H. Griffith

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Additional parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, clause 8(b)(3)(C) says that a physical incapacity to do the job of Speaker causes or may cause a vacancy. I am asking if there is any precedent related to that rule that the Chair can direct me to, having found none on my own?

Mr. GRIFFITH. I respectfully disagree that it is an advisory opinion and thank the Chair for her indulgence.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, once a resolution passes the House, it goes to the Senate. Once all action is done, the Speaker is a mere functionary in transmitting the will of the House to the Senate. It has been 21 calendar days, 12 working days, and 7 legislative days since the impeachment resolution was passed by this House. Since the resolution has not yet been delivered to the Senate, clause 8(b)(3)(C) of House rule I says that a vacancy in the Office of the Speaker may exist if the Speaker cannot do her job. She has not done her job. America, I submit a vacancy exists in the Office of the Speaker of the United States House.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Bittle Porterfield III, a Roanoke native, businessman, and champion of the area's education and arts, who died on November 29, 2019 at the age of 75. Mr. Porterfield was incredibly involved in the Roanoke community, and his goal was to make the Roanoke Valley and Virginia a better place to live. Bittle Porterfield III was born on March 9, 1944. He attended Roanoke College for his undergraduate degree. After graduating, Mr. Porterfield served in the United States Army for two years. He then earned a master's in business administration at Virginia Tech. Mr. Porterfield worked in the beverage industry for most of his career, leading two family-run businesses. In addition to business, Mr. Porterfield had a passion for education. He was the president of the Western Virginia Foundation for the Arts and Sciences, where he oversaw maintenance for three museums, three performing arts centers, and the region's arts council. Mr. Porterfield was also the President of the Taubman Museum of Art. Mr. Porterfield took any opportunity he saw to benefit the Roanoke Valley. This is evident in his service as Chairman for the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority, the Foundation for the Roanoke Valley, and the Roanoke Valley Business Council. Mr. Porterfield was also the President of the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce. The effort that Mr. Porterfield poured into education was noticed, and he was appointed to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Additionally, he served on the Radford University Board of Visitors. Mr. Porterfield also used his passion for aviation at the Virginia Aviation Board, where he was a member. He also served as the Chairman of the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission. The Roanoke Valley and the Commonwealth of Virginia were fortunate to have such a strong proponent and leader of education and business in their community. Mr. Porterfield's survivors include Charlotte Kelley Porterfield; his sons Bittle Wilson Porterfield IV and wife, Holly, and Forrest Kelley Porterfield and wife, Katie; and grandchildren Bittle Wilson Porterfield V, Jackson Watkins Porterfield, Forrest Shepperson Porterfield, and William Hines Porterfield. I offer my condolences to the Porterfield family on their loss.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. In committee, I raised issues of unconstitutional takings in H.R. 3. Ninety-five percent of gross revenues are taken from a manufacturer unless they agree to the price the government offers. It is not negotiation. It is an offer you can't refuse. It is confiscatory. Accordingly, it is unconstitutional. But you don't have to believe me. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service says H.R. 3 likely violates the Fifth and Eighth Amendments of the United States Constitution. Mr. Chair, I took an oath to support the United States Constitution when I entered this body. To support the Constitution, you must vote ``no'' on H.R. 3. To fix drug pricing, you should vote ``yes'' on the Walden amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Charles B. Ryan III, a small business owner who died on November 27, 2019 at the age of 90. Mr. Ryan made the Roanoke Valley a better place to live thanks to his contributions. Mr. Ryan was born on August 14, 1929. After graduating from Dartmouth University in 1951, he married