Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, Mr. Kanjorski, for his good, solid work on this bill. We have worked well together on H.R. 5017, and I think we see the results of that work together here today on the floor.

This legislation extends the USDA 502 loan guarantee program. This program is a very important homeownership tool for many rural Americans, many of whom live in my State of West Virginia, providing a loan guarantee on privately issued loans. The 502 program has a very low default rate.

Over the last few years, demand for the program has increased, and consequently loan commitment authority for the 502 program will be exhausted. Without swift action, borrowers who rely on this program will run out of options for affordable home loans.

Last week, I offered an amendment during the markup of H.R. 5017 in the Financial Services Committee that provides the 502 program with additional loan commitment authority and makes an important improvement to the program. In order to make the program self-sufficient, we are raising the guaranteed fee up to 4 percent, granting the Secretary the authority to choose the appropriate level. This ensures that the program will no longer be reliant on taxpayer funds to build capital reserves, a welcome part of the 502 program.

Although I am committed to continuing to work with my colleagues on potential long-term modifications to the 502 program that serve the best interests of the homeowners and the taxpayers, I believe it is important that the language increasing the loan commitment authority to $30 billion be limited to the current fiscal year and not beyond that time period. We must be aware of the impact on the private market and ensure that private entities are able to regain appropriate market share.

Mr. Speaker, with these changes, we strike a balance of extending the program through the rest of the year. I, and I'm sure many of my colleagues here, have heard from numerous Realtors, lenders and potential homebuyers about the situation that the 502 program has found itself in. Since its inception, the 502 program has helped hundreds of thousands of families with low to moderate incomes realize homeownership. Over the past several weeks, as I said, many constituents have contacted me stressing just how important this program is as they are on their path towards homeownership and wish to see its continued funding.

Again, I would like to thank Mr. Kanjorski for working with me on this legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would just, again, reiterate my support for this bill. I think it's timely. It's something that we want to do in an expeditious and responsible manner, and I believe that this bill addresses those concerns.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman, Charles A. Helton, as he retires from the Navy.

On November 28, 1983, at the age of 18, Charles enlisted in the Navy. He became among the first in the country to enlist in the Sea-Air Mariner (SAM) Program, which is geared towards high-school, vocational- tech, and college students and allows young men and women to join the Navy without serving extended periods of active duty. Based out of Great Lakes, IL, Charles reported for basic training and on February 24, 1984, graduated. He would report directly to Hospital Corpsman ``A'' school, where he was taught principles and techniques of patient care and first aid procedures. Upon graduating from ``A'' school on June 4, 1984, Charles returned to Naval Reserve Center Huntington (NRCHUNT) where he served along side his step father, Norris Troney, and long time friend throughout his Navy career, John Clay.

It was October of 1998 when Charles was called to active duty for Operation Desert Shield/Storm. He would serve at Naval Hospital Portsmouth, VA, working at Manpower Management Personnel Office assisting members with Reserve issues during deployment until June 4, 1999. He returned to Naval Reserve Center Huntington where he would serve until it was decommissioned on February 12, 2006. Charles has spent the last four

years at the Navy Operational Support Center in Eleanor, WV.

Charles A. Helton, son of John R. Helton and Pamela Troney, plans on retiring to Hurricane, WV, with his wife, Carla S. Helton, and their two daughters, Kelly and Christy. He is currently employed with the Federal Highway Administration in Charleston, WV as an Information Technology Specialist. I would like to thank Charles for his dedication and service to our country from such an early age. Although a native of Chicago, IL, Charles has spent the majority of his career in West Virginia and has represented our state so well. I wish you the best of luck.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my fellow West Virginians and those of us in this Congress in support of today's resolution to extend our condolences to the families of the 29 miners who were killed in last week's mine disaster in Montcoal, West Virginia.

I would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Rahall, for his steadfast support, his compassion, and his empathy for those in his district who have suffered an unimaginable loss. His strength and compassion was very evident to all of us who watched the activities as they unfolded in Raleigh County.

I would also like to thank our Governor, Governor Manchin. He was a stalwart comforter in chief to many of us because, as my fellow colleagues from West Virginia has said, if one West Virginian suffers, we all suffer.

I would also like to thank the outstanding efforts of the mine rescue teams and the many volunteers who provided their support and prayers.

The accident that occurred at Performance Coal Company's Upper Big Branch mine has taken an immense toll on all West Virginians and left a community shattered, very sad, and very shaken. After 6 days of waiting for any news, rescue workers located the four missing miners and found no survivors. While we were all hoping for a miracle, unfortunately, we were left with the sad conclusion.

