H. Griffith

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Al Croy of Vinton, Virginia, who passed away on June 21, 2020 at the age of 95. Al was deeply involved in the Boy Scouts of America and was dedicated to serving the Scouts of the Roanoke area. Al was born on June 2, 1925 in Giles County, Virginia, to the late Frank Starret Croy and Agnes Sue Duncan. He served in the United States Naval Reserve as an aviation cadet in World War II. After the war, he attended Virginia Tech, serving in the Old Guard and graduating in 1954 with a degree in electrical engineering. His degree set him up for a career with Appalachian Power Company and American Electric Power, retiring after 35 years as Superintendent of Distribution. Al was a great supporter ofthe Boy Scouts of America, and I came to know him in this role. He volunteered his time to Scouting at the local and regional level. His roles included Assistant Packmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, Roundtable Commissioner, Neighborhood Commissioner, and District Commissioner. He was on the Executive Board of the Blue Ridge Mountains Council, where I served for a few years alongside him. His legacy for the Scouts of the region include the High Knoll Trail High Adventure Program at Camp Ottari, which he helped to plan and implement, and the Claytor Lake Aquatics Base, which he helped to create. He attended seven National Jamborees, serving as a Camp and Maintenance Director of a Sub-Camp at five of them, and led several trips to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. In recognition of his dedication to Scouting and to several generations of Scouts, Al won numerous awards, including the Silver Beaver Award in 1973 and the Silver Antelope Award in 2004. He was also a Vigil Honor Member of the Order of the Arrow in Tutelo Lodge 161. Al was preceded in death by his wife Lucy, to whom he had been married for 69 years. He is survived by his son Steve, two grandsons, and a great-granddaughter. I would like to offer them my condolences. Many young men who participated in the Boy Scouts benefited from his tireless and committed contributions.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I offer these remarks in honor of Donald Edward Greer of Blacksburg, Virginia, who passed away on May 28, 2020 at the age of 96. Mr. Greer was a career military pilot and a pioneer in satellite technology. Mr. Greer was the second of Nellie and Fred Greer's seven children and was born in 1924 in Rock Island, Washington. While studying at the University of the Pacific, he met his wife Loretta Walker. They were married in the college chapel and enjoyed 64 years of marriage together until her death in 2013. He also played football during his time at the university, participating in the Raisin Bowl and playing alongside future NFL quarterback Eddie LaBaron. As a military pilot, Mr. Greer served his country in two wars and held important responsibilities. In World War II, he flew B-29s from the Mariana Islands. In the Korean War, he completed 33 missions and more than 300 flying hours with his brother Herb in the same crew, the only set of family members that were flying combat missions together. He later flew the latest aircraft for the Strategic Air Command, piloted Air Force One for President Lyndon B. Johnson, and served as the congressional liaison for Secretary of the Air Force Eugene M. Zuckert. He retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel. In 1964, Mr. Greer became Vice President of Executive Services at Communications Satellite Corporation. In the heated days of the Space Race with the Soviet Union, he and the corporation's president, Dr. Joseph Charyk, devoted their energy to the development of geosynchronous satellites. They traveled the world and built support for the endeavor. Satellite communications would become a building block of the modern world. Apart from his work responsibilities, Mr. Greer enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was a skilled golfer who played in many tournaments alongside Dr. Charyk. In his later years, he retired to Blacksburg and became a fan of Virginia Tech, the alma mater of his daughter Heather and four of his grandchildren. He is survived by his daughters Heather and Rhonda and their husbands Wally and Mike, six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and his younger siblings Harry and Dallas. I offer my condolences to them upon the close of Don Greer's remarkable life.