[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11878-11879]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     RICHARD K. SALICK POST OFFICE

  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 451) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 500 North Brevard Avenue in Cocoa Beach, Florida, as 
the ``Richard K. Salick Post Office''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 451

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

     SECTION 1. RICHARD K. SALICK POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 500 North Brevard Avenue in Cocoa Beach, 
     Florida, shall be known and designated as the ``Richard K. 
     Salick 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 ``Richard K. Salick Post Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Gosar) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOSAR. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 
legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 451, introduced by my colleague, Representative 
Bill Posey of Florida, would designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 500 North Brevard Avenue in Cocoa 
Beach, Florida, as the Richard K. Salick Post Office.
  Richard Salick was a devoted and charitable member of his community 
in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Salick was an internationally-renowned surfer 
who competed on both the U.S. and world surfing teams in the 1960s and 
1970s.
  Tragically, Salick was diagnosed with kidney disease in 1973, but he 
persevered and was able to touch the lives of everyone who had the 
pleasure of meeting him. He became a tireless advocate with the 
National Kidney Foundation, to assist their efforts to support patients 
and to raise money for their care.
  Salick founded the National Kidney Foundation Surf Festival in 1986, 
which donates its proceeds to the National Kidney Foundation.
  Mr. Salick passed away at the age of 62 in 2012.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration 
of H.R. 451, a bill to designate the facility of the United States 
Postal Service located at 500 North Brevard Avenue in Cocoa Beach, 
Florida, as the Richard K. Salick Post Office.
  Richard Salick was born in Wisconsin in 1949 and competed for 
national and world surfing teams in the 1960s and 1970s.
  At the age of 23, Richard was diagnosed with kidney failure. After 
undergoing his first kidney transplant, Richard was told that his 
surfing career was over.
  Less than a year after surgery, however, Richard developed an 
innovative paddling technique that allowed him to return to his passion 
of professional surfing. In 2000, Richard was inducted into the Surfing 
Hall of Fame as an East Coast Legend.
  Richard began dedicating his life to helping others suffering from 
kidney disease. In 1976, just 2 years after his initial kidney 
transplant, Richard and his brother helped organize a surfing 
competition in Cocoa Beach, Florida, to benefit local dialysis centers.
  That event has now become the largest charitable surfing festival in 
the world, raising millions of dollars to support educational, patient 
services, and organ donation programs.
  Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to recognize Richard Salick's 
extraordinary strength in the face of chronic illness, his perseverance 
to excel at the highest level in his sport, and his tireless dedication 
to improving the lives of others fighting kidney disease.
  I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my 
distinguished colleague from the State of Florida (Mr. Posey).
  Mr. POSEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for coming in contact with a lot of people 
during my lifetime, and Richard Salick is certainly one of them. In 
fact, I think so much of Rich and his selfless giving to others, I 
introduced this legislation, H.R. 451, to designate the U.S. Post 
Office on North Brevard Avenue in Cocoa Beach as the Richard K. Salick 
Post Office.
  Rich Salick, who passed away on July 2 of 2012, was a local hero and 
a true champion to many people. Rich was a champion surfer through much 
of the late 1960s and 1970s, but he was also a lifelong sufferer of 
kidney disease and a longtime advocate of supporting kidney 
transplantation and kidney disease patients.
  What made Rich a champion was not the number of trophies that he 
won--which was considerable--but the battles he willingly and 
personally waged on behalf of others in need.
  At age 23, at the high point of his professional surfing career, Rich 
fell ill and was told by doctors that he would die if he did not get a 
kidney transplant. Aided by his twin brother, Phil Salick--who was his 
first kidney donor--Rich recovered, but was told all physical sports 
were out of the question in his future.
  After a year of recovery, Rich developed a unique padding system to 
protect his transplanted kidney and went on to win surfing contests and 
even proudly displayed one of the trophies in the Shands teaching 
hospital in Gainesville, Florida. Rich would routinely call kidney 
patients to offer them a message of hope and to aid their recoveries.
  His work did not stop there. Rich and Phil began hosting small 
surfing events to benefit those on dialysis. Every year, these events 
grew larger and larger and larger and culminated in hugely successful 
annual surf festivities.
  These events have raised millions of dollars for the National Kidney 
Foundation and are some of the largest charitable surfing events in the 
world.
  When I was serving in the State legislature, it was not uncommon to 
meet Rich Salick walking the halls of the capitol advocating for kidney 
patients, trying to find some commonsense fixes to some of these flawed 
laws to help make lives better for other people.
  The National Kidney Foundation tells us that 90,000 Americans with 
kidney disease die each year, and approximately 100,000 Americans are 
waiting for a direly needed kidney transplant.
  Every year, I join hundreds of others in our community to participate 
in the annual Cocoa Beach Kidney Walk, known as Footprints in the Sand, 
to support those who suffer from kidney disease and to honor Rich's 
commitment.
  Despite suffering from kidney disease for most of his adult life, 
Rich proved

[[Page 11879]]

that others with the same condition can truly accomplish anything they 
set their minds to.
  He was the first professional athlete ever to receive a transplant 
and return to his sport at a professional level. In 2000, he was 
inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame, and in April of 2008, he was 
also inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame, a man of many 
talents.
  He received the prestigious Nancy Katin Award in 1977 for his 
worldwide humanitarian work.
  I would like to thank Chairman Issa, Ranking Member Cummings, and the 
members and staff of the committee for moving this bill to the floor to 
honor a great American and a true champion.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in support of 
this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 451.
  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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