Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was not present during roll call vote numbers 77, 78, 79, and 80 on February 12, 2015, and roll call vote numbers 81, 82, and 83 on February 13, 2015, because I was participating in a cybersecurity summit with the President in my Congressional District.

I would like to reflect how I would have voted:

On roll call vote no. 77 I would have voted NO.

On roll call vote no. 78 I would have voted NO.

On roll call vote no. 79 I would have voted YES.

On roll call vote no. 80 I would have voted NO.

On roll call vote no. 81 I would have voted YES.

On roll call vote no. 82 I would have voted NO.

On roll call vote no. 83 I would have voted YES.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation, the FCC Consolidated Reporting Act of 2015 (H.R. 734) is a reflection of what our Subcommittee can accomplish when we work together in a bipartisan manner.

Earlier this month, Chairman Walden, Rep. Scalise and I introduced H.R. 734 as a way to streamline Congressionally-mandated reporting requirements under a single, industry-wide report. I've consistently supported this goal because it frees the FCC to focus on its ultimate mission: to protect the public interest and promote competition. These reports and the data collected serve a critical role in supporting the FCC's decision-making and our work as policymakers on issues like broadband deployment and adoption, cable pricing and assessing the state of competition.

As part of the Committee's markup of H.R. 734, two important clarifications were made. First, in our effort to consolidate reporting requirements, the legislation clarifies that the FCC's `706' Report does not in any way impact or alter the explicit grant of broadband authority that the court affirmed in the Verizon case last year.

Second, the legislation preserves the FCC's obligation to examine how retransmission consent fees impact a consumer's monthly bill.

For all these reasons, I support and urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 734.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary American, Carl Djerassi, a chemist, novelist, poet and philanthropist who excelled in each of these fields. He was the child of two physicians, born in 1923 in Vienna, Austria, and he died on January 15, 2015, at his home in San Francisco, California.

Dr. Djerassi is best known as the ``Father of the Pill'', the birth control pill which brought about a cultural revolution. He is less well known for his part in the development of antihistamines to treat allergies, and the synthesis of cortisone. Educated at Kenyon College and the University of Wisconsin, his first job was with the Swiss company, Ciba. From there he went to Syntex, then a small company in Mexico. He became a professor at Stanford University in 1959, and founded Zoecon, a manufacturer of non-toxic pesticides in 1968. He published over 1,200 articles and 7 monographs on chemical subjects.

Dr. Djerassi's brilliant work in chemistry was only a part of his life story. He published numerous poems, short stories, five novels and many plays. He founded the Djerassi Resident Artists Program in honor of his daughter, Pamela. He was the recipient of countless honors, including the National Medal of Science and the Wolf Prize in Chemistry. He was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and its Institute of Medicine, and he received 32 well-earned honorary doctorates.

Dr. Djerassi was married three times, most recently to the late Diane Middlebrook, a professor of literature at Stanford University.

Dr. Djerassi leaves his son Dale, an independent filmmaker, and his grandson Alexander Maxwell Djerassi. He will be sorely missed by all who had the good fortune to know him. His life's work was a gift to humanity, and his presence made the world a better place.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in honoring the extraordinary life of Carl Djerassi, who was a national treasure, and extend our sympathy to his family.

Mr. Speaker, I was not present during roll call vote numbers 51, 52, and 53 on February 2, 2015, due to a flight cancellation.

I would like to reflect how I would have voted:

On roll call vote no. 51 I would have voted YES.

On roll call vote no. 52 I would have voted YES.

On roll call vote no. 53 I would have voted YES.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an extraordinary woman and cherished constituent, Constance Eisenstat, who died on December 23, 2014, at the age of 83. Born in New York City to Lee and Cecile (Meyer) Kend, Connie spent the first half of her life as a New Yorker, and then as a Californian in the Bay Area.

Connie made the world better with all she did and was. A unique, tasteful, funny, smart, intuitive, wise and fully decent woman, she consistently made herself available to help those who needed her, whether it was wardrobe guidance, new shopping opportunities, or exclusives on upcoming sales! Her notable travel and fine dining tips, favorite recipes, reviews of movies, art, and theatre were offered free of charge, and everyone trusted Connie's judgment and good taste. But most importantly, Connie was truly at her best when coaching others through their illnesses, their difficult personal times or their life's challenges. Connie was a courageous woman. She inspired others through her inner strength, fighting off her own illnesses countless times, yet never allowing them to get her down.

