[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 182 (Thursday, November 14, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING FORMER MISSISSIPPI SPEAKER BILLY McCOY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Mississippi (Mr. Kelly) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
former speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, the 
Honorable Billy McCoy, who is pictured here.
  Former Mississippi Speaker Billy McCoy passed away on November 12 
after an incredible, lifelong career of public service.
  Billy was directly responsible for revolutionizing the economy of 
Mississippi and bringing thousands of jobs to our great State. As 
speaker, Speaker McCoy championed the 1987 infrastructure plan that 
created four-lane highways throughout Mississippi. The four-lane 
highways brought industries and added more than 1,300 miles of highways 
to the State.
  Billy was also dedicated to improving public education in Mississippi 
and giving every child a chance for success. His influence on the lives 
of numerous Mississippians will not be forgotten, but his honorable 
demeanor and commitment will be greatly missed.
  I just think back to being at Jacinto, an ancient courthouse that 
predates the Civil War in Mississippi near Rienzi, where Speaker McCoy 
was from. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, when you got 
ready to run, you had better go pay homage to the great Speaker Billy 
McCoy, who did so much for Mississippi.
  And I can still see him sitting on the front lawn in front of the 
trailer with the hay bales on it, where I would speak for my first 
political speech, and seeing Speaker McCoy out there, knowing that I 
would have gone by and gotten advice from him, even though we were on 
opposite political parties.
  May Mr. Speaker rest in peace.


                    Recognizing Judge Sadie Holland

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
Judge Sadie Holland, another icon in history. And thank goodness she is 
still here with us. She is just retiring.
  She is retiring from Lee County Justice Court as a judge, after 16 
years of service in that capacity. She also has a history of being Lee 
County's first female justice court judge. She served, before that, as 
the Tupelo court administrator and mayor of Nettleton, a small 
community in Lee County.
  Judge Holland's influence in the community has been so significant, 
Lee County proclaimed November 3 as Sadie Holland Day.

  I also have to mention that one of her sons is retiring as a State 
representative of over 36 years, who I will recognize next, and her 
other is a supervisor in her home county of Lee County.
  The Hollands are icons in Lee County, and I thank Judge Sadie Holland 
for her service.


             Recognizing State Representative Steve Holland

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize 
soon-to-be former--he is about to retire from the Mississippi House of 
Representatives--Representative Steve Holland.
  Steve has served in the House of Representatives in the Mississippi 
legislature for 36 years. He was also a desk mate, I think, of former 
Speaker McCoy, and they were good friends.
  Steve has represented the 16th District of Mississippi proudly, as he 
has represented all of the people of his district. He is a true 
Mississippian who prioritized legislation that would create a brighter 
future for Mississippi.
  And, if you have never met Steve Holland, he is a character who is 
not large enough for this body to contain. What a gentleman. Always for 
the State of Mississippi and a true Mississippian at heart, but always 
with a quip and quick humor. He was always willing to never take 
himself too seriously, although all the matters that he achieved were 
very serious.
  Steve Holland is an icon in Mississippi politics. I look forward to 
working with Steve in his retirement and thank him for his service.


                          Impeachment Process

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I just want to talk a little 
bit about this impeachment process, or whatever you want to call it 
that we have going on.
  The American people deserve the facts--and just the facts--not 
supposition from witnesses who have second- and third- and fourth- and 
fifth-hand information.
  They have a right to not have lawyers and alleged whistleblowers, who 
the lawyer has--the coup started in 2017 as soon as our President took 
office, or impeachment next.
  Mr. Speaker, the people of America deserve the facts. They don't 
deserve secret proceedings, leaks, misinformation, and disinformation.
  And I just want to make a small point. A whistleblower is not 
afforded anonymity by the statute. They are afforded the protection 
from firing or retaliation, not anonymity. It is not a hotline or an 
anonymous tip line.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that the misinformation and disinformation stop. 
Just the facts.

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