Too many families have suffered the tragic loss of losing a loved one in a mine disaster. Last week's explosion was the worst mining disaster in an American mine in 40 years and the third major mining disaster in West Virginia in the last 4 years. An explosion at the Sago mine in my district on January 2, 2006, trapped 13 miners for nearly 2 days. By the grace of God, one miner survived.

We cannot forget the grief and suffering of the families, friends, and coworkers of all the miners who have died. These are deaths that can and must be prevented. The rescue workers were valiant, working around the clock to find their fallen brothers and to help the families in their horrible time of grief.

Following Sago, Congress rightly passed stricter mine safety regulations to enhance inspector programs, improve emergency response, and put in place protections to prevent future mine disasters. To ensure that all mines receive regular inspection, Congress has increased MSHA funding, because MSHA had been unable to meet these mandated responsibilities.

However, new rules and regulations are useless if they are not enforced. The coal companies must be vigilant and must follow the rules in every case. No excuses. Keeping our miners safe requires a collaborative approach between the regulators and the mining industry. Both must expand their health and safety programs to prevent hazards from starting in the first place. Otherwise, reforms Congress clearly intended to address with the passage of the MINER Act will be rendered meaningless. Congress has a very important oversight role in scrutinizing issues that lead to this disaster.

There must be, and I am sure there will be, a very thorough investigation into this tragedy to determine what further action must be taken to prevent this from ever happening again. I vow to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety and health of our coal miners.

I join today with my colleagues and really the entire Nation to extend our condolences to those families of the lost miners and to the communities surrounding. This is a devastating loss for all of us, and the warmth and prayers that have been sent to those of us living in West Virginia and particularly in the Montcoal area are welcomed and well received.

I ask my colleagues to join me in passing this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my deepest sympathies to the 29 victims of the Upper Big Branch mine explosion, their families, loved ones, and their community. Last Monday's tragedy occurred in Montcoal, West Virginia, and it was the worst mine disaster in over 40 years. It has been gut-wrenching for our entire State.

In the wake of this horrific tragedy, the citizens of West Virginia, including our outstanding emergency and rescue workers, and our Governor, pulled together to support the communities and families devastated by this explosion. As we grieve this loss of life, we must also honor the victims of the accident by taking the appropriate steps to ensure that this never happens again. Never again in West Virginia or in any other State can we let safety slip through the cracks. We will not let this happen again.

Now is the time to band together and do everything we can to protect our citizens. I hope you will join me in praising our miners for the difficult and dangerous work that they do, and I ask that you keep all of the workers, their families, and their communities in your thoughts and prayers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember one of West Virginia's finest citizens, volunteer firefighter Donald Adkins. Donald was a volunteer with the Glasgow Volunteer Fire Department, and our hearts go out to his fellow firefighters.

On March 13, Donald was bravely providing rescue support to the flooded areas of Raleigh County, West Virginia, when his rescue boat capsized after striking submerged debris. After 6 days of searching by nearly 100 volunteers, Donald's body was found March 19, 2010.

While our hearts remain heavy for the loss of a true selfless servant, we celebrate the gift of life Donald gave to others in our community as a volunteer firefighter.

Mr. Speaker, Donald Adkins and countless rescue volunteers across West Virginia and the Nation put their lives on the line to protect us during times of emergency. I hope you'll join me in praising them for this difficult, dangerous work that they do for the safety of us all.

I also ask that you keep Donald Adkins' parents; his two sons, Devin and Ethan; his daughter, Allyssa; and his girlfriend, Bobbie Evans, in your thoughts and prayers.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask that we take a moment to honor Danny Adkins, who lost his life while giving rescue support to the flooded areas of Raleigh County, West Virginia.

In the early hours of March 13, 2010, Danny Adkins was part of a five-man crew of volunteer firefighters from Glasgow, West Virginia called upon to aid rescue crews in Raleigh County. Trained in swift water rescue, Danny's courageous efforts saved the lives of many before his boat capsized and he was swept away by the rapid floodwaters. After six days of searching by nearly a hundred volunteers, Danny's body was found Friday, March 19, 2010. Danny's courage and selflessness are known by all that knew him. He has been a hero to so many and will be missed dearly.

