Andy Barr

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I would like to honor a special Kentuckian and a member of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team, Lee Kiefer, from Lexington, Kentucky. At the age of 5, Ms. Kiefer began the sport of fencing. She participated in World Championships beginning in 2009, earning a team gold medal in 2018, a team silver medal in 2017, a team bronze medal in 2019, and an individual bronze medal in 2011. Ms. Kiefer competed in the Pan-American Games in 2011, earning gold team and individual medals, and in 2015, earning gold individual medal and a silver team medal. Ms. Kiefer was the youngest member of the 2009 U.S. Senior World Foil Team. In 2011, she was the only athlete in the world to have earned individual podium finishes at the senior, junior, and cadet world championships. Representing the United States of America, Ms. Kiefer competed in the London Olympic Games in 2012, the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, and is currently on the team that will compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games. Ms. Kiefer is the daughter of Steve and Teresa Kiefer. Her husband is also a member of Team USA, fellow fencer, Gerek Meinhardt. She is a graduate of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, the University of Notre Dame, and is currently a student at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. I wish all the best to this accomplished Kentucky athlete as she competes in Tokyo representing the United States. It is my honor to recognize Lee Kiefer before the United States Congress.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I would like to honor a special Kentuckian and a member of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team, Gerek Meinhardt, from Lexington, Kentucky. Mr. Meinhardt began the sport of fencing when he was 9 years old. In 2007, he qualified for the cadet, junior, and senior world teams all in the same year, becoming the first U.S. men's fencer ever to do so. In 2008, he was the youngest athlete ever to compete on a U.S. Fencing Team and was the youngest member of the 2008 Olympic Team in any sport. Mr. Meinhardt was a four-time NCAA All-American and was a two-time individual NCAA Champion in 2011 and 2014. Mr. Meinhardt was a member of the first U.S. Men's Foil Team to win a Senior World Championship title in 2019. He competed in the Pan-American Games in 2011, earning a gold team medal, and in 2015, earning another gold team medal and silver individual medal. Representing the United States of America, Mr. Meinhardt competed in the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, the London Olympic Games in 2012, the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, and is currently on the team that will compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games. He earned a bronze medal in 2016. Mr. Meinhardt is the son of Kurt and Jane Meinhardt. His wife is also a member of Team USA, fellow fencer Lee Kiefer. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and is currently a student at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. I wish all the best to this accomplished Kentucky athlete as he competes in Tokyo representing the United States. It is my honor to recognize Gerek Meinhardt before the United States Congress.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I rise today also in opposition to S.J. Resolution 15, the Congressional Review Act repeal of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's true lender rule. The United States has the most vibrant and innovative financial system in the world. Recent advancements in technology have fostered products and partnerships that expand access to credit to large swaths of the population that previously couldn't access basic financial services. Many of these innovations faced challenges from regulatory red tape or confusing and often conflicting rules. The OCC's true lender rule gave needed clarity to banks and their partners, fixing the disastrous Madden rule. The OCC's true lender rule gave that clarity, but unfortunately, the effort in the House today threatens to undermine the progress that we have made and compromise underbanked individuals' and small businesses' access to financial services. I spoke with a local Kentucky bank that partners with a nonbank fintech lender to provide credit to consumers, including many underbanked populations. They told me that absent the true lender rule, they will once again be buried in compliance costs to keep track of the patchwork of cases that dictate the rules of the road. Rather than embrace innovation to deliver cost savings to their customers, many of whom have trouble accessing traditional financial services to begin with, the bank will need to retain thousand-dollar- an-hour New York lawyers just to keep everything straight. And guess what? Those costs get passed on to the consumer through higher prices or reduced product availability. This is yet another example of the Democrats sacrificing good policy for the sake of political points, all under the guise of consumer protection. Contrary to some of the rhetoric from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, a vote for this CRA will actually harm the very people they purport to be helping. Madam Speaker, one final point. I include in the Record an April 14, 2021, letter to the chair of the Financial Services Committee from the former OCC Acting Comptroller Blake Paulson. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Washington, DC, April 14, 2021. Hon. Maxine Waters, Chairwoman, Committee on Financial Services, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Patrick McHenry, Ranking Member, Committee on Financial Services, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairwoman Waters and Ranking Member McHenry: On March 26, 2021, H.J. Res. 35 was introduced, providing for Congressional disapproval under the Congressional Review Act of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's (OCC) final rule, entitled ``National Banks and Federal Savings Associations as Lenders,'' commonly referred to as the ``True Lender'' rule. As you and other members consider the resolution, I want you to be aware of the rule's intended effect and the adverse impact of overturning the rule. On October 27, 2020, the OCC issued its final true lender rule to provide legal and regulatory certainty to national banks' and federal savings associations' (banks) lending, including loans made in partnerships with third parties. The OCC's rule specifies that a bank makes a loan and is considered to be the true lender of the loan if, as of the date of origination, it (1) is named as the lender in the loan agreement or (2) funds the loan. The rule clarifies that as the true lender of a loan, the bank retains the compliance obligations associated with making the loan, even if the loan is later sold, thus negating concerns regarding harmful rent- a-charter arrangements. Our rulemaking prevents potential arrangements in which a bank receives a fee to ``rent'' its charter and unique legal status to a third party with the intent of evading state and local laws, while disclaiming any compliance responsibility for the loan. These schemes have absolutely no place in the federal banking system, and this rule helps address them. The rule makes clear banks' responsibility and accountability for the loans they make and facilitates the OCC's supervision of this core banking activity. Disapproval of the rule would return bank lending relationships to the previous state of legal and regulatory uncertainty, which, as nearly 50 preeminent economic and finance scholars explained in January 2021, adversely affects the function of secondary markets and restricts the availability of credit. Legal and regulatory certainty facilitates access to responsible credit and clarifies responsibility and accountability in lending involving third-party partnerships. Bank third-party partnerships help banks better serve their communities by expanding access to affordable credit products from mainstream financial service providers. Such access is particularly important as individuals and small businesses across the country work to recover from effects of the COVID- 19 pandemic. Banks seek partnerships with third parties for a variety of legitimate reasons, including reaching additional markets, benefiting from specific expertise or technology, and improving the efficiency and cost of their own operations. The OCC's third-party risk management guidance and supplemental exam procedures make clear to banks that they retain the risks for activities conducted through relationships with third parties. With the legal and regulatory certainty provided by the rule, lending by banks made in partnership with third parties can be assessed as part of the ongoing supervision of these banks, including as part of the OCC's examinations to evaluate bank compliance with applicable laws and regulations that ensure consumer protection, Bank Secrecy Act and anti- money laundering compliance, required disclosures, and other obligations associated with making loans. The OCC clarified examiner responsibilities in assessing true lender activities in third-party relationships in 202l. This clarification addressed considerations related to assessing banks' due diligence on the lending product or activity (e.g., terms and scope) and the third party; credit risk management, including underwriting practices; model risk management; compliance management systems; and ongoing monitoring of the lending activity and the third party's performance. If a bank fails to satisfy any of its compliance obligations, the OCC will not hesitate to use its supervisory and enforcement authorities to correct the deficiencies, protect consumers, and ensure the federal banking system operates in a safe, sound, and fair manner. As you consider the Congressional Review Act resolution, you should be confident that the OCC issued this rule with the intent to enhance its ability to supervise bank lending. The rulemaking conformed to the Administrative Procedure Act, and the agency considered all stakeholder comments provided during the rulemaking process. The resulting rule is consistent with the authority granted to the agency by Congress. It is also important to dispel misperceptions of the rule, many of which are repeated by