[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H463-H464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CONGRATULATING DAVID PRICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Cline) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize my constituent, Mr. David 
Price of Fishersville, Virginia, who was named the grand champion of 
the 2024 Virginia Truck Driving Championship.
  David has been a professional truck driver for 33 years. He has been 
employed with FedEx Freight for the last 18. He has logged 3.3 million 
miles without an accident, making him the perfect candidate to enter 
the competition.
  The contest opened on day one with a written exam and concluded the 
following day with competitive scoring on a pre-trip inspection and 
driving course skills test.
  David demonstrated his knowledge and expertise in all areas to take 
home the Virginia Straight Truck title. He also captured the best 
course score and best pre-trip inspection honors to qualify him for his 
fourth National Truck Driving Championship.
  Truck drivers are the backbone of our economy, delivering essential 
goods across the United States, but beyond the loads they carry, they 
carry an enormous responsibility, ensuring the safety of everyone and 
the commitment to sharing the road. David's grand champion status is a 
testament to his discipline, focus, and care for his fellow drivers.


       Halting the Fentanyl Crisis and Protecting American Lives

  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, the communities throughout the Sixth District 
of Virginia and across this entire Nation turned into border 
communities under the last administration.
  This was the direct result of the failed leadership of President 
Biden and Secretary Mayorkas, who allowed deadly fentanyl to pour 
through our open borders for 4 years.
  In 2023, over 107,000 Americans tragically died from drug overdoses. 
Of those, 75,000 were due to synthetic opioids, primarily illicit 
fentanyl. Fentanyl has become the number one

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cause of death for adults aged 18 to 49. Even in my home State of 
Virginia, drug cartels were caught smuggling rainbow-colored fentanyl, 
specifically intended to target our children. Enough is enough.
  That is why this week the House will vote on the HALT Fentanyl Act to 
address this crisis head on. Introduced by my colleague, Representative 
Griffith, the HALT Fentanyl Act will increase penalties for 
fentanyl traffickers, support research into the devastating mental 
health effects of fentanyl, and equip law enforcement with the 
authority and resources needed to keep the deadly drug off our streets.

  Unlike the previous administration, House Republicans are stepping up 
to protect the American people. We are committed to fighting back 
against the fentanyl crisis, securing our borders, and saving lives. We 
must pass this important legislation to protect innocent lives and 
ensure the safety of our families and our communities.


                    Congratulating Dale Meyerhoeffer

  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend a 
resident of Verona, Virginia, who cares passionately about preserving 
the lands and cultures that epitomize our American heritage.
  On December 11, 2024, in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., it was 
announced that Dale Meyerhoeffer received the National Park Service 
2023 Director's Award for Excellence in Natural Resource Management.
  Mr. Meyerhoeffer is a biological technician whose undaunted efforts 
to save Shenandoah National Park's remaining eastern hemlock trees 
preserved an ecologically important resource for the park.
  After the death of 95 percent of the park's hemlocks from an invasive 
insect, Meyerhoeffer, with the help from volunteers and park staff, 
used insecticide treatment to protect more than 30,000 hemlocks.
  To reduce the park's reliance on pesticide treatments, Meyerhoeffer 
worked with researchers from Virginia Tech to procure and release host-
specific, predatory beetles and flies in hopes of controlling the 
invasive insect.
  This effort culminated in major success for Shenandoah National Park 
and the Sixth District of Virginia. We thank him for his persistence 
and contribution to our great Nation.


     Recognizing the Restoration Community Development Corporation

  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Restoration Community 
Development Corporation in Luray, Virginia, and its selfless founder, 
Pastor Audre King. Pastor King grew up in Page County and has made a 
difference in the community since he moved back 8 years ago.
  Pastor King founded Living Legacy, a community nonprofit that serves 
as an umbrella organization, focused on underprivileged youth. Its most 
recent initiative is the Restoration Community Development Corporation, 
which aims to restore houses and give unhoused mothers and their 
children a place to live.
  A house in the heart of Luray was rehabilitated in December and is 
now home to 4 moms and 11 children who are grateful to live together as 
a family. The moms attend church service and life skills classes and 
are offered recovery sessions as needed.
  They also pay a portion of the upkeep and save for the future. Pastor 
King hopes to finish a second house for fathers by the end of February 
and eventually hopes to expand across the county.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the Restoration Community Development 
Corporation and Pastor King for their exceptional work in the Sixth 
District of Virginia.

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