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I submit these remarks in honor of James Marion Young of Salem, Virginia, who passed away on June 12, 2020 at the age of 89. Jim devoted his time and attention to serving the people of his hometown through an impressive array of community and philanthropic organizations. Jim was born on November 15, 1930. He was educated at Andrew Lewis High School in Salem, where he lettered in football and baseball, and at the University of Virginia, where he earned undergraduate and law degrees. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and remained in the Army Reserves for 22 years, eventually attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel. Jim's profession was the law. He practiced for years in Roanoke at Dodson Pence Viar Young & Woodrum as a partner and then in Salem on his own. But he was also occupied with making Salem a better place and improving the lives of its citizens. Among the organizations he led were the Salem Jaycees, Salem Kiwanis, Salem-Roanoke County Bar Association, Salem High School PTA, Roanoke County Council of PTAs, Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce, and Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership. He chaired the Salem Electoral Board for 15 years and served on the Roanoke College Planned Giving Board. At his church, Salem Presbyterian, to which he belonged for more than 70 years, he served as deacon, elder, trustee, and Sunday School teacher. The Boy Scouts of America had a special place in his heart. He took pride in the achievement of Eagle Scout rank by two of his grandsons. The organization benefited from his volunteerism over a span of more than fifty years. He was president of the Blue Ridge Mountains Council and provided it with his services as an attorney for free. Many organizations and causes in Salem and the greater Roanoke region were served well by Jim, and they honored him in return. He was recognized by the Jaycees with the Distinguished Service Award, by the Boy Scouts with the Silver Beaver Award, and the Economic Development Partnership by being named Citizen of the Year. He was also inducted into the Salem High Alumni Hall of Fame. Beside his many charitable pursuits, Jim enjoyed playing tennis and proved his skill on the court as a three-year Virginia United States Tennis Association doubles champion in the 75- to 80-year-old division and a two-year champion in the 80-plus age group. I had the opportunity to know Jim personally, including from our mutual service on the board of the Blue Ridge Mountains Council. He invested a lot of time in his own daughters and the children of the community. Jim's family was important to him. He was predeceased by one of his daughters, Cathy Harman. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Barbara, his daughters Debbie Harris, Becky Garrison, and Cindy Courtright and their husbands as well as Cathy's husband, and eight grandchildren. I offer my condolences to them on their loss. Many in the Roanoke Valley had their lives improved by Jim's tireless and selfless service.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Ray Lee Wood of Stuart, Virginia. Mr. Wood passed away on May 6, 2020, at the age of 92. As one of the founding members of Wood Brothers Racing, Mr. Wood helped launch a storied team and competed in some of its signature victories. Ray Lee Wood was born in Patrick County on December 14, 1927. He served in the Army after World War II. In the early 1950s, he joined his brothers Glenn, Clay, Delano and Leonard in forming the team that still bears their name. They famously worked on their cars in the shade of a beech tree on the family's property, using its limbs to help pull engines with a chain hoist. Ray Lee was responsible for maintaining the Fords the team raced and changing the front tires, not driving, although Leonard recalled a day in 1958 when Ray Lee hit 142 miles per hour on the measured mile at Daytona Beach. During Mr. Wood's time with the team, it won at the 1963 Daytona 500, the 1965 Indianapolis 500, and the 1965 American 500 at North Carolina Speedway. At Daytona and Indianapolis, he made the call after checking the tires to continue driving rather than changing them, contributing to the victories. At the 1965 Indianapolis 500, Mr. Wood also decided that the season would be his last. After the season ended at Rockingham with the victory at the American 500, he went home to Stuart. While still following the sport and supporting his brothers who continued racing, he never attended another NASCAR race. Instead, he filled his life with his church, Pentecostal Holiness, and his garden, where he grew flowers, tended to his honeybees, and kept goldfish. I offer my condolences to Ray Lee Wood's loved ones on their loss.

