Floor Statements

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 Menlo Park, 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 and other facilities, coming to Mills-Peninsula in 1987 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer.

Bob Merwin serves 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, San Mateo Section, 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 the former Nancy Madigan and they have two children, 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 Richard Goldstein on his induction into the Affordable Housing Hall of Fame. Affordable Housing Finance magazine created the Hall of Fame in 2006, honoring those who shape, develop and preserve affordable housing by advocacy, drafting policy and legislation, and building projects. Rick Goldstein has earned and richly deserves his place in the Hall of Fame.

Rick earned his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his Juris Doctor from Boston College School of Law and he is a partner in the law firm of Nixon Peabody LLP. He has worked tirelessly to preserve the low-income tax credit since its enactment in 1986, and is a national authority on the program. One of Rick's partners wrote, ``This is a significant tribute recognizing Rick's leadership and experience counseling syndicators, investors, developers and others on complex transactions and policy involving the low-income housing tax credit.''

Rick Goldstein's stellar legal career has been dedicated to preserving the low-income housing tax credit and advising clients on how the tax credit will impact their businesses. He is a trusted advisor to many Members of Congress who rely on him to assist in their legislative efforts on affordable housing. Rick is keenly aware of the need for more affordable housing in our nation and has said, ``Sometimes Congress gets the Tax Code right,'' referring to the Affordable Housing Credit. He attributes the bipartisan support of the program to the fact that the tax credit truly goes to those it purports to benefit, not investors or developers of affordable rental housing, but the actual tenants of these housing developments.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in saluting and congratulating Rick Goldstein as he receives this great honor. Thousands of families and individuals live in affordable, decent housing across our country today because of his work. Rick Goldstein has strengthened communities and our country through his extraordinary work and it is an honor to pay tribute to a great man, a prized professional and a valued friend.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5728, the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014.

Nearly four months ago, the House passed legislation to reauthorize the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010 (STELA). The language before the House today reflects a compromise reached with the leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee and paves the way for an extension of STELA prior to the expiration of the statute on December 31, 2014.

Like the bill passed by voice vote in July, H.R. 5728 reauthorizes STELA for a period of five years, ensuring that approximately 1.5 million satellite subscribers can continue accessing broadcast television signals. Reflecting my belief that our video laws are outdated and in some cases are even being abused, H.R. 5728 requires the FCC to re-examine its `good faith' rules to ensure retransmission consent negotiations are conducted fairly and in a timely manner.

To better understand how retransmission consent fees impact a consumer's monthly bill, H.R. 5728 requires the FCC to include aggregate data as part of its annual report on cable rates. This provision will bring about much needed transparency because retransmission consent fees are estimated to rise from $4.3 billion this year to an estimated whopping $5.1 billion in 2015.

H.R. 5728 also includes a provision I strongly supported during committee debate to ensure broadcasters cannot team up against pay-TV providers for leverage during retransmission consent negotiations. This is an important step toward rebalancing the playing field and ultimately protecting consumers from unacceptable blackouts and increased rates.

Finally, H.R. 5728 improves on language included in the bill adopted in July by delaying repeal of the cable set-top box `integration ban' by one year and establishing a stakeholder working group tasked with developing a successor solution. Importantly, this provision does not negate a cable operator's obligation to promote the competitive availability of set-top boxes under Section 629 of the Communications Act. While I continue to believe repeal of the ban should be conditioned on an industry-wide adoption of a successor to the CableCARD, this is a compromise I support. With an eye to the future, we can fulfill a goal I set out to achieve nearly 20 years ago and that is to give consumers an alternative to having to rent a set-top box from their local cable company every month.

For all these reasons, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and courage of my distinguished constituent, Air Force Lieutenant Hank Sciaroni, a recipient of the Bronze Star for bravery during World War II.

In 1944, Lt. Sciaroni had to crash-land his B-24 Liberator bomber on an enemy-held beach in Italy. Were it not for the bravery of three Italian fishermen, he and his three Sergeants, Leonard Meton, Olin Houghton and Al Doerwald, would have been captured. Mr. Giovanni Silviero, Mr. Francesco Montevani and his son, Sergio Montevani, endangered their own lives to save our servicemen who they also housed and fed for nearly two weeks. They put themselves at even greater risk in procuring a small boat which the servicemen used to make their escape.

On November 1, 1944, Lt. Sciaroni and his men successfully escaped from enemy territory, setting sail for the Ally-controlled port of Cesenatico, where they would finally receive medical attention. Although he has often thought of the three Italian fishermen, Mr. Sciaroni has not seen the men to whom he and his three sergeants owe their lives since.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring Lieutenant Hank Sciaroni who represents the great courage of American soldiers during World War II; his men, Sergeants Meton, Houghton and Doerwald; and equally important, the brave Italians who selflessly protected our countrymen from certain capture by enemy forces, Giovanni Silviero, Francesco Montevani and Sergio Montevani. I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in expressing our deepest gratitude for their remarkable service to our great nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of a precious friend and an extraordinarily accomplished and loving woman, Kathryn Caranlik Simon, who died on September 17, 2014, at the age of 62.

A native of San Francisco and raised in South San Francisco, Kathy owned her own public affairs consulting business through which she worked as a community relations strategist, building and winning public support and approval of several high-profile projects. She played an instrumental role in several prominent San Francisco Peninsula development projects, including the Bay Meadows residential and retail complex in San Mateo, the IKEA store in East Palo Alto and the substantial renovation of Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City.

