[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5183]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING THE OUTSTANDING WORK OF ILLINIPAC

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Dold) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding work 
of IlliniPAC, a group of students on the University of Illinois Urbana-
Champaign campus who are making a positive and important impact through 
their pro-Israel advocacy.
  IlliniPAC is focused on building bridges throughout the student 
community and educating fellow students of all backgrounds about 
Israel.
  At a time when there are so many concerted efforts to promote myths 
and terrible mistruths about Israel, the student leaders of IlliniPAC 
have stepped forward with a positive message to highlight the 
importance of a strong and bipartisan U.S.-Israel relationship.
  I particularly want to commend IlliniPAC for its proactive and 
constructive efforts to oppose misguided calls to promote boycotts, 
divestment, and sanctioning, otherwise known as BDS, against Israel.
  As the sponsor of the bipartisan Combating BDS Act of 2016 in 
Congress, I greatly appreciate the efforts by IlliniPAC to oppose BDS 
campaigns targeting Israel. These BDS campaigns perpetuate damaging 
falsehoods against Israel only to serve to divide and separate students 
on campus.
  The truth is that the BDS movement has neither brought Israelis and 
Palestinians closer to peace nor advanced the laudable goal of 
improving dialogue between supporters of both sides. Instead, the BDS 
movement has simply been employed as a hateful weapon to delegitimize 
Israel and those who stand with her.
  Once again I would like to thank IlliniPAC for taking a leadership 
role on campus and for the work that they do to spread the positive 
message about Israel, an oasis of freedom, democracy, and tolerance in 
one of the world's most volatile regions.


             Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2016

  Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, yesterday we in the House of Representatives 
passed the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2016.
  I am proud to be a cosponsor of this important bipartisan effort to 
protect our Great Lakes. I believe that, when it comes to our 
environment, we must all work together to strengthen conservation 
programs and other policies that protect our natural resources.
  Mr. Speaker, I am fortunate to represent Illinois' 10th Congressional 
District, which borders one of our Nation's greatest treasures, Lake 
Michigan. Lake Michigan offers miles of beachfronts, natural habitats, 
recreational space for all of those that visit her, as well as drinking 
water for millions.
  As a scoutmaster, I teach my Scouts that we should always leave or 
strive to leave areas better than when we found them. Reauthorizing the 
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for the next 5 years will help us 
fulfill this goal with Lake Michigan.
  I now urge the United States Senate to immediately take up and pass 
this legislation. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was introduced 
in the Senate by my friend and colleague, Senator Mark Kirk, who has 
been a fierce advocate for protecting Lake Michigan throughout his 15-
year career representing the people of Illinois.
  Working together, we can protect our country's greater natural 
resources for future generations to enjoy.


                      Congratulating Sherri Rukes

  Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Sherri Rukes, who 
was awarded the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching by the 
Golden Apple Foundation.
  Ms. Rukes has been an AP chemistry teacher at Libertyville High 
School for 19 years. She also was the coach of the robotics team and 
volunteers with the science Olympiad and math team.
  The Golden Apple is awarded to the best teachers in the entire 
country, and Ms. Rukes is very deserving of this prestigious 
recognition. Her innovation and passion for teaching have made her an 
outstanding teacher who has bettered the lives of every student who 
entered her classroom.
  Ms. Rukes plays an important role in educating and preparing our 
future leaders for success. I am happy to know that our students are 
getting the outstanding education they need and deserve when they step 
into her class.
  I offer my congratulations to Ms. Rukes and to Libertyville High 
School for this well-deserved recognition.

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