opponents of the rule. To be clear, the rule does not change banks' authority to export interest rates. That authority is granted by federal statute. Nor does the rule permit national banks to charge whatever rate they like; national banks and federal savings associations have the same authority as state banks regarding the exportation of interest rates. Both federal and state- chartered banks must conform to applicable interest rate limits. Disparities of interest rates from state to state result from differences in the state laws that impose these caps, not OCC rules or actions. States retain the authority to set interest rates, and rates vary from state-to-state. The rule does not limit states' ability to regulate the conduct of state-licensed and regulated nonbank lenders, which engage in the vast majority of predatory lending. States are the primary regulators of nonbank lenders, including payday lenders. Nonbank lenders are generally also subject to the rules and enforcement actions of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). It is also important to understand why demand exists for short-term, small-dollar credit products and why many consumers rely on nonbank sources of such credit, including payday lenders. Unfortunately, mainstream service providers, including commercial banks, largely abandoned short-term small-dolJar lending over the past two decades. The resulting lack of choice and fewer options pushed up the cost of these products and forced consumers to seek services on less favorable terms. Because millions of U.S. consumers do not have sufficient savings or access to traditional credit, they borrow nearly $90 billion each year in short-term small- dollar loans typically ranging from $300 to $5,000 to make ends meet and to address things like emergency car repairs and other unexpected expenses. That is why the OCC has remained vocal about encouraging banks to provide consumers with more safe and affordable options to meet these small- dollar needs. In providing these products, banks should consider the ``Interagency Lending Principles for Offering Responsible Small-Dollar Loans,'' published in May 2020. Banks should also consider the full and actual cost of a credit product and its affordability. Fees associated with short-term loans may range from $10 to $30 per $100 borrowed, and the imputed annual percentage rate (APR) of those loans can appear to exceed 100 percent or more. But often, the fees and total cost of these loans to the consumer can be less than that of loans made with a 36 percent APR, when such loans are available at all. As you consider the Congressional Review Act resolution, please keep in mind what may be an unintended consequence of a Congressional Review Act disapproval. Disapproving the OCC's true lender rule will constrain future Comptroller ability to address the true lender issue and may limit the OCC's ability to take supervisory or enforcement actions against banks that would have been deemed to have ``made'' the loan under the true lender rule. Rather than vacate the rule, limit future Comptrollers from taking up similar rules or possibly hamstring the OCC's enforcement authority, changes to the rule, if any, should be made through the agency's rulemaking process and in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act. Enclosed is a fact sheet that provides additional information for your awareness. If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me or Carrie Moore, Director, Congressional Relations. Sincerely, Blake J. Paulson, Acting Comptroller of the Currency.

Mr. BARR. The point I want to highlight is that the former Acting Comptroller was making the point that disapproving the OCC's true lender rule will constrain a future Comptroller's ability to address the true lender issue and limit the OCC's ability to take supervisory or enforcement actions against banks that would have been deemed to have made the loan under the true lender rule; meaning that the way the CRA law operates, if the House passes this resolution, we will have a permanent problem in the credit markets that will deprive low- and moderate-income Americans of the financial products that they desperately need. That is why I urge all my colleagues to reject this misguided proposal.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the importance of our Nation's infrastructure and how to rebuild our transportation system the right way. While we are hearing about the various proposals from Congress and the administration that would raise taxes or add to the deficit to spend hundreds of billions of dollars and even trillions of dollars on infrastructure, I would suggest that this body take a closer look at how frequently infrastructure can be built effectively without further burdening the taxpayer or our children for generations to come. As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, I hear routinely from the private sector, the financial services industry, banks, insurance companies, asset managers, pension funds, private equity firms, life insurance firms, and the like that trillions of dollars of private capital is readily available to efficiently rebuild our Nation's infrastructure