[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10502]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING PROCON.ORG FOR BEING NAMED A TOP FREE REFERENCE WEBSITE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT E. ANDREWS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 6, 2011

  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the staff of the 
ProCon.org website. This site has recently been honored by the American 
Library Association as one of the Top 25 Free Reference Websites of 
2011. This achievement is indicative of ProCon's value as a resource 
empowering citizens with information on some of the most controversial 
topics of the day.
  ProCon.org, like many websites, is the product of a simple idea: to 
make unbiased information on controversial subjects more accessible 
without opinion or editorializing interfering. This idea came to the 
founder and CEO of ProCon.org, Steven C. Markoff, in 1984. While 
debating with a friend, Mr. Markoff realized that the popular discourse 
about the big issues of the day is always clouded by rhetoric, opinions 
and political leanings.
  Since its inception, ProCon.org has influenced policy debates with 
its mission of ``presenting research on controversial issues in a 
straightforward, nonpartisan, and primarily pro-con format.'' More than 
10 million people use this website every month for research and fact 
finding. ProCon has also been named a ``Best Non Profit to Work For'' 
by OpportunityKnocks.org and a ``Valued Partner'' by GuideStar. ProCon 
was further honored in 2008, when the Library of Congress asked to 
archive three of ProCon's websites as ``materials of historical 
importance to the Congress and to the American People.''
  It is my distinct pleasure to honor the staff of ProCon.org and wish 
them continued success in their service to the American public. Their 
unbiased and truthful presentation makes a tremendous contribution to 
the political system.

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