Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Miller), and I rise today in support of H.R. 2072, the Securing American Jobs Through Exports Act.

There's been a lot of distracting talk surrounding reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. So I would like to be clear.This is a jobs bill. The Ex-Im financing helps provide jobs for employees of U.S. manufacturers and small businesses, all at no cost to taxpayers. In fact, this government program actually makes money and returns it to the Treasury.

Critics say that Ex-Im lending only benefits the Nation's largest corporations, but this is simply not the case, as the minority whip just indicated a moment ago.

I have 5 companies in my district that benefit from Ex-Im Bank financing. Not one of them is a multinational corporation and none have received millions and millions and millions of dollars. It's because of the support of Ex-Im that they have been able to grow their businesses, hire employees, and increase their exports.

One of those small businesses had this to say about Ex-Im:

For the last 5 years, Ex-Im has supported 17 percent of our

export sales. That converts to 10 full-time jobs for 5 years.

Our employees and their families rely on Ex-Im financing to

support our export sales.

This isn't the testimony of a Fortune 100 CEO. This is the voice of a family-run, multigenerational small business that relies on Ex-Im to help manage the risk of extending credit to buyers outside the U.S. This is a manufacturer that during the housing crisis had to lay off three-quarters of its employees, but thanks in large part to Ex-Im, financing was able to survive the downturn, and it started to grow again.

I want to remind my colleagues that this bill also makes meaningful reforms to the Export-Import Bank. Despite the fact that the bank has an incredibly low default rate--less than 2 percent--this bill takes additional steps to protect taxpayers and reduce export subsidies over time.

I commend Majority Leader Cantor for creating a bill that simultaneously helps to create jobs and mandates reform, and I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Elmer Ellis Library at the University of Missouri on its 150th year of service in the Federal Depository Library Program, a program whose origins date back to 1813, when Congress first authorized the printing and distribution of copies of the Journals of the House and Senate, and other documents the chambers had ordered printed. One hundred and fifty years is a long time to do anything, especially, I would argue, to keep track of our government's too-numerous-to-name documents. Of course, I say that in jest--retention and preservation of tangible and digital information is critical, and future generations and scholars need an accurate record of the proceedings and actions of their government.

Since 1813, depository libraries have safeguarded the public's right to know by collecting, organizing, maintaining, preserving and assisting users with information from the federal government. Government documents span a wide range--from agency information, appropriations, census data and technical reports to Supreme Court decisions and insertions into the Congressional Record, such as my remarks today.

I also would like to take this opportunity to recognize Elmer Ellis Library on its recent receipt of the Federal Depository Library Program Spotlight Award, which highlights that not only is the library one of the oldest participants of the program, starting its program in 1862 in the midst of the Civil War, it also has one of the largest collections in the country, housing 1.5 million federal and Missouri state documents. Unbelievably, some of these documents date back to the founding of our nation.

Since the Federal Depository Library Program's inception in 1813, much has changed. Depository libraries still act as the bridge between our nation's government and its services, offering free access and assistance to interested individuals. However, technology has

transformed the way we create, process, store and distribute information. This means depository libraries must face the challenge of migrating government information to newer formats. Congress appreciates all of depository libraries' hard work and hopes to help move forward on these issues with them.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me in congratulating Elmer Ellis Library and its current coordinator, Marie Concannon, on reaching this significant milestone. Here's to another 150 years of Elmer Ellis Library's chronicling this body's steps and missteps!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Harrisburg High School Lady Bulldogs Basketball team for winning the Class 2 Missouri State Championship on March 17, 2012.

The young women and their coaches should be commended for all their hard work throughout the regular season and bringing home the state basketball championship to their school and community. In the final championship game against the New Haven Shamrocks, the Lady Bulldogs prevailed 43 to 32, making it their second state championship in three seasons.

I ask that you join me in recognizing the Harrisburg Lady Bulldogs for a job well done!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Rock Bridge High School Lady Bruins Basketball team for winning the Class 5 Missouri State Championship on March 10, 2012.

The young women and their coaches should be commended for all their hard work throughout their stunning season. In the championship game against Blue Springs, the Lady Bruins prevailed 52 to 41, marking the team's first title since 2008. The Lady Bruins had come to win starting with a 14 to 0 lead and then never letting their opponent come closer than five points.

I ask that you join me in recognizing the Rock Bridge High School Lady Bruins for a job well done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Rock Bridge High School Lady Bruins Swimming and Diving 400-Yard Freestyle Relay team on its Missouri State Championship.

