[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9947]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              PATRIOT WEEK

  (Mr. BISHOP of Michigan asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BISHOP of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, we need to get back to the core 
values that our Nation embraced 241 years ago. That is why this year I 
have reintroduced my Patriot Week resolution, H. Con. Res. 12, which 
creates a national week of appreciation for the brave individuals, 
documents, and values that define our Nation's history to be taught in 
schools and honored in workplaces across America.
  Patriot Week would begin on the solemn anniversary of September 11 
and end with Constitution Day on September 17.
  Mr. Speaker, our founding principles have been ignored and eroded. 
Society has seemingly lost interest in the longstanding history that 
made our country great.
  As we approach Independence Day, we must reflect on who we are as a 
nation and how we can improve what is good for generations to come. 
America has become too divided, and we must get back to the core values 
that make our country great.
  Just as immigrants learn the history of our country, high school 
seniors should be able to pass, at minimum, the same citizenship exam 
upon graduation. Ronald Reagan once said that ``freedom is never more 
than one generation away from extinction.'' His words must serve as a 
wake-up call to every one of us today.
  I urge my colleagues to support Patriot Week, and I would like to 
take this opportunity to wish our Nation a happy and safe Independence 
Day. We are grateful for all those who serve to keep us safe at home, 
in our Nation's Capital, and all over the world.

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