Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, D.C. statehood is unconstitutional. Both Republican and Democrat administrations of the past have long interpreted the Constitution in that fashion.

One of the problems with D.C. statehood is that two States, Maryland and my home State of Virginia, gave land for the cede of government, and they did not do so with the intent to create a new State.

When Virginia's land wasn't used for the cede of government, Congress ceded it back to Virginia. It did not create a new State.

As it was then, retrocession is our best course of action today. Shrinking the seat of government, which is permitted by Article I, and returning the rest to Maryland for the purposes of representation, offers D.C. residents a voice in the Federal legislative branch and keeps faith with Maryland's original cession of land for D.C. It also

works within the bounds of the Constitution.

Mr. Speaker, I have introduced a bill, and it is later going to be a motion to recommit. And I have also taken great care, as a part of that, making sure that retrocession and the transfer of administrative functions from D.C. to Maryland runs as smoothly as possible.

If you are worried about the details of D.C. government, this bill, this motion to recommit, takes care of them.

As the old Prego commercials said: It's in there.

Congressional representation, it's in there.

The courts, it's in there.

The National Guard, it's in there.

Commitments to retirees, it's in there.

Tuition assistance, it's in there.

Preventing the remaining Federal District from casting the three electoral votes meant for D.C., it is in there.

My motion to recommit, which I will offer in a bit, is the most practical solution to giving D.C. residents a voice in Congress, to give them a right to vote.

Mr. Speaker, if we adopt a motion to recommit, we will instruct the Committee on Oversight and Reform to consider my amendment to H.R. 51, to provide for the retrocession of land to the State of Maryland, rather than to create a new State.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the text of the amendment immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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

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

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

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

Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Evan Morgan Massey of Richmond, Virginia, who passed away on March 10, 2021 at the age of 94. Morgan Massey was a business leader and philanthropist whose visionary leadership in the coal industry made an impact across the globe and certainly in the Ninth Congressional District of Virginia I represent.

Mr. Massey was born on December 29, 1926. He trained for service as an aviator during World War II and later graduated from the University of Virginia. He joined his family's firm, A.T. Massey Coal Company, in 1949. Mr. Massey helped drive the company from a midsize operation to one of the largest coal companies in the United States. The family sold the company to St. Joe Minerals in 1973, and Mr. Massey continued to run the company until he retired in 1991.

Following retirement, Mr. Massey extended his endeavors across the globe, developing operations abroad and championing new uses for coal. He expanded mining into China and Venezuela and founded the Evan Energy Company to improve coal mining safety in South America and China. Mr. Massey supported research such as that at Virginia Tech which generates rare earth minerals from coal and coal byproducts. A tireless innovator and entrepreneur, Mr. Massey remained active in his office daily even late in life.

Beyond his role in business, Mr. Massey served Richmond's philanthropic community through the Massey Foundation, founded by his uncle and father, and the Joan and Morgan Massey Foundation. His interests included higher education, medical research, and the development of new technologies, and his philanthropic support of these causes have improved the lives of many.

Mr. Massey's survivors include his daughters, Elizabeth Anne Massey, Susan Chapman Massey and Nancy Lee Massey; sons, Evan Morgan Massey, Jr. and his wife, Robin, John William Massey and his wife, Kelli, Charles Taylor Massey and his wife, Sarah and Craig Lewis Massey and his wife, Sky; 15 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. I offer them my condolences on this loss of the great business leader and philanthropist.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1899, the Ensuring Compliance Against Drug Diversion Act. This is a small but very important step that could play a key role in helping contain the opioid epidemic.

License to distribute opioids is not a commodity to be freely bought and sold. We must ensure that those who wish to engage in opioid distribution earn the ability to do so.

An investigation, as the Speaker has heard, published by the Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee in 2018 found that the current procedures for transferring the licenses to distribute controlled substances lacked sufficient accountability.

In one instance, a distributor and its pharmacy customer did not go through the appropriate process of transferring registration to a new pharmacy owner, but the mistake wasn't caught until long, long afterward. As a result, there was a period of time during which the DEA was unaware that a particular pharmacy was distributing controlled substances.