Madeline Simon, Libby Walker, Kortney Betz and Chelsea Tatlow gave a tremendous showing in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:33:37, allowing them to pull ahead by less than two-tenths of a second of the runner-up. These young ladies and their coaches should be commended for all their hard work throughout the regular season and helping bring home their school's first overall team state championship.

I ask that you join me in recognizing the Rock Bridge High School Lady Bruins for a job well done!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Rock Bridge High School Lady Bruins Swimming and Diving team member Chelsea Tatlow on her state victory in the 100- yard backstroke.

Ms. Tatlow played an integral part in the school's success at the state championship. Winning this event in her sophomore year is indeed a considerable feat, and I am sure that we will continue to see her name in swimming headlines. Ms. Tatlow and her coaches should be commended for all their hard work throughout the regular season and in the state championship.

I ask that you join me in recognizing Rock Bridge High School Lady Bruins' Chelsea Tatlow for a job well done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Rock Bridge High School Lady Bruins Swimming and Diving team on its Missouri State Championship.

The young women and their coaches should be commended for all their hard work and dedication throughout the regular season. The team went on to give the school's swimming and diving program its best showing since the team's 2008 sixth-place finish. Rock Bridge High School athletic teams have had a huge winning tradition this year.

I ask that you join me in recognizing the Rock Bridge High School Lady Bruins for a job well done!

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3001) to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Raoul Wallenberg, in recognition of his achievements and heroic actions during the Holocaust.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material to the bill.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3001, the Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act, introduced by my colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks). This legislation, cosponsored by 301 of our colleagues, including myself, seeks to authorize the striking and awarding of a Congressional Gold Medal honoring Raoul Wallenberg in recognition of his heroism in saving tens of thousands of lives in Nazi-occupied Budapest during World War II. Mr. Wallenberg truly personified the definition of a humanitarian, a hero, and a defender of individuals facing persecution and near-certain death at the hands of a truly inhumane Nazi regime.

Born into an affluent Swedish family of diplomats and bankers, Raoul Wallenberg developed a keen interest in foreign cultures and languages at an early age. He became fluent in English, French, German, and Russian, and after graduating from high school attended the University of Michigan to study architecture. In 1936, a year after graduation, he accepted a job at the Central European Trading Company, an export- import company with operations in Stockholm and Eastern Europe. He quickly became joint owner and international director of the firm, and traveled throughout Europe to assist his boss, a Hungarian Jew. During this period, Mr. Wallenberg immersed himself in the Hungarian language and culture and witnessed the Nazis' increasing stranglehold on Europe.

While Hungary was nominally an Axis power, it sought a secret peace pact with the Allies. When that was discovered, Adolf Hitler invaded Hungary in March of 1944. Under the Nazi occupation, Hungarian Jews faced immediate deportation to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in southern Poland. Jews living in Budapest desperately sought help from the embassies of neutral countries, which could provide short-term identity passes to escape the Nazis. The Swedish delegation was successful in ensuring that the provisional passes would allow the bearers to be treated as Swedish citizens, providing a great deal of protection.

In 1944, the United States created the War Refugee Board for the purposes of rescuing European Jews from Nazi persecution. The Board worked closely with the Swedish delegation to locate a Swedish national to spearhead a rescue operation for Jews facing deportation. Raoul Wallenberg, then a 32-year-old prominent businessman who had a keen familiarity with Hungary, was given the daunting task. In July 1944, when he arrived in Budapest as the First Secretary of the Swedish delegation, more than 400,000 Jewish citizens already had been deported by SS Officer Adolf Eichmann. Only 230,000 Jews were left.

Wallenberg succeeded in designing a facsimile Swedish passport to be issued to Jews trapped in Budapest. They were authentic enough to pass the inspection of local officials, and Wallenberg employed several hundred workers, all of Jewish descent, to produce and issue more than 10,000. He also constructed more than 30 buildings that allowed more than 15,000 Jews to find shelter under the banner of the Swedish delegation. A Swedish flag hung in front of every door, and residents in every building were granted diplomatic immunity.

In November 1944, Eichmann began a campaign of death marches, forcing

large numbers of the remaining Hungarian Jews to march out of Germany on foot. Wallenberg marched along with them. He handed out provisional passes, provided food, water, and medicine, and bribed Nazi guards to free those with passes, wielding the full authority of the Swedish government. For the persecuted who were deported by train, Wallenberg issued provisional passes on the train tracks, on the roofs, and even inside the train cars themselves. In one of his most important accomplishments, he prevented Eichmann's attempted massacre in Budapest's largest ghetto in January 1945. At the risk of his own life, Wallenberg used his diplomatic influence to secure a note from a prominent official calling off the massacre. Then, at the end of the war, he was taken by the Soviet army, allegedly for spying, and was never heard from again. He is said to have died in the KGB's Lubyanka prison in 1947.