I take this time to remember Danny Adkins. He gave his life to save others. I want to thank all firefighters throughout West Virginia that sacrifice so much for their communities, with a special thank you to Glasgow Volunteer Fire Chief Marty Blankenship, Fire Captain Jay Slack, and the fellow firefighters of the Glasgow Volunteer Fire Department. My deepest thoughts and prayers are with his two sons, Devin and Ethan, his daughter, Allyssa, and his girlfriend, Bobbie Evans.

Mr. Speaker, for a moment let's think of this bill as a blanket, a blanket of health care legislation that may be draped across America and its population in the coming years. Unfortunately, this blanket is woven not from all hands working together, but is the handiwork of strong-arm, political deal-making, and, perhaps most disheartening, a resistance to listen to the American people.

Its cloth has been cut behind closed door, and its color is tinged by partisan hands. It is too short in some areas, and too long in others, woven to cover the winners and to leave out the losers. Once this blanket of legislation is laid out, those that huddle beneath it will find that it does not provide the real health care reform they need for their families. In fact, it will become a wall of government between them and their doctor.

Its huge holes will not protect the cold wind of job loss, new taxes, government bureaucracy, and increased health care costs. And though we hear of coming patches in the future, in all likelihood they will be made of the same flimsy fabric of broken promises.

All of America will feel the weight of this uncomfortable burden. The real cost of the $2.6 trillion bill will only increase in the future. States like mine, West Virginia, will feel the weight in huge budget shortfalls caused by millions of dollars in unfunded mandates. States must balance their budgets and will be forced to absorb the massive increase in Medicaid spending demanded by this bill.

But, the full burden will be paid by those who enjoyed this beautiful spring day, playing outside in backyards across America. Little do they know as they play that we are on the cusp of burdening them with generational debt. The Speaker and her team will drape this legislation across citizens, ignoring their pleas against it. And America will again shake its head in disbelief and ask how Washington can turn a deaf ear and be so disconnected from the American people.

If we stand here in obedience to our purpose, the Congress will be an effective representation of the people of the United States. We should stop this unfortunate endeavor, take a step back and listen, listen to the heartbeat of America, the beat that yearns for true health care reform, the beat that asks for bipartisan government committed to solving America's problems, the beat that asks that we put America's families first. America deserves this. America deserves to be heard.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my utter disbelief and disappointment at the path the Democrat leadership has chosen for health care reform. Never, ever in my 14 years of legislating have I ever been asked to vote for a bill that will ``be fixed later.'' We don't even know what this bill costs--well, in excess of $1 trillion--or what backroom deals will wind up being in this bill after the vote. It is an absolute affront to the integrity of this Congress that we are being asked to put a signature on the bottom of a blank page.

Now, we've all seen team building exercises where one person stands blindfolded on the edge of a table and is asked to fall back into the arms of their colleagues. Well, that's what the Speaker is asking this Congress to do, to fall backwards from this precipice with the promise that all will be well. My constituents deserve more than a mere promise of trust. We should not be asked to be voting on a bill that will affect one-sixth of our economy and touch every single American's life without knowing what is in the bill.

Well, the Speaker knows what's in the bill, and she doesn't want anybody to vote on it. Americans deserve health reform, but they deserve it the right way.

Mr. Speaker, as we mark the anniversary of the so-called ``stimulus plan,'' Americans want to know: Where are the jobs?

In my home State of West Virginia, the White House predicted that their $800 billion stimulus package would create 20,000 jobs. Sadly, we have actually lost over 10,000 jobs. That's bad news for many families. If that's not bad enough that the so-called ``stimulus'' isn't living up to its promises of new jobs, it's even worse that the policies of this administration are actually contributing to job loss in States like mine. Cap-and-trade puts an economic target on the backs of States like mine, which results in job loss.

Meanwhile, the President's EPA has continued to hold up mining permits across Appalachia, creating an unprecedented sense of uncertainty that is already costing mining jobs and is threatening thousands more. Further, the EPA is threatening to or is pushing to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, which will undoubtedly cost more thousands of jobs in our State.

Mr. Speaker, my constituents may have thought their tax dollars were going to be used to fund the stimulus to result in jobs, but I join them in asking: Where are the jobs?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Nancy Shobe on her 41 years of service to the constituents of Buckhannon, West Virginia, and to congratulate her on her upcoming retirement.