Failing to properly verify whether a transfer has been approved creates a serious risk of drug diversion. This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act to prohibit the transfer of any DEA registration without consent from the agency.

By requiring written approval from the DEA before the transfer of registration, we decrease the risk of controlled substances falling into the hands of those who have not been vetted by appropriate regulatory authorities.

Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Frank Brady of Bluefield, Virginia, who has announced his retirement as General Manager of WVVA-TV. Frank is a 47-year veteran broadcaster who devotes his professional and personal time to improving the greater Bluefield region.

WVVA broadcasts to residents of Virginia's Ninth District as well as in West Virginia. Many Southwest Virginians tune into WVVA for their news. Frank arrived at WVVA in 2005 from KHQA-TV in Quincy, Illinois, bringing his extensive knowledge of the broadcasting industry to the Bluefield market. Under his management, WVVA added nine additional hours of news programming and four additional channels to its digital signal. His professional work has been honored by the Mel Burka Distinguished Broadcaster Award for lifetime achievement by the West Virginia Broadcasters Association.

Frank's time in Bluefield has also been characterized by community service and advocacy for the region. Under his management, WVVA regularly engages in charity work in its viewing area, including food and clothing drives. It partners each holiday season with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in the Toys for Tots campaign, providing toys for over 2,600 children in the region. Frank has chaired the Bluefield Chamber of Commerce and serves on the boards of the Community Foundation of the Two Virginias and the Bluefield State College Foundation. He promotes the region's economic development and cultural events.

As Congressman for Virginia's Ninth District, I have been a regular visitor to WVVA and participant in the debates it sponsors. When I am in the Bluefield area, I appreciate the opportunity to come by the studio and communicate with constituents about my work in the House of Representatives, but I also appreciate the chance to stop in and see Frank, and over the years we have developed a friendship. I would like to congratulate Frank on concluding his impressive career in broadcasting and wish him all the best upon his retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Louis Stephens ``Luke'' Waldrop Sr. of Salem, Virginia, who passed away on March 12, 2021 at the age of 97. Mr. Waldrop was a real estate developer and philanthropist who made a tremendous impact on Salem throughout his long and active life.

Mr. Waldrop was born on June 11, 1923 to Alexander Atkinson and Carolyn Bear Waldrop. He grew up in Roanoke and attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria. His collegiate studies at the University of Virginia (UVA) were interrupted by World War II, in which he served as a Navy medic in the Pacific theater. After completing his service, Mr. Waldrop returned to UVA to finish his degree and married Harriett, at the time a senior at Mary Baldwin College.

After a stint in Richmond, Mr. Waldrop moved with his young family back to his native Roanoke Valley. His brother John introduced him to R.L. Russ, who educated him in the real estate business. Mr. Waldrop launched his own company, L.S. Waldrop Realty, in 1956.

Much of our country was remade by the housing boom that followed World War II. It was Luke Waldrop that harnessed that boom to remake Salem. With a keen sense for deal making and closing the sale, he drove forward residential and business development. Middleton Gardens, West Club Forest, Woodbridge, Spartan Square, Salem Terrace at Harrogate, Caroline Forest Apartments, and over 900 single family homes resulted from his professional efforts.

Mr. Waldrop was devoted to charitable causes and community organizations in Salem and beyond. Among the educational institutions that benefited from his contributions and support for endowed scholarships are his alma mater UVA, Roanoke College, Mary Baldwin College, Virginia Western Community College,

and Episcopal High School. He was on the vestry at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, belonged to and at one time served as president of the Salem Rotary, and served on the Roanoke County Planning Commission.

Mr. Waldrop was preceded in death by his first wife, Harriett, his second wife, Anne ``Dickie'' Dickson Jordon Waldrop, and grandson Adam Thomas Waldrop. He is survived by children Kathryn Kerkering (Tom), Caroline Buckman Haddock, Louis Stephens ``Steve'' Waldrop Jr., Preston Adam Waldrop (Jamie), Harriett Ann Waldrop, and Laura Doub (Bruce); thirteen grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; and numerous great- grandchildren. I offer them my condolences on the loss of Luke Waldrop, a member of the Greatest Generation who changed Salem for the better over his many decades in business and in service.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor George Harvey Sr. of Radford, Virginia, who passed away on February 24, 2021 at the age of 92. Mr. Harvey's life was a true American success story, in which he rose from hard beginnings to great accomplishments in business and then drew upon them to give back to his community.

