[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9561-9562]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                KENNETH M. CHRISTY POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 4960) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 525 N Broadway in Aurora, Illinois, as the ``Kenneth 
M. Christy Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4960

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

     SECTION 1. KENNETH M. CHRISTY POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 525 N Broadway in Aurora, Illinois, shall 
     be known and designated as the ``Kenneth M. Christy Post 
     Office Building''.
       (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

[[Page 9562]]

     be a reference to the ``Kenneth M. Christy Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Smith of Nebraska). Pursuant to the 
rule, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Blum) and the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 4960, introduced by the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Foster). The bill designates a post office in 
Aurora, Illinois, as the Kenneth M. Christy Post Office Building.
  Mr. Christy was a dedicated employee of the United States Postal 
Service and a devoted advocate for postal employees. I look forward to 
hearing more about Mr. Christy from my colleague and the sponsor of 
this bill, Representative Foster. For now, I urge Members to support 
this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. 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. 4960, a bill to designate the facility of the United States 
Postal Service located in Aurora, Illinois, as the Kenneth M. Christy 
Post Office Building.
  It is only fitting that we name a post office after Ken Christy, a 
man who dedicated his career to the Postal Service and its workforce. 
Joining the Aurora Post Office in 1977, Ken worked as a letter carrier 
for over 30 years. Ken also served 25 years as the president of the 
National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 219, receiving multiple 
awards for his dedication, leadership, and community service.
  In 2004, he joined the Illinois State Association of Letter Carriers. 
Ken was awarded honorary membership in numerous postal facilities 
outside of Aurora and was inducted into the Illinois Letter Carriers 
Hall of Fame in 2012.
  Mr. Speaker, I have spoken about my illustrious career in the United 
States Postal Service, one of 30 years. I started that career as a 
letter carrier, so it is with great honor that I stand here today 
strongly suggesting and saying that we should pass this bill to honor 
Ken Christy's life of public service and his tireless dedication to the 
Postal Service. I urge the passage of H.R. 4960.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster).
  Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan, and I 
also thank the entire Illinois delegation on both sides of the aisle 
for cosponsoring this legislation.
  On March 26, 2016, the State of Illinois and the city of Aurora lost 
a consummate public servant. On the day he died, Ken Christy was the 
sitting Aurora township clerk, the president of the Illinois State 
Association of Letter Carriers, and a dear friend of mine.
  Ken was a family man, and he left behind three daughters and his 
wife, Bonnie, his high school sweetheart to whom he was married for 52 
years. I rise today to honor Ken's legacy and his lifetime of public 
service.
  Ken and his wife, Bonnie, settled in Aurora in 1977, when Ken took a 
job as a letter carrier with the United States Postal Service, a career 
that would last more than 30 years. Ken took on a leadership role 
within the Postal Service. He quickly became the Aurora NALC Branch 219 
president and served in that role for 25 years.
  During that time, Branch 219 was recognized for its charitable 
contributions and received several awards from the Muscular Dystrophy 
Association. Under Ken's leadership, Branch 219 was recognized 
nationally with an NALC Branch Service Award and its Humanitarian 
Award. Ken spent countless hours as a volunteer at the letter carriers' 
annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive and made deliveries for the Northern 
Illinois Food Bank.
  In 2000, Ken was personally awarded the Dave Bybee award for 
leadership and dedication by the Illinois Association of Letter 
Carriers.
  In 2004, he was recognized for his leadership skills and civic 
engagement by becoming its legislative liaison.
  Just 3 years later, he was elected president of the Illinois State 
Association of Letter Carriers, a position he held until the end of his 
life.

                              {time}  1615

  As president of the Illinois Association of Letter Carriers, Ken made 
sure that the voices of his members were heard by public officials on 
both sides of the aisle at both the State and Federal level.
  In 2012, Ken was nominated to the Illinois Letter Carriers Hall of 
Fame. In 2013, Ken Christy was elected Clerk of Aurora Township.
  Ken was a public servant in the truest sense of the word. Ken was 
always working for others, whether it was in his 30-year career 
delivering mail in his community, his dedication to charity work, or 
his devotion to his family as a husband, father, and grandfather.
  So I think it is only appropriate that we honor his life and his 
legacy and pass this bill today to name the post office where Ken spent 
his entire career the Kenneth M. Christy Post Office Building.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing this man, who was a 
pillar of his community, by voting ``yes.''
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Blum) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 4960.
  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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