Lizzie Fletcher: “I thank Chairwoman Maloney for all of her efforts to bring this important bill to the floor of this House. Mr. Speaker…”

“I thank Chairwoman Maloney for all of her efforts to bring this important bill to the floor of this House. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal. He was my constituent, and he was killed in the line of duty nearly a year ago today on September 27, 2019. As we reach this sad anniversary for our community, I am grateful that this bill to pay tribute to Deputy Dhaliwal's lasting impact on our community is on the floor of the House today. This legislation will designate the postal facility on Addicks Howell Road in Texas' Seventh Congressional District as the Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office Building. Deputy Dhaliwal was widely regarded as a role model for Americans of all faiths wishing to serve their communities. He was the first observant Sikh to serve in the Harris County Sheriff's Office, and he was also one of the first officers in Texas to receive a policy accommodation to practice his religion while serving as a police officer. As my colleagues have noted, he was born in Punjab, India, but his parents soon decided to emigrate to Houston where Mr. Dhaliwal grew deep roots. He did have a successful business, but seeking to build a bridge between law enforcement and the Sikh community and the greater Houston community, he joined the Harris County Sheriff's Office, first as a detention officer in 2009 and one year later he was deputized and graduated to the rank of patrol deputy.…”