Nancy has served as the secretary to the mayor, computer systems manager, human resource manager, recorder, treasurer, and acting mayor during her 41 years of service to the city of Buckhannon. She's served as president of the Municipal Clerks and Recorders Association and was selected as Clerk of the Year in 1997 and 1998. She also received a Certificate of Highest Merit from West Virginia University's Local Government Leadership Academy. And most recently, she was awarded the Quiet Strength Award for her outstanding leadership.

Nancy's leadership was proven during the difficult times after the Sago Mine disaster. Being the closest incorporated city to the Sago Mine, the city of Buckhannon was able to provide grief counseling for the families of the Sago miners, largely due to her efforts.

She has proven herself to be a true leader and a dedicated public servant whose positive impact in our community will be felt for many years to come.

I join with the residents of Buckhannon, West Virginia, in commending Nancy Shobe for her outstanding leadership and commitment over the past 41 years, and I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring her.

I want to thank the ranking member, my good friend from Alabama, for yielding me the time. I would also like to thank him for his leadership on our committee over the past year.

I rise today in support of the Republican substitute.

My colleagues have a choice today: Do they want to perpetuate bailouts and continue to put taxpayers at risk or will they support the Republican substitute that ends bailouts?

There are two features of this bill I'm going to address.

The substitute creates a new chapter of the bankruptcy code. This new section, chapter 14, will allow for an expedient resolution of failing firms as there will be trained personnel who have the necessary skills to ensure an efficient resolution. This is not chapter 7 or chapter 11, as in the discussion we had in the committee, as my friends on the other side of the aisle have asserted; although, the bill does not prohibit a nonbank financial firm from pursuing these chapters if they so wish.

There is no taxpayer-funded bailout fund in our amendment. It is straightforward for all market participants. If you take on too much risk and fail, then you go through an expedited bankruptcy. The taxpayers will not pick up the tab. This is fair to all market participants and it's fair to the taxpayers, and I urge my colleagues to join us in ending the bailouts.

Another important section of the Republican substitute is that we address reforms to the GSEs, Fannie and Freddie. While there may not be consensus on the reforms proposed, this body must have an honest discussion about the future of these two entities and what role, if any, government should play. After all, a major component of the financial crisis was the failure of these two entities. To ignore their reform in a financial reform package is irresponsible.

I would urge support for the Republican substitute. This is the financial reform package that we need.

Madam Chair, I would like to speak in opposition to the bill, but I would like to talk about the manager's amendment as well.

But before I get into the manager's amendment, I would like to reinforce my opposition to the bill in its entirety because of the permanent bailout fund that is created, the continuation of bailouts, the implied government guarantee in the financial marketplace, and the way that taxpayers are placed on the hook potentially for billions, if not trillions, of dollars to bail out failed nonbanks.

But specifically I would like to talk about the two parts of the manager's amendment that were added without specific discussion by the committee, to my knowledge, and it also goes to a larger point. We've labeled this bill TARP II. This goes back to TARP I and using TARP funds to fund things that the TARP money was not intended to go for. I voted against the TARP funding in the first place. And now in the manager's amendment we have another $4 billion in existing TARP funds going to unproven foreclosure relief programs; $3 billion to reinstate a 1975 program, the Emergency Homeowners' Relief Act, to provide emergency mortgage relief.

We just had a hearing in our committee this week on the Making Homes Affordable plan, the administration's plan, that in our opinion, I think, across the board in a bipartisan way is a bust. It has not met with much success, and it has murky, if uncertain, guidelines attached to it. So I think in this case strapping an unemployed homeowner with more debt is not the answer. Congress needs to support policies that create jobs and do not perpetuate any more bailouts.

The other part of this amendment adds another $1 billion for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. This program is a costly bailout for lenders and speculators. This program also could have the unintended consequences of making foreclosure a more attractive option for lenders, thereby compounding the problem.

We've already committed in two separate times $6 billion to the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, and this adds another billion. I think we also need to consider that this program of the $4 billion allocated to it in 2008, only 25 percent of the funds are even out the door. What is adding another billion dollars going to do and when can those funds actually get out the door? And of the $1.9 billion allocated in January of 2009, not one dollar has made it through HUD's cumbersome bureaucracy.

I object to the fact that this was added onto the manager's amendment on a very complicated, thousand-page bill, but it also adds two additions on here that I believe were part of the reason that the bill has been held up through this week and part of the reason it was held up yesterday; it was to satisfy certain interests in this House, and I think we need to have them discussed in front of the whole committee and discussed in front of the whole House.

Madam Chair, I rise to claim time in opposition, although I am not entirely opposed to the gentlelady's amendment.

