Jeff Hurd

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Quint Shear of Grand Junction, Colorado. Quint is the 2026 recipient of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association's Fred Julander Lifetime Achievement Award.

Quint is a Colorado native and graduate of Colorado Mesa University. After more than 25 years in banking, he became President of Shear Inc., an exploration and land services company based in Grand Junction. For more than 40 years, the company has worked throughout Western Colorado and across the Rocky Mountain West.

Quint's contributions go well beyond his business. He serves on the executive board of the West Slope Colorado Oil and Gas Association and on the boards of the Grand Junction Regional Airport, the Grand Junction Economic Partnership, and Mesa County Search and Rescue.

That record of professional achievement and service to his community makes this recognition especially fitting.

I was honored to join Quint in Denver as he received the award, and I'm proud to recognize him and his wife, Shari, for all they do for Western Colorado.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Gail Klapper for her remarkable tenure leading the Colorado Forum.

The Forum is a nonpartisan group of 75 to 80 CEOs and community leaders from across Colorado who take on some of the most difficult issues facing our state--from energy development and environmental protection, to water, health care, and education.

What makes the Forum unusual is that it takes a position only when its members reach unanimity. That requires more than talking points. It requires serious analysis, honest disagreement, and a willingness to work toward practical solutions. Under Gail's leadership, that approach made the Colorado Forum a trusted resource for policymakers on both sides of the aisle.

I had the privilege of serving as a member of the Forum and seeing Gail's leadership firsthand. She had a rare ability to bring people with different perspectives together and keep them focused on solving problems.

Gail did more than convene leaders. She helped build a culture of thoughtful, principled civic leadership in Colorado.

On behalf of Colorado's Third District and the entire State of Colorado, I thank Gail for her service and congratulate her on an extraordinary career.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize September 1 as Constitution Day of the Slovak Republic, commemorating the adoption of Slovakia's Constitution in 1992.

A constitution is more than a legal document. It is a people's decision to govern themselves under law and to place limits on the power of government.

That principle has a particular meaning in Slovakia. Following decades of Communist rule, the Slovak people helped build a free, democratic republic grounded in constitutional government and in the rule of law.

Today, Slovakia is a friend and NATO ally of the United States. Our Nations share strong ties in security, trade, energy, and diplomacy. Generations of Slovak Americans have made that friendship deeper still.

Mr. Speaker, on Constitution Day, I congratulate the Slovak people and celebrate the freedom, self-government, and enduring friendship that bind our two nations.