[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7344]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    CONGRATULATING JAMES TODD RATHER

  (Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate 
James Todd Rather of Fairmont, Minnesota.
  Todd will be in Washington this week to receive the Star of Life 
award. The Stars of Life is an American Ambulance Association program 
to honor dedicated professionals in the ambulance service industry.
  Todd, who is a registered paramedic and is a team captain for 
Fairmont Gold Cross Ambulance Services, has been selected as one of 
three EMS professionals in Minnesota to receive this honor.
  EMS providers are the safety net of the health care system. In rural 
areas, like the Minnesota district I represent, where physicians and 
other health care providers do not exist in every community, EMS 
provides the public their only access point to quality health care. 
That is why I introduced H.R. 1353, the Sustaining Access to Vital 
Emergency Medical Services Act to help our EMS providers.
  Every day, EMTs and paramedics are heroes in their communities. I 
want to thank Todd for his commitment to serving his community.
  Mr. Speaker, it is people like Todd Rather who give selflessly of 
themselves that make our communities a better place to live.

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