his beloved wife, Ms. Susan Thomas. Mr. Ryan started his career working for Firestone Tire and Rubber, before moving to Mohawk Tire and Rubber in Arkansas. The experience Mr. Ryan obtained from his first two jobs prepared him for the creation of a new tire plant. In 1968, Mr. Ryan selected Salem, Virginia as the site of the new plant. He oversaw the construction of the new plant and served as the General Manager. After working there for a few years, Mr. Ryan became a manufacturing consultant. The Mohawk tire facility is now owned by the Yokohama Tire Corporation and remains a significant employer in the Roanoke Valley. Mr. Ryan was a skilled athlete and sports was one of his biggest hobbies. He and his wife Sue devoted countless hours to amateur sports to the benefit of others in the community. Their involvement in expanding opportunities for swimming allowed more young people, including myself, to enjoy this activity. Mr. Ryan loved golf so much that he served on the Board of Directors at his local club, Hidden Valley Country Club. He decided to create a business devoted to his hobby by opening a store in Roanoke called The Sports Shop, which provided medals and trophies for many of the area's competitions. After a few years of consulting and running The Sports Shop, Mr. Ryan moved to Winchester, Virginia where he managed the Stowe-Woodward plant. After receiving a master's degree in accounting from Georgetown University, Mr. Ryan returned to Salem and used his new degree to open an accounting business in Roanoke. Mr. Ryan is survived by his wife, Sue, his children Deborah Howard, C. William Ryan, Thomas Ryan, and David Ryan, and his five grandsons, Conklin and Adam Howard, Sean Ryan, and Jack and Lukas Ryan. The Roanoke Valley and the Commonwealth of Virginia were fortunate to have this fine community member and small business owner among the citizenry. I offer my condolences to the Ryan family on their loss.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I do appreciate all that the gentleman has done. The bill that we are proposing as the Walden amendment in the nature of the substitute, actually deals with an item that we have talked about a great deal, and that is pharmacy benefit managers. I am going to give the gentleman a second to talk about that, but I do want to mention the item that I have been bringing up a lot in these, and that is the unconstitutionality of H.R. 3. The problem is, as you know--and it sounds shocking, but it is true-- if you don't accept the price the government is paying you, they take 95 percent of your gross revenues on that drug. That money they take from you, that penalty is not tax deductible, doesn't do anything as far as what expenses you put into it, so you are actually going to lose money. Now, as I said in my comments earlier this evening, that is not negotiation. That is, as the Godfather would have said in the old movie series, ``an offer you can't refuse.'' I wish I could do the voice; I can't. But that is a problem. And you don't have to believe me. In the committee I brought this up--the committee didn't necessarily believe me--but the Congressional Research Service has said this bill likely violates the Fifth and the Eighth Amendments of the Constitution. This is a nonpartisan group that works for Congress that came out and said, Yeah, there are some real problems here. When you are being confiscatory, you are not really negotiating. It is a problem. Now, in our bill that we have put forward that is bipartisan, we have some things on a subject both of us are very concerned about, and that is pharmacy benefit managers. They are a big part of the problem here. Drug manufacturers we need to work on, but their bill doesn't do anything on this. Our bill does. Madam Speaker, if the gentleman would tell the people just how that sham works.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I would ask the gentleman, if this is not true, as I understand it, the PBMs have gone, in some cases, to the drug manufacturers, said, Raise your price. We will do rebates. But those rebates don't help anybody in the donut hole. Those rebates don't help the citizen who is paying a high deductible. And what happens is they raise the price. And even with the rebate, if you are in one of those insurance companies that gets the rebate, and you don't have to pay as much or pay any more, they increase their profit margin. And they are making hundreds of millions of dollars that we have no idea what they are contributing, as the gentleman was just saying. Is that true?

