[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 40 (Monday, March 7, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H1322-H1326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ISSUES OF THE DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 2021, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I am delighted to be able to speak on the 
House floor today and talk about what we are witnessing, all Americans, 
as we turn on our televisions and see the horrors in Europe.
  For the first time in eight decades, we are witnessing a mass, 
unprovoked ground and air invasion in continental Europe. Not since 
World War II have we seen this sort of aggressive, evil action by one 
European nation against another, let alone such action by a global 
power and member of the United Nations Security Council.

[[Page H1323]]

  The tragedy unfolding today has no precedent in recent history, not 
even the terrible civil war and ethnic cleansing in the former 
Yugoslavia.

                              {time}  2015

  Let's be clear, Madam Speaker, Putin feels emboldened and believes 
that he can wield his power anywhere in the world, including in his own 
backyard in a pitiful but ruthless attempt to restore his idea of some 
18th century Russian kingdom with himself as czar.
  Putin is emboldened by the fact that he has personally, and Russia as 
a nation, not paid any significant economic or diplomatic price for his 
previous violations of international law, the U.N. Charter, or common 
decency and norms.
  One only has to recall the poisoning in a London park of an 
opposition voice in 2006, forging a partnership in 2015 with the 
butcher Assad in mass destruction, murder, and mayhem in Syria, 
waltzing into Crimea without firing a shot in 2014, and his border 
incursions into Georgia in 2008.
  Putin has simply marched on, trampling international law and 
sovereign borders, all the while thumbing his nose, Madam Speaker, at 
international norms and the negligible reaction of his neighbors.
  In fact, his neighbors, dependent on the European drug of choice--
Russian natural gas--for so long they just stared glassy-eyed at their 
enabler, unable to stand up for themselves and fight back. Now, these 
neighbors have rejected the dominance of Putin's pushing and are 
fighting back.
  That is why America once more steps into the breach as the essential, 
indispensable nation. Our resolve encourages a stronger European Union 
and a stronger NATO.
  During the 20th century, our freedom-loving people consistently 
stepped up to push back against the disposition and destruction of 
individual rights, international norms, and sovereign nations.
  Europe doesn't want to go back to their ancient, feudal fights, and 
Ukrainians don't want to return to vassal state status under the boot 
of Russia.
  Ukrainians want to go forward. They don't want to go backward. They 
don't want to go back to the Berlin Airlift, Checkpoint Charlie, the 
Fulda Gap, and Churchill's Iron Curtain.
  At the height of the Cold War, Madam Speaker, I traveled through 
Checkpoint Charlie to the other side of the Iron Curtain. I have 
witnessed what life is like in communism, socialism. I have laid a 
wreath at Auschwitz. I have laid a wreath on Decoration Day at the 
American Cemetery in Normandy. And, Madam Speaker, Americans don't want 
to go back to those days either.
  Our boys sacrificed their lives in the forests of Germany, the 
beaches of France, the hills of Italy, and the sands of North Africa to 
prevent this very thing from happening again.
  That is why American leadership is critical. Partnering with our 
transatlantic allies, we must muster the military, economic, and 
diplomatic clout and might to hit this bully in the nose. Bullies only 
respect clout and might.
  While Europe and the United States were timid in the Obama-Merkel 
days, our collective leadership must fill the void now and push back 
once and for all against the assault on sovereignty and freedom we are 
witnessing in Europe.
  If not now, when? If not in Ukraine, on the borders of Ukraine, 
where, Madam Speaker?
  If we fail here, despots will race to trample borders around the 
world, and democracy and freedom everywhere will be in peril.