Inspired by a program established at Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York, Connie and a friend launched the Patient to Patient Program at Stanford Hospital. They and their group of carefully trained volunteers paid visits to patients who had undergone breast cancer surgeries. Introducing themselves as breast cancer survivors, they offered information and support services to hospital patients with gentleness and sensitivity. When the Community Breast Health Project (CBHP) was created in 1993, Connie once again offered her services to help launch this valued community non-profit organization. For many years she served as a committed volunteer and fundraiser, and together with a group of like-minded individuals, she sustained and strengthened this premier community organization (now Bay Area Cancer Connections) that supports people touched by breast and ovarian cancer with comprehensive, personalized services in an atmosphere of warmth and compassion.

Connie was a devoted wife, mother, grand mom, friend, and community leader. Her loyalty, style, energy, creativity, humor, determination and bravery are all hallmarks of who she was and made her unforgettable. She was an entrepreneur before the word was popularized . . . the owner of a tennis shop, Connie's Racquet, and a food business, Ultomato. She also brought her enduring sense of beauty to the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University as a member of the Board.

Connie leaves her beloved husband of 55 years, Albert (Pepsi), her children Melissa (Jonathan) and Michael (Susanne) and her beloved four grandsons, Mitch, Johnny, Ben and Tommy. Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in honoring and celebrating the life of Connie Eisenstat. In the words of Vincent Van Gogh:

``Close friends are truly life's treasures. Sometimes they know us better than we know ourselves.

With gentle honesty, they are there to guide and support us, to share our laughter and our tears.

Their presence reminds us that we are never really alone''.

This beloved and unique woman strengthened her family, her friends, her community and her country. May our tribute to her be a source of pride and comfort to the entire Eisenstat family.

Mr. Speaker, today the House will vote for the tenth time to bypass a process established by law and instead, move to approve an oil pipeline that will harm the climate, do nothing to enhance our energy security, and create 35 permanent jobs. In the process, the legislation before us disregards the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the more than 2.5 million Americans who submitted comments to the State Department on the Keystone XL pipeline proposal.

Keystone XL is a proposed 2,000-mile pipeline to carry up to 830,000 barrels per day of tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast. Because the pipeline crosses the U.S.-Canadian border, existing law requires that a Presidential Permit be obtained to ensure that the project is in the interest of the United States. TransCanada, the Canadian company planning to build the pipeline, was initially denied a Presidential Permit in early 2012. The company then split the project into two sections and reapplied for a Presidential Permit for the 1,200-mile section of pipeline from Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska. This section has undergone an environmental review process and the State Department is currently reviewing the public comments to determine if the project is in the national interest. This bill ends that review and deems the project immediately approved.

As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I have participated in the hearings on this issue since 2011, and it is clear to me that Keystone XL is not in the nation's interest. It will provide an export route for one of the dirtiest fuels on earth, putting the U.S. at risk of a spill and unleashing billions of tons of future greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond the environmental impacts, TransCanada has acknowledged that this project will create very few permanent U.S. jobs and that most of the oil will be exported overseas rather than remaining in the U.S. market. In my view, this is a bad deal for the American people and should not be given a special legislative exemption in the form of this bill.

Construction of Keystone XL is also incompatible with our long-term climate goals and would put millions of Americans at risk of a catastrophic oil spill. Tar sands oil produces up to 40 percent more carbon pollution than conventional oil on a life-cycle basis and is much harder to clean up in the event of a spill. In Michigan, a 2010 tar sands oil spill in the Kalamazoo River took over four years to clean up at a cost of over $1.2 billion.