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I offer these remarks in honor of Roger E. Hedgepeth, one of the longest-serving mayors of Blacksburg, Virginia and a professor at Virginia Tech in that town, who died on November 12, 2019 at the age of 89. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, on January 17, 1930, Roger E. Hedgepeth went to Maury High School and then graduated from Virginia Tech, where he received a degree in mechanical engineering. Following graduation, Mr. Hedgepeth served in the Armed Forces during the Korean War. Mr. Hedgepeth returned to Virginia Tech after serving his country and received a master's degree in mechanical engineering. He married Jenny in 1956. They would remain happily married for 55 years until her death. Mr. Hedgepeth used the education from his two degrees in mechanical engineering to teach students at Virginia Tech for 38 years. As a resident of Blacksburg while teaching at Virginia Tech, he was active in his community and decided to make the leap to elected office. After two years of serving on the Blacksburg Town Council, Mr. Hedgepeth became mayor. Mr. Hedgepeth served in that position for 24 years, the second-longest tenure in Blacksburg's history. As mayor, Mr. Hedgepeth was respected by his colleagues in government as well as his constituents. The relationship between Blacksburg and Virginia Tech during his tenure was so cordial that representatives from other college towns around the country would come to study their success. Virginia Tech and the town of Blacksburg were fortunate to have this leader and educator in the community. Mr. Hedgepeth is survived by his children Natalie and Michael and grandchildren, Taylor and Austin of Bristol, Virginia, and Risher and Azat of Blacksburg. I offer my condolences to the Hedgepeth family on their loss.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Charles Moir, who died on November 15, 2019 at the age of 88. Mr. Moir was a highly successful basketball coach and mentor at both Virginia Tech and Roanoke College. Charles Moir started his career in basketball by playing in college for three years before becoming a high school coach. In his eleven years coaching high school basketball, he finished with a career record of 224 wins and 43 losses. His time coaching high school basketball prepared him to become the assistant coach for Virginia Tech in 1963. Four years later, Mr. Moir assumed the head coach position at Roanoke College. During Mr. Moir's time at Roanoke College, his strong leadership led the team to five conference championships, four NCAA tournament appearances, and even a national championship in 1972 during his six- year tenure. In his time at Roanoke College, he amassed an impressive record of 133 wins and 44 losses. After Mr. Moir's time at Roanoke College, he became the head coach for Virginia Tech in 1967. His time at Virginia Tech was ripe with success, evident through his record-breaking career of 213 wins throughout his 11-year tenure. Additionally, Mr. Moir led the Hokies to four NCAA Tournament appearances and four National Invitational Tournaments. Charles Moir was inducted into the Roanoke College Hall of Fame, the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Mr. Moir was known as a coach who invested in his players on and off the court. Dell Curry, a former Virginia Tech and NBA star told the Roanoke Times, ``He helped me grow into a man . . . A great father figure, a great coach.'' Charles Moir was the type of basketball coach that brings out the best in student athletes, and his passion for his players and the game will always be remembered. He resided in my hometown of Salem during his time at Roanoke College and moved back after leaving Virginia Tech. He was held in high regard by the Salem community. His son Page, who played for his father at Virginia Tech and followed him into coaching, remembered, ``He was a good dad, just like he was as a coach.'' I offer my condolences to the Moir family on their loss.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I offer rise in tribute to Dr. James I. ``Bud'' Robertson, Jr., longtime professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, who passed away on November 2 at the age of 89. Dr. Robertson, sometimes called ``Mr. Virginia,'' was a distinguished scholar of the American Civil War. Dr. Robertson was a native of Danville, Virginia. He earned his bachelor's degree in history at Randolph-Macon College and his master's degree and doctorate in the same subject at Emory University. As the United States commemorated the centennial of the Civil War in the 1960s, President Kennedy asked Dr. Robertson to serve as executive director of the United States Civil War Centennial Commission. After his successful leadership of the commission, he joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 1967. Over the course of his career, he taught thousands of students, wrote more than 20 books, became founding director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies, and educated the public at large on the war. His biography of Stonewall Jackson earned acclaim as a definitive account of the legendary general's life, but the experiences of the common soldiers who served on both sides, ``Billy Yank'' and ``Johnny Reb,'' occupied much of his study as well. In the preface to Civil War Sites in Virginia: A Tour Guide, Dr. Robertson told of a cemetery at Appomattox, where a Federal soldier is