                    Russia's Special Drawing Rights

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to how the 
International Monetary Fund fuels Russia's war on Ukraine by providing 
them a blank check in the form of special drawing rights, or SDRs.
  Last week, I with 40 of my Republican colleagues in the House and the 
Senate, we wrote Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging that all IMF 
member countries not bail out Russia by facilitating the exchange of 
Russian SDRs with their own hard currency.
  Russia was handed a blank check of nearly $17 billion equivalent in 
SDRs by the IMF just last year and has an estimated total of $24 
billion in SDR reserves. This should have never happened, Madam 
Speaker, and that is why I have been so adamant for years about 
limiting the issue of IMF special drawing rights.
  Earlier last week, the United States and other countries expanded 
economic sanctions against the Russian Central Bank, and while this is 
a late but welcome development, we must do more.
  For decades, Russia has been accumulating a war chest that includes 
gold, international reserves, and importantly, special drawing rights. 
And with the ruble tanking in open markets, the Kremlin's access to 
foreign currency reserves being cut off, these SDRs are one of the only 
remaining ways that Russia can access financial resources for its 
warmongering in the Ukraine.
  That is why now is the time for the U.S. to lead at the IMF for 
calling on all member countries, including China, Madam Speaker, to 
formally agree not to facilitate any exchange of their currencies with 
Russia's SDRs.
  We are already seeing China and Russia deepening their ties, forming 
the latest and newest axis of evil. We cannot allow Moscow to turn to 
Beijing for an SDR bailout. As the largest shareholder of the IMF, the 
United States has a responsibility to ensure that these resources are 
not hijacked to fuel Russian bombs and tanks.


                            Small LENDER Act

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the 
latest Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the CFBP, proposed small 
business data collection regulation. It is called section 1071.
  Access to capital for small businesses is the lifeblood of each of 
our local economies, and for many, the community bank lender is often 
leading the way in supporting our entrepreneurs in small businesses 
across our districts.
  And yet, the CFPB's new regulation, if finalized, would actually hurt 
small business by making the cost of credit more expensive and imposing 
significant compliance costs that would fall the hardest on the 
smallest lenders across our Nation.
  That is why I, along with Congressmen Williams of Texas and 
Luetkemeyer of Missouri have introduced the Small LENDER Act, a new 
bill that would provide regulatory relief to small business lenders by 
exempting them from this proposed CFPB 1071 rule and providing an 
additional year to comply, plus a 2-year safe harbor.
  Specifically, my bill would expand the definition of a small lender 
as one that originates at least 500 small business loans per year, 
instead of the 25-loan limit proposed by the CFPB.
  It would also codify a ``small business'' as one with gross revenues 
of $1 million or less instead of the $5 million threshold that the rule 
proposed.
  Finally, the bill extends the effective compliance date with the 
final rule to be 3 years plus that 2-year grace period instead of only 
18 months as proposed by the CFPB.
  In the absence of Congress repealing section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank 
Act, this bill would prevent some of the most harmful aspects of the 
rule from going into effect. I urge my colleagues to support the Small 
LENDER Act.


                      Economic Crisis of Inflation

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the 
economic crisis that has been fueled by the Biden administration's out-
of-control spending and the very accommodative monetary policies of our 
Federal Reserve.
  2021 was the worst year, Madam Speaker for consumer inflation since 
1981.
  Last year, inflation cost the average worker roughly two paychecks 
and the average family $3,500.
  And inflation doesn't just impact major corporations, but also our 
small businesses, 61 percent of which have had to raise prices in the 
last month in order just to try to keep up with inflation.
  Of course, getting people back to work will greatly aid supply 
chains, thus we need to encourage work. But President Biden's policies 
of vaccine mandates, higher regulations on employers and policies to 
cut the supply of energy hurt the cause of getting our citizens back to 
work.
  The President has called this inflation ``transitory'' and caused 
only by ``supply chain'' disruptions and greedy corporations. Madam 
Speaker, in my view, this is just pure political theater.

[[Page H1324]]

  Yet, instead of addressing these concerns, working to get spending 
under control and our Nation's economy fully back on track, President 
Biden spent the bulk of his State of the Union speech doubling down on 
those policies that got us into this inflationary situation in the 
first place.
  Central Arkansans' pockets are hurting.
  The President should stop proposing to spend trillions more. The 
President should cut regulatory burdens hindering hiring employers like 
truck drivers, general contractors, and health service employees.
  The President should unleash American energy to help bring down 
prices for U.S. consumers and help our struggling allies in Europe.
  I urge the Biden administration and my colleagues on the other side 
of the aisle to reach across the aisle to help bring relief to the 
American people and get back to our prepandemic spending priorities and 
alleviate the burdens that many face across our country, particularly 
the burden of inflation.