Mr. Speaker, we remember Raoul Wallenberg for his unwavering courage in saving the lives of as many as 100,000 innocent men, women, and children. Awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Mr. Wallenberg is the very least that we can do to honor a man who imperiled himself for a cause so worthy. We can now examine, with gratitude, a uniquely bright flame of valor in a terribly dark period of world history. Individuals such as Raoul Wallenberg were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice of life and livelihood to serve the greater good of humankind. It is my hope that his efforts and sacrifices will serve as an example for all of us and for future generations.

Mr. Speaker, I urge immediate passage, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Ways and Means,

Washington, DC, April 16, 2012.

Hon. Spencer Bachus,

Chairman, Committee on Financial Services, Rayburn House

Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Bachus: I am writing concerning H.R. 3001,

the ``Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act,'' which is

scheduled for floor action the week of April 16, 2012.

As you know, the Committee on Ways and Means maintains

jurisdiction over matters that concern raising revenue. H.R.

3001 contains a provision that provides for the sale of

duplicate medals, and thus falls within the jurisdiction of

the Committee on Ways and Means.

However, as part of our ongoing understanding regarding

commemorative coin and medal bills and in order to expedite

this bill for floor consideration, the Committee will forgo

action. This is being done with the understanding that it

does not in any way prejudice the Committee with respect to

the appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional

prerogatives on this or similar legislation in the future.

I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming

this understanding with respect to H.R. 3001, and would ask

that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be

included in the Congressional Record during floor

consideration.

Sincerely,

Dave Camp,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to yield as much time as she would consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Hayworth). As the gentleman from New York indicated, she has worked tirelessly on this issue and is one of the most respected newest Members of our body.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I'd like to yield to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) as much time as he would consume.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time at this point, and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1815) to posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Lena

Horne in recognition of her achievements and contributions to American culture and the civil rights movement.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous material to this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1815, the Lena Horne Recognition Act, introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings).

This legislation, cosponsored by 308 Members, seeks to authorize the striking and awarding of a Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of the indomitable spirit and overwhelming voice of the great singer Lena Horne.

Few singers have captured the imagination, the ear, and the spirit of the country as did Lena Horne in her magnificent career. Fewer still did that while waging a tireless battle for civil rights through the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Ms. Horne was perhaps the top nightclub singer of that era, but still found time to come here for Dr. Martin Luther King's March on Washington--and she was also at an NAACP rally in Jackson, Mississippi, alongside Medgar Evers on the weekend he was assassinated.

From her earliest performing days--at 16, in 1933, at the famous Cotton Club--until her very last performance in a Duke Ellington tribute album in 2000, her performances riveted audiences. She won a handful of Grammy awards and a Tony award, and she was nominated for other Tonys and for an Emmy as well as a large number of personal achievement and civil rights awards.

Lena Horne appeared multiple times on all of the big television variety shows of the fifties and sixties, and of course, later in her career, hosted her own long-running, one-woman show on Broadway. She also acted in numerous films, including ``Stormy Weather,'' in which she performed what many thought to be her signature song of the same name. Sadly, despite her ability and her beauty, she never landed a starring role.

Mr. Speaker, Lena Horne's magnificent voice and steadfast fight for civil rights make her a worthy recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal. I salute her, and congratulate the gentleman from Florida for his effort on this legislation. I urge its immediate passage, and reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Ways and Means,

Washington, DC, April 16, 2012.

Hon. Spencer Bachus,

Chairman, Committee on Financial Services, Rayburn House

Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Bachus: I am writing concerning H.R. 1815,

the ``Lena Horne Recognition Act,'' which is scheduled for

floor action the week of April 16, 2012.

As you know, the Committee on Ways and Means maintains

jurisdiction over matters that concern raising revenue. H.R.

1815 contains a provision that provides for the sale of

duplicate medals, and thus falls within the jurisdiction of

the Committee on Ways and Means.

However, as part of our ongoing understanding regarding

commemorative coin and medal bills and in order to expedite

this hill for floor consideration, the Committee will forgo

action. This is being done with the understanding that it

does not in any way prejudice the Committee with respect to

the appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional

prerogatives on this or similar legislation in the future.

I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming

this understanding with respect to H.R. 1815, and would ask

that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be

included in the Congressional Record during floor

consideration.