buried next to Confederates. He wrote: ``They sleep side by side, and it is fitting that they do; for these American heroes who lived not so long ago struggled greatly against something greater than themselves. Often fighting for nothing more than the realization of a dream, they bravely marched down the undiscovered road to tomorrow. What they gave, we now share. What they lost, we gained. Their sacrifice is the nation's legacy.'' Dr. Robertson devoted himself to the study of that legacy. He did it with skill and with an enthusiasm that could affect anyone who heard his lectures or commentary. Among the many awards he earned over his career were three commendations from the Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia Press Association's 2004 Virginian of the Year, the Best NonFiction Book Award by the Library of Virginia in 1997, and the Outstanding Professor Award of the Virginia Council for Higher Education. In turn, Dr. Robertson strongly supported Virginia Tech financially and through the donation of a large portion of his enormous collection of Civil War books. After his retirement from Virginia Tech, Dr. Robertson resided in Virginia's Northern Neck. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth ``Betty Lee'' Robertson; his sons, James I. Robertson III and Howard Robertson; his daughter, Beth Brown; his stepson, William W. Lee Jr.; his stepdaughter, Elizabeth A. Lee; seven grandchildren; and four great- grandchildren. I would like to express my condolences to them and to the Virginia Tech community on the loss of this fine scholar and gentleman.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I object.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Chair, when you don't like it, you are going to come back and say: Oh, my gosh, they are sabotaging the intent of the bill. Well, forget the intent. Read the bill. Read the bill. This bill has significant problems. It needs to go back to committee and be worked on some more. I appreciate it, but until this is corrected, I must vote ``no'' to try to protect our election system from having it being taken over by whomever the Attorney General might be.

Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman so much for yielding to me. Mr. Chairman, I would say that, if I were in a court of law, I would tell you in advance that I am about to make an argument that is conditionally relevant, meaning: Bear with me. It will make sense when I get to the point. So this morning, in committee--and I serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee--we were having a hearing and ObamaCare came up. About five or six times, people said, on the Democrat side of the aisle, ObamaCare is being sabotaged by the Trump administration. Well, I started thinking about that, and I realized that that wasn't really fair, that the problem was that this Congress and the Democrats in this House voted for a bill that mentioned the Secretary, HHS Secretary, 3,033 times; 974 times it said the ``Secretary shall'' and then went on to say something else. According to Dr. Burgess, he estimated that there were actually 262 different action items in ObamaCare voted on by the Democrats. None of the Republicans in the House at the time--I was not here, but none of the Republicans voted for it. 262 action items were given over to the Secretary. So now we have the SHIELD Act, and you are saying: All right, Morgan, what does this have to do with the SHIELD Act? I direct you to page 49, lines 10 to 25, Corrective Action: ``If the Attorney General receives a credible report that materially false information has been or is being communicated in violation'' of this bill, ``and if the Attorney General determines that the State and local officials have not taken adequate steps to promptly communicate accurate information to correct the materially false information, the Attorney General shall, pursuant to the written procedures and standards under subsection (b)''--which, by the way, the Attorney General determines--``communicate to the public, by any means''--any means--``including by means of written, electronic, or telephonic communications, accurate information designed to correct the materially false information.'' What we are about to do in this bill, Mr. Chairman, is we are about to give the Attorney General the power to come into our congressional elections and to come into any election and start running ads, to run robocalls, to get involved in the election process, because I wouldn't want Attorney General Holder making decisions on my ads, and I don't think my friends, Mr. Chairman, on the other side of the aisle would want Attorney General Barr making decisions on their ads. But that is what this bill does. It creates a situation where the Attorney General is going to come into our districts if they think that one of us has issued a materially false ad and, instead of letting the voters make a decision as to whether or not I have done something wrong or my opponent has done something wrong or you have done something wrong or your opponent has done something wrong, the Attorney General is going to make that decision all by himself.