Despite claims from its backers, Keystone XL will not improve U.S. energy security or reduce our dependence on oil from the Middle East. A study commissioned by the Department of Energy found that U.S. oil imports from Canada will grow at ``almost identical'' rates with or without Keystone XL. The State Department's review of the Keystone XL proposal estimated that a majority of the oil that travels through the pipeline will be exported overseas. In fact, contrary to the company's claims in promotional materials, TransCanada has refused to guarantee that any of the oil will remain in the U.S. In 2011, I participated in an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing where TransCanada's President of Energy and Oil pipelines, Alex Pourbaix, acknowledged under questioning that his company was not willing to guarantee in law or in shipping contracts that oil from Keystone XL will remain in the U.S. market. Several attempts to insert language ensuring that a portion of the oil remains in the U.S. have been rejected by the House Republican leadership.

Supporters of Keystone XL have widely touted the job-creation benefits of this pipeline, but in reality this project will provide less than three dozen permanent jobs. The projections in the State Department's environmental impact statement, made in consultation with TransCanada, reveal that up to 42,100 direct and indirect temporary jobs will be supported during construction of the pipeline. I do not diminish this factor. However, when construction is completed in less than two years, Keystone XL is expected to support only 35 permanent jobs.

Rather than investing in renewable energy technologies and infrastructure updates that would benefit millions of Americans, the House has chosen as its first order of business in the 114th Congress to provide a special deal to a Canadian company, without any guarantee that a single drop of the oil will remain in the United States. For this reason and the others I've stated, I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation and any further attempts to short-circuit the Keystone XL review process.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Gerald ``Jerry'' Lee, who was born in San Francisco on August 15, 1952, and died on December 24, 2014, at the age of 62 in his home city. Jerry, the son of Fon Yook Lee and Sai Soo Lee, was raised in San Francisco and attended Washington Irving Elementary, Francisco Junior High, and Galileo High School, City College of San Francisco and San Francisco State University.

Jerry and his wife Beverly Chin were married in San Francisco in 1975, and gave so generously of their time and considerable talents to their community. They devoted countless hours to causes including: the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade; Self-Help for the Elderly; Chinatown Community Development Center; Community Youth Center of San Francisco; Cameron House; Wu Yee Children's Services; United Way of the Bay Area; Have a Ball Foundation; Salvation Army; APA Family Services; Glide Memorial Church; the San Francisco Junior Giants; Big Brothers and Big Sisters; On Lok; Boys & Girls Club; Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, and the Asian Police Officers Association. Jerry's commitment to his community included being an ardent supporter of the San Francisco Giants and the 49ers.

Jerry worked at United Parcel Services for more than four decades, beginning as a loader and climbing the corporate ladder to the position of Community Affairs Manager. At UPS, he took on special assignments at the regional and corporate levels and was recognized for his work as the United Way Coordinator and Congressional Awareness Coordinator. As UPS's representative he formed close relationships with California's non-profit organizations, providing them with grants and sponsorships and coordinated teams of volunteers to support the needs of the community.

Jerry was appointed by Mayor Art Agnos to form San Francisco's Department of Parking and Traffic. Jerry also served as Chair of the City's Taxi Committee and was an important part of the development of the industry's manual. Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed Jerry to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors and he was re-appointed to this position by Mayor Ed Lee.

Jerry is survived by his beloved spouse Beverly; his children Kimberly, Corbett and Bennett, and his mother Sai Soo Lee. He was preceded in death by his father and he also leaves his sisters Aimee, Vickie, Marie and Patricia, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.

I had the privilege of working with Jerry Lee on many efforts. I saw first-hand his great enthusiasm for collaboration, a deep sense of pride in all the employees at UPS and an unswerving commitment to his community rooted in patriotism, decency and integrity. He was a trusted friend and an extraordinary partner, and I join the many in our region in grieving his loss.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the extraordinary life and great accomplishments of a proud American, Jerry Lee. We are a better community and a stronger country because of him.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to begin by saluting Congresswoman Barbara Lee for hosting this Special Order, as well as her three decades of advocating for the normalization of relations between the U.S. and Cuba; and to Congressman Sam Farr for devoting years of service to this issue, and working with so many individuals and organizations to bring down the walls of division between the two countries.

On December 17, 2014, President Obama announced a major prisoner exchange with the Cuban government. Alan Gross, a USAID contractor who had been held captive for five years was finally reunited with his family, as were three Cuban intelligence agents who had been imprisoned in the U.S. since 1998. Rolando Sarraff Trujillo, a cryptographer in Cuba's Directorate of Intelligence who reportedly provided information to the FBI, was also freed in the prisoner exchange.

This announcement was highly significant and it is historic as well.

In a televised address that followed the exchange, the President announced a major shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba: the reestablishment of diplomatic relations that were severed in 1961, thus drawing a curtain on many of the provisions of the longest standing embargo in U.S. history. The President stated that while the embargo was rooted in the ``best intentions,'' it ultimately failed in its goal to incite change in the communist government and has only served to isolate and hurt the Cuban people.

I continue to harbor deep concerns about the reported human rights abuses in Cuba and limitations of speech and political expression,

but it is clear that our current policy has failed to end these practices.

So just how will these policy changes positively affect the Cuban people and the United States?

Remittances from the U.S. are a vital resource to millions of Cubans and to humanitarian projects in Cuba. Between $1.4 and $2 billion in remittances are transferred from the U.S. to Cuba each year, often from Cubans who immigrated to the U.S. to seek new opportunity. Cubans rely on this money to pay for food, monthly electricity bills, or for the daily expenses of life. And humanitarian projects receiving this aid provide food, clean water, essential infrastructure and education to Cubans. When the average monthly salary in Cuba is a mere $20, the significance of this transfer of money comes into full view. Limits on remittances have stifled real progress, and raising these limits from $500 to $2,000 per quarter will usher in a new wave of much needed aid to counter the Cuban government's infliction of serious harm to the well-being of its people.

Despite harsh government regulations, Cuba does have a nascent burgeoning private sector economy. I saw this firsthand last year when I visited Cuba as part of a Congressional delegation. During the trip, I participated in a roundtable with a number of Cuban female entrepreneurs to hear their concerns and discuss what can be done to support their efforts to create new business. I believe this shift in U.S.-Cuba relations will act as a healthy seed for entrepreneurial growth in Cuba. From authorizing expanded commercial sales and exports, to facilitating an expansion of travel to Cuba from the U.S., we will do more to empower the Cuban people than we have in the over 50-year embargo.

Today, Cuba imports approximately 80 percent of its food, a stunning statistic. American agriculture has long supported an opening of relations and now Cuba's economy will be bolstered and this in turn will bring enormous value to American farmers.

Even more empowering is an emboldening tool of democratization, the Internet. As we've seen in countless other countries around the world, the Internet is an individual's megaphone. It is the place for discourse. For collaboration. For free speech. For democracy! By extending telecommunications and technology services to Cuba, the Cuban people will have access to a tremendous exchange of knowledge and ideas with unparalleled power to inspire change.

These efforts by the U.S. are not exhaustive. Only our vigilance and continued assessment of our relations with Cuba will provoke lasting change for Cubans. But it is also imperative for Latin American countries to reinvigorate their ties with Cuba's civil and political leaders. Democratic Latin American countries, such as Mexico and Brazil, can send a strong signal of support to the Cuban Democratic movement by reinvigorating their relations with Cuba, just as the U.S. is doing.

I have supported a change in U.S.-Cuba policy since I was elected to Congress in 1992, and I welcome and celebrate the decision of the President to make this a reality. It's very exciting to look forward to heralding a new era of opportunity and democratic values for Cuba, a pragmatic partnership with the U.S., support from other Latin American countries, and the abandonment of oppression of the Cuban people by the U.S. embargo, as well as the Cuban government itself.

Mr. Speaker, Henry Waxman is one of the most prolific and successful legislators in modern congressional history.

After 46 years of serving his constituents in Los Angeles County--my fellow Californian, a champion for health care, for the environment, and consumers--is retiring at the end of the 113th Congress.

Since 2009 Congressman Waxman has served as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, a committee with broad jurisdictions that reach into the daily lives of millions of Americans. His legislative achievements are unparalleled--

The Infant Formula Act, to improve the quality and integrity of infant formula;

The Orphan Drug Act, which gave pharmaceutical companies incentives to develop treatments for rare diseases they had previously ignored;

The Hatch-Waxman Act to create the first ever pathway for generic drugs;

The Clean Air Act to address the problems of urban smog, hazardous air pollution, acid rain, and the depletion of the ozone;

The Ryan White Care Act, groundbreaking legislation to provide medical care for Americans living with HIV/AIDS;

The State Children's Health Insurance Program to ensure all children had access to health insurance;

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act to restrict the marketing of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to children and give the FDA jurisdiction to regulate these products; and

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, arguably the most important and far-reaching legislation passed by Congress in a century, creating a framework for universal health coverage for the American people.

