[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 21153-21155]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  LIEUTENANT JOHN F. FINN POST OFFICE

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5053) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 1475 Western Avenue, Suite 45, in Albany, New York, 
as the ``Lieutenant John F. Finn Post Office''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5053

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

     SECTION 1. LIEUTENANT JOHN F. FINN POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 1475 Western Avenue, Suite 45, in Albany, 
     New York, shall be known and designated as the ``Lieutenant 
     John F. Finn Post Office''.
       (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 Lieutenant John F. Finn Post Office.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan).


                             General Leave

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Lieutenant John F. Finn, a 12-year veteran of the Albany 
Police Department, was shot three times while chasing a robbery suspect 
on December 23, 2003. Lieutenant Finn was immediately admitted to 
Albany Medical Center, and he remained in critical condition for 7 
weeks. He sadly succumbed to his wounds on February 12 of this year, as 
I said, approximately 7 weeks later. H.R. 5053 remembers the life and 
service of Lieutenant Finn.
  Mr. Speaker, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers 
Memorial Fund, an average of 163 law enforcement officers have been 
killed annually in the line of duty over the last 10 years. Our 
Nation's police officers make themselves vulnerable every day in 
working to maintain the peace in American communities. We mourn with 
the citizens of Albany on this occasion and the House intends for this 
post office designation to serve as a lasting tribute to Lieutenant 
John F. Finn's patriotism, courage, sacrifice, and service to this 
Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join in support of H.R. 5053, to 
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 
1475 Western Avenue, Suite 45, in Albany, New York, as the Lieutenant 
John F. Finn Post Office.
  As we have just heard, Lieutenant John Finn lost his life protecting, 
serving, and looking after the well-being of others. If ever there are 
individuals that should be remembered by our society, it is those who 
give of themselves and lose their lives for the benefit of others. It 
is appropriate that we name a postal facility in honor of Lieutenant 
Finn. I would urge the passage of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney).
  Mr. SWEENEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be here today in support of this 
legislation, in support of the effort here to honor one of the really 
great citizens of this Nation and certainly of our area. When my friend 
and colleague from New York (Mr. McNulty) asked me to cosponsor this 
bill and to come and speak on it, I was truly touched and honored by 
the opportunity. This is probably one of the more important things that 
I will do in my tenure here, because, Mr. Speaker, Lieutenant John 
Finn, while not from my district, from a district adjacent to my 
district, certainly touched, saved, and protected the lives of many of 
my constituents; and his

[[Page 21154]]

