[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 198 (Tuesday, December 5, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9626-H9627]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL MINERS DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Byrne) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate National Miners Day.
  National Miners Day is recognized on December 6 each year, and I want 
to express my deep appreciation to the hundreds of thousands of men and 
women who work in our Nation's quarries, dredge operations, and other 
mine facilities to help build and power our Nation.
  These workers do a great deal to extract the materials found in every 
home, building, road, bridge, and public works project.
  U.S. domestic production and use of stone, sand, and gravel, or 
aggregates, amounted to 2.5 million tons of crushed stone, valued at 
$25 billion. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has 
reported that, throughout its 40 facilities, almost 3,000 people in my 
home State of Alabama owe their jobs to aggregates mining.
  While performing this critical function, workers in the aggregates 
sector have helped make workplaces the safest they have ever been. In 
fact, 2016 marked the 16th consecutive year in which the industry 
reduced its injury rate from the year-earlier level. The rate stood at 
the record low level of just 1.95 injuries per 200,000 hours worked.
  I applaud the safe practices of the aggregates industry and the 
hardworking men and women who are helping to continue this positive 
trend.
  As chairman of the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee, I look 
forward to continuing to work with the Labor Department's Mine Safety 
and Health Administration to advance smart regulation and preventive 
enforcement that can help keep the workplace safe.


               Honoring the Life of Dr. Laurel Blackwell

  Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the life of Dr. 
Laurel Blackwell. Laurel recently passed away after fighting cancer and 
other medical issues.
  Laurel was raised at her childhood farm home in Monticello, Iowa. She 
obtained an associate's degree from Cottey College in Missouri and a 
bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Iowa. She later 
earned her doctorate in administration of higher education from the 
University of Alabama.
  After an early career in K-12 education, she started working in 
Alabama's community college system. She rose from serving as a tutor to 
becoming the director of adult education at Wallace Community College 
in Dothan, Alabama, and the director of workforce development at 
Southern Union Community College in Opelika, Alabama. Ultimately, she 
would become the president of Chattahoochee Valley Community College in 
Phenix City, Alabama.
  During my time as chancellor of Alabama's community college system, I 
grew to know Laurel as a very professional and dependable colleague. I 
appreciated her honest and direct approach to the issues we faced 
together.
  During her career, she held numerous roles in professional and civic 
organizations. She was recognized with a Girl

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Scout Woman of Achievement award and as the city of Dothan's first ever 
Community Leader of the Year.
  Even though she retired from education, she never stopped working to 
make the world a better place. She launched Communities of 
Transformation, a program through the United Methodist Church focused 
on bringing together people from every segment of society to elevate 
families.
  Suffice it to say, Laurel had a positive impact on so many lives 
throughout her time on this Earth. Whether it was helping a student at 
her community college reach their full potential or giving hope to a 
struggling family, so many people owe their success to Laurel 
Blackwell.
  So, on behalf of Alabama's First Congressional District, I want to 
share my deepest condolences to Laurel's husband, Fred, and their four 
children. I hope they can all take comfort in knowing that Laurel will 
live on in the lives of the countless individuals she touched. She will 
be sorely missed.

                          ____________________