without undermining American competitiveness through higher taxes. Public-private partnerships utilize the best features of the public sector and the private sector to finance, design, build, and even operate our critical infrastructure necessary to support safe and efficient channels of commerce, grow our economy, and sustain our quality of life. The best example I have seen comes from my own State of Kentucky, where the small community of Brandenburg partnered with a contractor, The Walker Company, and GRW Engineers, to design, build, and finance a new wastewater treatment plant for Brandenburg. This project had significant urgency due to the announcement that Nucor Steel intended to build a new $1.7 billion steel mill on the property that included the site of the existing treatment plant. The P3 delivery method, authorized by Kentucky statutes passed in 2016, was utilized to cut $3.5 million in cost from the $8.3 million project and to save at least one year over the normal taxpayer- financed, design-bid-build process. Relocating this plant in a timely and cost-effective manner allowed Nucor Steel to begin construction of its facility, which soon will bring over 400 good-paying jobs to the region. Mr. Speaker, whatever infrastructure bill emerges from this Congress, I would urge my colleagues to reject the Biden administration's call for growth-destroying tax increases and instead look to America's deep and liquid capital markets as the solution and use public-private partnerships as a significant feature of the legislation. Recognizing Our Nation's Police Officers

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our Nation's police officers and honor the sacrifices that many brave men and women of law enforcement make every single day. We mourn for Detective James Kirk, Officer Martez Hughes, and Special Deputy Sheriff Lee Daniel Manns from Kentucky, as well as the hundreds of other law enforcement officers from across the country who have given their lives in the line of duty over the last year. Beginning in 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed into law a proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week in which that date falls as National Police Week. Republicans and Democrats continued the tradition of honoring officers who serve and officers who died in the line of duty each year since. Sadly, Mr. Speaker, President Biden broke this tradition in his proclamation on May 7 and politicized this year's National Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day by criticizing police for the distrust that some Americans have of law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, blaming the police for the increase in antipolice sentiment is not how we honor those who swear an oath to uphold public trust, even though the officers may become targets for senseless acts of violence. According to the FBI's Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted database, fatal felony attacks on officers spiked 31.6 percent in early 2021. This comes on the heels of our Nation's major cities, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, all vowing to defund their police departments. It is no wonder why these cities have tragically seen a devastating and dramatic increase in homicides and shootings in 2021. This is what you get when you call for defunding the police. To our brave law enforcement officers who protect and serve our communities, I stand with you, and I am grateful for all you do to keep us safe. I will always defend and fight against defunding the police. Honoring Sheila Currans

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a dedicated leader in rural healthcare. After 48 years, Sheila Currans retires as the CEO of Harrison Memorial Hospital. Mrs. Currans' service began as a high school candy striper. She served as a medical-surgical nurse, an ICU/CCU head nurse, and supervisor of nursing. She led for 5 years as COO and then was named CEO in 2009. Harrison Memorial Hospital, located in rural Cynthiana, Kentucky, serves people from a seven-county region and is one of the few remaining independent, not-for-profit hospitals in Kentucky. The people of Harrison County and the surrounding counties have been fortunate to have a great leader in Mrs. Currans and her passion for healthcare excellence, leadership experience, and understanding of rural healthcare needs. She will be missed, and I wish Sheila Currans all the best in her well-deserved retirement.