E2226 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks October 3, 2008 

the Courthouse on October 28th, 2008. A special ceremony will take place to honor the history and tradition of the County Courthouse 

that has existed since 1863. 

The Atchison County Courthouse is located 

in the county seat Rock Port, Missouri. Atchison County is named after former United 

States Senator, David Rice Atchison. The 

Courthouse is home to various county government offices and is the location Atchison 

County residents venture to conduct county 

business. 

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join 

me in recognizing the Atchison County Courthouse, an architectural blessing to the citizens 

of Atchison County. It is truly an honor to 

serve my home county, Atchison County Missouri in the United States Congress. 

f 

IN HONOR OF DEDICATED PUBLIC 

SERVANT ASSEMBLYMAN GENE 

MULLIN 

HON. JACKIE SPEIER OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, October 3, 2008 

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, as happens 

too often in this age of legislative term limits, 

the state of California is losing a wise, dedicated and accomplished public servant. Assemblyman Gene Mullin, who was first elected 

on November 5, 2002 to represent the 19th 

District of California, will retire at the end of 

this year. 

Assemblyman Mullin represents a district 

that I, too, once served. I know the people 

there and I know that no one could serve 

them better than Gene. I cannot overstate my 

fondness and admiration for this man. He 

went into public service for the right reason: 

To serve. Any conversation with Gene is 

never about Gene. While many are called 

‘‘selfless’’, with most it’s just a word. Gene 

truly does put others first—constituents, family, 

students, even strangers. All who come into 

contact with him know that when Gene Mullin 

gives you his word, you can take it to the 

bank. 

Gene served his community long before 

they chose him to represent them in the legislature. For 32 years, he taught government 

and coached basketball at South San Francisco High School. In the 1970s, he was 

tapped by city leadership to serve on the 

town’s Planning Commission, where he was 

instrumental in attracting Genentech to the city 

in 1976. This started a bio-tech boom in South 

San Francisco and is a major reason why the 

city is on better financial footing than other 

municipalities. In 1979 the City Council named 

Gene Mullin ‘‘Citizen of the Year.’’ 

In 1995, Gene Mullin joined the South San 

Francisco City Council, where he served for 

seven years, including two terms as Mayor. 

Upon his election to the Assembly, Gene 

quickly made a name for himself as a quick 

study, hard worker and consensus-builder. He 

retires as Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Education and previously served as 

Chair of the Committee on Housing and Community Development. 

Assemblyman Mullin has worked to ensure 

education funding for students and teachers. 

He authored bills to restore the $500 million 

borrowed from the California State Teachers 

Retirement System and has pushed programs 

to assure the quality of child care services. He 

has also been instrumental in efforts to provide affordable housing for all Californians. 

Prior to his government service, Gene was 

a gifted and much-loved educator. Not only do 

many of his students still mention him as a favorite teacher and role model, but he was 

honored as San Mateo County’s Teacher of 

the Year in 1991 and the California Teachers 

Association’s 1996 State Teacher of the Year 

in Politics. 

Gene Mullin graduated with a Bachelor’s 

Degree in Political Science from the University 

of San Francisco in 1960 and holds a Lifetime 

Secondary Teaching Credential, also from 

USF. 

Madam Speaker, our state is in serious 

need of dedicated and intelligent public servants in our legislature. Gene Mullin will be 

sorely missed in Sacramento, but our loss is 

his family’s gain. A dedicated father, husband 

and grandfather, Gene can now spend more 

time with his lovely and vivacious wife, Terri, 

his two children, Jennifer and Kevin, and three 

grandsons, Austin, Jonathan and Colton. 

Gene has lived his entire life in the Bay 

Area and we are all richer because of it. 

f 

HONORING SISTER JUDY GARSON 

FOR HER LEADERSHIP OF THE 

LITTLE SISTERS OF THE ASSUMPTION FAMILY HEALTH 

SERVICES 

HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, October 3, 2008 

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam 

Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Sister Judy 

Garson for her 24 years of service with the Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health 

Services. Sister Judy has been an extraordinary leader, ably directing the expansion of 

the services provided by the Little Sisters of 

the Assumption Family Health Service and ensuring that the organization continues to be a 

vital force in the community. After nearly a 

quarter of a century in dedicated and effective 

service to others, Sister Judy Garson is embarking on a well-deserved retirement. 

The devotion of the Little Sisters of the Assumption to the well-being of families with children in East Harlem is truly remarkable. Since 

its founding five decades ago this year, the 

Sisters’ Family Health Service has offered 

community-based health services to historically underserved local residents of ‘‘El 

Barrio’’. Through a broad range of services, including parenting classes, summer day-camp 

trips for children in the community, and daycare services, the Little Sisters of the Assumption have made an enormous and enduring 

difference in countless lives. 

In her nearly quarter century of service at 

Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health 

Services, Sister Garson has seen its full-time 

staff expand from 30 to more than 60 employees. Under her guidance, the Little Sisters of 

the Assumption Family Health Services has 

evolved into a highly successful, independent 

organization that will continue to serve the 

East Harlem community for generations to 

come. During her distinguished tenure at the 

Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health 

Service, Sister Judy Garson has been at the 

forefront of the valiant effort to combat HIV 

and AIDS in a community that has widely 

been considered an epicenter of this lethal 

epidemic. With courage and compassion, she 

reached out to those suffering from HIV and 

AIDS at a time when misinformation and a 

lack of public awareness created an impenetrable stigma around those infected with the 

virus. Her educational outreach offered a shining example of her distinguished and effective 

service. 

Perhaps the most remarkable facet of Sister 

Garson’s 24 years of service with the Little 

Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Services is the patient and considerate attention 

that she pays to each and every family in her 

organization’s care. She and her staff do more 

than identify clients’ problems and offer assistance; they take the extra step to help families 

obtain enduring ways to overcome the obstacles in their lives. 

Sister Judy Garson’s leadership skills were 

apparent from the beginning of her career. 

After completing her bachelor’s degree, Sister 

Judy accepted a prestigious position in Rome 

as one of five board members responsible for 

the administration of the Society of the Sacred 

Heart and its numerous chapters in more than 

33 countries around the world. She drew upon 

the invaluable experience she gained at the 

Vatican when she returned to the United 

States, where she brought to bear her inspirational and effective leadership and management skills in our nation’s greatest city. 

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the well-being of the people she has 

served and her extraordinary leadership of the 

Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health 

Services, I ask that my distinguished colleagues join me in honoring Sister Judy 

Garson, an outstanding and compassionate 

leader who has dedicated her life to serving 

others. 

f 

NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVISTS DEBT RELIEF ACT OF 2008 

HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, October 3, 2008 

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam 

Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3197, 

the ‘‘National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Act of 2008.’’ This bill is important because 

it liberalizes the debt relief standard for those 

persons who are most deserving, our nation’s 

heroes that serve in the National Guard. 

This bill is important because the President 

has made it more difficult for people to claim 

bankruptcy. Specifically, the Bankruptcy Abuse 

Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 

2005 (2005 Bankruptcy Act) was signed into 

law by President George W. Bush on April 20, 

2005. The 2005 Bankruptcy Act is the most 

comprehensive overhaul of bankruptcy law in 

more than 25 years. The 2005 Bankruptcy Act 

makes particular changes to the consumer 

bankruptcy. The changes to consumer bankruptcy included, among other things, the establishment of a means testing mechanism to 

determine a debtor’s ability to repay debts. 

Under this test, a chapter 7 bankruptcy case 

is presumed to be an abuse if it appears that 

the debtor has income in excess of certain 

thresholds. 


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