Press Releases

Today, at 6 p.m., the U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously with 419 votes to name room HVC 215 in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center for slain Congressional staffer Gabe Zimmerman.

Zimmerman, 30, was community outreach director for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8) and is the first Congressional staffer to be killed while carrying out his official duties.

In an overwhelming show of bipartisan support, 402 members of the U.S. House of Representatives co-sponsored House Resolution 364, introduced by Rep. Debbie Wassermann Schultz (FL-20), a close friend of Giffords. Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-5) was the lead Republican co-sponsor.

“On Jan. 8 in Tucson, tragedy struck this country in a shooting that shocked our nation and tore through the fabric of the congressional community,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “Six people died that horrific day, including congressional staffer Gabriel Zimmerman. He was a public servant who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country while doing what he loved – ensuring Arizonians had a voice in their government.

“He was the first congressional staffer to be killed in the line of duty in congressional history, and I can think of no better way to memorialize Gabe’s service and ultimate sacrifice than to have a meeting place in the Capitol Visitor Center forever carry his name and memory. I believe, as Gabby Giffords does, that our country has to be strong enough to come together to solve the challenges before us, and I’m proud that this resolution has the support of so many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle.”

There will be a formal dedication of the room in early 2012 when a plaque bearing Zimmerman’s likeness will be unveiled.

Gabe Zimmerman was killed Jan. 8 when a gunman opened fire at Giffords’ Congress On Your Corner event in Northwest Tucson. Five other people were killed and 13 people were wounded, including Giffords and two other members of her staff.

Before joining Giffords’ staff when she took office in January 2007, Zimmerman was a 1998 graduate of University High School in Tucson, a 2002 graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz and a 2006 graduate of Arizona State University, where he received a masters’ degree in social work. He also was a social worker assisting troubled youth.