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1187, with all due respect to my good friends from California and Illinois. We have enjoyed a robust discussion and debate on this, which I would argue is a very important topic. Mr. Speaker, the statutory mission of the Securities and Exchange Commission is to protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation. Its mission, though, is not to reduce carbon emissions. Its mission is not to solve climate change. Now, those may be laudable public policy objectives, but they are best handled by the Congress or other Federal agencies. This is simply not the job of the SEC. This bill is, unfortunately, the next episode in the Democrats' saga to weaponize financial regulation to achieve partisan social and environmental goals. Congressional Democrats and the Biden administration know that they cannot pass the Green New Deal and other extreme far-left policy priorities through a Democrat-majority Congress, so they are corrupting an independent Federal financial regulator to do their bidding. The majority claims that this bill is an effort to improve corporate governance when, in reality, it is a thinly veiled attempt to open a back door to achieve their socialist wish list and cut off financing to legal but politically unfashionable industries that they despise. The result will be higher energy costs for the American people, a regressive energy tax on the people in this country who can the least afford it. As always, the Democrats think that the government knows best and is better equipped than the private market to meet demand. They give no consideration to the impacts of significant cost increases, the bill's effect on retail investors, or the actual utility of the information they are requesting and its materiality for informing investment decisions. My friend from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) made this point. But the seminal Supreme Court case that defines the materiality standard was TSC Industries v. Northway. In that majority opinion, Justice Thurgood Marshall wrote, and it bears repeating: ``If the standard of materiality is unnecessarily low, not only may the corporation and its management be subjected to liability for insignificant omissions or misstatements, but also management's fear of exposing itself to substantial liability may cause it simply to bury the shareholders in an avalanche of trivial information, a result that is hardly conducive to informed decisionmaking.'' So, this is not about investor protection. This is about weaponizing Federal securities law to discriminate against law-abiding American energy companies. This is an effort to pick winners and losers in the marketplace by the government. It is an effort for central planning of our economy. It is not about markets. This is about market distortion by the Federal Government. In committee, I tried to make a commonsense change to ensure the bill covers only material information so that investors aren't buried by that avalanche. The majority rejected my amendment. This shows they are more interested in naming and shaming companies than providing useful information to investors. Mr. Speaker, my last point is this: the job of the SEC is to protect investors, but this bill would compromise investor returns by elevating nonpecuniary factors above and ahead of financial performance. How do we know this? Because fees of ESG funds are 43 percent higher than non-ESG funds. And many low-ranked ESG stocks not only outperformed top-ranked ESG stocks, they outperformed the market overall. We must not harm American investors. We must not harm American retirement savers by subordinating investor returns to promote nonpecuniary policy objectives like social justice, diversity quotas, and lower carbon emissions. Financial regulations should not be a tool for social change.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, once again, the bill we have been considering today is puzzling for Republicans, as it probably is for a large number of my Democratic friends as well. On the one hand, the far left seeks to blame so much of what is bad in the world on large public companies. But then they turn around and claim that these same companies will see the light and embrace extreme leftwing policies if only they disclose more of their activities in obscure SEC reports. Mind you, these are perfectly legal activities, too. But no serious Member of the House can believe the world works like this. The far left wants to claim they are heroes using the Securities and Exchange Commission to fight the scourges of our time, from foreign dictatorships to environmental degradation. But in reality, they are weaponizing financial regulation, and their support for this bill comes in the form of empty political rhetoric masquerading as sound corporate governance. Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, this bill is about politicizing securities regulation. Far from this fantasy land live the majority of House Members who understand that there are actual urgent problems we can solve only if we work together to address them. Perhaps the gravest of these problems is represented by the goals of the Chinese Communist Party, which is perpetrating the great crime of our age against the Uighurs and other minorities in China. Beijing is also working to stamp out the vibrant democratic culture in Hong Kong, hoping all the while that Congress will look the other way. If we are truly concerned by public companies that may be working with bad actors--particularly bad actors responsible for China's worst human rights abuses--then burying their names on the SEC's website will achieve absolutely nothing. We need to ensure that they are referred to the Treasury Department so that we can impose sanctions, and that is what my motion to recommit will do. Under this MTR, instead of reporting on malign Chinese companies to the SEC--an agency