H. Morgan Griffith

New Source Review Permitting Improvement Act

introduced

Motor Vehicle Flammability Standards Study Act of 2026

in committee

To authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor to John W. Ripley for acts of valor during the Vietnam War, and for other purposes.

enacted

“Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Carter Family descendant, Ms. Rita Forrester, who worked for years in Southwest Virginia to preserve the storied legacy of an American country music icon, the Carter Family. Therefore, I include in the Record a proclamation in their honor: Whereas, The Original Carter Family, A.P., Sara, and Maybelle, changed Country Music history, and helped establish the fabric of American Country Music, beginning in 1927, with their first recordings during what Johnny Cash referred to as the ``Big Bang of Country Music.'' Over succeeding decades, they introduced hundreds of songs that became the canon of ``songs everybody knows,'' including ``Wildwood Flower,'' ``Keep on the Sunny Side,'' ``Will the Circle Be Unbroken,'' and ``The Wabash Cannonball;'' Whereas, Janette Carter, daughter of A.P. and Sara, fulfilled a deathbed promise to her father to ``carry the music forward.'' drew on her legacy, her faith, and on the strength and inspiration of family and friends, and founded ``The Carter Family Fold,'' weekly live traditional Country Music program in the valley, at the homeplace of the Carter Family. Thus, the Carter Family Fold became a vital part of our contemporary cultural story; Whereas, Janette's daughter, Rita Forrester assisted her mother in producing and running the weekly show and travelling to events regionally, nationally, and internationally, to receive accolades and awards, at one point, meeting British Prime Minister, Margret Thatcher; Whereas, Rita persevered, helping to maintain consistent quality, authentic experience for all who came regularly from every state in the nation and many countries around the world to experience authentic traditional Country Music, even when tragedies struck, such as the week her house burned taking the life of her beloved husband; Whereas, Rita Forrester, on the event of her mother's passing, assumed duties as the director, steadfastly ensuring that this important part of our cultural heritage would continue, performing tasks including scheduling, hosting and introducing the performances, personally making homemade chili for the audience, and travelling to represent the Carter Family Fold and the family; Whereas, Rita's humble, gentle manner belies her powerful influence. In days when social media and artificial intelligence replace cultural heritage that has sustained our families for generations, those who nurture our traditional arts become the heroes of our society; and Therefore, in the old style of building a home, there was a foundational hearthstone, or ``heart stone'' as it was called by some ancient Scots. Sich is the power of Rita Forrester's devotion, commitment, and steadfast faith that they are inextricably woven into the legacy of the Carter Family. Rita Forrester is recognized as a vital part of the foundation of the Carter Family Fold, and a Heart Stone of our culture. ____________________”

2026-05-22 · Government Reform

“Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my friend Ms. Sandra Jean Caldwell ``Sandy'' Davis, who passed away on March 17, 2026, at the age of 79. Ms. Davis was born on August 9, 1946, in Radford, Virginia. Her upbringing in rural Virginia included graduating from nearby Floyd County High School. After graduation, Ms. Davis pursued lengthy careers in Southwest Virginia. Her first career path focused on the Commonwealth of Virginia's Health Department. This line of work provided her the opportunity to serve the public health needs of communities in the New River Valley, primarily in Radford and nearby Giles County. In addition to addressing local health care challenges, Ms. Davis developed a reputable career in banking and finance. She rose to senior vice president at the Bank of Christiansburg, the first woman in Southwest Virginia to achieve that position. Together with her first husband, Patrick C. Cupp, Ms. Davis founded BCR Real Estate and Property Management. Their company would be foundational in supplying housing to college students seeking to attend two of Southwest Virginia's premier academic institutions, Virginia Tech and Radford University. Moreover, Ms. Davis dedicated significant attention and resources to higher education and athletics at these institutions. She served on the Board of Visitors for Radford University and Virginia Tech. Ms. Davis also devoted time to the Board of Directors for the New River Community College in Pulaski County, Virginia. More scholarship opportunities are available to students and student- athletes thanks to Ms. Davis' contributions. In 2018, she and her second husband, Jack Davis, a renowned author and historian, made a landmark $8 million donation to Radford, which was one of the largest gifts in the school's history. Additionally, Radford University's Athletic Director credits Ms. Davis' impact on Radford Athletics, saying she helped create opportunities for student-athletes to pursue excellence and represent Radford with pride. New River Valley communities and schools recognized Ms. Davis for her excellent work and profound charity. Among her highly esteemed accolades, both the Blacksburg Rotary Club and Montgomery County Chamber awarded her Citizen of the Year. In 2022, Ms. Davis was inducted into the Southwest Virginia Business Hall of Fame. Besides her husband of 23 years, Jack, Ms. Davis is survived by her sister, Mildred Weddle; two stepchildren; and more than a dozen nieces and nephews. I join the New River Valley in mourning the loss of a philanthropic titan, education advocate, and community leader. Throughout her career of service and business, Southwest Virginia communities received support. Ms. Davis will continue to be remembered for her significant impact on our region. ____________________”

