Tom O'Halleran

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and sacrifice of Yavapai County Sheriff Deputy Richard Lopez, who was killed in the line of duty last month.

I was incredibly humbled to attend Officer Lopez's service, and to see and feel the outpouring of love and support. I saw right away that Officer Lopez left an indelible mark on Yavapai County.

Beloved by his community, respected by those he served, and mourned deeply by his family and his colleagues, I saw right away that he was a wonderful person.

As a former police officer and homicide investigator, I know that police work is an incredibly dangerous profession. Any arrest can turn dangerous in an instant, putting officers and all involved in jeopardy in a single moment.

We must always keep our brave law enforcement officers and their families in our thoughts and in our prayers.

Today, I extend my sincerest condolences to Kimberly Lopez and their two children, and to the men and women of the Yavapai County Sheriff's Department.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, on September 15, 2022, I was unable to vote for H.R. 302, the Preventing a Patronage System Act. I would have voted in favor of H.R. 302. I was also unable to vote on Agreeing to the Amendment by Mr. Hice on H.R. 302. I would have voted against the Amendment.

Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding. I also thank Chairman Grijalva for the work he put in.

I rise to speak, Madam Chair, in support of the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act. This bill includes many long-fought initiatives to address the mega-drought and year-round wildfires we see in Arizona.

Arizona's First Congressional District encompasses rural and Tribal communities, six national forests, three Tribal forests, along with the Grand Canyon. There is no longer a wildfire season in northern Arizona. Deadly wildfires happen year-round, and these fires threaten our homes, businesses, and communities.

Included within the final package are several bills that address key policy steps we can take to address wildfires, drought, and public safety in our national forests.

This legislation allows for the hiring of more Forest Service law enforcement officers, which will improve safety and oversight of our forests, especially during high-risk days when fires can start in an instant.

Another critical provision included will create a grant program to remove nonnative plant species, like salt cedars, that contribute to drought and fire conditions.

Importantly, also within this package are two Tribal water settlements that I have fought for since 2017 when I arrived in Congress, the White Mountain Apache Tribe and Hualapai Tribe water settlements. The Tribes have been waiting decades for these Federal approvals.

In addition, these settlements will provide the State of Arizona with greater surety in its water future.

Today, I am looking forward to joining my colleagues gathered here to vote to pass this critical package of bills. I also acknowledge that there is a tremendous amount of work over decades that has not been done by this Congress that it has to complete.