Mr. GRIFFITH

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

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the kind words of my good friend and colleague, and we will miss him when he goes on to do greater things elsewhere. Madam Speaker, if we do not pass the motion to proceed to the previous question, we can put the proxy quorum voting rule on hold until after the courts have time to rule on its constitutionality. Most on this side of the aisle and a handful on the other side of the aisle strongly believe that this proxy voting rule is unconstitutional. Accordingly, yesterday, a suit was filed to have the rule declared unconstitutional. Under the suit, the court is asked to do many things, including asking for an injunction of our Clerk from counting the proxy votes on any measure and on counting proxies for purposes of determining a quorum. The courts must weigh in on this controversy before we take important votes using this new proxy quorum voting scheme. The suit lays out constitutional requirements. Many of these arguments were made previously. It goes through the definitions of words like ``to meet,'' ``assemble,'' et cetera. Madam Speaker, as you know, words are important and the meanings are important, and the filers of this suit couldn't have made me happier. When I was reading it, they used Samuel Johnson's dictionary of 1773. And just to let you know exactly how oddball I can be, I pulled my copy of Samuel Johnson's of 1773 off the shelf in my office. I checked to see what they had written down, and they got it exactly right. The term ``meet'' meant ``to encounter, to be close face-to-face.'' And in 1851, the Webster's dictionary says ``to come together or approach near, or into company with; to assemble, to congregate.'' The example they used in Webster's in 1851 was: ``The legislature will meet on the first Wednesday in March.'' Clearly, they knew what it meant to come together face-to-face. Today, on the internet--knowing that some out there would say, ``Morgan, get yourself out of the dusty books''--it says, meet: to come into the presence of; to come face-to-face. And ``assemble,'' similarly, in Johnson's, it means ``to bring together into one place''; Webster's: ``To collect a number of individuals into one place or body''; internet, Merriam-Webster's, today: ``To bring together, as in a particular place.'' The suit lays out the constitutional requirements. Many of these arguments were made, as I said, previously. Now, I know what many of you are thinking. Morgan, you have got to get modern. Zoom is a place, as is Webex and a dozen others. Some say that if they had only known about it during the writing of the Constitution, they would have permitted it; but, Madam Speaker, they had the written word and they had the ability to send letters. They also knew about dangers. They knew about wars with other nations, later, the burning of D.C., the Civil War. Multiple plagues and fears have gripped the capitals of this country, but they never contemplated sending a note or a letter by friend or by post, saying--and can you imagine it saying: ``Hey, give my vote to Harry Lee of Virginia or William Holman of Indiana. And not only count my vote as a vote on the bill, but count me present as a part of the quorum''? Never did it, never thought they should, never thought they could. So the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of this so-called rule is well-founded. Also, it is important we think about how the newfangled proxy quorum rule affects our work today. Some may say: ``Let the courts do their thing and we will sort it out later.'' Well, that is more than just sloppy legislating; it is dangerous. Morgan, you say, how is that? Let me explain. As an example, we are preparing to vote on the reauthorization of the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act, FISA. On that, or any other vote that does anything of import, no matter how small--even the naming of a post office, because it spends money--the vote and the action of this House, under the proxy quorum rule, is tainted and the authority of that legislation, accordingly, called into question. On FISA, if we pass it and the courts rule that the proxy quorum voting rule is unconstitutional, in whole or in part, we will have handed either a get-out-of-jail-free card to terrorists who are enemies of the United States or a hammer they can use against prosecutors trying to pursue justice. Is that really what we want to do? I know it is not. And we have another way. We can put the proxy quorum rule on hold, suspend it until the courts can make a final ruling on its constitutionality.

