House honors slain Giffords staffer

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a resolution renaming a room in the U.S. Capitol in memory of Gabriel Zimmerman, an aide to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords who was one of the six people killed in an attempt on her life in January.

Zimmerman, 30, was one of the first people hired by Giffords after her election in 2006, her office said. He served most recently as the Arizona Democrat’s director of community outreach and helped plan the “Congress On Your Corner” event at which she was shot on Jan. 8.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), a close friend of Giffords, introduced the measure to rename room HVC 215 of the Capitol Visitor Center as the Gabriel Zimmerman Meeting Room. It had 402 co-sponsors, and passed unanimously, 419-0.

The text of the resolution states that Zimmerman “was the first Congressional staffer in history to be murdered in the performance of his official duties.”

“And God willing, the last,” House Speaker John A. Boehner said in remarks on the House floor Wednesday.

“Let us honor Gabe’s memory by following his example of service to this institution, which remains the direct voice of the American people and their will,” the Ohio Republican said.