[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 22, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H3618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE HEROIC SERVICE OF DETECTIVE JOSH SIMMONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Budd) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the excellent law 
enforcement personnel who serve North Carolina's 13th District. I would 
like to specifically mention a heroic act that happened on July 14 in 
Rowan County.
  A detective named Josh Simmons saw a burning car as he drove down 
Highway 52. When he approached, he found an elderly woman unable to get 
out. He pulled her from the car just minutes before it went up in 
flames.
  Detective Simmons said of his actions: ``The way I was raised, you 
take care of people. I didn't know who was in the car. It didn't matter 
who they were. They just needed help.''
  Mr. Speaker, this is a great example for all of us. Our community is 
truly lucky to have such courageous folks serving and protecting us.


                           Healthy Skies Act

  Mr. BUDD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to put forward a new proposal to 
help reopen our country with speed and with safety.
  Between business, leisure, and tourism, air travel is a mode of 
transportation that must be trusted if our country can fully reopen. In 
fact, before the pandemic, commercial aviation drove 5 percent of our 
GDP and helped support more than 10 million American jobs.
  Unfortunately, there are currently no concrete proposals to lessen 
the fear that has gripped air travelers and crippled the aviation 
industry. And that is why I am proposing a bipartisan bill called the 
Healthy Skies Act, along with Congressman Ralph Norman and   John 
Larson.
  This bipartisan legislation instructs the TSA Administrator to create 
a pilot program that would temporarily screen the temperature of all 
travelers going through TSA security before they reach the gate area.
  Having the TSA temporarily screen passengers for elevated 
temperatures has a number of practical advantages. It ensures that each 
passenger experiences a consistent nationwide process to prevent 
infected individuals from boarding planes and spreading the virus. This 
will give travelers the peace of mind they need to confidently start 
flying again, while discouraging folks who might be sick from even 
attempting to come to the airport in the first place.
  Reopening America should be the top priority of our government. 
Making sure air travelers are healthy enough to fly is a commonsense 
way to boost passenger confidence and jump-start economic activity. And 
that is how we can stop the spread of COVID-19 and continue a great 
American comeback.

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