Ann Marie Buerkle: “Thank you very much, Barbara, Mr. Speaker. One of the many joys of being active with this remarkable, effective…”

“Thank you very much, Barbara, Mr. Speaker. One of the many joys of being active with this remarkable, effective association is that it brings together Republicans and Democrats in our many programs, whether it is a part of our board of directors, during our annual meeting and charitable government tournament, for panel discussions, as well as other presentations. All that this association does is bipartisan. Our board is divided evenly between Republicans and Democrats, and our leadership rotates between the two parties. Currently, our Congress, indeed, our country, is going through a period of polarization and partisanship. While we don't leave our political beliefs at the door when participating in association activities, we pride ourselves in creating an environment where an across-the-aisle dialogue is not only possible, but also the norm. We have institutionalized this approach in a program that we call the Common Ground Project. The purpose of the Common Ground Project is to create venues and events where a bipartisan approach can involve the public in a dialogue on the issues of the day. Some of our longstanding programs, most importantly the Congress to Campus program we just heard about, already fit neatly into the goals of the Common Ground Project. There are other additional undertakings that were specifically created to further this project.…”