Sincerely,

Dave Camp,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers at this time. I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4040) to provide for the award of a gold medal on behalf of Congress to Jack Nicklaus in recognition of his service to the nation in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship in golf.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous material on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 4040, awarding a Congressional Gold Medal to Jack Nicklaus. It is an honor and a privilege to be speaking on this bill brought to the floor by the efforts of my friend and colleague from California (Mr. Baca) and cosponsored by 342 Members. I commend the gentleman for his work on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, we all know Jack Nicklaus is one of the best golfers of all time, but he also has been so much more than that. Jack Nicklaus is a successful businessman, a spokesman, a devoted father and grandfather, and one of the warmest, kindest public figures in history.

Jack Nicklaus, the golfer, has been the recipient of countless athletic awards and honors. He is the only player in golf history to win each major championship at least three times, and the only player to win the Grand Slam on the regular and senior tours. A five-time PGA Player of the Year, he became the first golfer to win the Vince Lombardi trophy for excellence and has been inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame, just to name a few of his achievements.

Jack Nicklaus is also a humanitarian. He has built an impressive record of giving to the world, establishing, managing and serving as the face of charities, golf tournaments and campaigns that raise funds to help people in need all over the world.

He established the pro-am golf tournament called The Jake in honor of his young grandson who died in 2005. It serves as a primary fundraiser for the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation. He is an honorary chairman of a golf course designed for the rehabilitation of wounded and disabled veterans. He is a spokesperson and trustee for The First Tee program that brings golf to children who would not otherwise be exposed to it.

Jack Nicklaus, the entrepreneur, has been involved in the design of more than 275 golf courses, and has been the recipient of the Old Tom Morris Award in golf course design, which is the highest award given by golf course superintendents. He has been given the Donald Ross Award by the American Society of Golf Course Architects and the Don A. Rossi Award by the Gold Course Builders Association of America.

Jack Nicklaus was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2005, the highest Presidential honor given to any U.S. civilian.

By approving this legislation, Congress will move forward to award the highest congressional civilian honor.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation celebrates the accomplishments of a man who is honored by many for his achievements in a life very well lived. I ask all Members to support it.

I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Ways and Means,

Washington, DC, April 16, 2012.

Hon. Spencer Bachus,

Chairman, Committee on Financial Services, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Bachus, I am writing concerning H.R. 4040, to

award a congressional gold medal to Jack Nicklaus, which is

scheduled for floor action the week of April 16, 2012.

As you know, the Committee on Ways and Means maintains

jurisdiction over matters that concern raising revenue. H.R.

4040 contains a provision that provides for the sale of

duplicate medals, and thus falls within the jurisdiction of

the Committee on Ways and Means.

However, as part of our ongoing understanding regarding

commemorative coin and medal bills and in order to expedite

this bill for floor consideration, the Committee will forgo

action. This is being done with the understanding that it

does not in any way prejudice the Committee with respect to

the appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional

prerogatives on this or similar legislation in the future.

I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming

this understanding with respect to H.R. 4040, and would ask

that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be

included in the Congressional Record during floor

consideration.

Sincerely,

Dave Camp,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana, one of our senior Members and most distinguished Members, Mr. Burton.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from Florida, one of the younger members of the conference, Mr. Rooney, such time as he may consume.

I thank the sponsor of the bill, Mr. Baca, for his hard work.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2453) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of Mark Twain, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous material on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today to urge Members to support H.R. 2453, the Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act. This legislation will allow the United States Treasury to mint $1 and $5 commemorative coins in 2016 in recognition of the important legacy of Mark Twain. Surcharges on the sale of the coins will benefit four institutions that either bear Mark Twain's name or focus on the study of his work: the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut; the University of California, Berkeley; Elmira College in New York; and in my congressional district, the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Missouri. The sale price of the coins will cover all real and amortized costs of production and marketing costs so that the entire program will be produced at no cost to the taxpayers.

I would like to thank my colleague, Representative John Larson of Connecticut, who first introduced this legislation in the 110th Congress. The gentleman from Connecticut and I share an admiration for Mark Twain, and have made it a priority to see his legislation through. I appreciate his hard work on collecting all the signatures on his side of the aisle.

I would also like to thank the Missouri congressional delegation for their support. When I first announced my intentions to introduce the Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act, all eight of my colleagues immediately came on board to help advance this legislation.

I want to acknowledge the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, Dr. Cindy Lovell, and the museum's curator, Henry Sweets, as well as their dedicated staff, for their incredible work to promote awareness and the appreciation of the life and works of Mark Twain.

