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US CONGRESS · SITTING

LaMonica McIver

Representative for New Jersey · Democratic · United States

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026)] [House] [Page H4673] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING JOANNE RAJOPPI (Mrs.

CREC-2026-07-20-PT1-PGH4673 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026)] [House] [Page H4673] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING JOANNE RAJOPPI (Mrs.

HONORING JOANNE RAJOPPI · 2026-07-20 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

Throughout her career, Joanne worked to modernize county government by expanding access to public records, improving election information, and creating new resources for residents throughout the county. Joanne cared about our democracy and did the work of keeping it. That work is sometimes hard and thankless, but it is also important.

HONORING JOANNE RAJOPPI · 2026-07-20 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

Throughout her career, Joanne worked to modernize county government by expanding access to public records, improving election information, and creating new resources for residents throughout the county. Joanne cared about our democracy and did the work of keeping it. That work is sometimes hard and thankless, but it is also important.

CREC-2026-07-20-PT1-PGH4673 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

Mr. Speaker, I rise and stand here today not as a politician, but as a daughter, a mother, and a product of public schools. I am here because I know what education can do, what it did for me, what it has done for millions of children across this country, and I cannot sit quietly as one of the cornerstones of our democracy is chipped away.…

CREC-2025-04-07-PT1-PGH1447 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

We are telling a little girl in the south ward of Newark, a little boy in the Borough of Roselle, or a student living in Jersey City that their potential has limits, that they weren't meant to retire. However, I know better, because I have seen what happens when we invest in our kids.

CREC-2025-04-07-PT1-PGH1447 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

The complete record

Every one of 7 lines we hold for LaMonica McIver, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account.

  1. Throughout her career, Joanne worked to modernize county government by expanding access to public records, improving election information, and creating new resources for residents throughout the county. Joanne cared about our democracy and did the work of keeping it. That work is sometimes hard and thankless, but it is also important. Joanne knew that. A six-time recipient of the National Association of Counties Achievement Award, Joanne's leadership and innovation left a lasting impact on New Jersey. On behalf of New Jersey's 10th Congressional District, I extend my deepest condolences to Joanne's family, friends, colleagues, all of those who loved her so much, and all those whose lives she touched throughout her extraordinary commitment to public service. May she rest in peace. ____________________

    CREC-2026-07-20-PT1-PGH4673 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

  2. Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026)] [House] [Page H4673] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING JOANNE RAJOPPI (Mrs. McIVER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Mrs. McIVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Joanne Rajoppi, the longtime Union County clerk who dedicated more than five decades to public service and passed away on Thursday, July 16, at the age of 78. Joanne made history as Springfield's first female mayor, later becoming the first and only woman to serve as chair of the Union County Board of Commissioners. She served as Union County Clerk for 30 years.

    CREC-2026-07-20-PT1-PGH4673 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

  3. Throughout her career, Joanne worked to modernize county government by expanding access to public records, improving election information, and creating new resources for residents throughout the county. Joanne cared about our democracy and did the work of keeping it. That work is sometimes hard and thankless, but it is also important. Joanne knew that. A six-time recipient of the National Association of Counties Achievement Award, Joanne's leadership and innovation left a lasting impact on New Jersey. On behalf of New Jersey's 10th Congressional District, I extend my deepest condolences to Joanne's family, friends, colleagues, all of those who loved her so much, and all those whose lives she touched throughout her extraordinary commitment to public service. May she rest in peace. ____________________

    HONORING JOANNE RAJOPPI · 2026-07-20 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

  4. Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026)] [House] [Page H4673] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING JOANNE RAJOPPI (Mrs. McIVER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Mrs. McIVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Joanne Rajoppi, the longtime Union County clerk who dedicated more than five decades to public service and passed away on Thursday, July 16, at the age of 78. Joanne made history as Springfield's first female mayor, later becoming the first and only woman to serve as chair of the Union County Board of Commissioners. She served as Union County Clerk for 30 years.

    HONORING JOANNE RAJOPPI · 2026-07-20 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

  5. This is about who we are as a country. Do we invest in the next generation or do we abandon them? We are better than this. Our children deserve better than this. I cosponsored H.R. 433, the Department of Education Protection Act, to prohibit the use of congressional appropriated funds for any reorganization or dismantling of the Department of Education. I urge my colleagues across the aisle in this room to fight for our schools, fight for our teachers, fight for every child who dares to dream beyond their circumstances because they are watching, and they are counting on us.

    CREC-2025-04-07-PT1-PGH1447 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

  6. We are telling a little girl in the south ward of Newark, a little boy in the Borough of Roselle, or a student living in Jersey City that their potential has limits, that they weren't meant to retire. However, I know better, because I have seen what happens when we invest in our kids. I have seen how a great teacher can change the course of a life. I have seen how a Pell grant can lift up a family. I have seen young people go from classrooms with broken chairs to boardrooms and executive suites because someone believed in them. I have often said that education is the one thing no one can take away from you, but right now Trump and his billionaire buddies are trying to take away the very structure that ensures our kids get that education in the first place. It isn't about politics. This is about values.

    CREC-2025-04-07-PT1-PGH1447 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

  7. Mr. Speaker, I rise and stand here today not as a politician, but as a daughter, a mother, and a product of public schools. I am here because I know what education can do, what it did for me, what it has done for millions of children across this country, and I cannot sit quietly as one of the cornerstones of our democracy is chipped away. What we are witnessing with the dismantling of the Department of Education isn't just a bureaucratic decision. It is dangerous. It is a decision that tells every child in this country that their future doesn't matter, that their dreams are negotiable, that their ZIP Code should determine the quality of their education. Let me be clear, that is not just wrong, it is vicious because when we give up on our schools, we give up on our communities. When we defund education, we are defunding hope.

    CREC-2025-04-07-PT1-PGH1447 · READ IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD