Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I would like to express my strong support of H.R. 2611, a bipartisan measure authorizing the Department of Homeland Security's Securing the Cities initiative.

I would like to recognize my colleague, Chairman Bennie Thompson, for his leadership on the House Homeland Security Committee and his commitment to protecting the citizens and homeland of our great nation.

I would also like to acknowledge and thank Ranking Member Peter King for introducing this important legislation which includes an amendment I offered that would expand the scope of the Securing the Cities program to include at least two additional high-risk urban areas, making it a national program.

Launched in 2006, Securing the Cities is a unified effort among Federal, state and local law enforcement officials in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to defend against the threat of a radiological or nuclear attack. Presently, Securing the Cities operates only in New York City and its surrounding areas.

While it appears that New York City remains the prime target for terrorist activity, it is important to ensure that other densely populated areas and those housing critical infrastructure are equally protected from dirty bombs. My amendment would benefit even more high- risk urban areas by providing the necessary resources to detect and intercept illicit radiological material before it is used in a weapon by would-be terrorists.

Through a ring of detectors on highways, bridges, tunnels and on mobile units around the city, Securing the Cities provides a layered defense against the smuggling of a nuclear weapon. The idea behind Securing the Cities is that the more law enforcement officials are on the lookout for nuclear material outside New York City, the better chance law enforcement has to prevent a successful nuclear attack.

Like New York City, Houston is among the highest threat cities in the nation. Our region is extremely dense with critical infrastructure assets, which includes our large energy and petrochemical sectors. By replicating the success of Securing the Cities in more places like Houston, we can bolster law enforcement capabilities to combat potential terrorist activity and protect our communities.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2611.

Madam Speaker, I would like to express my support for H. Res.1002, a resolution honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. which encourages the continued commitment to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a national day of service.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a holiday marking the birth of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which is celebrated on the third Monday of January each year.

President Ronald Reagan declared Dr. King's birthday a national holiday and signed it into law on January 15, 1983. Not only does January 15 mark the day this Civil Rights Leader was born, but it is one of four United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person in this country.

Dr. King was the chief architect for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.

During the time of the Civil Rights movement, many challenges and controversies arose, but Dr. King's commitment to democracy, freedom, and equality did not waver.

Dr. King challenged us to give back to a community we have accepted so much from. With his leadership, our nation made great strides against racial discrimination and toward increased civil rights.

It is in the spirit of solidarity that we recognize Dr. King's Day as a national day of service which was first encouraged by Congress in 1994 through passage of the King Holiday and Service Act. On this day, our nation has the opportunity to bond together and serve our local and global community, with no expectation of reward in return. The dream is a special type of service our nation needs. This type of service not only brings our nation together, but it creates an environment of people committed to helping one another achieve the dream.

I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 1002.

Mr. Speaker, today I express my support for H. Res. 150, introduced by my colleague Chairman Charles Rangel, which recognizes the accomplishments of the great civil rights leader, A. Philip Randolph.

Mr. Randolph not only made great strides in shaping the civil rights movement during the turn of the 20th century, but he also impacted the growth of the labor movement and the rise of union labor.

A. Philip Randolph had a significant effect on political discourse in the African-American community during the 1930s with the founding of The Messenger, a political and literary magazine which documented several of the greatest injustices of our history. Through this magazine, Randolph advocated civil disobedience and membership in labor unions.

Mr. Randolph championed the cause of African-American men in labor, from sleeping car porters to elevator operators. He organized and founded the Brotherhood for Sleeping Car Porters, which fought for overtime pay and pay increases for sleeping car porters, a majority of which were African-American, at a time when sharecropping in the South was still widespread.

We also honor Mr. Randolph for his leadership in organizing the March on Washington, which will be remembered as one of the most important political rallies of the twentieth century.

A. Philip Randolph personified the idea of a renaissance man, as a writer, actor, political activist and union organizer. He achieved the unachievable during a time when education was unattainable for most African-Americans, even most Americans.

Mr. Randolph has received numerous awards, namely, the Congressional Medal of Honor, one of the highest honors for civilians in the United States of America. His contributions to our great Nation are undeniable, and

the path that he forged will be traversed by generations to come.

Madam Speaker, today we will impose sanctions. We will sanction with this legislation or we will sanction the unacceptable status quo, to which I say not on my watch.

Let history record that even if I could not do enough, I did do all that I could. I support sanctions to avert a tyrant from acquiring nuclear weapons of mass destruction capable of creating an inferno unlike that which even the mind of Dante could imagine. To act later may be to act too late.

I rise in support of the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (H.R. 2194). This legislation will restrict refined petroleum imports to Iran by strengthening the President's authority to impose sanctions on companies that provide refined petroleum or help Iran maintain or expand its domestic refining capabilities.

While Iran is one of the largest producers of crude oil, it lacks adequate refining capability to meet its own domestic needs for gasoline and is forced to import 25 to 40 percent of its refined petroleum needs.

This legislation will prevent Iran from importing the gasoline it needs as a way to put pressure on the Iranian government to suspend its uranium enrichment program.

For over a decade, the United States has played a central role in diplomatic, political and economic efforts within the international community to deter Iran from gaining nuclear weapons capabilities.

H.R. 2194 continues those efforts and is particularly important in light of recent intelligence indicating that Iran continues to advance its nuclear program.

The latest International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, resolution adopted by the Board of Governors on November 27, 2009, notes with serious concern how Iran has constructed an enrichment facility at Qom in breach of its obligation to suspend all uranium enrichment related activities.

Many experts believe that with further processing of low-enriched uranium, Iran could have the capability to produce a nuclear weapon by the end of this year, reinforcing the sense of urgency to address this threat.

A nuclear-armed Iran would lead to a nuclear arms race and increase the likelihood that such weapons might actually be used against the United States and our allies.

As such, it is a threat not only to the Middle East, but to the entire world.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and hope that it will be an effective step towards preventing such a threat.

Madam Chair, it is said that a politician will always rise to the occasion; many have tonight, and many will. But it is also said that it takes a statesman to make the occasion. And I can say to you without reservation, hesitation, or equivocation, there is one great statesman among us tonight, and that is the honorable Chair of the Financial Services Committee who has made this occasion. And it should be intuitively obvious to the most casual observer that he has made this occasion because of a mandate from the American public, but also in spite of the efforts of many.

I would have us note that this newfound theory of ``less is best,'' this newfound theory of 170 pages is better than 1,279 pages, that this newfound theory can be improved upon. Rather than have 170 pages, why not have just one page, one page with nothing on it, or because we are all educated, let's just have one page with laissez faire, because that's what got us here, laissez faire, invidious laissez faire. This is what produced 327s; mortgages with 3 years of a fixed rate and 27 years of a variable rate; 228s, 2 years of a fixed rate--many people are very much aware of what I speak because they have suffered from these insidious products--2 years of a fixed rate and 28 years of a variable rate.

And then we had these teaser rates that coincided with prepayment penalties, such that if you wanted to get out of the teaser rate before it's set to an adjusted rate you had to pay an enormous prepayment penalty that locked people into these teaser rates. And of course we had the naked shorts. People were actually betting that the market would go down without money to cover the bets. And of course we had what we called the credit default swaps, the whole notion that you can bet that something won't fail and not have the money to cover your bet. Even in Vegas you have to have the money to cover your bet. AIG was engaging in a gambling racket that at any other time and place could have been declared unlawful and people could have gone to jail.

And of course this laissez faire, hands-off attitude gave us the so- called ``too big to fail''; too big to fail, which is just the right size to regulate, just the right size to separate into smaller pieces, and just the right size to eliminate, which is what this bill, H.R. 4173, does. It puts ``too big to fail'' in a position such that it will not only be regulated, but it will be eliminated. And it will be done in an orderly process, very much akin to the way we move in when banks are failing, and on one Friday it closes, and on Monday a new bank opens, perhaps not as fast, but the concept is the same.

``Too big to fail'' will no longer exist.

So, Mr. Chairman, I want to commend you, and I want to thank you for allowing me to be a part of this process and a part of this legislation. I want to thank you because I want you to know that there would be no H.R. 4173 without your leadership. Your leadership has clearly made a difference in the lives of people in this country.

And it is my absolute belief that when historians look back through the vista of time, they will say that the chairperson of this committee left big tracks in the sands of time, and that he made a difference in our lives for all time.

I thank the Chair and the ranking member.

I would like to quickly give 200,000 reasons why we should be concerned about this incident--200,000. That's the number of persons from the Philippines who served with the United States military in World War II.

The Philippines have earned our respect, and they've earned our necessity to step forward in times of difficulty for them. We owe it to ourselves to make sure that injustice in the Philippines is addressed, because injustice there is a threat to justice here, just as a threat to justice for us was a threat to justice for them.

I support this resolution, and I strongly urge my colleagues to vote in favor of it.

I thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Healthcare for America Act. I would like to thank the Democratic Leadership and the Chairmen of the committees of jurisdiction for their unwavering commitment to this important cause.

Today, we are faced with a historic opportunity to accomplish meaningful change in the lives of millions of Americans. I am in support of this bill because I believe in improving the quality of care, the accessibility of care, and the affordability of care. The status quo is unsustainable and the cost of inaction is simply too high.

If we pass this legislation, we will reduce the federal deficit by an estimated $129 billion over the next ten years. If we fail to do so, we will ensure that our country continues to spend $79,274 a second on healthcare. We will continue to dedicate 17.6 percent of our gross domestic product, or $2.5 trillion a year towards healthcare expenditures.

To pass this legislation would mean that an estimated 36 million Americans would gain access to health insurance; failing to do so, would mean that the 45.7 million Americans who cannot afford, or cannot gain access to healthcare, would remain without coverage. Among the 45.7 million uninsured, 1.4 million are children in my home state of Texas--this is simply unacceptable.

Finally, passing this legislation would mean an end to the discriminatory practices of the health insurance industry that have devastated so many Americans. No longer will people fear having a pre- existing condition will prevent them from receiving health insurance coverage. No longer will families fear the uncertainty of a catastrophic health event, or fear being driven into bankruptcy in trying to pay for the cost of care. No longer will people have to fear losing their health coverage simply for getting sick. In passing this legislation, we put an end to the days when 14,000 Americans lose their coverage every day.

The time has come when we, in Congress, are faced with a decision to either change the course of this country, to shift its direction towards accessible and affordable healthcare, or continue down an unsustainable path, one wrought with uncertainty. With so many American families struggling to support themselves, I am proud to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, at the request of the Secretary of State of the State of Texas, I submit House Joint Resolution 39, as passed by the 81st Legislature, Regular Session, 2009, of the State of Texas.

A Joint Resolution

Be it resolved by the Legislature of the State of Texas:

Section 1. The 87th Congress of the United States, on

August 27, 1962, in the form of Senate Joint Resolution No.

29, proposed to the legislatures of the several states an

amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and by a

proclamation dated February 4, 1964, published at 29 Federal

Register 1715-16 and at 78 Statutes at Large 1117-18, the

Administrator of General Services, Bernard L. Boutin--in the

presence of native Texan, President Lyndon Baines Johnson--

declared the amendment to have been ratified by the

legislatures of 38 of the 50 states, thereby becoming

Amendment XXIV to the United States Constitution, pursuant to

Article V thereof, and reading as follows:

``Amendment XXIV

``Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to

vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice

President, for electors for President or Vice President, or

for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be

denied or abridged by the United States or any State by

reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

``Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this

article by appropriate legislation.''

Section 2. While the congress was still deliberating on the

poll tax amendment in August of 1962, President John

Fitzgerald Kennedy urged the United States House of

Representatives to follow the lead of the Senate and propose

the amendment for the consideration of the state legislatures

``. . . to finally eliminate this outmoded and arbitrary bar

to voting. American citizens should not have to pay to

vote.'' And in witnessing the issuance of Amendment XXIV's

certificate of validity 17 months later, Kennedy's successor,

President Johnson, noted that abolishing the tax requirement

`` . . . reaffirmed the simple but unbreakable theme of this

Republic. Nothing is so valuable as liberty, and nothing is

so necessary to liberty as the freedom to vote without bans

or barriers. . . . A change in our Constitution is a serious

event. . . . There can now be no one too poor to vote.''

