[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 158 (Monday, September 14, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H4356-H4357]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           DEPUTY SANDEEP SINGH DHALIWAL POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend 
the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5317) to designate the facility of 
the United States Postal Service located at 315 Addicks Howell Road in 
Houston, Texas, as the ``Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office 
Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5317

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DEPUTY SANDEEP SINGH DHALIWAL POST OFFICE 
                   BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 315 Addicks Howell Road in Houston, Texas, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Deputy Sandeep Singh 
     Dhaliwal Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post 
     Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Cloud) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise 
and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this 
measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of 
H.R. 5317, to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 315 Addicks Howell Road in Houston, Texas, as the 
Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office Building.
  Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal was born in Punjab, India, before his parents 
decided to emigrate to Houston, Texas.
  Before joining the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Dhaliwal 
owned a successful trucking business.
  It was his sense of duty and a desire to build a bridge between the 
department and the Houston area Sikh community that compelled him to 
join the Sheriff's office.
  He joined the force as a detention officer in 2009 and was later 
deputized and graduated to the rank of patrol deputy. He was assigned 
to northwest Harris County where he would stay for the rest of his 
career.
  Deputy Dhaliwal was the first observant Sikh to serve in the Harris 
County Sheriff's Office and was one of the first observant Sikhs in 
Texas to receive an accommodation to observe his religion while serving 
as a police officer.
  He served with distinction and was a shining example of the important 
contributions that religious minorities make to our country.
  Deputy Dhaliwal also spent countless hours volunteering for Sikh 
communities across the Nation.
  Tragically, he was shot and killed while conducting a routine traffic 
stop. He was only 42 years old and is survived by his wife and three 
children.
  Naming a post office in his honor is a fitting tribute to a man who 
served selflessly, made the ultimate sacrifice for his community, and 
left this country a better place.
  I would like to thank the honorable Member from Texas, Representative

[[Page H4357]]

Fletcher, for this legislation to honor a dedicated public servant and 
trailblazer for the rights of religious minorities.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5317 which would name a post 
office in my home State of Texas after Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal.
  Dhaliwal joined the Harris County Sheriff's Office out of a sense of 
duty and a desire to build a bridge between the department and the 
Houston area Sikh community. He was also one of the first observant 
Sikhs in Texas to receive a policy accommodation allowing him to wear 
the turban and beard associated with the Sikh religion during his 
service as a police officer.
  After being promoted to the rank of patrol deputy, he was assigned to 
northwest Harris County.
  In September of 2019, Dhaliwal was shot and killed from behind during 
a routine traffic stop leaving behind a wife and three daughters.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation 
honoring a local law enforcement hero, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time 
as she may consume to the distinguished gentlewoman from the great 
State of Texas (Mrs. Fletcher). I congratulate my friend on this bill.
  Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Maloney for all of her 
efforts to bring this important bill to the floor of this House.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Deputy 
Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal. He was my constituent, and he was killed in the 
line of duty nearly a year ago today on September 27, 2019.
  As we reach this sad anniversary for our community, I am grateful 
that this bill to pay tribute to Deputy Dhaliwal's lasting impact on 
our community is on the floor of the House today. This legislation will 
designate the postal facility on Addicks Howell Road in Texas' Seventh 
Congressional District as the Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office 
Building.
  Deputy Dhaliwal was widely regarded as a role model for Americans of 
all faiths wishing to serve their communities. He was the first 
observant Sikh to serve in the Harris County Sheriff's Office, and he 
was also one of the first officers in Texas to receive a policy 
accommodation to practice his religion while serving as a police 
officer.
  As my colleagues have noted, he was born in Punjab, India, but his 
parents soon decided to emigrate to Houston where Mr. Dhaliwal grew 
deep roots.
  He did have a successful business, but seeking to build a bridge 
between law enforcement and the Sikh community and the greater Houston 
community, he joined the Harris County Sheriff's Office, first as a 
detention officer in 2009 and one year later he was deputized and 
graduated to the rank of patrol deputy.
  He was assigned to district 5 which covers much of northwest Harris 
County, an area he would patrol for the rest of his career. Through his 
years of service, he improved law enforcement's cultural understanding 
of Sikhs and was an outstanding example of the tireless contributions 
that religious minorities and marginalized communities make to our 
country.
  Deputy Dhaliwal was also known to have a giving heart, coordinating 
relief efforts after Hurricane Harvey and traveling to Puerto Rico 
after Hurricane Maria to help a colleague's relatives.
  He volunteered countless hours for Sikh communities across the Nation 
serving as the director of homeland security for United Sikhs, helping 
to advise Sikh communities on dealing with potential hate crime 
threats, and advocating for their religious rights.

  Deputy Dhaliwal is survived by his wife and three young children. He 
represented the very best of our community. He worked for equality, 
connection, and community through his life of service to others. The 
senseless slaying of Deputy Dhaliwal is a solemn reminder of the risks 
assumed by police officers daily in serving and protecting our 
communities.
  Renaming this post office facility in his honor will serve as a 
permanent reminder of Deputy Dhaliwal's commitment to and sacrifice for 
the community that he lived in and served. It will show that we stand 
in solidarity with the people of Houston, of Harris County, and the 
Sikh community across the country as they celebrate the life and mourn 
of loss of this remarkable and selfless hero.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Maloney for her support of this 
important bill, I thank my colleagues in Texas for joining me 
unanimously in bringing it forward as cosponsors, and I urge my 
colleagues to vote ``yes'' in favor of the bill.
  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of 
H.R. 5317, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5317.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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