that has long acknowledged its lack of expertise and, frankly, its lack of capability and interest in pursuing foreign policy goals--we will instead make sure that entities in corporate supply chains are flagged for the Treasury when public companies have reason to believe they are involved in atrocities in Xinjiang, from mass surveillance to forced labor and other violations of basic human rights. Companies will also be able to sound the alarm on entities complicit in China's assault on Hong Kong's freedoms, allowing OFAC at the Treasury to determine whether it can impose new sanctions. We must cut off offenders from the global economy until China changes course. We must rely on appeals to their bottom line and not their conscience. That is the power of U.S. sanctions. Mr. Speaker, if we adopt the motion to recommit, we will instruct the Committee on Financial Services to consider my amendment to H.R. 1178. My amendment doesn't pretend we can fight genocide, authoritarianism, mass detentions, mass surveillance, and other human rights violations with meaningless rhetoric on corporate transparency, none of which keeps China's leaders up at night. There are over 1 million Uighurs detained in China and over 100 facilities covering millions of square feet suspected as sites of forced labor. It is an insult to Beijing's victims to claim that disclosure tweaks from the SEC will stop this. Securities regulation will not stop this. Mr. Speaker, we can either pass half measures that we know won't work and then wring our hands later when the problem remains unresolved, or we can articulate what we want to target and take real action. The former is beneath the dignity of this House. Measly disclosures in securities filings, transforming 10-Ks from 100 pages to thousands of pages, that is not going to solve the problem. The former is beneath the dignity of the House. The latter is embodied in my amendment: sanctions, OFAC using the power of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I would like to honor a special Kentuckian, Mr. James Fraley, from Bath County, Kentucky. Mr. Fraley was born May 7, 1928 in Midland, Kentucky to World War I veteran Burns Fraley and Austa Fraley. He graduated from Salt Lick High School in 1948. After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he served in Korea, Japan, and stateside for 4 years. He was honorably discharged in October of 1954. Following his military service, Mr. Fraley worked as one of the early Texas Eastern Transmission Pipeline employees in Wyoming for 35 years. After retiring, he drove a bus for Bath County Schools for 20 years, worked at Keeneland, was a 30-year member of the University of Kentucky's 101 Club, and served on the Owingsville City Council. He was a 71-year member of the Free and Accepted Masons of Kentucky, where he served in several leadership roles. Mr. Fraley was also a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Oleika Shrine Temple, and the Royal Order of Scotland. In 2018, Mr. Fraley received the Bath County Community Service Award in recognition for all the help and support he provided to an untold number of children in need of medical assistance through the Shriners Hospital. Mr. Fraley was a servant leader who believed in helping others, particularly children. Mr. Fraley was married to his late wife Becky for 65 years and they had four children. Through his service to his country and to his local community, Mr. Fraley certainly left a positive mark on this world. Mr. Fraley, a great American, passed away on March 19, 2021. I am humbled to honor the memory of Mr. James Fraley before the United States Congress.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Chester Wilson from Lexington, Kentucky. Mr. Wilson bravely served our nation during World War II. He currently resides at Thomson-Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore, Kentucky. On April 25, Mr. Wilson celebrated his 107th birthday. Mr. Wilson graduated from Lexington's Bryan Station High School. He was the first member of his family to graduate. At the age of 29, he enlisted in the United States Navy. He served aboard the U.S.S. Benevolence, a Navy hospital ship, in the Pacific Theater. He was a pharmacist mate 3rd class. After the war, Mr. Wilson worked as a federal agent at bourbon distilleries and later worked for the Treasury Department. He retired in 1974. He and his late wife Margaret have a daughter, Brenda Wilson, a stepson Jack Whitaker, and two grandchildren. It is my honor to recognize this amazing patriot, celebrate his 107th birthday, and appreciate him for his service and sacrifice to our nation during World War II. As a part of ``The Greatest Generation'', Mr. Wilson was an important part of the war effort to preserve the freedoms that we enjoy today. I am forever grateful for Americans like Chester Wilson.