[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 186 (Tuesday, November 27, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H9577-H9578]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN CELEBRATION OF REAL CHRISTMAS TREES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor this year's National Christmas 
Tree Contest winner who hails from my home county of Avery in North 
Carolina's Fifth District, Mr. Larry Smith.
  This year, Mr. Smith won the national tree contest hosted by the 
National Christmas Tree Association, whose members have presented the 
official White House Christmas tree for display in the Blue Room since 
1966.
  Growers must first win their local competitions in order to qualify 
for the association's national contest. At the national competition, 
growers, industry experts, and consumers vote to choose the real 
Christmas tree grower who will provide the official White House 
Christmas tree.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent this year's winner and was 
delighted to join Mr. Smith, his family and friends in presenting the 
First Family with its Fraser fir Christmas tree last week.
  As a former Christmas tree grower myself, I can attest to the 
importance of recognizing this often overlooked, yet highly 
significant, farming industry. Christmas trees have held a historic 
place in American family tradition since 1850. Long before artificial 
trees were around, real trees brought Christmas spirit into homes with 
their evergreen and fragrant branches during the season.
  Just as importantly, Christmas trees play a vital role in the North 
Carolina high country's economy by providing jobs and livelihoods for 
thousands of North Carolinians. The Fifth District is one of the 
largest producers of live-cut Christmas trees in the country, producing 
over 20 percent of the real Christmas trees in the United States.
  Representing over 95 percent of all species grown in the State, the 
North Carolina Fraser fir Christmas tree is the most popular Christmas 
tree in North America. It is shipped to every State in the U.S., as 
well as the Caribbean islands, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, Japan, and 
other points all over the world.
  Congratulations once again to Mr. Smith, and thanks to Christmas tree 
growers across the country for contributing to our economy and 
providing the joy of having a real Christmas tree to families 
worldwide.


                        Association Health Plans

  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share some good news with the 
House. Over a year and a half ago, we passed the Small Business Health 
Fairness Act.
  Small businesses were hit hard by flawed mandates, soaring costs, and 
limited choices under ObamaCare. The Education and the Workforce 
Committee worked hard to produce the Small Business Health Fairness 
Act, which expanded healthcare options and lowered costs for working 
families by encouraging small businesses to come together through 
association health plans and negotiate for lower costs on behalf of 
their employees.
  In October of last year, President Trump issued an executive order 
that built on the solutions in that bill, directing the Department of 
Labor to remove barriers and make association health plans a viable 
option for businesses and their employees.
  Well, it is working. In my home State of North Carolina, individuals 
in the hospitality industry will soon have access to a new association 
health plan that provides affordable, comprehensive coverage. Nearly 
half a million workers in North Carolina alone will have options they 
didn't have before thanks to association health plans.
  In Oklahoma, chambers of commerce at the State and local level are 
working with some of the smallest businesses around to form association 
health plans and allow these talented individuals to keep doing what 
they really want to do, innovating and creating jobs only they will be 
able to create.
  Even farmers in Minnesota and Nebraska are finding ways to come 
together for better bargaining power that puts people and their 
healthcare choices first.
  Association health plans put people in charge. They empower small 
businesses to offer the same benefits that

[[Page H9578]]

large companies can provide, and they allow employees to choose 
coverage options that work best for them.
  At the Education and the Workforce Committee, we have been proud to 
do our part to bring about this sustainable healthcare solution for 
millions of Americans. I welcome the news.

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