Section 3. Although Amendment XXIV has been the law of the

land since 1964, some 13 years following its effective date,

it received symbolic post-ratification in 1977 from the

General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, as

reflected in the Congressional Record of March 28, 1977,

which printed the full text of Virginia's post-ratification;

12 years after that, the amendment gained ceremonial post-

ratification in 1989 from the General Assembly of the State

of North Carolina, as reflected in the Congressional Record

of June 6, 1989, which printed the full text of North

Carolina's post-ratification; and nearly 13 years after that,

the amendment acquired its most recent post-ratification in

2002 from the Legislature of the State of Alabama, as

reflected in the Congressional Record of September 26, 2002,

which printed the full text of Alabama's post-ratification.

Section 4. The Legislature of the State of Texas--one of

only five states still levying a poll tax by 1964--has never

approved Amendment XXIV to the Constitution of the United

States, but precedent makes clear the opportunity of Texas to

post-ratify the amendment in a manner similar to the actions

of lawmakers in Alabama, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Section 5. The Legislature of the State of Texas, as a

symbolic gesture, hereby post-ratifies Amendment XXIV to the

Constitution of the United States.

Section 6. Pursuant to Public Law No. 98-497, the Texas

secretary of state shall notify the archivist of the United

States of the action of the 81st Legislature of the State of

Texas, Regular Session, 2009, by forwarding to the archivist

an official copy of this resolution.

Section 7. The Texas secretary of state shall also forward

official copies of this resolution to both United States

senators from Texas, to all United States representatives

from Texas, to the vice president of the United States in his

capacity as presiding officer of the United States Senate,

and to the speaker of the United States House of

Representatives, with the request that this resolution be

printed in full in the Congressional Record.

Madam Speaker, I request that the House of Representatives take a moment to remember a fellow American and friend of mine, John O'Quinn, of Houston, Texas. Mr. O'Quinn died last Thursday, October 29, 2009 in a tragic car accident that also claimed the life of his longtime assistant, Johnny Lee Cutliff.

By all standards, Mr. O'Quinn was an extremely successful lawyer in Houston society, but to those of us who knew him well, John was a dedicated professional, a generous benefactor, and a loyal friend.

Publicly, John has been recognized as an icon and was named one of the ``100 Legal Legends of the Law'' by the Texas Lawyer. He was recognized by the National Law Journal and the Harvard Law Review as one of the ``Best Lawyers in America.'' Mr. O'Quinn received four of the largest verdicts in Texas legal history, having won more than $20 billion for his clients throughout his career, including a $17.3 billion tobacco settlement for the State of Texas. He was an honors graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, served as a Regent for the University of Houston, and trustee of the University of Houston Law School Foundation.

The man behind these impressive achievements was also fiercely loyal to the town that raised him and brought him to statewide and national prominence. John was a philanthropist and gave generously to assist the University of Houston, which named a law library and stadium after him; the Children's Assessment Center; the Women's Center; Baylor College of Medicine; the End Hunger Network; St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital; the South Texas College of Law Advocacy Center and many more organizations and causes of equal importance.

Mr. O'Quinn was a passionate car collector. Before his passing, he planned to open a public museum to display and share his love of cars and the histories accompanying each.

There are few Houstonians who have not been affected by Mr. O'Quinn's work, either through his role as attorney, benefactor or philanthropist. Mr. O'Quinn will be remembered as a dedicated legal professional, generous philanthropist, and dear friend. It will be hard to imagine Houston without one of its most dynamic personalities and legal giants. Mr. O'Quinn will be greatly missed.

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply saddened about the tragic incident that occurred yesterday at the Army base in Fort Hood, Texas, that has taken the lives of 12 brave American soldiers, 1 civilian, and wounded 30 more.

