Mr. Speaker, I have been blessed these last 4 years to represent the people of West Virginia's Third Congressional District, but now country roads are calling me home. My State is facing a crisis in our judicial system, and I believe back…
Mr. Speaker, I have been blessed these last 4 years to represent the people of West Virginia's Third Congressional District, but now country roads are calling me home.
My State is facing a crisis in our judicial system, and I believe back home is where I am needed most to best serve the people of West Virginia. This Sunday, I will be stepping down from the people's House to serve as a justice beginning Monday on our State Supreme Court.
We are proud West Virginians, always working to make sure the State we love is the very best it can be, and taking care of one another when times are tough. In Congress, I have tried to use that Mountain State can-do spirit to help West Virginia grow and prosper. Here are just a few examples.
Helping newborn babies. We have worked to help the most innocent victims of the drug crisis: newborn babies exposed to drugs during pregnancy. The cry of a precious, tiny baby suffering through withdrawal is heartbreaking. We were able to cut through Federal red tape and pass legislation, signed by the President, so facilities like Lily's Place can help children get a healthy start in life.
Protecting miner's healthcare. Our government made a promise to our miners: You go into the bowels of the Earth, mine the coal that fuels our Nation, forge the steel that won world wars, and we will guarantee you a secure healthcare benefit. We kept that promise, passing legislation protecting healthcare for our retirees and their widows.
As go the roads, so go the jobs. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I helped fund the FAST Act, bringing $2.5 billion of funding just to West Virginia. Now, we are fixing our roads and bridges, and investing in water and sewer infrastructure, transitioning the West Virginia economy. We are bringing broadband to our State in rural parts.
Growing more jobs. My motto is a good job solves a lot of problems. You can feel hope and opportunity returning to the hills of West Virginia. In fact, our 2017 economic growth rate was one of the highest in the country.
I will never forget standing in the Oval Office with President Trump, surrounded by our hardworking coal miners, as he signed the legislation I helped pass that saved one-third of all coal mining jobs in America. Coal trains are full again and paychecks are back in workers' pockets.
This has truly been a team effort. I want to thank the incredible staff for their hard work and dedication to our constituents. We have handled over 5,000 constituent service requests these last 4 years.
We were able to help people like Wetzel Sanders, a true American hero. Wetzel was a corporal in the Army and was injured in the attack on Pearl Harbor. He took shrapnel to the knee, was bandaged, and went back into the fight. He is now 95 years old, and I was able to present him with a much-deserved Purple Heart he should not have had to wait 76 years to receive.
We have also helped people through some of their most difficult times. In a matter of hours in late June 2016, 23 people lost their lives and hundreds of homes were destroyed. Thousands of residents were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs, due to devastating floods. We worked hard to help our residents recover and rebuild to get their lives headed back in the right direction.
Let me reassure the people of the Third Congressional District, my dedicated staff will continue to serve the people of West Virginia, and our constituent service won't skip a beat.
Mr. Speaker, I thank West Virginia House Members, my fellow colleagues, David McKinley and Alex Mooney, and Senator Capito and Senator Manchin for the opportunity to serve and work with them. They are dedicated public servants.
I will miss hosting middle school students late at night, right here on the House floor, talking about the greatness of our country, and sharing a quiet moment with our heroes on an honor flight from back home at our war memorials here in Washington.
I will not miss sleeping on a $99 cot each night these past 4 years in my office here in Washington, but I was never here in Washington to get settled in.
Finally, I would like to thank my wife, E.B., and our children, Hollin, Charles, and Olivia, for supporting me each and every step of the way. They have been incredibly patient and understanding about the time public service has taken from our family time. I love them very much.
Again, I thank the citizens of the Third Congressional District for the opportunity to serve them in the United States House of Representatives.
God bless America and God bless West Virginia.