Mr. GRIFFITH. We can put the proxy quorum rule on hold. We can suspend it until the courts can make a final ruling on its constitutionality. Once we have that answer, we can then move forward. But to move forward without knowing where we are going on constitutionality is dangerous, damaging, and destructive to every act we take in this body. Madam Speaker, I would implore the Members of this House: Do not vote the party line. Do not say, ``Oh, it is a previous question, it is a throwaway vote.'' Today, the previous question is an important vote on whether we move forward not knowing the way or whether we move forward knowing whether it is constitutional or unconstitutional. I ask you all to vote for our great Republic and this august body. Vote ``no'' on the previous question and put the proxy quorum rule on hold until we have a definitive answer.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I would reiterate and thank the gentleman for his kind comments. He is absolutely right. I come here today not as a Republican or a Democrat. I come here as an American, and I have no agenda today except to defend the Constitution. And while the courts may ultimately determine that my friends on the other side of the aisle are right, I believe they are sorely wrong, Madam Speaker. Sorely wrong. Because we are not just talking about voting from afar, and while I would have problems with that as well, I will tell you it is more critical than that because the Constitution calls on us to meet, to assemble, and to have a quorum. The Founding Fathers debated whether or not that quorum should be a smaller-than-50-percent amount. And they determined that was not right because then it would tilt power into the hands of those that live closer to the Capitol, like Mr. Beyer, who apparently is carrying at least nine proxies. It tilts powers into those people's hands and away from the States that are further away, like Colorado and California. Madam Speaker, I would submit to you that there is a reason that in 231 years this has never come up, even though they could have written a letter. As I said before, they could have easily written a letter. They could have written a letter, and said: Hey, I can't get there right now, give my vote to my friend. They didn't do it. They could have said: Hey, for purposes of a quorum, count me from afar by letter. They knew how to write. Messages were traded all the time. But, instead, they went to wherever the Capitol was at the time, whether it be in Philadelphia, whether it be in Washington, D.C., at a hotel, and they did the people's business. They did not cede that authority to anyone else. They kept it for themselves. And that is what the Constitution calls for. And you know what, as I said before, they never did it. They never thought they should. They never thought they could. Madam Speaker, I have to tell you, we go all the way back to the Declaration of Independence, and Caesar Rodney got on his horse while deathly ill with cancer, suffering from asthma and the gout, to ride to Philadelphia to cast the deciding vote for his State of Delaware because he needed to be there live in order to do it. He needed to be at the Capitol. He needed to be at the meeting place of this country, even in its infancy, to cast the vote, no matter what. And he rode through a storm. And so we continue to have the policy--because it was the Founding Fathers' wish, and because it is the right thing to do--that if you are going to count as a quorum, you meet in the Capitol. You may designate a different place for that Capitol. We might designate it in Colorado, if need be. But wherever the Capitol is designated, this body must come together, representing the people from the various States of this Union. And, we, each individual, shall cast our vote, not 10 votes here by one and 8 votes there by another, but one by one, each district as determined in the decennial census shall cast their vote on each and every measure. When we don't do that, we don't do our job. When we don't do our job, we cast a doubt on every action we take. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Robert ``Husky'' Hall, a giant in the world of Virginia high school basketball who set several coaching records with the Martinsville Bulldogs. Coach Hall died on April 5, 2020, at the age of 91. Husky Hall was a native of Fieldale in Henry County, Virginia. He played basketball, baseball, and golf at Elon College, now Elon University, in North Carolina and earned a master's degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He also served his country in the United States Army during the Korean War. After coaching boys and girls varsity basketball in Pleasant Grove, North Carolina, he became an assistant basketball coach at Martinsville in the 1950s. The head coach at the time, Mel Cartwright, Sr., was another major figure in Martinsville sports. During the early years, Husky Hall was the assistant, then began sharing duties with Coach Cartwright. In this period, Martinsville earned state championships in 1958, 1961, and 1964. Husky Hall became Martinsville's head coach in 1965 and held the position until he retired in 1995. Over those years, his teams won 605 victories, a Virginia High School League (VHSL) record at the time. He still holds the VHSL record for the seven state championships his teams achieved, in 1966, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, and 1986, and for playing in seven consecutive state championship games from 1980 to 1986. Coach Hall's leadership focused on the fundamentals of basketball. He insisted on leadership and discipline. As a result, he brought out the best in his players and his assistant coaches, some of whom went on to great coaching careers of their own, and college coaches sought the secrets of his success. On top of his basketball duties, Husky Hall coached golf at Martinsville as well. In that role, the school won its only state championship at the Group AAA level in any sport in 1974. In 1994, Coach Hall told the Roanoke Times about his approach: ``If it's going to work, someone has to be in charge, and you hope the players look up to the coach because he's earned their respect.'' He succeeded in earning the respect not only of his players and assistant coaches but the whole Martinsville community and the world of Virginia high school basketball. The Virginia High School Hall of Fame inducted Coach Hall in 91, the second year of its existence. Coach Hall is survived by his daughters Robin Morgan and Terry Jamerson and seven grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Verona. I offer my condolences to his family on their loss. Husky Hall's name will live long in Virginia high school sports.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to amend the rule to provide for a motion to recommit on the Senate amendment to H.R. 550 so that minority voices can be heard on the critical issue of war.