My condolences and support go to the families of the fallen and the wounded. Our service members and their families make enormous sacrifices for the sake of freedom in this country and we owe them a special debt of gratitude. During this difficult time my thoughts and prayers go out to each of them.

Fort Hood represents a crucial post for the U.S. Military and the fact that this tragedy has taken place in my home state of Texas just makes my lament even stronger.

I am hopeful the thorough investigation of the incident that the federal government has already announced will clarify what has happened and will bring justice.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of freedom, but specifically, I rise in support of the soldiers who have made the dream of freedom a reality for us all. As a cosponsor of H. Res. 89, which recognizes the sacrifices that are made every day by the men and women who serve in the United States Armed Forces, I am pleased the House voted this week on the final passage of this legislation.

I would also like to acknowledge Congressman Joe Baca for introducing this legislation, which commemorates the public holiday of Veteran's Day and its significance in carrying on the legacy of our living and fallen soldiers.

As a bipartisan bill, this legislation represents the unanimous recognition of the impact that the men and women of the United States Armed Forces make on our daily lives. The legislation notes the solemn cost of death that we pay for the defense of our freedom, and the importance of acknowledging the value of that cost. Every fallen soldier is an integral part of our collective American community, and a tremendous loss is sustained when a brother, a mother, a sister, a father, a child or a friend is removed from that community.

As we remember those who have given so much to our country, whose patriotism exceeds the requirement and defies the norm, we must also remember that it is our duty to provide for the needs of those heroes through programs, funding and medical services. Many of the trials that our veterans face as they return home cannot be resolved, from broken bones to the memories of the tragedy of war. However, ensuring that our veterans have a home to come home to is the least we can do for these patriotic heroes. My colleagues and I were able to accomplish that through the Homes for Heroes Act, which was passed in June of this year. This bill will establish funding for low-income veterans, and will address the issues of homelessness and mental health for our veterans who need it most.

Next week, on Veteran's Day, let us also recognize the significant contribution that military families play in the lives of our soldiers. Through their sacrifices, all of our families are afforded the opportunity of living the American Dream. I thank my colleagues for approving H. Res. 89 this week and look forward to joining with my constituents in Houston next week. As a community, we will honor the sacrifices made by our Nation's veterans.

I thank Chairman Thompson for yielding me the time.

Mr. Chairman, I rarely use the personal pronoun ``I.'' I don't like using it because rarely do we accomplish things by ourselves; but to thank Chairman Thompson, it is appropriate that I use this personal pronoun for he was the person who helped us to put a provision into CFATS which deals with the administration of facilities along ports. In Houston, Texas, we have 25 miles of ports that we have to contend with.

Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Let me say this: proactive measures can prevent reactive remediation. This is a proactive measure that we are taking to prevent having to do something that will help us after an event has occurred, and it's important to note that this is not just about chemical facilities.

There are many people who would say, Well, I don't have a chemical facility in my neighborhood. It really doesn't concern me. It doesn't impact me.

You do have drinking water in your neighborhood, however. This legislation deals with drinking water and with wastewater treatment facilities. It is important that wastewater treatment facilities that are in every neighborhood be properly secured, and it is of utmost importance that drinking water be secured. That's what this piece of legislation addresses as well. I don't want it said on my watch that we had an opportunity to take some preventative measures and that we failed to do so such that somebody's child, somebody's husband or wife, that somebody was harmed when we had it within our power to prevent it.

This is good, sound legislation. It is a proactive approach to prevent us from having to take some sort of remediation after the fact.

Finally, citizen lawsuits are appropriate because citizens are near the problem. They know what's not going on.

Why can't we put citizens in the loop of protecting their communities?

Yes, people can sue, but there are also means by which persons who sue can be removed from the dockets of courts. Anybody can sue. You can walk into any court and sue right now for anything that you want. You don't prevail just because you file a lawsuit. Citizens can help us to help protect our communities by having this opportunity to sue.

It is a good piece of legislation, and I thank the chairman for his hard work with the other committees of jurisdiction to promulgate this legislation.

