[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11658-11659]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING NATIONAL COUNCIL ON INDEPENDENT LIVING ON 35 YEARS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate the National Council on Independent Living for celebrating 
its 35th anniversary this year. Their persistent advocacy has had a 
tremendous impact on the disability community and has not gone 
unnoticed.
  Mr. Speaker, as you may know, before I was elected to serve in 
Congress, I worked for many years as a therapist,

[[Page 11659]]

a rehab services manager, and worked in the community with individuals 
living with intellectual disabilities and as a licensed nursing home 
administrator.
  Working with individuals facing life-changing diseases and 
disabilities has been one of the greatest joys of my life, after my 
wife and children and two grandsons. There is something extraordinary 
about supporting an individual as they set out on challenging journeys 
toward rehabilitation and autonomy. My passion for improving the 
quality of care for my patients and helping them achieve independence 
is what brought me here to Congress.
  Last year, I was proud to turn my experience into advocacy by guiding 
the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act through the legislative process. 
This commonsense bill empowered those living with disabilities to set 
up their own special needs trusts, an action which was barred by 
previous law. After receiving overwhelming bipartisan support in both 
the House and Senate, language from the bill was included in the 21st 
Century Cures Act, which was signed into law on December 13, 2016.
  Mr. Speaker, safeguarding the rights of Americans living with 
disabilities is a cause I am honored to fight for, and I look forward 
to continuing my efforts.


                Honoring the Life of Dr. Howard Kirtland

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize 
a member of the medical community whom we recently lost.
  Today, I honor the life and memory of Dr. Howard Kirtland, who passed 
away last week after years of selfless service to his community and 
employees through his practice, Venango Hematology and Oncology, as 
well as the Kirtland Cancer Foundation.
  Dr. Kirtland was well-known for his kindness and generosity 
throughout the community. Those closest to him will be deeply impacted 
by the loss of a man who was loved for his mentorship, selflessness, 
and incredible work ethic.
  Dr. Kirtland founded the Kirtland Cancer Foundation with his personal 
resources to financially assist cancer patients and their families, as 
well as providing scholarship money to students affected by the 
disease.
  Dr. Kirtland was born in San Antonio, Texas, and raised in 
Poughkeepsie, New York. During his residency at the University of 
Virginia, he left school to enlist in the Army. He served in Vietnam 
before moving to Franklin, Pennsylvania, in the Pennsylvania Fifth 
Congressional District, to start his practice.
  On behalf of the people of Pennsylvania, I recognize and honor Dr. 
Kirtland for his incredible life of service to those around him. He 
will be greatly missed.

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