[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8477-8478]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    MICHAEL C. ROTHBERG POST OFFICE

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 5099) to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 15 South Main Street in Sharon, 
Massachusetts, as the ``Michael C. Rothberg Post Office''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5099

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

     SECTION 1. MICHAEL C. ROTHBERG POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 15 South Main Street in Sharon, 
     Massachusetts, shall be known and designated as the ``Michael 
     C. Rothberg Post Office''.
       (b) References.--Any references 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 ``Michael C. Rothberg Post Office''.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?

[[Page 8478]]

  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I now yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  On behalf of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 
I rise in support of H.R. 5099. This measure designates the United 
States postal building located at 15 South Main Street in Sharon, 
Massachusetts, as the Michael C. Rothberg Post Office Building.
  Michael Rothberg was a victim of the September 11 terrorist attacks 
on the World Trade Center in New York City, New York. He worked for 
Cantor Fitzgerald as a director of program trading. Described by those 
who knew him as analytical and independent, he had a knack for the high 
technology used in bond trading, yet he was still able to clearly 
explain complicated concepts to his clients. Michael liked to be the 
leader of a team. He enjoyed the autonomy and the freedom to make one's 
own decisions. He even encouraged his subordinates--``his colleagues,'' 
as he called them--to have similar aspirations.
  Michael Rothberg was a member of the Sharon High School class of 1980 
and a graduate of McGill University. He was a very active supporter of 
the Dana-Farber Institute's Jimmy Fund, the Multiple Sclerosis 
Foundation, and Mutual Funds Against Cancer.
  He is survived by his parents, Iris and Jay Rothberg, as well as his 
sister, Rhonda.

                              {time}  1615

  The Michael C. Rothberg Memorial Scholarship fund was set up for 
students from Sharon High School. The Michael C. Rothberg Memorial Race 
is also held every year in Michael's honor.
  H.R. 5099 was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) on April 21, 2010. The measure was referred 
to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which ordered it 
reported by unanimous consent on May 6, 2010.
  The measure has the support of the entire New York House delegation. 
I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for introducing this measure. 
I also would like to thank Chairman Towns and Ranking Member Issa for 
their support for the bill. I urge my colleagues to support this 
measure.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5099 designating the 
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 15 South Main 
Street in Sharon, Massachusetts, as the Michael C. Rothberg Post 
Office.
  A native of Sharon, Massachusetts, Michael graduated from Sharon High 
School and went on to receive his bachelor's and master's degrees from 
McGill University.
  His family and friends described him as kind, generous and selfless. 
It was Michael who encouraged and financed his sister, Rhonda, to start 
her own business. Michael was known to work hard, excelling in his 
position on Wall Street, rising to the 104th floor of the World Trade 
Center, where he worked for Cantor Fitzgerald. He made friends with 
many of the clients and associates he worked with, helping them both in 
and out of the office.
  His mother Iris tells of a time a friend found out she had cancer, 
and Michael immediately went to his staff and raised money for the 
Jimmy Fund. She also tells of a time a client needed surgery, and 
Michael sent a car for her and waited during the procedure to take her 
home.
  On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked by radical 
Islamic jihadists, those against what America considers good and just. 
Behind the devastating number of deaths were the individuals, each 
having family and friends they left behind. One of these victims was 
Michael C. Rothberg. He was 39 years old.
  To honor Michael's dedication to his community, The Michael C. 
Rothberg September 11th Memorial Scholarship was organized by former 
classmates, friends, and family. The scholarship is awarded to students 
at Sharon High School who show qualities of academic integrity, ethical 
commitment, and service to the community.
  Today we honor Michael, whose short life was dedicated selflessly to 
his friends and family. To celebrate and preserve his legacy, I ask all 
Members to join in supporting H.R. 5099.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the prompt 
action of the committee in processing this bill. Michael Rothberg was 
one of the talented young Americans who was one of the victims of the 
mass murder by bloodthirsty terrorists on September 11th. Mr. Rothberg 
was one of those killed by these vicious thugs in their attack on the 
World Trade Center.
  Understandably, his family, who is proud of him and of the high 
regard he was held in the town in which he had lived, asked that I act 
to have the town's post office named for him. It was a request that was 
enthusiastically supported by the government of the town, not 
surprisingly, because it is a community that takes its civic 
responsibilities seriously and elects and appoints people to town 
offices who are thoughtful, compassionate, and effective.
  Mr. Rothberg was born in Sharon and graduated from Sharon High 
School. He then went on to earn his Bachelors and Masters degrees in 
math and computer science from McGill University in Montreal. He went 
to work for Kanter Fitzgerald whose offices were on the 104th floor of 
the World Trade Center, and on September 11th, he was tragically killed 
in his office.
  Michael Rothberg was both a very successful professional and a man of 
great generosity, and while he was working in New York, he remembered 
his Massachusetts roots in his generous support of important medically-
related charities, for example the Dana Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy 
Fund. He was also a strong supporter of the Multiple Sclerosis 
Foundation and Mutual Funds against Cancer.
  His family has established the Michael C. Rothberg Memorial 
Scholarship, and his fellow Sharonites have generously contributed to 
it in his memory in a number of ways.
  Madam Speaker, I appreciate the chance to join Michael Rothberg's 
family and the town of Sharon in memorializing an able, generous man 
who is sorely missed, and we all take this occasion of course to 
reaffirm our resolve to do everything that we can to protect all of us 
against a repeat of this tragedy.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me 
in support of this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5099.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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