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. and Mrs. Sam Daniels from Wellington, Kentucky. Sam and Arlene Daniels visited in Kentucky in 1999. The trip resulted in the purchase of a home and a move to rural Menifee County. This move placed them on a path that led to assisting people in need by feeding the hungry in their area. In 2001, Arlene Daniels was called by God to start a food pantry at their church, Dayspring. Her sister-in-law donated $2500 to help start the pantry in memory of Sam's brother Albert Daniels. Pastor Andy Timblin shared the food pantry idea with the congregation and a visitor offered a $1,000 donation. On May 14, 2001, the Dayspring Food Pantry became a reality. For twenty years, community support and grants have brought much needed funds to the Dayspring Food Pantry. The pantry now helps over 400 families a month and has community partnerships with senior citizens, schools, churches, and other agencies to lend a hand to those in need. The Daniels have served as directors of the pantry since its beginning. Led by their strong faith, Brother Sam Daniels and Sister Arlene Daniels have impacted their community for generations to come. On the 20th anniversary of the founding of Dayspring Food Pantry, it is my honor to recognize these amazing people and thank them for their leadership, their dedication, and their compassion for others. Sam and Arlene Daniels are real difference makers for people in Menifee County and an inspiration to us all.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mrs. Mary Somers Ballard. Mrs. Ballard was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts on July 22nd, 1919. She passed away on April 14, 2021. Mrs. Ballard was a descendant of two of the co-founders of Rhode Island. She was a proud New Englander who trained in nursing at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts. She enrolled at Boston University and worked at Massachusetts General Hospital. At the age of 23, she entered the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, 811th Air Evacuation Squadron. When asked why she joined the military, she said ``We were at war. I joined the Army Air Corps because I thought I could make a contribution.'' First Lieutenant Somers served two years in England. Following D-Day, she cared for the wounded soldiers in hospital flights from France and Germany to England. Mrs. Somers was stationed with U.S. troops behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge and entered Paris the day after its liberation. After the war, she remained in the reserves until she married. First Lt. Somers met her physician husband, Captain Joseph Aloysius Ballard, while serving at the Chanute Field Army Hospital in Illinois. They married on April 2, 1948. Dr. and Mrs. Ballard made their home in Lexington, Kentucky, where they raised eight children and were active members of Christ the King Church. Mrs. Ballard had 17 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, with 2 more expected in July. In 2015, at the age of 95, Mrs. Ballard threw out the first pitch at the Lexington Legends Military Appreciation Night to highlight Kentucky's women veterans. It is my honor to recognize this amazing patriot, celebrate her life, and appreciate her for her service and sacrifice to our nation during World War II. As a part of ``The Greatest Generation'', Mrs. Ballard was an important part of the war effort to preserve the freedoms that we enjoy today. I am forever grateful for Americans like Mary Somers Ballard.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Coach Craig Skinner and the members of the University of Kentucky Volleyball Team on winning the 2021 NCAA Division I National Championship. This is the first national title for this outstanding program, located in Lexington, Kentucky. The Wildcats won the Southeastern Conference for the fourth straight year. Defeating Texas in the title game in Omaha, Nebraska, U.K. ended the season 24-1. These impressive student-athletes stayed focused throughout the 2021 season and earned the championship on April 24th. Madison Lilley was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and also the AVCA Player of the Year. Coach Craig Skinner has led the Volleyball Team at the University of Kentucky since 2005. He was named the AVCA Coach of the Year and brought great excitement to the volleyball program. I thank him for his leadership and his dedication to these student-athletes. He has built an excellent program of which all Kentuckians can be proud. Congratulations to Coach Skinner, the staff, and all the outstanding members of the 2021 NCAA Division I Volleyball National Championship team

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the SAFE Banking Act. Kentuckians have a deep interest in the production, cultivation, and sale of nonintoxicating industrial hemp and hemp-derived products, including CBD. In fact, Kentucky boasts a proud heritage and agricultural tradition in industrial hemp. Henry Clay, the great Speaker of the House who once represented the district that I now represent, was, in fact, an industrial hemp farmer. More recently, the Commonwealth has seen a revival in the industrial hemp industry, resulting in much growth and job creation in this area. Much of the growth of the industry occurred as a result of the Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program established under the 2014 farm bill and the 2018 farm bill, which took it a step further and fully legalized industrial hemp. Despite these positive steps forward, hemp businesses