Rep. Waxman has also authored laws that improved the quality of nursing homes and home health services and that set policy for childhood immunization programs, vaccine compensation, tobacco education programs, communicable disease research, community and migrant health centers, maternal and child health care, family planning centers, health maintenance organizations, and drug regulation.

Rep. Waxman is a strong advocate for women's health, supporting family planning programs and the right of women to freedom of choice with respect to safe and legal abortions.

From 1997-2009, Rep. Waxman served as either Chairman or Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, conducting investigations into a wide range of important topics from the high cost of prescription drugs to waste, fraud and abuse in government contracting. He also formed a Special Investigations Division that prepared hundreds of investigative reports on local and national topics for Members of Congress.

Mr. Waxman's contributions to our country span 40 years in Congress and six years in the California State Assembly. He and his wife Janet have been married for 44 years, they have two children and five beautiful grandchildren, Ari, Maya, Noa, Eva, and Jacob. It's been a great honor to serve with Henry Waxman and I wish him and Janet my full wishes for every blessing.

Mr. Speaker, for the past 22 years, I've had the privilege of working alongside one of the greatest statesmen this institution has ever known--Congressman George Miller.

Throughout his 40-year career, Congressman Miller's work has transformed the lives of children and families, hard working people and our environment. From our country's education system, to labor, to health policy and the preservation of our natural resources, Congressman Miller has left lasting and profoundly important imprints on our society. From the first day he stepped into the halls of Congress and ever since, he's been a true reformer for the American people.

Congressman Miller was instrumental in passing the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which curbs pay discrimination against women. In 1975, he championed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which for the first time provided children with special needs a free and appropriate public education.

Congressman Miller paved the way to dramatically improve the quality of meals for children at schools with the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010, and spearheaded transformative legislation to save students billions of dollars in student loan costs while serving as Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee. In 1982, he passed the landmark Pay- Go Act to reduce the deficit, instill greater discipline in the budget process, and ensure that military and non-military spending is considered equally.

Congressman Miller chaired the House Natural Resources Committee and delivered the California Desert Protection Act of 1994, which established Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave Desert National Preserve. He also unlocked longstanding and fiercely defended taxpayer subsidized domination of California's scarce water resources by agribusiness, quite literally saving our fisheries and water quality.

His accomplishments are countless and far reaching, and his tenacious pursuit to serve his constituents and the American people resonates throughout each and every one of his victories, as well as his defeats.

Nearly every weekend for 40 years, Congressman Miller has traveled home to his district in the East Bay of San Francisco from Washington, D.C. It's where he has drawn his strength, his inspiration, and his desire to keep fighting the good fight.

George, you are my brother, my confidant, and I will forever keep in my heart the time we spent working together in Congress. I wish you, Cynthia, your sons and grandchildren every blessing, and know that your tireless spirit will forever be a part of this sacred institution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the accomplished career of a distinguished Californian, Mr. Robert Merwin of San Mateo County, who is retiring at the end of 2014 from his position as Chief Executive Officer of Mills-Peninsula Health Services, a post he has held since January, 1996.

A resident of San Carlos, California, Bob Merwin is a 1971 graduate of the United States International University, and earned his M.B.A. from UCLA in 1973. He began his career in hospital management in 1973 as Assistant Executive Director of the Long Beach Community Hospital. He progressed up the corporate ladder at Long Beach, joined Pacific Presbyterian Medical Center, then came to Mills-Peninsula in 1987 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer.

Bob Merwin has served our community as a member of the San Mateo Rotary Club, the American College of Health Care Executives, as Chair of the West Bay Hospital Conference, and Chair of the Hospital Consortium of San Mateo County.

He is a past director of the American Red Cross Bay Area and a member of the Finance Committee of the Health Plan of San Mateo.

