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Troup County Drug Court in LaGrange, Georgia. I had the opportunity to speak at their commencement ceremony last week while I was back in the district. This program holds offenders with substance abuse and mental health disorders accountable through strict supervision and treatment, and allows them to get their lives back on track. As a dentist, I have had the opportunity to work with those suffering from substance abuse problems through my work with Hope Harbor, a Christian recovery center in my district. I have seen firsthand that, for every addiction, there is a real human being behind the statistic. These men and women have the potential to live long, productive lives serving their families and communities, and programs like this help them do just that. The success rate of these programs speaks volumes about their value to the community and those that graduate from the program. Seventy-five percent of drug court graduates never reoffend. This is almost 21⁄2 times higher than the 30 percent success rate of those who serve a prison sentence and receive no treatment. I commend the hard work of the men and women of the Troup County Drug Court. f
TWO IMPORTANT ISSUES (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to discuss two issues and to speak on their impact to the American people. The first one is the Financial CHOICE Act, which we just debated. I oppose it for the very reason that we passed Dodd-Frank. We passed it to respond to the greatest recession in 80 years, which saw a financial crisis that caused working men and women to lose the greatest amount of wealth they have ever lost. Yet, our colleagues here believe that it is important to choose large corporate interests over working men and women. At the same time, today we heard the testimony of Director Comey under oath. He gave a list of very troublesome acts and words offered by the President of the United States. Shortly thereafter, the President’s lawyer, who was not under oath, came forward to deny, disparage, and suggest that Director Comey was not telling the truth. That is clearly an indication that the Judiciary Committee should begin an inquiry. That is our jurisdictional duty: to begin an inquiry to discern who is telling the truth. The FBI is under our jurisdiction. It is time for the House to hold hearings now. The truth must be known by the American people. f
REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF PAUL W. PAINTER, JR. (Mr. CARTER of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the
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House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the life of the respected Savannah lawyer and gentleman, Paul W. Painter, Jr., who passed away on Saturday, May 27, 2017, at the age of 71. Mr. Painter comes from a family that has worked tirelessly to serve our country both in the Armed Forces as well as our judiciary system. His father, Paul Painter, Sr., served during World War II, and then created a successful law practice. Paul Painter, Jr., followed in his father’s footsteps, graduating from Georgia Tech, and then serving in the Navy for 4 years. After that, Mr. Painter attended law school at the University of Georgia, beginning a career that would benefit and serve many Savannahians for years to come. Mr. Painter started his own firm in Savannah, now known as the Ellis, Painter, Ratterree, & Adams Law Firm, with which he practiced for nearly 30 years. By the end of his law career, he was known as one of the best lawyers in the entire State of Georgia and was named to the list of Georgia’s Top 10 lawyers in 2014. The Paul W. Painter, Jr., Civility and Professional Award was also created in his honor to remember his fantastic work and to reward other outstanding lawyers in Georgia. Mr. Painter was an honorable person who did everything possible to improve our judicial system, and he gained respect from lawyers all over. He will certainly be missed as an asset to our community and the entire legal field.
PUTTING THE AMERICAN DREAM BACK INTO REACH (Mr. TAYLOR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Mr. TAYLOR. Madam Speaker, my generation has known two very profound events: war and recession. To some folks, a decade seems like forever ago, but for most Virginians, most Americans, the events of the financial collapse 10 years ago still haunt their memories today. Financial devastation hit the poor and middle class in this country unlike anything we have witnessed in our lifetimes: businesses shuttered, retirement plans halted, families losing many homes. In response, Congress passed DoddFrank, a bill with more regulations than all other bills passed during the Obama administration. Dodd-Frank regulations have pushed many community banks out of business. We lose one of them or a credit union every single day. Small-business lending, the driver of jobs in this country, has declined; everyday banking services have been reduced; and homeownership is increasingly out of reach. The Financial CHOICE Act provides more accountability over unelected bodies, unlocks small-business lending, allows community banks to survive, stops big-bank bailouts with our tax dollars, will increase homeownership, and it imposes the toughest penalties ever for financial fraud. This bill puts the American Dream into reach for millions of Americans.
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OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE (Mr. TED LIEU of California asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.) Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Speaker, as a former prosecutor, I rise to state the obvious: President Trump committed obstruction of justice. We have direct evidence that the President asked the FBI Director for loyalty. He demanded it. He asked the FBI Director to drop an investigation into Michael Flynn. The President fired the FBI Director. Then, on national TV, he said he did it because of the Russian probe. Then he told the Russians in the Oval Office that he did it to relieve great pressure because of the FBI investigation. That is classic obstruction of justice. The Washington Post today has a quote from one of the prosecutors of Watergate. He says: ‘‘I helped prosecute Watergate. Comey’s statement is sufficient evidence for an obstruction of justice case.’’ I call on Special Counsel Mueller to investigate the President of the United States for violating the obstruction of justice statute, which is a felony. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. CHENEY). Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the President.
HECTOR BARAJAS-VARELA ´ N asked and was (Ms. BARRAGA given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) ´ N. Madam Speaker, Ms. BARRAGA veterans shouldn’t have to come home in a body bag to be recognized as Americans. Last weekend, I went, along with some of my colleagues, to Tijuana, Mexico, where we visited veterans who have served this country, who have picked up a weapon to go and fight in war to protect our freedoms. They survived, came home, and some of them were deported. Do you know that if you go and you fight overseas and you are not a citizen and you die, you get automatic citizenship? One of those people we saw this weekend is my constituent, Hector Barajas, from Compton. This is a photo of him. He was proudly still wearing his uniform. He was deported to Mexico after serving 51⁄2 years in the U.S. Army, receiving two commendations. I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 1405, which would allow noncitizen veterans who have been deported to come home and come back to the United States. I hope that he gets to come back, too.
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