Mr. Harvey was born on May 31, 1928 in Mann, West Virginia. His family moved to a farm in Montgomery County, Virginia in 1932. As a child, he walked two miles to attend school. When attending Auburn High School, he had to walk two miles to catch the bus, and if his responsibilities of milking the farm's cows delayed him from catching the bus, he had to walk five miles more to school.

After graduating from Auburn in 1945, Mr. Harvey joined the United States Air Corps and was deployed to Fairbanks, Alaska. He passed on the chance to attend West Point and opted instead to return home to Southwest Virginia. He enrolled in National Business College in Roanoke, majoring in Business and Accounting.

Mr. Harvey began his career by operating a gas station, followed by a Texaco Oil Distributing Business and a used car dealership. In 1957, he became a General Motors Chevrolet dealer in Christiansburg. The next year, he bought an Oldsmobile dealership, and in 1959, he purchased a Chevrolet-Oldsmobile-Cadillac franchise in Radford. His business grew through the decades, earning him millions and providing jobs to many in the region. In 1989, it added a Pontiac-Buick dealership as well. He took the obligations that came with wealth and job creation seriously. According to the Roanoke Times, he said in 2009 that the number he was proudest of was zero, which was the number of employees he had laid off over the then-50-year history of Harvey's Chevrolet Cadillac Buick.

Many local organizations and causes benefited from Mr. Harvey's support. At Radford University, he was the second president of the foundation and the chairman of the Business and Economics Department, driving the creation of a certified School of Business. He was chairman of the board at Radford Community Hospital, now Carilion New River Valley Medical Center.

Other roles he held in the community included president of the Chamber of Commerce; Vice President of First & Merchants National Bank in Radford; past president of the New River Dealers Association, Kiwanis Club and Retail Merchants Association; past chairman of United Fund and the Michelle ``Petie'' Lineberry Heart Recipient Fund Drive; past vice president of the Southwest Virginia Health Services; board member of the Virginia automobile Dealers Association, the Commonwealth Dealers Life Insurance Association, and Saint Albans Psychiatric Hospital; and Elder and member of The Presbyterian Church of Radford.

Mr. Harvey's survivors include his wife of 61 years, Juanita Kirk Harvey, five children, and grandchildren. I would like to offer my condolences to them on the loss of this great businessman and community leader.

Madam Speaker, I offer these remarks in honor of Paul Wesley Jewell of Salem, Virginia, who passed away on February 17, 2021 at the age of 79. Mr. Jewell was a photographer by profession who actively participated in Salem's community organizations.

Mr. Jewell was born on December 28, 1941 in Roanoke County to Curtis W. and Ethel Starkey Jewell. As a young man, he graduated from Andrew Lewis High School, excelled at athletics, and belonged to the Boy Scouts of America. He made the community he grew up in his lifelong home. As a professional photographer, he owned several studios, including the Deyerle Studio for over 25 years. After retiring from professional photography, Mr. Jewell remained active in the Salem area as a member of the First United Methodist Church of Salem and of Taylor Masonic Lodge No. 23 and as a funeral assistant at John M. Oakey & Son Funeral Home.

Mr. Jewell is survived by son Paul ``Matt'' Jewell and wife, Peggy; daughters Beth Kennedy and Susan Grimberg and her husband John; granddaughters Cierra McDaniel and husband Jared, Kristen Porter and husband Josh, Kaitlyn Duhon and husband Matt, Kyndsey Cook, Kendall Cook, Gracie Grimberg, and Olivia Grimberg; and great-grandchildren Aria McDaniel, James Duhon, Avery Duhon, and Mason Duhon. I would like to extend to them my condolences.

I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, to get our kids out from behind screens and back in the classroom.