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I have learned from Democrat press conferences and Washington Post leaks that this body has an ongoing so- called impeachment inquiry. But can I, as a Member of Congress, watch the testimony? No. Can you watch the testimony at home so you can decide for yourself? No. Why are the hearings taking place in the basement behind guarded doors? What do they want to keep from me? What do they want to keep from you, Madam Speaker, either hearing or seeing? I don't know, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi knows, and you can call her and ask her why at 202-225-4965. Ask her what she has to hide, at 202- 225-4965. Ask her why you can't watch the hearing, at 202-225-4965. The American people deserve the answers. Call 202-225-4965.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise in honor of Constitution Week, which is commemorated from September 17-23 annually. The observance of Constitution Week was established by law in 1956 after the Daughters of the American Revolution petitioned Congress to set aside these days to celebrate the document which established the framework of our government and maintained our liberties. Author Catherine Drinker Bowen called it the ``Miracle at Philadelphia.'' In May of 1787, delegates from several of the thirteen states met in what we now call Independence Hall. The representatives included some of the new country's greatest luminaries, names we still know and honor today. Among others, Virginia sent James Madison, George Mason, George Wythe, and George Washington, who was elected as the convention's president unanimously. Their goal was to revise the Articles of Confederation then governing the Union, but soon a new charter took shape. They met through the hot Philadelphia summer, thinking, debating, and compromising about the nature and particular forms of the government that would serve the people of the United States. The Constitution emerged from their months of deliberations and was signed on September 17, 1787. Madison and John Blair signed for Virginia, while Washington signed as the convention's president. Mason refrained from signing it without a Bill of Rights. Virginia ratified the Constitution in the following year, calling for the Bill of Rights in exchange for the Commonwealth's consent. In 1789 it took effect with Washington as the first president of the United States under the new Constitution. With Virginia's ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791, ten amendments were adopted, and more followed in the centuries since, but the Constitution endures to this day as our great charter. Constitution Week recognizes the anniversary of this document, the ideals that inspired it, and the men who wrote it. I ask my fellow Virginians and Americans to join me in observing this occasion and reaffirm the timeless principles represented by the Constitution.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I pay tribute to Dr. Hughes Melton of Bristol, Virginia, a military veteran, public servant, and compassionate physician who most recently was Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. Dr. Melton passed away on August 2, 2019, at the age of 52 following a car wreck. Dr. Melton was born in Florida but made Virginia his home. After studying at Washington and Lee University and the University of Virginia School of Medicine, he served in the United States Army. Following his time in the service, he opened a practice in Lebanon, Russell County. There, he focused intently on the needs of his rural community and developed a specialty for treating addiction. His medical skill and care for his patients earned him recognition by the American Academy of Family Physicians as the Family Physician of the Year in 2011. He eventually took on work as an administrator, first as Chief Medical Officer for Mountain States Health Alliance's Virginia facilities and then as Vice President of Medical Education for its northeast and northwest markets. Among his objectives as an administrator, he recognized the need for more physicians to serve Southwest Virginia. To that end, he helped to start a family medicine residency. During his time at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, he won the Servant's Heart Award and furthered his education with a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. After serving as Deputy Commissioner of the Virginia Health Department, he was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services in 2018. As Commissioner, Dr. Melton was able to apply his considerable talent and deep empathy to addressing the mental and behavioral health challenges facing Virginians. He traveled the state and worked with public officials, medical professionals, and all invested in our Commonwealth to find answers. Before the tragic car accident, he had been in Harrisonburg attending a conference of advocates for Virginians with intellectual and developmental disabilities, where he gave a speech and talked with the attendees. In addition, Madam Speaker, I knew him and talked to him over the years about health challenges in our home of Southwest Virginia, including the opioid crisis. As was typical, I last saw him volunteering his time alongside his wife Dr. Sarah Melton at the Remote Area Medical clinic in Wise on June 29. It is a loss for all the Commonwealth of Virginia and particularly Southwest Virginia. He is survived by Sarah, daughters Maggie and Claire, and his father Howard. My prayers are with them. As they grieve the loss of their family member, Virginia grieves the loss of an outstanding public servant.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, has the gentleman from Massachusetts yielded the floor by taking his seat?