still have trouble accessing certain financial services. Just today I spoke with a CBD retailer in my district who confirmed that while the situation has improved somewhat over the last few years, access to card processing services is uneven and uncertain. This bill will provide additional clarity for banks, insurance companies, and card processors that they can, in fact, do business with legally operating hemp businesses. It would also direct our Federal financial regulators to update best practices for serving hemp and CBD businesses. Since we last debated this bill, conditions have improved for hemp financing. In December 2019, financial regulators jointly issued guidance confirming that banks are free to provide banking services to the hemp industry, just as they are for any other agricultural commodity. Unfortunately, there is still work to do to ensure that these legal hemp businesses have full access to the financial system. There remains some ambiguity, specifically regarding payment processors' dealings with hemp businesses. This bill makes needed clarifications. I want to thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Perlmutter) for working across the aisle on this bill. He and his team took great care to ensure that these changes were incorporated into the bill and made the needed clarifications. I thank him for his cooperation. This will have a meaningful impact on Kentucky farmers, small businesses, and a burgeoning industry in Kentucky and across the country. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 88.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I, too, urge my colleagues to support this legislation and to award the Capitol Police with the Congressional Medal of Honor. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1085, a bill to award Congressional Gold Medals to the United States Capitol Police and those who protected the Capitol on January 6, 2021. I thank Speaker Pelosi for bringing this legislation to the floor in a timely manner, and I thank the chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee, my friend, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters). What happened to this institution on January 6 was horrific. This building is a working monument to our Nation's Founding Fathers and our principles. It is a testament to the freedoms we hold dear. Mr. Speaker, the brave men and women who stood and faced danger on January 6 deserve to be recognized for their actions. Without their courageousness, many of us here today could have been seriously injured or worse. When I say ``us,'' Mr. Speaker, I don't just mean Members of Congress. I mean the staff; I mean the administrative personnel and peaceful visitors. Once H.R. 1085 is enacted, a Congressional Gold Medal will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol Police headquarters, another will be displayed at the D.C. Metropolitan Police headquarters, and the third will be given to the Smithsonian Institution, so everyone who visits D.C. will be reminded of the bravery shown that day. We have seen bravery from the Capitol Police many times before. January 24, 1998, we were reminded of Officers Chestnut and Gibson; a few years ago, on a baseball field, Crystal Griner and Special Agent David Bailey. These men and women are heroic. They put their lives in danger, and January 6 was certainly no exception to that. I speak for all of my colleagues when I say thank you. Thank you to each and every officer who was here on January 6. Your bravery will not be forgotten. The U.S. Capitol Police and those who protected us on January 6 deserve Congressional Gold Medals. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, once again, we are reminded of the dangers that law enforcement face every single day, and January 6 was one of those days. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the family of Brian Sicknick, a true hero to our country, a great emblem of the bravery and heroism of the Capitol Hill Police. Again, he will be remembered fondly by this institution and by the American people for his sacrifice for freedom. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Coach Harry Mullins and the members of the University of Kentucky Rifle Team on winning the 2021 NCAA Rifle National Championship. This is the third national title for the outstanding program, located in Lexington, Kentucky. The Wildcats were undefeated and ranked number one in the country last season when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the NCAA Championships to be canceled. These impressive student-athletes stayed focused throughout the 2021 season and earned the championship on March 13 in Columbus, Ohio. Mary Tucker, named Most Outstanding Performer at the event, earned gold in both the smallbore and air rifle. Teammate Will Shaner earned silver in air rifle. Coach Harry Mullins has led the Rifle Team at the University of Kentucky since 1987. I thank him for his leadership and his dedication to these student-athletes. He has built an excellent program of which all Kentuckians can be proud. Congratulations to Coach Mullins, the staff, and the members of the Rifle Team on winning the 2021 NCAA Rifle National Championship.