Madam Speaker, I rise to note the upcoming celebration of St. David's Day on March 1. The feast day of St. David, the patron saint of Wales, offers the opportunity to honor Welsh culture and heritage and note the links between Wales and the United States.

The Welsh were among the early settlers who emigrated from the British Isles to North America, and they came with the same motivations that brought many generations from all over the world to our shores, including the pursuit of religious liberty and the opportunity to create a better life for themselves and their descendants. The man remembered as the first Welsh settler, Howell Powell, arrived in Virginia from Brecon in 1642. After William Penn founded Pennsylvania in 1681, having considered naming it New Wales, a large group of Welsh Quakers settled in the colony.

A century later, the Industrial Revolution brought a renewed wave of Welsh settlement to the United States. Immigrants from Wales farmed land, mined coal, made steel, and worked in a variety of other industries that powered U.S. economic ascendancy.

We see the contributions of Wales to American history and culture in other ways, too. At least five signers of the Declaration of Independence had a Welsh background, including its primary author Thomas Jefferson. At least eight of our presidents have similarly come from Welsh descent.

The ties between Wales and the United States are not merely historic but remain vibrant today. Welsh companies conduct business in the United States and keep Americans on their payrolls. As of 2019, the United States was the largest export market for Wales outside Europe.

In the House of Representatives, I serve as Chairman of the Congressional Friends of Wales Caucus, devoted to celebrating and strengthening the ties between our two nations. Each year I look forward to our St. David's Day reception on Capitol Hill, attended by members of the Welsh community in the United States, leading officials in the Welsh government, and Members of Congress. Unfortunately, the reception will not go on as usual this year, but I will nevertheless be wearing a daffodil on March 1 to mark the holiday.

The last words of St. David were said to be, ``Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have heard and seen me do.'' People of Welsh heritage have come to embody this message in their contributions to the United States and have not done only little things but great things as well. On this St. David's Day, as one of the millions of Americans with Welsh ancestry, I take pride in the accomplishments produced by the partnership between Wales and the United States and look forward to those to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Gary Creed of Shawsville, Virginia, who passed away on January 28, 2021 at the age of 74. Gary was a member of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors for several terms who worked hard for the people of the county.

Gary was the son of Melvin Lewis and Ada Mae Moore Creed. He was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2001 as the representative of District C. He promoted the Meadowbrook Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library and the Meadowbrook Community Center, supported first responders, and successfully pushed to reduce the merchants capital tax, a move that eased a burden on local businesses without depriving the county of revenue. Gary served as Chairman of the Board in 2004. He retired in 2017. In the town of Elliston, part of District C, a park currently under construction has been named after him in honor of his service.

Gary was a longtime employee at the Shelor Motor Mile auto dealership and had also worked as an auctioneer and real estate developer. He loved the sport of basketball and coached Amateur Athletic Union girls basketball.

Gary is survived by his wife, Linda Creed; son Tim Creed and wife Barbara; daughter Niki Shumate and husband John; brothers Wilford Creed and Clyde Creed; sister Elizabeth Brammer; granddaughters Bridgette Bradley and husband James, Karalee Boggess and husband Mark, Karli Shumate, and Lauryn Shumate; and great-grandchildren Jaxon, Jacob, Holt, Boone, and Allie. I offer them my condolences on their loss. Our system of government depends on citizens such as Gary Creed, who take on the tasks of local government in order to improve their communities.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Joseph Charles LaRocco of Salem, Virginia, who passed away on January 17, 2021 at the age of 67. Joe was a longtime coach and educator in Roanoke County who encouraged students and athletes toward excellence.

Joe was born in Schenectady, New York on October 28, 1953. He grew up in Roanoke, graduated from Andrew Lewis High School in 1972, and graduated from Roanoke College in 1976. As a young man, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout and was a standout track and field and cross country athlete, eventually

earning induction into the Roanoke College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. To the benefit of many young people in the Roanoke Valley, these activities would remain important to him for the rest of his life.

After coaching at Bassett High School from 1978 to 1980, he arrived at Cave Spring High School to teach American history and government and coach boys and girls outdoor track and field, indoor track, and cross country. He loved the topic of American history as well as local stories of the past, portraying western Virginia founding father Andrew Lewis on a number of occasions.

