[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H3489-H3490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          RECOGNIZING TRU MOST

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Washington (Ms. Perez) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Tru Most, a 
freshman at Mark Morris High School, who recently placed first in the 
YETI Junior World Finals of Barrel Racing in Las Vegas.
  Competing against 164 other teams, Tru and her horse, Rockette, 
dominated the field with a run of 14.722 seconds. Her success is the 
result of years of hard work. She started racing when she was just 8 
years old.
  I am so proud of her success and for making a name for southwest 
Washington, and I am so excited to see what is in store for her. Her 
talent and her work ethic make our community proud.


                             Tunnel 5 Fire

  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the pressing issue 
that has ravaged my district in southwest Washington, the Tunnel 5 
wildfire.
  We have all become sickeningly familiar with the feeling of your 
heart stopping when you get the call that there is another wildfire in 
your community.
  Over the Independence Day weekend, I and so many others in my 
community got that call. To my neighbors who lost their homes, my heart 
breaks for you.
  My team and I stand ready to help you in any way that we can, whether 
you need to get another passport issued or you need advice navigating 
FEMA. If you are trying to get your military records reissued, we stand 
by to help you.
  I thank the firefighters who chose to spend their summers felling 
trees, digging lines, and sleeping in tents in sweltering heat.
  When I visited that fire line, I saw firsthand there is a lot of gray 
hair out there. Thank you to the folks who choose to spend their 
retirement not in Cabo but fighting wildfires in places like Skamania 
County. Your experience is invaluable and your self-sacrifice an 
example to us all.

[[Page H3490]]

  Finally, I thank the volunteer firefighters, first responders, and 
linemen from our PUDs. We are all so proud of them.
  I hope they are all able to take some time off, go to a swimming 
hole, and relax with their families. The path to rebuilding is long, 
but folks like them are the reason that our community is worth the 
fight.


                        Steigerwald Restoration

  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Steigerwald 
Restoration Project in my district. In 1960, the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers built a levee along the Columbia River to protect communities 
from flooding.

  In doing so, they cut off Steigerwald Lake and created flooding from 
Gibbons Creek and destroyed a wetland. This wound up decimating the 
ecosystem and introducing new floods.
  In 2013, the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership began the Steigerwald 
Restoration Project. This project took 10 years. It was a massive 
undertaking. The team removed miles of the existing levee and built two 
new setbacks to protect the community from floods.
  Thanks to their painstaking effort, port and city infrastructure, 
State Route 14, and nearby private residences are no longer at risk of 
flooding, and the natural habitat has been restored.
  A few weeks ago, I was able to visit and see how the area was 
transformed. It is now being used as a recreational space.
  I appreciate any chance to get my boots a little muddy and plant a 
couple of trees. Investments in our ecosystems are investments in our 
future.


                   Recognizing Small Community Banks

  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize small community 
banks. Small community banks often serve as lifelines for local 
businesses and individuals.
  Banks like Raymond Federal and Security State Bank have a finger on 
the pulse of their community and are often able to lend to members in 
the community when the big guys can't see the value these guys provide.
  These small community banks are also able to respond quicker to local 
events, like a strike at a local lumber mill, by offering automatic 
loan modification to striking workers.
  Small banks are facing a number of pressures like high interest rates 
and capital consolidations that benefit the big players in the 
financial world such as big banks, insurance companies, and companies 
like Apple and Amazon entering the banking space.
  That is why I believe when we talk about supporting rural areas, we 
need to add regional community banking to the list of critical services 
to protect.


              Recognizing NASCAR Driver Eric Johnson, Jr.

  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Eric Johnson, Jr., 
a 20-year-old race car driver from Woodland, Washington, who made his 
NASCAR debut in early June.
  Eric placed 10th at the Portland NASCAR Xfinity Series. He competed 
in a field of 24 racers, most of whom were older and had years of 
experience on him.
  Inspired by his father who was a former NASCAR driver, Eric began 
exploring his passion for racing and cars.
  Eric actually started driving race cars before he started driving on 
normal residential streets, going 100 miles per hour on the racetrack 
before going 20 miles an hour in a neighborhood. Eric began building 
cars when he was just 15, before he got his driver's license.
  As an auto repair and machine shop owner myself, I know this 
meticulous, hands-on work requires a lot of attention to detail and 
creativity.
  I congratulate Eric on his impressive debut at such a young age. I 
look forward to seeing where his career takes him.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks 
to the Chair and not to a perceived viewing audience.

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