as a court reporter for the U.N. International Criminal 
Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania.
  Her career began after graduating from the Stenograph Institute of 
Texas in 1989, and her work took her around the country and across the 
world, with positions in the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, and South 
Africa.
  Melinda has reported both House committee hearings and floor 
proceedings. She has taken down committee testimony from two Chief 
Justices of the Supreme Court and three Secretaries of State, among 
many others.
  On the floor, Melinda has reported the State of the Union messages 
for three Presidents, as well as the remarks of numerous foreign 
dignitaries during joint meetings of Congress.
  Upon Melinda's promotion to Chief Reporter in 2015, she led the team 
of reporters and staff in charge of the production of the Congressional 
Record. Under her watch, the office has been successful in meeting its 
daily production deadlines, while capturing the intricate parliamentary 
nuances of House proceedings.
  Melinda has contributed a fully revised and updated style and 
formatting manual, more than 200 pages long, for the Office of Official 
Reporters. Americans will be advantaged by that work for decades to 
come.
  She has been recognized by the National Court Reporters Association 
as a Registered Professional Reporter and a Certified Manager of 
Reporting Services, and she remains a certified shorthand reporter in 
her native Texas.
  Melinda plans to return to her hometown of San Saba, Texas, and spend 
more time with her family and faithful dog, Bleu.
  Lucky dog to have Melinda back.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in thanking Melinda 
Walker for her many years of distinguished and dedicated service to the 
House and in wishing her the very best in retirement.
  Melinda, we owe you and your colleagues a debt of gratitude. You 
silently serve and sit and listen to verb after noun after adjective 
after word after word after word--and you stay awake. It is amazing. 
And you do it so well, to the advantage of all of us who serve here, 
but, much more importantly, to the advantage of the people of the 
United States, who will know what their Representatives say on their 
behalf and will be, therefore, able, in a democracy, to make a sound 
judgment as to whether those words are the words they want intoned on 
this floor on their behalf.
  So, Melinda, to you and to all of your colleagues, we say thank you. 
Godspeed. Be well.

                          ____________________