As a student, Joe set several school cross country or track and field records, and as a coach for a combined 31 seasons, he stood out as well. In 1980, he helped David Garlow win the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Group AAA boys cross country individual championship. He also coached future National Football League players Ronde and Tiki Barber. His record at Cave Spring earned him six coach of the year honors.

Joe retired from teaching in 2013, but he continued as a USA Track & Field and VHSL official and participated in the Star City Striders, a local running group. He was also on the Eagle Scout Board of Review. I shared several interests with Joe and join with many in the Roanoke Valley who will miss this outstanding educator and coach and good man. He is survived by his wife Terry; daughters and sons-in-law Jackie and John Downs and Cathy LaRocco and Jeff Black; granddaughter Brigid Downs; and brothers Jim LaRocco and wife Sharon and John LaRocco. I offer them my condolences on their loss

Madam Speaker, I offer these remarks in honor of Lee Dudley Walker of Martinsville, Virginia, who passed away on January 12, 2021 at the age of 90. Dudley Walker was a business and community leader who made a tremendous contribution to the Martinsville-Henry County area.

Mr. Walker was born on July 20, 1930 in Martinsville to Virginia Dudley and Samuel Stanhope Walker. He graduated as the valedictorian of Martinsville High School in 1947 and earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. The next year, he attained a post-graduate certificate from Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia. In 1952, he graduated from North Carolina State University, where he had served in the Reserve Officer's Training Corps and became Cadet Regimental Adjutant. Mr. Walker served for two years in the United States Army and was assigned to the Armed Services Textile and Apparel Procurement Agency in New York City.

Upon completion of his military service, Mr. Walker returned home to join the family business, the Walker Knitting Company founded by his father Samuel in 1928. Samuel Walker also served as president of the Bassett-Walker Knitting Company. Dudley Walker became president of the Walker Knitting Company, and upon his father's death in 1960 he led both companies. They merged in 1964 under the Bassett-Walker Knitting Company name.

Under Mr. Walker's leadership, Bassett-Walker grew. It built a sewing plant in Stuart in 1965 and in Hillsville and Brookneal in the 1970s. It subsequently acquired yarn manufacturer Johnston Mills Co., opened divisions in Ferrum and Stoneville, North Carolina, and opened a distribution center in Henry County. At its zenith, Bassett-Walker owned 13 plants and employed more than 7,000 workers, helping Martinsville earn its reputation as ``The Sweatshirt Capital of the World.'' The company became part of VF Corp in 1984. Mr. Walker operated as Chairman of Knitwear for VF until 1986 and remained on the company's board until 2000. He acted not only as an executive but as a community leader whose businesses were an important support to the people of the area.

Beyond his role in this industry, at the time so fundamental to the Martinsville-Henry County area, Mr. Walker was a dedicated philanthropist. Wanting to keep young people in the region, he became a driving force behind the founding of Carlisle School, playing active roles from helping to choose the school's site to recruiting staff. He donated to Patrick Henry Community College, the YMCA, and the Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge, among other organizations. He was a lifelong member of Broad Street Christian Church, which his mother had helped found.

Among the recognitions Mr. Walker received for his accomplishments were the Heck Ford Award from the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce and the Pillar Award from the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Council for ``Lifetime Contributions to the Martinsville-Henry County Business Community.''

Mr. Walker's survivors include his wife of 65 years, Elizabeth Mitchell Walker; son Samuel Stanhope Walker II and wife Janice Meredith Walker; daughters Virginia Walker Hamlet and her husband Burgess Harrison Hamlet III and Anne Walker Poole and her husband Walker Lynch Poole; grandchildren Andrew Linwood Shelton, Blake Thomas Walker, Harrison Walker Hamlet, Lee Dudley Hamlet, Mitchell Hudson Hamlet, Walker Lynch Poole., Jr., Virginia Buchanan Poole, and Elizabeth Weaver Poole; and sister Spotswood Walker Box. I offer them my condolences on this loss of this great business leader and philanthropist of the Martinsville-Henry County area.