                     Crisis at the Southern Border

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the 
crisis at our southwest border.
  In January, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported over 153,941 
migrant encounters at our southwest border, which represented a 320 
percent increase over January of 2020.
  Of the over 150,000 migrants who were encountered, the Biden 
administration opened the door and said come in, releasing about 60,000 
migrants into the United States.
  Deportations are down 70 percent when compared to 2020, averaging 
about 100 a day, and that was in the face of 7,000 migrants appearing 
at our border each day.
  Officials at our southern border have estimated that nearly 400,000 
illegal immigrants have successfully crossed the border without being 
caught. So not being interdicted, not being processed, not being turned 
back.
  Those numbers, like the inflation that we are experiencing, are out 
of control.
  These numbers are unacceptable, and we need to get back on track. I 
have encouraged the Biden administration for over a year now, return to 
those Trump-era policies that were controlling the flow across the 
border, resume construction on the wall, resume support of our 
personnel on the border, resume the efforts to control and secure our 
southwest border.


                     America's Energy Independence

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, today I rise to bring awareness to an issue 
that concerns all Americans, and that is America's energy independence.
  Every day the U.S. is importing nearly 600,000 barrels of oil from 
Russia. As we continue to increase sanctions against Russia, we must 
also keep the American people in mind, who are already feeling the 
effects of inflation each day when they visit the pump.
  We need to boost domestic production now. That should be our 
priority, boosting American production. Prior to the pandemic we were 
producing 13 million barrels a day. Today, we are producing about 11 
million barrels per day. That would more than make up for this Russian 
oil that for some reason we are still importing.
  This week, I received a call from a constituent. This constituent is 
on a fixed income, and she shared with me her concerns about filling up 
at the gas station. She shared with me her concerns about Ukraine and 
asked if she should expect her gas bill to increase even more as 
tensions rise. And the answer to that question, Madam Speaker is I 
believe that is right, that is what is going to happen.
  And that is why we can benefit Europe and benefit American consumers 
by unleashing American energy production and get back to those 13 
million barrels a day. That way we can offset what we have been 
importing from Russia and benefit our American consumers.

                              {time}  2030


                      Great American Outdoors Act

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise to highlight the important work being 
accomplished through the success of the Great American Outdoors Act, 
the bipartisan conservation legislation signed into law by President 
Trump.
  In Arkansas, I recently had the opportunity to visit one of those 
sites and visit with leaders at the National Forest System spearheading 
this effort at Blanchard Springs Caverns in the Ozark National Forest.
  These incredible caverns not only attract thousands each year to 
Arkansas, but they have a robust economic impact on the surrounding 
areas as they are enjoyed by all Americans each year.
  Thanks to funding by the Great American Outdoors Act, the cabins are 
able to undergo much-needed renovations to improve the existing trail 
system and lighting system throughout the caverns and invest in 
preventative measures to enhance the safety and resiliency of the 
underground system. This allows the caverns to be enjoyed by American 
families for years to come.
  Madam Speaker, these improvements that are underway as a result of 
this bipartisan achievement are the first major capital expenditures 
spent on this beautiful cavern since it was opened during the Nixon 
administration. So, I look forward to these funds continuing to support 
various projects in the Natural State and look forward to their 
enhancement in the years to come.