2026-04-16 · Education

“Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize March 23, 2026 through March 27, 2026, as National AHEC (Area Health Education Centers) Week. The AHEC program was originally authorized in 1971 and worked in conjunction with other Health Resource Services Administration (HRSA) programs to provide health professionals to staff the brick-and mortar Community Health Centers. Today, Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) offer hands-on and innovative health career curriculums for pre-college level students, and are committed to continuing education, clinical training of health professionals and responding to community health needs. The Nation's 300 AHECs are in nearly every state and in multiple U.S. territories. Administered by HRSA, AHECs are federally funded, and many are also supported by state governments, foundations, or other partners. AHEC clinical training placements put health profession students in a variety of real-world settings, such as migrant, urban, and rural community health clinics and health departments that provide healthcare to rural and underserved populations. Connecting students to community populations helps facilitate future engagement and network alliance building for health career students to remain in their clinical practice regions and continue providing more sustainable healthcare in rural and underserved areas following their training. AHECs are also responsive to community priorities. They are dedicated to collaboratively developing community health education curriculums, for both online and face-to-face training programs, through unique partnerships that meet the broader range of public health needs of diverse and severely rural and underserved populations. The need to strengthen the healthcare workforce, particularly for the underserved, continues. According to new Association of American Medical Colleges, the U.S. could see a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034, and the American Hospital Association says more than 200,000 new registered nurses are needed each year to meet increasing health care needs and to replace nurses entering retirement. AHECs continue to be committed to addressing shortage areas and expanding the health care workforce, while maximizing and facilitating distribution, especially in rural and underserved communities. In the past 5 years, the AHEC program has trained 2 million healthcare professionals, who are prepared to deliver culturally appropriate, high-quality, team-based care, with an emphasis on primary care for rural and underserved populations I have had the opportunity to work closely with the Virginia AHEC and have witnessed the amazing work they are doing. The Virginia AHEC regions are made up of dedicated teams of professionals who collaborate with healthcare providers, educators, and community leaders, to create innovative programs and initiatives that address the evolving healthcare needs of our Commonwealth's underserved population. The mission of Virginia AHEC is to provide interprofessional and educational resources to motivate, recruit, train, and maintain a healthcare workforce dedicated to serving rural regions with the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2024, they offered continuing education to over 1,000 health care workers, pipeline programming for over 900 high school students, and clinical training to over 1,800 health professional students to accomplish this mission. Virginia AHEC strives to provide experiential learning opportunities for health professional students in every region. In 2024, Virginia AHEC helped 1,844 students complete 4,668 hours of training at rural and medically underserved clinical training sites. Virginia AHEC provides specialized programming for health professional students who wish to work in Primary Care, specifically in rural and/or medically underserved areas in Virginia, called the VA AHEC Scholars Program. In 2024, Virginia AHEC had 224 active VA AHEC Scholars. Each Scholar completed [[Page E259]] 40 hours of education and 40 hours of clinical training through participation in the program. As a major component of the program, Virginia AHEC created a statewide, a synchronous Community Health Worker Training Program. Since the creation of the program three years ago, VA AHEC has trained over 300 Community Health Workers. The Southwest Virginia AHEC is located at the Bradley Free Clinic. The Bradley Free Clinic works with students from 28 academic programs spanning medicine, dentistry, residency training, counseling, and public health, providing hands-on clinical and community-based learning experiences. My son personally experienced the benefits of this hands- on learning environment to prepare him for a career in healthcare. On behalf of my constituents at Virginia AHEC program and the national AHEC program more broadly, I call on my colleagues to join me in recognizing March 23, 2026 through March 27, 2026, as National AHEC (Area Health Education Centers) Week. ____________________”

2026-03-24 · Healthcare