Madam Chair, the gentlelady's amendment deals with the Making Home Affordable program, which has been in effect for most of 2009. I think it is important to note that the Department of the Treasury is already collecting some of this data. But I would like to take this opportunity to express my continued concern, as the gentlelady expressed hers, with the loan modification programs in general.

Earlier this week, the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing in which there was bipartisan frustration with these programs. Rolled out under heralded proclamations that they would help 7 million to 9 million struggling homeowners, to date the loan modifications have helped only a fraction of that.

I have serious concerns that the administration has overpromised on these programs and has unfairly raised borrowers' expectations. Furthermore, we have learned that many of the trial modifications are not being processed with complete documentation. Lack of documentation was one of the main contributors to the foreclosure problem in the first place.

JPMorgan Chase recently disclosed that in November close to 25 percent of their trial modifications failed to make the first payment, and that nearly 50 percent of the borrowers failed to make all three of the first three payments. Furthermore, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston cites that 30 to 45 percent of borrowers who receive modifications end up in default within 6 months.

Clearly, we need more transparency in this program. We also need to find a way to make the goals of the program work to help those who are having difficulty--who are suffering from unemployment or from the real estate collapse in their areas or who are unable to meet their obligations. All of us hear from constituents every single day who are struggling, but this program, Making Home Affordable, obviously has great lapses and great challenges.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague on the Financial Services Committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).

Madam Chair, I would like to say facts are facts. We are, unfortunately, suffering some of the highest unemployment in a generation. These are real people who are losing real jobs, and we want to help them in their housing issues. I support the gentlewoman's amendment.

I would like to say that, in our hearing, we learned that the servicers and the banks were having some lapses, but we found also that the borrowers were having some lapses as well in terms of providing full documentation, in terms of responding to the lenders and to the servicers.

So I would encourage the gentlewoman, as we move through this process, to maybe expand the transparency of the information so that we can see the full program not just from the servicer's side or from the bank's side but also from the borrower's side, too, and see where their lapses may be as well.

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

I would like to thank the ranking member and my former Chair for yielding this time to me and thank him for his leadership on every important debate.

My colleagues, our friends on the other side of the aisle would have us believe that the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act derives its name from the assumption that the underlying text will prevent Americans from the impact of future economic disturbances like the one we experienced last fall. If only that were true.

Instead, this bill is nothing more than a continuation of the bailout mentality that has put trillions of taxpayer dollars on the hook for the mistakes of Wall Street. Are we finally putting an end to the bailout culture on this bill? No, we are not.

Rather than ending the bailouts, this legislation institutionalizes them. Instead of protecting taxpayers, this bill puts them at further risk. The Democrats' bill will grant authority to both the Treasury and the Federal Reserve to create a new $200 billion fund to finance future bailouts of the big banks and financial institutions. Who will be paying for this fund? The consumers.

Furthermore, if there is another market-wide disturbance like the experience last fall, it will be the taxpayers who will be called upon to pick up the tab. Unfortunately, the chairman's bill also fails to put an end to ``too big to fail.'' If certain institutions are too big to fail, then that means that the rest are too small to save.

This will no doubt continue the troubling practice of government's picking winners and losers in the marketplace. This bill will do nothing more than set up an unlevel playing field that penalizes consumers, puts taxpayers' dollars at risk, and restricts the flow of credit at a time when our small businesses need it most.

Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee have put forth a better proposal. We believe it's time to truly put an end to the bailouts. Business decisions have consequences, and Wall Street needs to know that taxpayers will not be there to help them pick up the pieces of their risky business practices. Instead of permanent bailouts, we propose a new chapter of the bankruptcy code capable of ensuring the orderly unwinding of failed firms.

We would give bankruptcy judges the authority to stay claims by creditors and counterparties to prevent runs on troubled institutions, alleviating potential panics if a large institution faces trouble. Under this proposal, all market participants, large and small, will know the rules of the game. If they take on too much risk, they'll face bankruptcy just like any other failed business.

We'll also protect consumers with increased investment fraud enforcement. We'll monitor systemic risk through improved coordination between regulators. Yet, most importantly, we'll provide market certainty by making it clear to Wall Street that no firm is ``too big to fail.''

I urge my colleagues to say ``no'' to bailouts and oppose the underlying bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to inform my colleagues of the pending retirement of Marshal J.C. Raffety from not only his position as United States Marshal for the Northern District of West Virginia, but from an exceptional career in law enforcement that spans the past five decades.