                             Opioid Crisis

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the opioid 
crisis in Arkansas and across our Nation.
  Each day, over 250 individuals lose their lives to an opioid-related 
overdose. According to the CDC, we lost a record number of 99,106 
people between March 2020 and March 2021. What a milestone. What a grim 
milestone.
  My home State of Arkansas has one of the highest opioid-prescribing 
rates in our Nation. In Arkansas alone, we lost at least 225 of our 
neighbors in this crisis.
  Opioid misuse and addiction begin at home, coming from a familiar 
medicine cabinet. More Americans lose their lives to addiction than 
from car accidents, guns, or HIV.
  This is a crisis, a growing crisis, and one that is reaching new 
highs. These deaths are preventable, and it is up to each of us to do 
our part to save lives and combat the disease that is addiction.
  That is why, last September, I introduced the bipartisan Preventing 
Overdoses and Saving Lives Act with my colleague from Michigan, 
Representative Debbie Dingell. My bipartisan bill will create a grant 
program allowing States and localities to conduct research on the 
opioid crisis, create a strategic plan on how to respond to the crisis, 
and implement co-prescribing under certain circumstances. Increasing 
access to naloxone reduces opioid fatalities. If this bill passes, it 
will save lives.
  Madam Speaker, we have seen that in Arkansas, one of 14 States that 
offers co-prescriptions for opioid prescription recipients. I would 
like to see that broader across our Nation. Lives will be saved.
  In this bill, I urge all of my colleagues to join Congresswoman 
Dingell and I in this fight.


                            Be Pro Be Proud

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak about Be Pro Be Proud, 
an initiative launched in 2016 as a response to the workforce shortage 
experienced in my home State of Arkansas.
  Be Pro Be Proud is a technical program that introduces students and 
young adults to skilled trade jobs and the well-paid opportunities that 
these jobs unlock.
  In the past 5 years, Be Pro Be Proud's mobile workshop has completed 
over 500 stops in the State of Arkansas and recruited over 20,000 
individuals who have joined the movement to learn more about key 
trades, new opportunities, and finding that career that is right for 
them.
  After seeing the tremendous success in Arkansas, the initiative has 
expanded to surrounding States. We have traveled around the country 
exposing young adults to this kind of opportunity--in middle school and 
high school--a career that starts immediately after high school 
graduation.
  In January, I had the pleasure of joining Governor Asa Hutchinson and 
State and local leaders to announce that Be Pro Be Proud was awarded 
$1.45 million in a grant to support the launch of a second mobile 
workshop to bring this story to schools all over Arkansas.

[[Page H1325]]

  This expansion will see additional communities visited by Be Pro Be 
Proud sooner and better, and that means faster opportunities to be 
witnessed by our young people when they graduate from high school.


             Recognizing the Life and Legacy of Sam Chaffin

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and 
legacy of a dear friend and a great Rotary International colleague, my 
friend Sam Chaffin. I was sad to share the news with my friends that 
Sam passed away in November.
  Born in 1936, in Magnolia, Arkansas, he was a proud graduate of the 
University of Arkansas, where he earned a master's degree in industrial 
engineering. Shortly after graduation, Sam opened his own business, 
Eagle Material Handling of Arkansas, which specialized in material and 
manufacturing management.
  In 1975, Sam joined the Rotary Club of Little Rock, Club 99. During 
his time in Rotary, Sam served in many leadership positions, including 
foundation chair, president of our club, and district governor. Through 
our work together in Rotary, we had the opportunity to go to Lacombe, 
Louisiana, following Katrina and help many, many families rebuild their 
homes.
  Madam Speaker, we couldn't have done that at our club, the Rotary 
Club of Little Rock, without Sam's instrumental leadership. He was a 
friend to all who were blessed to know him. My thoughts are with his 
wife, Charlie; children, Cole and Marty; and his grandchildren and 
great-grandchildren.

  Sam, thank you for your impact on our community, our Rotary Club, 
Rotary International, and our State.


