David Schweikert: “Today I rise in support of House Resolution 364, renaming House visitor room 215 the Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room. As…”

“Today I rise in support of House Resolution 364, renaming House visitor room 215 the Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room. As a Member of Congress, each of us consider our staff more than employees. We work with them. They represent our districts. But they are part of our team. They are part of our family. And they're also the voice, the eyes, and ears in our communities. They solve problems, and they work very long hours. Often, and I particularly feel bad about this, we often forget to say ``thank you'' to those staffers. Today we say thank you to Gabriel Zimmerman, who was truly one of these dedicated staffers. He had a great reputation of being one of the most caring individuals you could possibly ever meet. After receiving his master's degree at Arizona State University, a fine institution, he chose to give back to Arizona and give back to the community in southern Arizona, making our State a better place. But on the morning of January 8, he had organized a Congresswoman on the Corner meeting outside Tucson so constituents could talk and meet with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Representing, that Saturday morning in southern Arizona, was what democracy is all about. It is democracy at its finest. And then the unimaginable happened. Gabe Zimmerman is the first congressional staffer to lose his life in the service of this House. Today we honor Gabriel's talents, the compassion, and the wonderful things he did for Arizona, for southern Arizona, for the community.…”