Importantly, I would like to thank Chairman Bachus, Ranking Member Frank, Speaker Boehner, and Majority Leader Cantor for their assistance and cooperation in getting the bill scheduled for consideration in this House.

A true American figure, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known to the world as Mark Twain, was born and raised in Missouri amidst the turmoil of the American Civil War. Twain's boyhood home in Hannibal, Missouri, inspired the settings of some of his most beloved stories and helped shape his views on violence and injustice.

The Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal commemorates the childhood of a man who grew up to be one of the most recognized names in literature. The museum opened its doors in 1912 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962. I would also like to recognize the museum for its upcoming 100th anniversary, a milestone which will be celebrated on May 15.

Twain would eventually move to Hartford, Connecticut, where he settled and began to work on what would become his most famous work, ``The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.'' Hartford is home to the Mark Twain House & Museum, dedicated to educating people across the Nation and around the world about Twain, his works, and the time period in which he lived.

In New York, Elmira College breathes new life into the history of Mark Twain, offering fellowships for research on the author. Elmira College also hosts a Mark Twain conference and provides tours of Twain's study, where he sought refuge to write several short stories and some of his most famous novels. The Mark Twain Project at the Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley houses the Mark Twain papers, an extensive archive of virtually every document in Twain's hand known to survive.

The bill we consider today honors the legacy of a great American and will benefit the institutions that continue to spread awareness and educate the public of his great accomplishments and contributions to society. I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this legislation, which is cosponsored by 298 of our colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Spencer Bachus,

Chairman, Committee on Financial Services, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Bachus: I am writing concerning H.R. 2453,

the ``Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act,'' which is scheduled

for floor action the week of April 16, 2012.

As you know, the Committee on Ways and Means maintains

jurisdiction over matters that concern raising revenue. H.R.

2453 contains a provision that establishes a surcharge for

the sale of commemorative coins that are minted under the

bill, and this falls within the jurisdiction of the Committee

on Ways and Means.

However, as part of our ongoing understanding regarding

commemorative coin bills and in order to expedite this bill

for floor consideration, the Committee will forgo action.

This is being done with the understanding that it does not in

any way prejudice the Committee with respect to the

appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional prerogatives

on this or similar legislation in the future.

I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming

this understanding with respect to H.R. 2453, and would ask

that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be

included in the Congressional Record during floor

consideration.

Sincerely,

Dave Camp,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I don't have any further speakers at this time, and continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to close with a few thoughts here.

Again, I thank the gentleman from Connecticut for his hard work in helping to put this together, as well as the gentleman from California (Mr. Baca) for his help today.

It's interesting. When I was the director of tourism for the State of Missouri, we found out just how big an icon Mr. Twain was. Mark Twain not only is an icon who is recognized around the United States, but he is one of the few icons that people from other countries recognize about our country.

If you travel to Hannibal, Missouri, you can see the influence in the surroundings there and the stories that he told, and what kind of an influence it had on him as a youth and the stories as they unfolded. It's quite something.

Again, with that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Cody Pae of the Fulton High School Wrestling team for winning the Class 2 Missouri State Wrestling Championship in the 126-pound weight class.

Mr. Pae and his coaches should be commended for all their hard work throughout the

regular season and for bringing home the state title in the Class 2 126-pound weight class to his school and community. This is his third state medal and first state title.

I ask that you join me in recognizing Mr. Pae for a job well done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating J'den Cox of the Hickman High School Wrestling team for winning the Class 4 Missouri State Wrestling Championship in the 220-pound weight class.

Mr. Cox and his coaches should be commended for all their hard work throughout the regular season and for bringing home the state title in the 220-pound weight class to his school and community. This is his third state championship. He is the Tribune Wrestler of the Year with his unofficially compiled 526 takedowns.

I ask that you join me in recognizing Mr. Cox for a job well done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Trey Smith of the Moberly High School Wrestling team for his first Class 2 Missouri State Wrestling Championship. Mr. Smith won by decision in the 152-pound weight class.

Mr. Smith and his coaches should be commended for all their hard work throughout the regular season and for bringing home the state championship title in the Class 2 152-pound weight class to his school and community.

I ask that you join me in recognizing Mr. Smith for a job well done!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Travis Lang of the Kirksville High School Wrestling team for winning the Class 2 Missouri State Wrestling Championship in the 182-pound weight class.

Mr. Lang and his coaches should be commended for all their hard work throughout the regular season and for bringing home the state title in the Class 2 182-pound weight class to his school and community. This is his third state title.

I ask that you join me in recognizing Mr. Lang for a job well done!