                   Recognizing Scipio Africanus Jones

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an exemplary 
Arkansan, Scipio Africanus Jones.
  Scipio Jones was born into slavery in Arkansas in 1863. Throughout 
his life, he attended Black schools near his hometown, eventually 
earning his bachelor's degree from Arkansas' own Shorter College.
  Although there were no schools for African Americans to study law in 
Arkansas, Scipio took on the challenge himself and began studying 
independently and, in 1889, passed the Arkansas Bar. He began his 
career in Pulaski County and, in 1900, was admitted to the Arkansas 
Supreme Court.
  In 1919, 12 Black sharecroppers had been sentenced to death for their 
alleged role in the Elaine Massacre, while 87 other defendants also 
awaited trial. Scipio Jones' primary goal was to secure a fair trial 
for the 87 defendants. After his partner's unexpected passing, he 
became the lead attorney in the appeals process for the 12 defendants 
who had been sentenced to death.
  Of the 12 original sharecroppers who had been sentenced to death, 
charges were dismissed against six, while the other six had their 
sentences commuted. The remaining 87 defendants received pardons from 
the Governor of Arkansas.
  Following these immense legal victories, Scipio Jones remained an 
advocate for the Black community across Arkansas. In recognition of his 
advocacy, the United States Post Office in downtown Little Rock was 
named in his honor in 2007.
  In 2020, President Trump signed into law my bill, which facilitated a 
large, full-sized portrait of Scipio Jones to be displayed in that post 
office. Last week, I had the honor, with all of our citizens, to gather 
and unveil this beautiful portrait of Scipio Jones at the post office 
named for him.
  Special thanks are owed to John Gill, Garbo Hearne, artist Wade 
Hampton, and the Central Arkansas Library System for all of their 
collaboration in making this wonderful portrait a reality. It will 
serve as a reminder of the legal skill, persistence, bravery, and 
diplomacy of Scipio Jones, permanently honoring him as the amazing 
legal leader and citizen that he was.


                          Honoring Daisy Bates

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Daisy Bates and her 
brave actions that shaped American history and Arkansas history.
  When Daisy Bates moved to Little Rock in the early 1940s, she 
immediately joined the NAACP and became a leader in our African-
American community. As a civil rights activist in Little Rock, Daisy 
Bates played a leading role in the integration of Little Rock's schools 
and served as a mentor to the Little Rock Nine.
  Her bravery and leadership led her to achieve the unimaginable--
sparking change across our whole Nation. Just last month, I had the 
opportunity to visit with students and speak about her impact and her 
legacy at the Daisy Bates Elementary School in Little Rock.
  Daisy's accomplishments deserve to be recognized, and I am proud that 
Daisy Bates and her legacy will be memorialized here in the United 
States Capitol. Soon, her statue will become part of the collection in 
the National Statuary Hall, commemorating her bravery, strength, and 
leadership.
  Madam Speaker, I look forward to honoring that memory and continuing 
her fight for equality every time I pass that statue in our Capitol.


                   Recognizing Army Colonel Mike Ross

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Retired Army 
Colonel Mike Ross and his selfless leadership with Veterans Villages of 
America.
  Colonel Ross is a combat veteran with 37 years of military service. 
He has received numerous awards, including the Legion of Merit, the 
Bronze Star, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
  Currently, Colonel Ross serves on the board of directors for Veterans 
Villages of America, where he operates a food pantry for veterans, 
military personnel, and their immediate family members. They also 
network in our communities to meet the needs of our veterans--and I 
mean all the needs of our veterans. Colonel Ross is indeed tireless.
  Although he is retired, he continues to give back to others, serve 
others, and work tirelessly for American military families and our 
veterans to ensure they are well cared for.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Colonel Ross for his outstanding service and 
dedication to our community and central Arkansas veterans.


                      Recognizing Montine McNulty

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the career of 
Montine McNulty.
  After serving 25 years as the head of the Arkansas Hospitality 
Association, Montine has announced her well-deserved retirement. Early 
in 2020, Montine thought about retirement, but when COVID-19 hit, she 
made a decision to stay and guide her organization through the pandemic 
in the midst of such great uncertainty.
  Montine, I commend your embodying of the motto, ``Service Above 
Self,'' and I hope you enjoy every moment of your retirement.
  Madam Speaker, it is also important that we take a moment and 
recognize Katie Beck, the new head of the Arkansas Hospitality 
Association. Katie has had a distinguished career in serving Governor 
Hutchinson's communication department, and I know she will bring that 
drive, that spirit, as the new head of the AHA.
  The Arkansas Hospitality Association is very valuable for our State, 
and I look forward to seeing where Katie takes the organization while 
continuing Montine's legacy.
  Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time remains.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 31 minutes remaining.


