[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 12, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H2582-H2584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
W. CRAIG BROADWATER FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE
Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (S. 307) to designate the Federal Building and United States
Courthouse located at 217 West King Street, Martinsburg, West Virginia,
as the ``W. Craig Broadwater Federal Building and United States
Courthouse''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 307
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.
The Federal building and United States courthouse located
at 217 West King Street, Martinsburg, West Virginia, shall be
known and designated as the ``W. Craig Broadwater Federal
Building and United States Courthouse''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper,
or other record of the United States to the Federal building
and United States courthouse referred to in section 1 shall
be deemed to be a reference to the ``W. Craig Broadwater
Federal Building and United States Courthouse''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Crawford) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.
General Leave
Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within
[[Page H2583]]
which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous
material on Senate bill 307.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. CRAWFORD. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, Senate bill 307 would designate the Federal building and
courthouse on West King Street in Martinsburg, West Virginia, as the W.
Craig Broadwater Federal Building and United States Courthouse. A House
companion bill was also introduced by the gentlewoman from West
Virginia of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and I want
to thank her for her leadership on this issue.
Judge Broadwater was a dedicated public servant, serving both as a
Federal judge and as an assistant adjutant general in the West Virginia
Army National Guard. He was appointed to the Federal bench in 1996,
after nearly 20 years of legal service in private practice, as a
hearing examiner for the West Virginia Workers' Compensation Fund and
as a special prosecuting attorney.
He was commissioned in the U.S. Army in 1972 after completing the
ROTC program at West Virginia University. He served on active duty as a
military intelligence officer that included a tour in Korea. In 1976,
Judge Broadwater joined the West Virginia Army National Guard as an
operational detachment executive officer and rose through the ranks to
brigadier general and his assignment as assistant adjutant general for
installations and homeland defense in 2002. During his military
service, he received countless awards and decorations, including the
Defense Superior Service Medal and the Bronze Star.
I am impressed with his clear dedication as both a military officer
and as a Federal judge. I think that it is appropriate for us to honor
his service to our Nation and his memory by naming this Federal
building and courthouse after Judge Broadwater. I support passage of
this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in strong support of Senate bill 307 and am pleased today to
speak in support of the bill that names the Federal building located at
217 West King Street in Martinsburg, West Virginia, as the W. Craig
Broadwater Federal Building and United States Courthouse.
Judge W. Craig Broadwater was born August 8, 1950, and grew up in
Paden City, West Virginia. Judge Broadwater served as both an active
district judge in the Northern District of West Virginia and as
assistant adjutant general for installations and homeland defense for
the West Virginia National Guard.
Judge Broadwater worked as a public servant for almost 25 years
before his untimely death. Judge Broadwater's public service ran the
gamut from his time as a hearing examiner for the West Virginia
Workers' Compensation Fund, two terms as special prosecuting attorney
in Ohio County, West Virginia, and as a circuit judge in West Virginia.
In 1996, President Clinton appointed Judge Broadwater to become a
U.S. District judge in the Northern District of West Virginia. During
his nearly 10 years on the Federal bench, Judge Broadwater was
well respected as a smart, fair, and hardworking member of the
judiciary.
Judge Broadwater's service in the military was just as impressive as
his service to the judiciary. After serving as a member of the elite
Green Beret division of the U.S. Army during the latter stages of the
Vietnam war, Judge Broadwater joined the National Guard in 1976, where
he served continuously until his death.
Not one to sit idly by when there was work to be done, Judge
Broadwater was recently deployed overseas in 2005 to support U.S.
military operations in Iraq, as well as several other overseas missions
in support of U.S. combat operations. During his deployment to the Horn
of Africa, he oversaw the administration of personnel records issues
for Reservists and Guardsmen in addition to oversight of the renovation
of schools and medical clinics and the administration of veterinary and
civil programs.
Judge Broadwater also was just as active in his local West Virginia
community, where he was instrumental in establishing the Veterans
Center in Ohio County, where he served on the facility's advisory
board. He also served on various boards and commissions in the legal
community.
