[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 8902-8903]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          CONGRATULATING NORTH HALL HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TEAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Collins) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is a joy today that I rise to 
congratulate North Hall High School on winning the State baseball 
championship in Georgia in their class. This is especially happy for me 
because I am a Trojan. I graduated from North Hall High School in 1984.
  It is amazing that it seems that long ago, but it is also looking 
back as one of the first sports championships in baseball that they 
have received, and it is a truly exciting time in our community. I have 
watched these young men grow up, many with my own son playing ball, and 
it is exciting to see that fulfillment.
  At the start of the season, the team rallied around the promise of 
``Leave No Doubt.'' It reminded North Hall players and coaches to offer 
the best effort without exception and to prove wrong anyone who doubted 
their potential for success.
  Persevering in the 2017 season was no small task. The team opened the 
first round of the State playoffs, in fact, with a 6-1 loss. Few people 
expected the Trojans to recover after that game, but they followed it 
with 10 straight wins.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that North Hall earned the title of 
State Champion.
  This victory serves as a testament to the team's determination and a 
reminder to us all that dedication, even in the most unlikely 
circumstances, does pay off. Whenever we give up, we surrender our 
dreams.
  To the young men that I have watched grow up, the young men in our 
community who now hold the title of State Champion, I say 
congratulations.


             Honoring Army Lieutenant Colonel Terry Barron

  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of retired 
Army Lieutenant Colonel Terry Barron, Georgia's first female Blackhawk 
helicopter pilot. My neighbors in the city of Gainesville recently 
declared May 25 to be Terry Barron Day in honor of this outstanding 
servicemember.
  Lieutenant Colonel Barron served in the Georgia National Guard for 30 
years and, in 2011, was deployed to Iraq.
  In addition to her military service, Lieutenant Colonel Barron served 
as a math professor and the former chair of Brenau University's math 
and science department. In this role, she equipped students with the 
knowledge and skills that allowed them to pursue careers in math and 
science.
  As both a soldier and a professor, Lieutenant Colonel Barron has 
lived a life dedicated to serving and empowering others, making them 
more confident as they approach the challenges of each new day.
  I would like to commend Lieutenant Colonel Barron for her service to 
northeast Georgia and on behalf of her country.

[[Page 8903]]




                      Putting People Back in Power

  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, as I rise today, it is a good 
day on the floor of the House. It is a good day for those of us who 
have went before the voters on occasions and said that one of the 
issues that we have to take up in Washington, D.C., is removing the 
barriers to letting everyday people get up and be able to access the 
financial markets, to access their business opportunities, to follow 
their hopes, dreams, and ambitions. And on the floor of the House 
today, we will fulfill that.
  We will take up and pass the Financial CHOICE Act, which repeals 
Dodd-Frank, which takes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which 
many of us believe is unconstitutional--how could a body of Congress 
actually empower an agency that we have no control over, no 
accountability to us, they do as they want to do and, yet, control so 
much of our economy?
  Today we take a step forward. We take a step forward to putting 
people back in power, to letting our community banks and our credit 
unions get back to doing what they do best, and that is treating their 
community and their people with respect, finding loans, opening up 
possibilities, having that next dream of someone who says, ``I just 
want to take this opportunity,'' and being able to fund it.
  You see, a lot has been said, and there are distractions everywhere, 
Mr. Speaker. We understand that many say nothing is getting done, but I 
look back and I say that the Republican majority is moving forward.
  We have a new Supreme Court Justice. We have passed 14 CRAs, rolling 
back almost $18 billion in compliance costs of regulations promulgated 
by the former administration.
  We have begun the process of doing what we said we are doing by 
replacing a failed healthcare system in which we have just found out in 
Ohio, Nebraska, Iowa, Georgia, that premiums have skyrocketed, where 
markets are no longer viable, where insurance is not there, and even if 
it is there, there are many places where they can buy it but not use 
it. That is health insurance, not healthcare. In fact, that is nothing 
for those who need it.
  You see, in Congress, we are moving forward. It is an agenda led by 
the administration, with the House and the Senate working together to 
say that we believe in the American people. We believe that the spirit 
of America is found in the individual hometowns, in the individual 
spirits that live there, not in a government that is controlled 
completely from Washington, D.C., where Washington says we know best. 
It is time we unleash the spirit again. Through this House, that 
process is starting today.
  The Financial CHOICE Act is a fulfillment of a promise, and there are 
many more to come.

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