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, we have heard today several times that we were told this was urgent and that things must move quickly. And yet it has been 26 days since it was passed on the calendar, 15 working days, and 10 legislative days have gone by, and yet the Senate has not yet been informed of the Articles of Impeachment. Now, Madam Speaker, let me get boring. Most politicians won't admit that, but that is what I am going to do because it is important that we understand the process. So what happens is the Articles of Impeachment were passed by the House. We were told later this week that we are going to vote on managers who will then present the Articles of Impeachment at the bar of the Senate. That is their job. That means to prosecute the case. But the annotations to Jefferson's Manual--that is Jefferson's Manual of Parliamentary Practice and Procedure, for all of you policy-and- procedure wonks back home--we are told in there that the managers who are elected by the House or are appointed by the Speaker in obedience to a resolution of the House take this to the bar of the Senate, the House having previously informed the Senate. Now, the problem is the House has not previously informed the Senate. And what we are going to do now is we are going to say: well, that is okay, but my summary look at the past indicates that the times that these have been separated, the notice to the Senate that impeachment resolutions were coming and the actual sending over of the managers to present the articles at the bar, the longest previously has been 4 days. Here it has been 26 calendar days, 15 working days, and 10 legislative days, and the Speaker of the House indicates to us that this is all fine and normal. Madam Speaker, we should all be concerned, not just because we have what appears to be a trumped up--pun not intended--impeachment policy by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, but because if the Speaker can hold up H. Res. 755, the Articles of Impeachment, from being sent over to the Senate thus notifying them that managers will be coming to prosecute or present these impeachment articles at the bar of the Senate, then the Speaker can hold up anything the Speaker doesn't want the Senate having. There are 435 Members of the United States House. While I do not agree with the impeachment articles, the House voted on them, and the Senate should have had those promptly. It takes a couple of days to get it through the process where all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed. This Speaker did not do that. It is a dangerous precedent because if H. Res. 755 can be held up, then I submit to you, Madam Speaker, anything can be held up. And if a Speaker suddenly decides that he or she does not agree with the will of this House, can they really stick it in their back pocket? Can they really do a pocket Speaker veto of actions of this House? Nothing of this nature has ever been contemplated, but that is what the actions of Speaker Pelosi tell us she is trying to do or at least tried to do if she didn't get her way in the Senate. It is unconscionable and against the principles of a democratic republic. Be warned, be alert, and pay attention. Let's guard our Republic with every ounce of our energy.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Charles Howard Bradshaw, a Fire Department Chief and business owner in Henry County, and his wife Sherri, who died on December 13, 2019. Mr. Bradshaw was a tremendous contributor to Henry County and his presence will be missed. Mr. Bradshaw was president of Triangle Electric Corporation, a privately-owned and operated business since 1965, but had also long served as a first responder. In the 1980s, Mr. Bradshaw was employed with the Fieldale Police Department. Since 2007, he had been Chief of the Horsepasture Volunteer Fire Department. In 2010, he was honored as Outstanding Firefighter for the month of May and Fire Officer of the year. In addition to his business and first responder activities, Mr. Bradshaw served on the Henry County Building Board of Appeal. In 2010, he was recognized for his many years volunteering with Henry County by receiving the Jack Dalton Community Service Award. Charles and Sherri Bradshaw are survived by their daughter, Ashlee Bradshaw (James Hill); son, Michael Bradshaw (Crystal Beckett); sister- in-law, Barbara Bradshaw; grandchildren, Hunter, Logan, Lauren, Rylee, Nikole and Jordan; nephew, Jonathan Bradshaw (Elisha); and several other nieces and nephews. Henry County and the Commonwealth of Virginia were fortunate to have a great volunteer, leader, and businessman in their community. I offer my condolences to the Bradshaw family, the volunteers of the Horsepasture Fire Department, and the people of Henry County on their loss.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. I thank the Speaker. Additional parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise for a parliamentary inquiry or a series thereof.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, am I correct that H. Res. 755 was passed by vote of the House on December 18, 2019?

Mr. GRIFFITH. A measure not currently pending. Additional parliamentary inquiry, please.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, since H. Res. 755 passed on December 18, 2019, and the motion to reconsider H. Res. 755 was laid on the table on that same date, December 18, 2019, is there any action the House of Representatives can now take on H. Res. 755?

Mr. GRIFFITH. It is not a hypothetical.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Additional parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. GRIFFITH. I am not inquiring hypothetically. I may wish to take action. Is there any action currently available to a Member of the House in regard to H. Res. 755?

Mr. GRIFFITH. All right. Further parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Is H. Res. 755 currently within the bosom of the U.S. House?

Mr. GRIFFITH. Since 21 calendar days, 12 working days, and seven legislative days have gone by since H. Res. 755 passed the House and the Speaker of the House has not been physically able to deliver H. Res. 755 to the United States Senate, does clause 8(b)(3)(C) of rule I of the House rules automatically cause a vacancy in the Office of the Speaker, or what action does the House need to take since the Speaker has not been able to physically do an essential part of her administrative duties as the Speaker of the House?

Mr. GRIFFITH. I thank the Chair. Additional parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Reviewing its parliamentary history, I would ask the Chair, is there any precedent, other than incapacity, of a Speaker not timely transmitting action of the House to the United States Senate?