Enforce Existing Gun Laws Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my friend and former colleague, Dennis Cardoza. Dennis served as the U.S. Congressman for the 18th Congressional District of California. He has truly led a life dedicated to public service, and his efforts deserve to be commended.

Dennis grew up in Atwater, California where he attended Atwater High School followed by California State University, Stanislaus. He later transferred to the University of Maryland College Park where he earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1982. He was the first member of his family to graduate college. Dennis' first taste of public service came in 1979 when he spent a summer in college interning on Capitol Hill.

After graduation, Dennis returned to the San Joaquin Valley where he ran a successful small business and served as a city councilman for Merced and Atwater. In 1996, he was elected to the California State Assembly where he served as Chairman of the Rules Committee and cofounder of the Moderate Democratic Caucus.

In 2002, Dennis was elected to his first term in Congress. He had many legislative accomplishments that truly made a difference in his district. Dennis was an unwavering advocate for issues impacting Valley residents such as water, agriculture, unemployment, and poverty. Dennis lobbied to bring Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar and Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack to the Central Valley. Their visit influenced the decision by the Department of Agriculture to declare Merced, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin counties as natural disaster areas. Also, Dennis was an active member of the Blue Dog Coalition. He proudly cosponsored H.R. 2166 the ``Fiscal Honesty and Accountability Act of 2009'' to extend Pay-As-You-Go spending through 2014 in order to strengthen Congress' commitment to fiscal responsibility and accountability. In 2007 Dennis joined the House Rules Committee where he assisted the victims of the Valley's home foreclosure crisis by securing language in H.R. 1728, the ``Mortgage Reform and Anti- Predatory Lending Act'', that established a federal database to track foreclosures across the country. In the 110th and 111th Congresses, Dennis served as Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, which had a prominent role in the formation of the 2007 Farm Bill.

Dennis believes that one of our greatest responsibilities as a society is to leave our nation a better place for our children and grandchildren. Dennis worked diligently to ensure that the University of California's 10th campus would be in Merced, California. In addition, one of Dennis' proudest legislative accomplishments was the language he introduced in the ``Fostering Connections to Success and increasing Adoptions Act'', which ensures that children in the foster care system receive necessary medical attention until the age of 21. Dennis has been an advocate on behalf of children and adoption not just as a legislator but also as a parent, raising two adopted children in addition to his one biological daughter.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the leadership and public service of Dennis Cardoza. His contributions to the Central Valley, the State of California, and the future generations of this nation ennobled this body of Congress with his presence.