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HONORING GARY CLARK
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bowman). Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 4, 2021, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. C. Scott Franklin) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a longtime friend and the biggest advocate for veterans in central Florida, retired Air Force Colonel Gary Clark.
I have known Colonel Clark for 20 years as a fellow veteran and veteran's advocate. I am honored to recognize him as one of the distinguished 2020 inductees into the Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame. This is an honor truly befitting Gary, thanks to his countless contributions to Florida's veterans.
Florida is known as the most veteran-friendly State in America, with over a million vets calling the Sunshine State home. Anywhere you go in central Florida, if there is a veteran in need, you can bet that Gary is on it.
Retiring from the Air Force in 1993, Gary continued his service and quickly became a distinguished advocate for veterans. Gary established the Polk County Veterans Council, developed a partnership for the Polk County School Board to support 13 Junior ROTC units, and chairs the Flight to Honor Polk, which brings senior veterans to the memorials near Washington.
Gary coordinates an annual Veterans Day breakfast with the Rotary Clubs of Lakeland and has chaired the 15th Congressional District of Florida's Service Academy Nominating Committee for at least a decade, and he remains the chair for my current board.
Mr. Speaker, it is simply impossible to think of veterans in central Florida without thinking of Gary Clark. On behalf of Polk County and the 15th District of Florida, we congratulate him on this honor and his induction into the Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame, and we thank him for his selfless service to our veteran community.
Supporting Public Access to Capitol
Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on a more somber note, I rise in support of public access to this House, the people's House.
While I have only been a Member since January 3, as a former Naval aviator who had the privilege to travel to over 40 countries, I know the importance of our free and open democracy in both the figurative and the literal sense.
I was on the House floor on January 6 when violence erupted. As we continue to investigate the tragedy that resulted, the military fortress erected in response is a gross overcorrection.
Capitol Police have indicated there is no credible threat justifying maintaining this security posture. On March 4, facing nonspecific rumors of a potential threat, the House rushed to conclude its work the night before and did not meet. Not only was the threat unfounded, but the Senate, operating under the same security protocols as the House, was open and conducting the people's business, the same Senate that is only a few yards down the hall behind us.
Speaking of the differences between the two Chambers, doesn't it seem odd that the same House impeachment managers who testified before the Senate without masks would insist that I be fined if I take my mask off right now, even though I have been vaccinated and there is no one around me?
In addition to dismantling this fortress, we should begin relaxing the protocols put in place a year ago to limit the spread of COVID. Today, all House Members have been offered the vaccine, and roughly 75 percent have been vaccinated. Many of the remaining 25 percent have antibodies from being infected previously.
There is no justification for this House to continue operating in a quasi-virtual state. The CDC has issued new guidelines easing masks and social distancing for the nearly 32 million people who are fully vaccinated.
It is time to end the proxy voting, begin in-person committee meetings, and return to regular order. Our strength as an institution relies on personal relationships and the ability to build alliances where we find common interests. As a freshman, I have yet to meet most of my colleagues. We should be working to find common ground, and that is simply not possible in a virtual meeting.
Mr. Speaker, as the new administration acts to tear down the wall at our southern border, we have a new one right here, paralyzing the seat of democracy. The hypocrisy is obvious, and it is shameful.
This is no longer about safety. It is about making every effort to create disruption and hide what is really going on from the American people.
It is time to take down the razor wire fencing, send the troops home, and open the people's House to the public.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 51
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