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, point of order.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I offer these remarks in honor of the Auburn High School baseball team, which won the Virginia High School League 1A baseball championship at Radford University on June 14, 2019. The Eagles won a victory over Lancaster to reclaim the title, which they had previously won in 2017. Auburn's victory brought their season to 25-3. Excellent pitching held Lancaster to three hits, while Auburn scored nine runs to achieve a 9-0 victory. Congratulations are in order for the team and Coach Eric Altizer, as well as the student body, teachers, administrators, and fans at Auburn. I was particularly pleased to be able to congratulate them in person after the game. It is another trophy in Auburn's impressive collection of championships this year. In fact, it came on the same day the Auburn softball team won their title. It is truly remarkable when a high school wins two state championships not only in the same year, but on the same day.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to commend the Auburn High School softball team, which captured the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 1 state title on June 14, 2019. The Eagles put on a dominant performance, handily defeating a quality team from Rappahannock County High School by a score of 18 to 1. This victory carries particular meaning, as it is Auburn High School's first Class 1 VHSL girls softball state championship in its history. Their championship caps a 25-3 season. I applaud the hard work and dedication of all members of this year's Auburn High School girls softball team, and congratulate the administrators, teachers, coaches, parents, students, and fans. In particular, I would like to recognize the contributions of the team's seniors, and their head coach David Hurd. Congratulations on a great end to the season. It is another trophy in Auburn's impressive collection of championships this year. In fact, it came on the same day the Auburn baseball team won their title. It is truly remarkable when a high school wins two state championships not only in the same year, but on the same day.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to commend the Richlands High School softball team, which captured the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 2 state title on June 14, 2019. The Lady Blues put on a stellar performance, narrowly defeating an exceptional team from Madison County High School by a score of 1 to 0. This victory carries particular meaning, as it is Richlands High School's first softball state championship in nearly 25 years. Their championship caps a 23-5 season. I applaud the hard work and dedication of all members of this year's Richlands High School softball team, and congratulate the administrators, teachers, coaches, parents, students, and fans. In particular, I would like to recognize the contributions of the team's seniors, their pitcher, Mac Osborne, on being named the Virginia 2A State Player of the Year, and their head coach Ronnie Davis. Congratulations on a great end to the season.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, it is my honor to recognize the Central Appalachia Health Wagon's 20th annual Remote Area Medical Wise Expedition clinic, taking place from June 28 to June 30. Since 1980, the Health Wagon has provided a wide range of free mobile health services to medically underserved areas in Southwest Virginia. Central Appalachia Health Wagon has partnered extensively with the Remote Area Medical since 1998, which was founded by the late Stan Brock. Today, it continues to serve as the largest health outreach of its kind in the United States and has been providing care to Southwest Virginia and the surrounding region for over 19 years. In 2017 alone, the Remote Area Medical Wise Expedition provided free dental, medical, and eye care to over 3,000 patients, administering $1.4 million in value of medical care to uninsured and underinsured Southwest Virginians. The poverty rate among the population served by the Health Wagon is 70 percent to 140 percent higher than in the rest of Virginia; by delivering health care services to those most in need; the Health Wagon has played a vital role in addressing the substantial health care disparities in the region. I am proud to honor the Central Appalachia Health Wagon and its Remote Area Medical Wise Expedition clinic in its 20th year of service, and to recognize the doctors, nurses, dentists, and volunteers who have dedicated their time and energy to serving the people of Southwest Virginia.

Mr. GRIFFITH

Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to commend the Auburn High School girls tennis team, which captured the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 1 team state title on June 8, 2019. The Eagles put on a first-rate performance, defeating an excellent team from Rappahannock High School by a score of 5-4. This marks the second consecutive season in which the Eagles have captured the VHSL Class 1 state championship. A victory from Auburn's No. 1 doubles pair Haley Gordon and Molly McMichael clinched the title, capping off just under 5\1/2\ hours of competition on the day between the two squads. I applaud the hard work and dedication of all members of this year's Auburn High School girls tennis team, and congratulate the administrators, teachers, coaches, parents, students, and fans. In particular I would like to recognize the contributions of the team's seniors, and their head coach Conrad Nester. Congratulations on a great end to the season.