[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13012]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            DRUG FREE AMERICA FOUNDATION CHAIR BETTY SEMBLER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Jolly) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize someone who has 
been described as a pioneer in national substance abuse policy and 
prevention and a woman whose dedication, drive, and compassion have 
made the world simply a better place.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Betty Sembler of St. 
Petersburg, Florida, as she retires as chair of the Drug Free America 
Foundation after nearly 15 years of dedicated leadership.
  Mrs. Sembler has actually dedicated the past three decades of her 
life to fighting the war on drugs. In 1976, she was 1 of 10 founding 
members of Straight, Inc., a nonprofit drug treatment program that 
successfully treated more than 12,000 young people with drug addiction 
in eight cities nationally, from Dallas to Boston.
  Mrs. Sembler then turned her sights to establishing a national drug 
policy to reinforce the four critical fronts to combat drug abuse: 
education, treatment, interdiction, and law enforcement.
  Mrs. Sembler helped form public policy in the United States' campaign 
against drugs through her participation in the White House Conference 
for a Drug Free America, as a member of the Florida Governor's Drug 
Policy Task Force, and as a board member of DARE Florida, a national 
organization that provides drug resistance education for elementary and 
middle school students.
  Mrs. Sembler has continued her campaign against weakening drug 
policies and against legalization of drugs on an international basis. 
She serves on the board of DARE International as vice chairperson.
  She accompanied her husband, Mel Sembler, on both of his missions as 
United States ambassador, first to Australia and then to Italy.
  Mrs. Sembler is the founder and board chair of Save Our Society from 
Drugs and the Drug Free America Foundation.
  Both organizations work to educate people about the effects on 
individuals, families, and communities, from legalizing and loosening 
restrictions on drugs while also fighting to reduce drug use, drug 
addiction, and drug-related illnesses and death.
  Mrs. Sembler serves on the boards of the Republican Jewish Coalition, 
Operation PAR in Pinellas County, the Florida Holocaust Museum, the 
Florida Governor's Mansion Foundation, the Florida National Guard 
Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Training Advisory Board, the Jewish 
Policy Center, and St. Petersburg's Menorah Manor.
  Mr. Speaker, in 2008, the DEA Museum Foundation presented its 
Lifetime Achievement Award to Mrs. Sembler for her 30 years of 
leadership and commitment to fighting drugs.
  The Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honor bestowed by the 
foundation and recognizes long and sustained commitments to supporting 
law enforcement, drug abuse treatment, and drug abuse education.
  Mrs. Sembler was awarded honorary agent status by the DEA, only the 
second such designation to ever be given.
  Mr. Speaker, the bottom line is Mrs. Betty Sembler and her work with 
the Drug Free America Foundation has positively impacted lives and 
families around the world and has, no doubt, saved lives around the 
world.
  Mrs. Sembler, with her grace, friendship, and charm, has impacted 
each and every individual that she has touched throughout her life, 
including this Member of Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in thanking Mrs. Betty 
Sembler for her selfless years of service and for her work leading the 
charge, pushing back against dangerous drug policies, and promoting 
public health and public safety.

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