[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 28, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H8486-H8487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MADD CELEBRATES SILVER ANNIVERSARY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, William Murphy had everything going for him. He 
had a beautiful bride, three young children, and he was about to embark 
on a new chapter in his life. On June 16, 2005, all his dreams came to 
a crashing halt on a hot, humid, summer night in Dayton, Texas.
  Mr. Murphy had spent the evening celebrating with his family. He was 
scheduled to graduate as a medical assistant from the Texas School of 
Business the next day. On his way home from his mother's house in 
Baytown, Texas 10 miles away, his car stalled on a darkened stretch of 
rural State highway 146. He and his sister pushed the car to the 
shoulder and turned on the flashers. His 9-month-old twin daughters, 
Mariah and Miranda, remained strapped in the car seats and his wife 
Amanda cared for the 19-month-old William, Jr. They then waited for 
assistance.
  Soon after, Murphy saw a set of bright headlights heading toward the 
family. He was relieved because he assumed his mother, whom he had just 
called when the car stalled, was on her way. But this pickup truck 
barreling toward his family was not his mother and it was not stopping. 
Seconds before the impact he attempted to warn his family, but it was 
too late. He witnessed the destruction of his family that night. The 
truck never stopped, never slowed down, and crashed into the back of 
Murphy's vehicle.
  Murphy's vehicle was pushed a quarter of a mile down the road. When 
he got to his vehicle, the trunk was smashed into the back seat. He 
struggled to get his twin daughters from the wreckage. He found his 
wife laying in the grass unconscious and his son's barely breathing 
body 5 feet away.
  The driver of the truck stumbled out of the vehicle and it was clear 
he had been drinking. He failed a sobriety test and he was charged with 
three counts of intoxication manslaughter. Murphy's twin daughters were 
killed that night. So was his son. His wife and sister were badly 
injured. Mr. Murphy is still struggling with the assault on his family 
and the death of all of his children.
  Unfortunately, this story is all too familiar to the many families 
that have been affected by drunk drivers. Mothers Against Drunk 
Driving, or MADD as we know them, is working to prevent this sort of 
senseless crime. MADD's mission is to find effective solutions to drunk 
driving and underage drinking problems, while supporting and helping 
those who have been affected by the pain of these senseless crimes. 
Founded by a small group of California women in 1980 after a 13-year-
old girl was killed by a hit-and-run repeat offender, MADD has saved 
more than 300,000 lives through their outreach and education programs.
  Mr. Speaker, as founder of the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus, 
I have worked closely with many members of MADD this year in the effort 
to protect the rights of crime victims and protect money in the Victims 
of Crime Act.
  The National Conference of MADD is here in D.C. this week celebrating 
their silver anniversary and continuing their fight against drunk 
driving and their mission to hold drunk drivers accountable for their 
crimes. There are hundreds of MADD staff, volunteers, board members, 
and past presidents coming from all across the Nation and as far away 
as Guam to take part in this conference. These people coming to town 
are kids, mothers, daughters, fathers, victims, and survivors who have 
been affected by drunk driving.
  I would like to commend them for their work on behalf of victims and 
their cause-driven efforts to stop drunk driving and the drunk driving 
epidemic. Thanks to the support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, our 
roads and highways and children, friends, and family are safer today. 
Due to their efforts, alcohol-related traffic deaths have declined.
  Mr. Speaker, in the 1950s, when I was a little kid, my grandfather 
worked for the Texas Highway Department. In the middle of the day while 
laying asphalt on what is now interstate 35 between Dallas and Austin, 
Texas, he was struck and killed by a drunk driver. The driver was never 
punished because he was some big shot from Dallas. My grandmother 
became a widow and never quite got over the loss of my grandfather. She 
spent the rest of her life supporting herself by working in a 
department store selling dresses until she was required to quit at the 
age of 75. My grandmother died only a couple of years ago in her robust 
90s, but she often mentioned until her death how she missed my 
grandfather.
  In those days there was no MADD organization. But thanks to MADD, the 
public attitude and the acceptance of drinking and driving has changed 
dramatically.
  Mr. Speaker, there are few tragedies that bring as much pain to 
families and communities as these violent crimes caused by drunk 
drivers. This pain is made even worse when our community's young people 
are injured and involved. As a criminal court judge in Texas, I saw 
firsthand what the effects of drunk driving do to a family and to our 
communities. This is one of the

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many reasons I support the efforts of MADD and I encourage MADD to 
continue their good fight. I admire the women who started MADD and 
those countless women who are still working.
  It reminds me of one of the statements my grandmother made many years 
ago. She said, ``There is nothing more powerful than a woman who has 
made up her mind.'' Mr. Speaker, that is just the way it is.

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