Mills-Peninsula has thrived under Bob Merwin's leadership. He has improved relations between physicians and management, contained costs while increasing productivity, and helped develop a strategic plan for the combined hospitals. Under his leadership a new 241 bed acute care facility, Mills-Peninsula Medical Center was constructed. It is a state-of-the-art, $640 million, 450,000 square foot facility that is a source of pride to our entire community.

Bob Merwin is married to Jean Merwin and he is the father of Michael and Megan. He enjoys golf, tennis and photography.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in honoring Bob Merwin for his stellar career in hospital management and for his extraordinary contributions to our community and our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary American visionary, Mr. Larry Ellison, as he steps down from his position as CEO of Oracle, the world-renowned company he founded in Redwood City, California.

Larry Ellison was born in the New York City borough of the Bronx in 1944, and from an early age showed a keen aptitude for math and science. He attended the University of Illinois where he was named Science Student of the Year and the University of Chicago. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Howard University in 2005.

For more than 35 years Larry Ellison has built and guided Oracle to its current position as the world's largest database-software company and one of the biggest providers of business programs. Oracle has a market capitalization of $185 billion and annual revenues of $38 billion, numbers that attest to Ellison's technical brilliance, strategic genius and unsurpassed business acumen.

Larry Ellison worked as a technician for Firemen's Fund, Wells Fargo Bank and as a programmer at Amdahl Corporation, where he was part of a team that built the first IBM-compatible mainframe system. In 1999, Ellison, together with his Amdahl colleagues Robert Miner and Ed Oates, founded Software Development Labs which became Oracle after building a database named Oracle for the Central Intelligence Agency.

A Silicon Valley legend, Larry Ellison is a man of widely diverse interests. He has received many honors, including being inducted into the Academy of Achievement in 1997. He is number five on the Forbes list of world billionaires, and is a generous philanthropist who has given millions to many causes, particularly in the field of medicine. He has signed the Giving Pledge which is a commitment to donate most of his wealth to non-profit organizations. He is the father of two, film producers David and Megan. He's also a pilot and competitive sailor whose team won the America's Cup in 2010 and in 2013.

President John F. Kennedy said, ``Americans by nature, are optimistic. They are experimental, inventors, and are builders who build best when called upon to build greatly.'' Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in honoring Larry Ellison, an American icon, for his extraordinary vision and great contributions to American technology. He has enhanced the leadership of our nation around the world by ``building greatly.''

Mr. Speaker, one word that will always be synonymous with Ralph Hall is `gentleman.'

I met Congressman Hall when I was first elected to Congress in 1993 and was appointed to the Science, Space and Technology Committee where he served as Chairman at the time when he was a Democrat. As Chairman of the Committee, his bipartisan work there was marked by promotion of science, technology, engineering and math education; advancing American competitiveness through research and development of new technologies; and maintaining our country's preeminence in space.

I've never known Congressman Hall as a person who rests. His work as a policymaker will endure, and he is a natural politician with a knack for coalescing conflicting viewpoints.

Congressman Hall is also one of the kindest Members in Congress. His geniality helps make this institution a better place for the American people. And no matter who you are--astronaut, president, or next door neighbor--Congressman Hall is always one to put a generous hand forward.

I wish Congressman Hall every blessing together with his three sons and five beautiful grandchildren. I'm grateful to know him, to have served with him, and to call him my friend.

Mr. Speaker, John Dingell is a legend in the Congress and a national treasure.

As the Dean of the House of Representatives, Congressman Dingell will be retiring at the end of the 113th Congress, and his body of legislative achievements will continue to be experienced by every American for generations to come.

From protecting the environment, to promoting civil and worker rights, Congressman

Dingell's legislative hand shaped it. He famously introduced health care reform legislation in 1955 and in every Congress since then to provide affordable, accessible care for every American. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the 1965 Medicare Act, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, and the 2011 FDA Food Safety Modernization Act were all championed by Congressman Dingell.

His meritorious contributions to society span his time serving in Congress and in the U.S. Army, where at the age of 18 he had orders to take part in the first wave of the planned invasion of Japan in 1945. Congressman Dingell is the longest serving Member of the House, and he is one of two World War II veterans still serving in Congress. President Obama recently awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.

