[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 25, 2023)] [Senate] [Pages S1336-S1337] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-25
Chamber: SENATE
Mrs. MURRAY: I rise today to honor and congratulate Mr. Joe McDermott on his retirement following 22 years of public service. Joe retires from Washington's King County Council, where he has represented King County's eighth district and been an extraordinary asset to our State and the greater Seattle-King County region for his many years in both the Washington State Senate and House of Representatives. Upon joining the State legislature in 2001, Joe marked the first time more than one openly gay legislator would serve in it. During his time, he contributed to unprecedented progress for the LGBTQ+ community through the addition of sexual orientation and gender identity to our State's antidiscrimination statutes and protections for transgender persons to our hate crime statutes, as well as recognition to domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. Joe's contributions have forever broadened the civil rights bill and paved the way to marriage equality. Joe has also been a pivotal leader in safeguarding public safety. As a councilmember, Joe responded to the public health crisis of gun violence by recognizing the necessity of responsible firearm policy with the 2018 King County Gun Safety Action Plan. Aschair of the King County Board of Health, Joe established the first producer-paid Secure Medicine Return Program in Washington State and second in the Nation, addressing the opiate crisis and ensuring the safe disposal of unused medicines throughout King County. In just 5 years before the program became statewide and thanks to Joe's drive and commitment, 198 drop boxes were provided across the county, and over 115 tons of drugs destroyed. As a sponsor of the original and 2021 renewal of Executive Dow Constantine's Best Starts for Kids Levy, Joe has played a momentous role in serving more than half a million King County children, youth, young adults, and families in partnership with 500 community-based organizations. He understands, as I do, that our young people are the future and our early investments in their lives will have growing returns for years to come. The host of community-based proposals and progress throughout his career reflect Joe's extraordinary skills in developing compromise and recognizing individualized needs, even in the most difficult of circumstances. As a champion of the Health through Housing initiative to house 1,600 of the most challenged people facing homelessness and leader for support on long range hotel motel tax revenue allocation for affordable housing and public infrastructure, Joe has never wavered from the deep responsibility and value he holds for King County's low- income people. Joe's work has been all-encompassing. From the expansion of the light rail service and the guarantee of its equitable fare enforcement, to the addition of new water taxis to meet higher passenger capacities, to the review and approval of King County's public participation in an arena proposal for NBA basketball and NHL hockey, the lengths to which Joe will provide for our communities seem endless. It has been a great privilege to learn and collaborate with Joe over the last two decades, and it is my honor to thank him for his dedicated service to the people of King County, the State of Washington, and across the entire country. I wish him the very best during his well- earned retirement.