Mr. Chair, I extend my support to H.R. 3639, the Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009, and thank my dear friend from New York, Ms. Maloney, for introducing this important legislation, and Chairman Frank for expediting it out of committee.

On May 22, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act to protect consumers from the most egregious abuses that were being committed by credit card companies. Today, the important legislation before us readdresses this issue and proposes to move up the effective date of certain provisions of the Credit CARD Act to December 1, 2009. I would like to take this time now to express my support for the passage of this legislation.

Today, levels of consumer debt are at an all time high. The most recent data from the 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances shows that half of American families carried a balance on their credit cards and the average balance was $7,300. Add to this amount the debt secured by a primary residence or other consumer and installment loans, and the average American family is hard-pressed to meet these financial obligations.

Many of my colleagues here in Congress and I are concerned about how the current state of the economy is affecting the ability of ordinary Americans to service these high levels of debt. In September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the American economy lost 260,000 jobs. Without work, most families could not afford to service these loans.

The days of easy and exotic credit are over. American families must work themselves out of debt and back into the black. We, as lawmakers, have been tasked with the job of enacting laws and enforcing fair rules that allow people to use credit cards and other financial services made available to them in a safe and responsible way. We are about to do just that today.

The Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009 is good policy for Americans everywhere. It fulfills our promise of establishing protections against abusive practices in the financial services industry and reaffirms our commitment to helping ordinary consumers responsibly manage their finances by ensuring that the choices available to them are fair and safe. I am proud to support H.R. 3639 and urge my colleagues to assure its passage.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 867, a bipartisan resolution which calls upon the President and the Secretary of State to oppose the endorsement and further consideration of the ``Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict'' in multilateral fora.

The report, commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council, called for an investigation into war crimes and possible crimes against humanity by Israel during 22 days of fighting in Gaza and southern Israel in December 2008 and January 2009.

As a result, the fact-finding mission released an unbalanced 575-page report which unfairly focuses on Israel's conduct despite efforts by the report's chief author, Justice Richard Goldstone, to broaden the mandate to include violations committed by Hamas and other militant groups.

In spite of its inaccuracies, the United Nations Human Rights Council endorsed the report and its recommendations and referred it to the United Nations Security Council, United Nations General Assembly and the International Criminal Court for further action.

A report that is not inclusive of all the facts and circumstances surrounding the conflict is an inconclusive report. It is unacceptable to consider a report which fails to provide a complete and accurate account of the Gaza conflict. To do otherwise undermines the inquiry process and denies the truth.

I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 867.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my strong support to H. Res. 780, which recognizes and celebrates Filipino American History Month in October.

The first Filipino in the United States arrived at Morro Bay, California, on October 18, 1587 in the Manila-built galleon, Nuestra Senora de Esperanza. In 1763, the first permanent Filipino settlement was established in the United States in St. Malo Parrish, Louisiana. For over 200 years, since before the founding of our great country, Filipino Americans have made varied contributions to American culture and society in countless ways.

Today, there are more than 3 million Filipino Americans and persons of Filipino ancestry living in the United States, including nearly 6,000 in my own 9th Congressional district in Houston, Texas. Filipino Americans count among their community prominent politicians, artists, businessmen, athletes, scientists, educators, writers, television personalities, scholars, and entertainers. Moreover, they are people who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of our country. Filipino American servicemen and servicewomen have a longstanding history of serving in the Armed Services of the United States, from the Civil War to the present Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, including more than 250,000 Filipinos who valiantly

fought under the United States flag during World War II.

Notwithstanding their contributions to America, we must continue to promote the study of Filipino American history and culture because of the important roles that Filipino Americans and other people of color have played in United States history. It is my hope that through this House Resolution, we can renew our commitment to ensuring that Filipino Americans and people of color are given their due recognition for their contributions to our nation.

I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 780 to honor our nation's Filipino Americans and our shared history with this community in the United States. Filipino Americans have altered America, their contributions are documented and forever enshrined in our history, and they deserve our recognition for the countless ways in which they make America great.