I recall so well the first time I walked into the Energy and Commerce Committee hearing room. It was 1995 and my eyes immediately went to an enormous picture of the Earth hanging on the wall. I asked Chairman Dingell about the picture and his response has inspired and guided my legislative work because he said the painting represented the jurisdictions of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

The Committee has the broadest jurisdictions which reach into the daily lives of millions of Americans. Those jurisdictions include health care, commerce, trade, manufacturing, energy and the environment, technology, communications and consumer protection. It is a reminder for members of the Committee to serve our constituents by fighting for meaningful and lasting opportunity. And it is a reminder that our job at the Committee has the most potential to create lasting impact.

Congressman Dingell's service and legislation is unmatched in the history of our country and it has been a great honor to serve with him. I wish him and Debbie my full wishes for every blessing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the accomplished career of a distinguished Californian, Mr. Robert Merwin of San Mateo County, who is retiring at the end of 2014 from his position as Chief Executive Officer of Mills-Peninsula Health Services, a post he has held since January, 1996.

A resident of San Carlos, California, Bob Merwin is a 1971 graduate of the United States International University, and earned his M.B.A. from UCLA in 1973. He began his career in hospital management in 1973 as Assistant Executive Director of the Long Beach Community Hospital. He progressed up the corporate ladder at Long Beach, joined Pacific Presbyterian Medical Center, then came to Mills-Peninsula in 1987 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer.

Bob Merwin has served his community as a member of the San Mateo Rotary Club, the American College of Health Care Executives, and as Chair of the West Bay Hospital Conference, and Chair of the Hospital Consortium of San Mateo County.

He is a past director of the American Red Cross Bay Area and a member of the Finance Committee of the Health Plan of San Mateo.

Mills-Peninsula has thrived under Bob Merwin's leadership. He has improved relations between physicians and management, contained costs while increasing productivity and helped develop a strategic plan for the combined hospitals. Under his leadership a new 241 bed acute care facility, Mills-Peninsula Medical Center was constructed. It is a state-of-the-art, $640 million, 450,000 square foot facility that is a source of pride to our entire community.

Bob Merwin is married to Jean Merwin and he is the father of Michael and Megan. He enjoys golf, tennis and photography.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in honoring Bob Merwin for his stellar career in hospital management and for his extraordinary contributions to our community and our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the extraordinary life and work of Martin Litton, a legendary and passionate environmentalist and wilderness preservationist who died on November 30, 2014, at his home in Portola Valley, California. Mr. Litton was born in Los Angeles on February 13, 1917, and was 97 years of age when he died of age-related causes.

Martin Litton was introduced early to the joys of the wilderness. He attributed a 12-day trip on Mt. Whitney that he and a friend took as teens as the inspiration for his lifelong crusade to protect our environment. At age 18 he wrote a letter to the Los Angeles Times urging Californians to save Mono Lake. Martin Litton was best known for his fierce opposition to the destruction of the Colorado River by the construction of dams, often in association with the Sierra Club. He was one of the first several hundred people to float the river in 1955, and after fourteen years as the travel editor at Sunset Magazine he began running the river often, founding Grand Canyon Dories in 1970 and running commercial trips through the 1970s and 1980s, until he sold the business in 1988. He ran his last trip in 2004 at age 87, rowing his own wooden dory.

Martin Litton was an author, activist, pilot, and a catalyst for change. He was close to major figures in the environmental movement, such as David Brower, Edward Abbey and others. Martin Litton gave generously of his time and considerable talents to the conservation movement as a Director of the Sierra Club from 1964 to 1973, as a member of the Executive Committee of the American Land Conservancy, as an Advisor to the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and on the Honorary Board of Directors of the Glen Canyon Institute.

Martin Litton leaves his wife, Esther, his children John, Kathleen and Helen, as well as five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in extending our most sincere condolences to Martin Litton's family, and in honoring his extraordinarily productive life. Martin Litton was a soaring figure, larger

than life, with a magnificent voice, a powerful presence, an all- consuming passion for the wilderness, and a passion to preserve and protect the natural beauty of our nation.