[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15817-15818]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            CHIEF JOSEPH E. WHITE, JR. POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 5142) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 113 West Jackson Street in Rich Square, North 
Carolina, as the ``Chief Joseph E. White, Jr. Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5142

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CHIEF JOSEPH E. WHITE, JR. POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 113 West Jackson Street in Rich Square, 
     North Carolina, shall be known and designated as the ``Chief 
     Joseph E. White, Jr. Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Chief Joseph E. White, Jr. Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Issa) and the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I 
rise in support of H.R. 5142, which was introduced by the gentleman 
from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield). The bill would designate the 
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 113 West 
Jackson Street in Rich Square, North Carolina, as the Chief Joseph E. 
White, Jr. Post Office Building.
  Rich Square Police Chief White served in law enforcement for over 30 
years. Tragically, Chief White was shot and killed with his own .45-
caliber service revolver on July 16, 2000, while investigating a 
possible gas drive-off or gas station runaway at a local gas station. 
He was shot after he stopped the vehicle which was wanted in connection 
with the incident. He is survived by his wife and several of his grown 
children and grandchildren.

[[Page 15818]]

  Mr. Speaker, Chief White made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of 
duty. We owe a large debt of gratitude for his many years of service. 
The community and the entire North Carolina delegation support this 
naming. I support and recommend passage of H.R. 5142.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Welch for yielding 
time. Let me also thank Chairman Issa and Ranking Member Cummings for 
bringing my bill to the floor today.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5142, a bill that I 
introduced that will designate the post office in Rich Square, North 
Carolina, as the Chief Joseph E. White, Jr. Post Office Building. Every 
Member of the North Carolina House delegation has cosponsored my bill, 
and I ask my colleagues to join me in passing it today.
  Joseph Edward White, Jr., was born on January 12, 1939, in Hertford 
County, North Carolina, in the town of Ahoskie to Joseph White, Sr., 
and the former Emma Jane Collins. In 1957, at the age of 18, Mr. White 
enlisted in the United States Navy and bravely served our country for 
the next 20 years. After he retired from the Navy, Mr. White and his 
wife, the former Joyce Risper, moved to Northampton County and settled 
in the town of Woodland, North Carolina, which would ultimately become 
home for them and for their three children: Cynthia, Cheryl, and 
Terrance.
  Mr. White found his calling in law enforcement and began his career 
with the Woodland Police Department in 1980, where he served as an 
officer and ultimately as chief of police. He later moved to the 
Northampton County Sheriff's Office and served as a deputy sheriff and 
also worked as a corrections officer at Odom Correctional Institution, 
located just outside Jackson, North Carolina.
  In 1999, Mr. Speaker, Mr. White became the chief of police for a 
small town but a town rich in legacy, the town of Rich Square. Sadly, 
Chief White's stellar career in law enforcement that saw him ascend to 
the position of chief of police of two North Carolina police 
departments was tragically cut short.
  After just a year of serving as police chief for the town of Rich 
Square, Chief White was savagely killed in the line of duty. On the 
afternoon of Sunday, July 16, 2000, Chief White was on duty and was 
alerted that a vehicle had filled up at a gas station but left the 
station without paying. Chief White spotted the vehicle and initiated a 
traffic stop. It was during the stop that Chief White's .45-caliber 
service weapon was wrested away from him by the man that he had 
stopped. The man used Chief White's own weapon against him tragically, 
ending his life just 5 months before his retirement.
  It took nearly 3 years, but the man that committed this atrocious 
crime was identified and he was arrested in Lafayette, Louisiana, on 
May 1, 2003. He was sentenced to life in prison on September 12, 2005.
  Chief White, a brave veteran and dedicated public servant, a beloved 
husband, colleague, and friend, lost his life in the most tragic of 
ways, but his memory will live on forever. Naming the post office in 
Rich Square in Chief White's honor is but a small symbol by a grateful 
Nation for his life that was dedicated to serving others.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Chief Joseph 
E. White, Jr., by voting ``aye'' on H.R. 5142.
  Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5142.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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