Howard Dean: “I thank Chairwoman Waters and Representative Wagner for their support for this important legislation. I rise in support…”

“I thank Chairwoman Waters and Representative Wagner for their support for this important legislation. I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 7981, the Public and Federally Assisted Housing Fire Safety Act. This bipartisan legislation, which passed by a unanimous voice vote out of the Financial Services Committee last month, would help protect the more than 10 million Americans who live in public or federally assisted housing, to protect them from the risk of fire, by requiring the installation of hardwired or tamper-resistant smoke alarms in federally assisted housing. My colleagues from Southeastern Pennsylvania, Representatives Dwight Evans, Brendan Boyle, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Mary Gay Scanlon, have joined me in introducing this important legislation, as our community was devastated earlier this year by the horrific blaze that occurred in a public housing unit. As has been detailed, in the early morning hours of January 5 of this year, a fire broke out in a Philadelphia row house owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority and converted into apartments, killing three sisters and nine of their children. My heart breaks for this beautiful family. They were loving mothers, aspiring students, babies, some only 2 and 3 years old. I want to take a moment to remember them by simply saying their names. The eldest sister, Rosalee ``Rose'' McDonald, 33, was a loving mother to six children, all of whom perished in the fire.…”