Volume 162, No. 58 covering the 2nd Session of the 114th Congress (2015 - 2016) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“INTRODUCTION OF THE ARIEL RIOS FEDERAL BUILDING” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E496 on April 15, 2016.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF THE ARIEL RIOS FEDERAL BUILDING
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HON. ANDRE CARSON
of indiana
in the house of representatives
Friday, April 15, 2016
Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the
``Ariel Rios Federal Building Act'' which will name the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) headquarters in honor of its first special agent killed by hostile action. This bill will designate the federal building at 99 New York Avenue, NE Washington D.C. as the Ariel Rios Federal Building. Ariel Rios was a young ATF special agent murdered by drug traffickers in 1982 while assigned to then Vice President George Bush's South Florida Drug Task Force.
In 1985, Congress designated the ATF headquarters building at 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue as the Ariel Rios Memorial Federal Building. The designation honored both the personal sacrifice of Ariel Rios and served as an enduring reminder of the dangers that front line law enforcement officers willingly confront to keep the rest of us safe. For nearly 30 years, the original ATF headquarters building bore the name of Ariel Rios.
In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, it was determined that a new, more secure ATF headquarters would be built and shortly thereafter, Congress approved the construction of a new ATF headquarters at 99 New York Avenue NE. After the ATF vacated 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, the building was repurposed as the headquarters for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Congress renamed the EPA headquarters building as the William Jefferson Clinton Building, but the designation in honor of Ariel Rios was not transferred to the new ATF Headquarters building.
This legislation seeks to rectify that omission and is supported by six of the former Directors of ATF who served between 1982 and 2015. This legislation is also supported by former President George H.W. Bush, the surviving family of Special Agent Ariel Rios and the ATF Association which is comprised of current and former ATF colleagues who work in support of the ATF mission.
Naming the ATF headquarters after Ariel Rios is an important symbolic reminder of risks faced by ATF's front line agents and their ongoing service to our country. As a former law enforcement officer, I believe this important recognition of Ariel Rios will serve as a tribute to every frontline law enforcement officer past, present, and future. I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.
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