passing was a deep, deep tragedy felt by all of the people of my 
district and I think indeed all of the people of this Nation. That is 
why this is such an appropriate response by this body, and I am proud 
to be part of it.
  John Finn was a model citizen, a loving father, a doting husband, and 
a wonderful human being. He was, frankly, the person we would want all 
our children to be. He was the kind of person we would want to 
recognize as a great American.
  I remember in the area, we had a memorial service shortly after his 
passing and his family, his wife, Maura McNulty-Finn, handled that 
process and the loss of John Finn in the community with such grace and 
such dignity and really won the respect of the entire community, and 
his daughters, Clara and Molly, two beautiful little girls, really 
touched the heartstrings of all of the people who recognized the loss 
that they were realizing and will realize for the rest of their lives.
  John Finn was an officer of the law who took his job incredibly 
seriously, winning numerous awards for saving lives and constantly 
upholding his duties to those he swore to protect. Unfortunately, 
Lieutenant Finn, like far too many of our Nation's police officers, was 
killed in the line of duty. He was cut down in the prime of his life 
while doing his job, a job he did far better than most. He was killed 
because he made a choice on the night of December 23, yes, December 23, 
2 days before Christmas of last year. Instead of backing down and 
living to fight another day, he chose to face danger head-on when he 
walked into that convenience store and into a hail of bullets. On that 
night, trying to stop a robbery, he joined the company of untold 
American heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice so others may be saved. 
Lieutenant Finn died protecting others and upholding a code he chose to 
live by. He chose to live his life to the end with honor and bravery, 
and that is something our constituents and our government will never be 
able to repay.
  We can, however, show our appreciation and honor his memory by naming 
the Lieutenant John F. Finn Post Office Building. We owe it to his 
family and his loved ones. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, we owe it to ourselves.
  Mr. Speaker, when I attended Lieutenant Finn's funeral service, I was 
moved by the thousands from the area and from other States who filled 
an arena in Albany to pay their last respects to such a fine man. Today 
we are giving something back. I am really privileged to be part of it.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I certainly agreed with everything that our colleague, the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Sweeney), just said. I commend the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. McNulty) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney) 
for this bill.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. McNulty).
  Mr. McNULTY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time to comment on my bill, H.R. 5053, which designates the United 
States Post Office at 1475 Western Avenue in Albany, New York as the 
``Lieutenant John F. Finn Post Office.''
  Mr. Speaker, John Francis Finn was born in Port Jefferson on Long 
Island. He was the son of Bill and Mary Finn, and he was a great 
brother to Bill, Michael, Mary and Rose. He graduated from Smithtown 
High School, also on Long Island, and the University at Albany.
  He joined the Albany Police Department on January 31, 1991. He had a 
13-year career with the Albany Police Department with many diverse 
assignments. He completed them all with exemplary commitment, 
dedication, and compassion. He was named a detective in the juvenile 
unit in 1993, promoted to sergeant in 1996, and promoted to lieutenant 
in the year 2001.
  Mr. Speaker, on December 23, 2003, Lt. Finn responded to an armed 
robbery at a convenience store. Although he was wearing a protective 
vest, the suspect, armed with a semiautomatic weapon, struck Lt. Finn 
three times in the lower abdomen and leg.
  Over the next few weeks, John underwent numerous surgeries and 
received exceptional care at the Albany Medical Center. He passed away 
51 days later, on February 12th of this year, becoming the ninth member 
of the Albany Police Department to be killed in the line of duty.
  Mr. Speaker, over 5,000 officers and mourners from around the 
northeastern United States attended the memorial service in February at 
the Pepsi Arena in Albany. The service recalled John's distinguished 
career and life of service and sacrifice. He had received two 
lifesaving awards from the Albany Police Department. The Kiwanis Club 
named him Officer of the Year in the year 2000, and the Albany County 
Youth Recognition Awards have been renamed in honor of Lt. Finn.
  Governor Pataki named Lt. Finn Police Officer of the Year in 2003 and 
presented that award to Lt. Finn's wife, Maura McNulty-Finn, and to his 
two daughters, Clara and Molly.
  Maura was the love of his life, and Clara and Molly were his pride 
and joy. He brought his daughters to work with him when he volunteered, 
as he frequently did. He was also instrumental in creating the Children 
and Family Services Unit in the Albany Police Department.
  Mr. Speaker, at John's memorial service, I quoted scripture in 
saying, ``No greater love can one man have than that he lay down his 
life for his friends.'' That is what John Finn did.
  At this particular time, when we have many service personnel serving 
overseas, we are mindful of their sacrifice. We remember their service 
on a daily basis, as well we should. We should always remember that had 
it not been for all the men and women who wore the uniform of the 
United States military, the rest of us would not have the privilege of 
going around bragging, as I often do, about how we live in the freest 
and most open democracy on the Earth. Freedom is not free. We paid a 
tremendous price for it.
  But while we do that, I think we sometimes neglect to remember the 
sacrifices made by the folks who are protecting the homeland security 
and who go out and take chances every single day, just like John Finn 
did last December 23 when he gave his life for his friends.
  So I am honored to be here today, Mr. Speaker, to recall John's life 
of service and sacrifice, to pay this small tribute to him, and to do 
what I know he would really like, and that is to thank all of the other 
police officers all across the Nation who take these kinds of chances 
every single day.
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lieutenant 
John F. Finn of the Albany, NY, Police Department. Originally from Port 
Jefferson, NY, within my congressional district, Lieutenant Finn passed 
away on February 12 of this year from gunshot wounds received while 
attempting to apprehend a robbery suspect.
  John Finn was a lifelong resident of New York, and after attending 
Smithtown High School West on Long Island he pursued an undergraduate 
degree at SUNY Albany. Following school, Finn began a career in law 
enforcement marked by innovation and success. A 13-year veteran of the 
Albany force, John Finn served admirably throughout his career and 
during that tenure received two lifesaving awards from his department 
and the 2000 Officer of the Year from the Kiwanis Club. On July 26th, 
2004, New York State officially recognized the contributions of 
Lieutenant Finn by posthumously awarding him the Governor's Police 
Officer of the Year Award for 2003.
  Lieutenant Finn was a model policeman and family man, dedicating his 
life to protecting others. Finn's commitment to the well being of 
others remains visible in the good works of the Children and Family 
Services Unit of the Albany Police Department, which Finn helped 
create. Lieutenant Finn's surviving family includes his wife Maura 
McNulty-Finn and daughters Clara and Molly.
  During his final days, Lieutenant Finn continued to exemplify bravery 
and fortitude by fighting hard for nearly 2 months after taking three 
bullets from a semiautomatic weapon. Thankfully, Finn's murderer now 
resides behind bars, and in a testament to Lieutenant Finn's affect on 
the community, nearly 5,000 people attended a public service in his 
honor.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to extend my deepest condolences to John Finn's 
family and friends

[[Page 21155]]

and I am happy to help memorialize this brave man by designating a 
Federal building in his honor. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5053.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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