E1404 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks August 3, 2012 

HONORING CHRISTA HARMOTTO 

OF THE USA OLYMPIC TEAM 

HON. BILL SHUSTER OF PENNSYLVANIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, August 2, 2012 

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Ms. Christa 

Harmotto, an outstanding athlete selected to 

the United States Olympic Team from the 9th 

Congressional District of Pennsylvania. Ms. 

Harmotto’s Olympic Volleyball side has done 

very well to this point of the competition, and 

has earned an undefeated record following 

their first three matches in their group. 

Christa Harmotto was brought up in Hopewell Township, PA where she excelled at 

sports from a young age. In high school, as a 

multiple year letterman for volleyball and basketball, Christa won the Pennsylvania 

Gatorade Player of the Year. She then transferred her high school success to that at Penn 

State, where she chose to continue her pursuit 

of volleyball. Her student athlete career was 

one of great success and achievement, as she 

acted as an integral member of a two-time national championship team, while simultaneously attaining All-American status for four 

straight years. A prominent figure on the 

squad as a middle blocker, Christa makes her 

Olympic debut in 2012. I am positive she will 

continue to fight valiantly and work hard for 

her side in their journey to win the gold medal. 

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate this Olympic 

hero of Pennsylvania’s 9th district. With her effort and determination, this young lady is destined to do great things for our country and the 

9th district of Pennsylvania. I am very proud of 

her hard work and determination to win for the 

United States Olympic Team, and will continue 

to track her team’s success throughout the duration of their competition. I hope you join me 

in wishing Christa and the rest of our Olympic 

athletes well in their respective competitions at 

this year’s Games. 

f 

PERSONAL EXPLANATION 

HON. JAMES B. RENACCI OF OHIO

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, August 2, 2012 

Mr. RENACCI. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 

537 due to a travel delay stemming from yesterday’s inclement weather, I was unable to 

cast my vote on this legislation. 

Had I been present, I would have voted 

‘‘nay.’’ 

f 

CRITICAL PATH INSTITUTE 

HON. RON BARBER OF ARIZONA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, August 2, 2012 

Mr. BARBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 

recognize the Critical Path Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Tucson, Arizona, 

that plays an important role in helping to improve the way that much-needed drugs are 

brought to the market. 

Critical Path, or C-Path, was founded six 

years ago by the University of Arizona and the 

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It is not 

affiliated with any single entity or interest 

group—a status that allows C-Path to serve as 

an effective and objective facilitator among 

scientists from the government, academia and 

the private sector. 

C-Path was founded after the FDA called attention to an alarming decline in the number of 

innovative medical products being submitted 

for government approval. The FDA cited the 

need for applied research to bridge the gap 

between basic scientific research and medical 

product development. 

Since then, C-Path has worked with scientists from academia as well as biotechnology companies, the government and 

the pharmaceutical industry to develop innovative new testing methods. This enables lifesaving drugs, devices and biological products 

to reach patients faster and with proven safety. 

Developing effective drugs and medical devices is a lengthy and expensive process— 

even under the best of circumstances. It is a 

process that can take more than 12 years and 

cost $1 billion in laboratory research and testing. About 95 percent of new compounds fail 

during development. 

C-Path has demonstrated that public/private 

partnerships focused on noncompetitive consensus science have the capacity to provide 

new tools so drug developers can speed important new medicines from discovery to patients more quickly. 

C-Path was founded by Dr. Raymond L. 

Woosley, who stepped down as president and 

CEO earlier this year. He was succeeded by 

Dr. Carolyn Compton, an internationally respected scientist with extensive experience in 

translational science and personalized medicine. 

I am proud to recognize the Critical Path Institute, based in Tucson, Arizona, for its important role in improving the way that researchers, academia, the private sector and government work together to bring needed medical 

advancements to the people who need them. 

C-Path has shown us what is possible when 

we work in partnership and collaboration to 

solve important national concerns. 

f 

IRAN THREAT REDUCTION AND 

SYRIA HUMAN RIGHTS ACT OF 2012 

SPEECH OF

HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, August 1, 2012 

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, the Iranian nuclear threat is a daunting and dangerous challenge. With Iran stalling diplomatic talks, adding enrichment centrifuges, and continuing 

work at unmonitored enrichment sites, there is 

frustration and alarm that time may be running 

out. But time has not run out and if we are to 

avert a military confrontation with Iran over its 

nuclear weapons ambitions, we must make 

use of every opportunity to pressure Iran to 

change course. This bill achieves that goal 

with sanctions that are deeper and stronger 

than any we have ever seen. 

Without a doubt sanctions against Iran are 

having a powerful impact. In the last year 

alone, exports of Iranian oil have dropped by 

sixty percent. The value of Iran’s currency has 

plummeted by more than one-third. Full tankers are idling in Iranian harbors unable to sell 

crude in the world market. Although Iran has 

attempted to work around the sanctions by reflagging vessels and hiding transactions, the 

shell game isn’t sustainable. Sanctions announced by President Obama in recent days 

and weeks and those authorized in the bill before us today will tighten the grip. 

Our message to Iran is loud and clear— 

there is no escaping accountability. The consequences of defying the international community and continuing an illegal nuclear program 

are severe and they will be gravely worse if 

the Iranian government continues on its current course. 

This bill is our third round of congressional 

sanctions legislation since the Obama Administration successfully galvanized U.N. Security 

Council support for multilateral sanctions 

against the Iranian nuclear program in June 

2010. Together with sanctions enacted in July 

2010 and December 2011, the sanctions in 

the bill before us today reinforce the message 

to countries, companies and financial institutions that now is not the time for business as 

usual with Iran. 

The bill gives the Administration an array of 

new tools to shore up international resolve. It 

has sharp enforcement mechanisms to help 

enlist other countries in the effort to starve the 

Iranian nuclear program of cash flows from 

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the National Iranian Oil Company, the National Iranian Tanker Company, and other Iranian 

banks, businesses and government entities 

being used to funnel money into nuclear activities. 

The bill also expands sanctions against Iranian and Syrian officials responsible for 

human rights abuses by using electronic monitoring and tracking of regime opposition and 

specifically targets the paramilitary organizations that have been most insidious in terrorizing democracy activists. 

But what this bill does not do is authorize 

war with Iran. In fact, the bill explicitly says so. 

I want to underscore that point, because the 

motivation of the sanctions is to pressure Iranian leaders to abide by the International 

Atomic Energy Agency’s demands and negotiate in good faith and to avoid a military escalation. 

As President Obama has stated clearly, the 

United States does not have a policy of containment. All options are the on the table if 

Iran does not change course. By passing this 

legislation we will continue to leave no stone 

unturned in our determination to try and 

achieve a diplomatic resolution to this crisis. 

f 

HONORING MR. JOE HECKSTALL 

HON. JOHN LEWIS OF GEORGIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, August 2, 2012 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise 

today to recognize Georgia State Representative Joe Heckstall on the occasion of his retirement from the Georgia General Assembly. 

For thirty-one years, Joe has served the people of Georgia, first as a City Councilman for 

the City of East Point, Georgia and then as a 

State Representative from Georgia’s 62nd 

House District. These many years of public 


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