Specifically, on January 1, 2010, after nearly eight years of service as U.S. Marshal, J.C. will graciously relinquish his duties and begin his life anew as a private citizen of the State of West Virginia. Raffety will leave this post with an outstanding legacy of achievement. During his tenure, Marshal Raffety supported the establishment of the Northern District's Mountain State Fugitive Task Force, which has components located in Clarksburg, Martinsburg, and Wheeling, West Virginia. This Task Force, comprised of local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies, is responsible for the apprehension of violent fugitive offenders. In addition, this Task Force participates in Operation FALCON, Federal And Local Cops Organized Nationally, an annual, nationwide fugitive round-up that relies on the combined efforts of Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies and departments. Under Raffety's capable leadership, the Northern District of West Virginia's efforts involving Operation FALCON netted the arrests of hundreds of fugitives from justice, and stands today as a shining example of effective interagency cooperation and coordination. Additionally, very early into his appointment, Marshal Raffety was selected to serve on the then-USMS Director's Advisory Committee, a testament to his decades of training and experience in the Federal, State, and local law enforcement communities.

President George W. Bush appointed Raffety to the position of U.S. Marshal on March 13, 2002. Prior to that, J.C. served as the Chief of Police for the city of Buckhannon, West Virginia, for approximately two years. During his tenure, Chief Raffety promoted the established concept of community policing and instituted meaningful administrative reforms. Additionally, he strengthened ties with the students and administrators of West Virginia Wesleyan College and enhanced the Neighborhood Watch Program in Buckhannon.

Before his service as Chief of Police in Buckhannon, Raffety spent a remarkable 32-year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, which began in 1966 when, following high school graduation at the age of 18, he relocated to Washington, DC, and began working for the FBI as a GS-2 Clerk. While employed at the FBI, J.C. attended night school full-time towards the attainment of his college degree. After a 2-year break in service to complete his undergraduate education, Raffety was reinstated to the FBI in 1970, and attended the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia. Early in his career, J.C. served as an FBI Special Agent in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Erie, Pennsylvania, where his investigative efforts focused on organized crime, racketeering, and public corruption. He later served as a Supervisory Special Agent at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC, assigned to the Criminal Investigative Division, Organized Crime Section. Subsequently, in 1983, Raffety was assigned to the Clarksburg, West Virginia Resident Agency, and later served as Supervisory Senior Resident Agent for that office, a position he held until his retirement in 2000. Among the highlights of his impressive record in West Virginia, J.C. served as the lead case agent in the 1995-1997 West Virginia Mountaineer Militia investigation, which resulted in the convictions of militia members engaged in a domestic terrorism plot targeting the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services, CJIS, Center in Clarksburg, as well as the Internal Revenue Service, IRS, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, BATF, facilities in West Virginia's eastern panhandle.

I am pleased to have had this opportunity to call to the attention of my colleagues the extraordinary accomplishments of J.C. Raffety. I admire his idealism and lifelong commitment to his community, State, and country. I join his wife, Cindy, his two children and two grandchildren, and the grateful citizens of West Virginia in thanking J.C. for his life of service, and in wishing him continued success as he enters this new chapter of his life. Congratulations, Marshal Raffety, on a job well done!

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor John L. Ray, in celebration of the 100 years since the Charleston Public Library opened in 1909.

John V. Ray Sr., a library patron, held the position as president of the library board for more than 30 years, where he helped write the Kanawha County Public Library Act that would see its way through the West Virginia Legislature. This guaranteed that libraries would be granted a share of the property taxes which came to the Kanawha County Board of Education, the Kanawha County Commission and the city of Charleston. It was a key piece of legislation that kept a stream of funding for libraries.

His son, John L. Ray followed in family tradition when he took over as Kanawha County Public Library board president in 1988. An avid library supporter himself, John had a vision for the county and what purpose libraries would serve. His plan brought new buildings to Cross Lanes, Sissonville, a combined public/school library at Riverside High, and a designed replacement for the downtown Charleston library.

An institution that serves all people, libraries remain a beacon for communities because of the more than twenty years John has spent as board president. He led the rapid development as card catalogs were replaced by electronic catalogs. He came up with a long-range plan that would bring new buildings to the county to ensure that libraries could continue to serve their public function.

It is an honor to recognize John L. Ray. With his hard work and leadership, we are able to celebrate 100 years since the opening of the Charleston Public Library. It says great things about West Virginia to have people like you represent our great state.