Judge Craig Broadwater died on December 18, 2006, at the age of 56
from cancer, and he was laid to rest with full military honors. This
designation is a fitting tribute to Judge Craig Broadwater, and I
support the passage of S. 307, which honors his service to our country.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
West Virginia (Mrs. Capito).
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues for
bringing this forward and for their very strong support of this
measure.
I too rise today in support of S. 307, which will rename the Federal
courthouse and the Federal building at 217 West King Street in
Martinsburg, West Virginia for W. Craig Broadwater, as it will be
designated as the W. Craig Broadwater Federal Building and United
States Courthouse.
Martinsburg is in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, very close
here to Washington, D.C. It's also part of my district. Judge
Broadwater was one of my constituents. I learned more from Judge
Broadwater than he ever learned from me, I can tell you that. He was a
very kind, supportive, gentle person, but also a very fair-minded and
humble public servant.
As we've heard, and I am going to repeat it, he served with
distinction and honor to this country for over 40 years, first as an
Army lieutenant, later as a Federal court judge, and a brigadier
general for the West Virginia National Guard.
{time} 1720
I know he was deployed the year before he passed away very suddenly.
He came to West Virginia, where he attended West Virginia University in
1972, and he entered ROTC. It obviously made a large impression on his
life, as he stayed not only for 2 years as a military officer,
intelligence officer, but also retained his dedicated service to our
country through the military throughout his life.
He graduated from West Virginia University in 1977, went into private
practice as a practicing attorney until 1983. He then became the
circuit judge of the First Judicial Circuit in West Virginia and served
in that capacity from 1983 to 1996, where he then was appointed, as my
colleague from Florida said, by President Clinton on January 26, 1996,
where he served until he passed away December 18, 2006.
He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army for 2 years. He joined the Army
National Guard in 1976 as an operational detachment executive officer
and, as I said, remained in the Guard the rest of his life.
He was deployed several times. He was deployed as a battalion
commander from 1994 to 1996, where he led the battalion for service in
Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy. He became a brigadier general
during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and was mobilized in 2003 and in 2005
at the Horn of Africa.
After serving, he was then sent to Djibouti, where he served as the
deputy commanding officer. But what I would like to talk about are the
several times that I actually got to meet and talk and get to know
Craig Broadwater. He was very young when he was stricken quickly and
taken from us and his family. He is missed, I know, every day in their
hearts and certainly in the hearts of the eastern part of West
Virginia.
Being a Federal judge is, I think, not only an awesome
responsibility, it takes a special kind of person to do it well, and
Judge Broadwater did it well. He was, as I said, kind, soft-spoken,
considerate, a great listener and very respectful of all individuals,
whether you would be talking to the Governor or whether you would be
talking to the person who is helping you keep your building in order
during the evenings. He loved his family, his State and his country.
I know that by naming this courthouse and this Federal building for
Judge W. Craig Broadwater, that those who serve in that building and in
that
[[Page H2584]]
courthouse will have an inspiration as they walk in. As they enter and
see his name on the front of the building, they are going to realize
that sacrifice of yourself and of your family is sometimes what's
important in service to your country, to your State, to the law. He did
this uncomplainingly, with great humor, and deep respect for our
country, our laws of fairness and justice.
I think for those folks, whether you are going in as a person who is
a judge or an attorney or somebody who is seeking representation, when
you enter the building that's named for Judge Broadwater, you are going
to feel like you are going into a building that's dedicated to the
fairness and upholding the highest standards that he, himself, upheld
during his life. We miss him to this day, and I think this is a fitting
tribute.
I want to thank Senator Rockefeller for joining together, the two of
us, to put this forward. I look forward to the day when we can attach
onto that Federal building in honor of Judge Broadwater the ``W. Craig
Broadwater Federal Building and United States Courthouse.''
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. CRAWFORD. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Crawford) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 307.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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