                         Shift Back to Society

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, the United States currently has one of the 
highest prison populations in the world. Every year, we spend about 
$34,000 per inmate in our State. In Arkansas, the current rate of 
reentry after re-offending is about 57 percent, one of the highest in 
the Nation.

  We can do better, which is why I introduced the bipartisan Shift Back 
to Society Act. This bill would enact policies that avert individuals 
from re-offending, keeping people out of prison. This is accomplished 
by providing funding for our historically Black colleges and 
universities for educational programming that they design for offenders 
who have or who have almost completed serving their time, so engaging 
to better prepare people we know that are going to be released.
  By developing this pathway to education, we directly decrease the 
rate of recidivism. The more education an individual has, the less 
likely they are to re-offend. This legislation will save millions in 
current spending while creating an opportunity that will keep 
individuals out of prison and transition

[[Page H1326]]

them back into being productive members of society.
  As we currently face an uptick in crime, both in Arkansas and across 
our Nation, I am proud to bring forward a bill that will save taxpayer 
dollars as well as improve paths for successful reentry shifting back 
to society.


              Congratulating Mike Poore on His Retirement

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my good friend, 
our superintendent of Little Rock Public Schools, Mike Poore.
  Mike has decided to retire, and I wish him a happy and healthy 
retirement. In 2016, Mike made the move from northwest Arkansas to 
Little Rock with the goal of transforming the district, which at the 
time was under the control of the State.

                              {time}  2045

  In March 2020, when the world turned upside down because of the 
COVID-19 pandemic, Mike did not skip a beat. He worked to make sure 
every teacher and every student had the technology needed to continue 
learning with as little disruption as possible.
  He worked mightily with the district teachers and staff to make sure 
students were back in the classroom. Madam Speaker, that was a great 
accomplishments of our State to have over 80 percent of our kids in the 
classroom during the midst of the pandemic. Mike led that way.
  His other accomplishment included raising money for students in the 
community, increasing teachers' salaries, and being named Arkansas' 
Superintendent of the Year.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Mike for his service and dedication to the 
Little Rock School District, his long-lasting impact in our community 
is appreciated.
  Congratulations and our best wishes for his retirement.


                  Recognizing Eagle Scout Marcal Young

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize fellow Eagle Scout 
Marcal Young of Little Rock. I am congratulating him on his career with 
the Boy Scouts of America having been active with that organization for 
over 40 years.
  Since its founding, the Boy Scouts of America have remained committed 
to the idea that educating our youth in citizenship, service, and 
leadership is best for their development, and an amazing opportunity of 
service for our Nation.
  Marcal has embraced these principles, and in 2018 was named Scout 
Executive of the Qupaw Area Council. Throughout his career, he has had 
a positive impact on thousands of young people and their families, and 
as a result, their communities.
  With their character development and value-based leadership programs, 
over 2.5 million young men have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.
  In 1972, I earned the rank of Eagle Scout at Troop 27 at Holy Souls 
Catholic Church in Little Rock. To this day, it is one of my proudest 
accomplishments.
  I am grateful for Marcal and his commitment to Scouting and making 
those achievements possible for youth across the communities of our 
State. His leadership and influence will be remembered, and I wish him 
the very best in his well-earned retirement.


             Recognizing the Retirement of Margaret Ellibee

  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the retirement of 
Margaret Ellibee and commemorate her service of 11 years as chancellor 
at the University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College.
  UA Pulaski Tech, a 2-year community college in the heart of my 
district, has moved mountains for its students and faculty under her 
leadership.
  Margaret Ellibee's critical decision to raise admission standards not 
only led to increased graduation rates but also reduced student loan 
default rates, positively impacting the school's performance and 
trustworthiness.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Margaret for making these achievements 
possible for our students and faculty, and I am grateful for her bold 
and robust leadership. Her legacy will be remembered for years, and I 
wish her the very best of a well-earned retirement.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________