A graduate of Skyline College in San Bruno and San Jose State University, where she obtained a Bachelor's degree in public relations, Kathy Simon began her career at Ampex in Redwood City, worked at Shaklee Corp. in Emeryville, and for local public relations agencies before launching her own public affairs consulting business, Simon Communications.

Through her firm she partnered with other leading consultants specializing in strategic communications with residents to win support and approval for many of the Peninsula's high-profile, and often controversial, projects. She also was a key campaign advisor and communications strategist for local elected officials.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991, Kathy was among the organizers of the Community Breast Health Project, a Palo Alto-based organization dedicated to providing information, treatment options and mammograms to breast cancer patients. The group recently expanded its charter to other cancers and was recently renamed Bay Area Cancer Connections.

Active in the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross in Belmont, Ms. Simon was a member of the Board of Directors of Philoptochos, a women's organization that engages in community-based charitable works.

A resident of Redwood City for more than three decades, Ms. Simon is survived by her lifelong love, her husband, Mark, an executive with a local transit agency; her sons, David of New York City and Alex of Redwood City; her daughter-in-law, Jeanette O'Donoghue Simon; two granddaughters, Dylan Rose Simon and Sloane Kathryn Simon; two sisters, Elaine Adams of Santa Cruz and Beverly Heppler of Concord; and many nieces and nephews.

Kathy Simon's beloved husband Mark perfectly captured the essence of Kathy in his description of her as a woman of extraordinary courage, with an unstinting heart of gold and a fierce and proud love for her family and friends. I consider myself deeply privileged to have known Kathy and to have called her my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our most sincere condolences to the Simon family. Kathy Simon was a special person who has been taken from us too soon, but her life was a gift to each person who had

the privilege to know her. Our community and our country were blessed and strengthened by her time with us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of an extraordinary American, Richard Ryland Kelley, who was born on October 2, 1925, in Palo Alto, California, and died on August 30, 2014. He was an energetic, creative, generous and poetic man, and was a central figure in the development of Silicon Valley.

Ryland Kelley was a graduate of Stanford University and served his country in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He joined his father in forming a real estate firm that became known as Hare, Brewer and Kelley (HBK). The firm developed many San Francisco Peninsula communities, including Ladera, Lindenwood, Atherton Heights and Hidden Valley in Woodside. HBK also built the Palo Alto Office Center, Mayfield Mall, Webster House, a retirement community in Palo Alto, and the Pajaro Dunes resort in Watsonville.

Ryland Kelley was a writer and a poet, who at the time of his death was planning to produce six one-act plays. He wrote seven plays and published three books of poetry. He was deeply involved in athletics since his days on the Stanford football and basketball teams, and tasted politics while helping Paul N. ``Pete'' McCloskey in his successful campaign against Shirley Temple Black for an open seat in Congress. He was a true renaissance man. Realizing that he was near death, he held a poetry reading for his closest friends at his son's home in June.

Ryland Kelley leaves his devoted wife of 65 years and my precious friend, Shirley Sneath Kelley; his son Rich and his wife Gina of Woodside; his son Tom of San Francisco; and his son Bruce and his wife Susan, of West Hartford, Connecticut; and four grandchildren.

I had the privilege of knowing Ry for over three decades. His friendship, sage advice and counsel, and keen observations enriched my life immeasurably. Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in expressing our deepest condolences to Ryland Kelley's family and to all those who knew, respected and loved him. I consider it a great blessing to have called him my friend, and his countless contributions to our community are eloquent statements about this uniquely gifted and giving man. Our country and our community were blessed by his life, and we are bettered having known him.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate the scientists, engineers and staff of the NASA Ames Research Center for their legacy of contributions to our nation. For three quarters of a century NASA Ames has been a center of research, innovation, creativity and discovery.

NASA Ames was established on December 20, 1939, in Sunnyvale and Mountain View, California, and is now part of the 18th Congressional District of California which I'm privileged to represent.

Aeronautical researchers at NASA Ames constructed the world's greatest series of wind tunnels, improved the aircraft that led America to victory in World War II, and helped design supersonic jet aircraft.

Spacecraft engineers at NASA Ames played a major role in the exploration of space and continue to study human-machine interaction, fundamental space biology and biotechnology.

Information technologists at NASA Ames opened the fields of supercomputing, helped lay the foundations of the commercial internet and network security, and serve as a conduit for the sharing of ideas between government and the firms of Silicon Valley. The planetary scientists of NASA Ames have inspired a sense of awe at the vastness, beauty and complexity of the universe through robotic missions to explore our solar system.

The earth scientists of NASA Ames helped bring better understanding to the environmental dynamics of our planet, and collaborated with scientists to develop new tools to fight fires, address the challenges of climate change, and make us better stewards of our ecosystems.

The educators of NASA Ames have inspired successive generations of young people to engage in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The government entrepreneurs of NASA Ames have done better science for less expense. NASA Ames builds, manages, and operates some of the most spectacular spacecraft that explore our solar system, as well as other solar systems, and it is a powerful and reliable source of employment and innovation with a highly skilled and motivated workforce.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in saluting the extraordinary contributions made by NASA Ames Research Center over the past 75 years to the history, economy, ecology and knowledge of our nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of an extraordinary American artist and muralist, Greg Brown, who died in Palo Alto, California, on August 28, 2014, at the age of 62, after a brief bout with cancer. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he moved to Palo Alto with his family at the age of two and remained in the community for the rest of his life.

Greg Brown began his painting career as a second-grade student when he painted a mural of a pilgrim as part of an assignment on Christopher Columbus. A graduate of Palo Alto High School, he took few formal art classes, but an apprenticeship with the Italian artist Roberto Lupetti helped him gradually begin to grow as an artist.

Greg Brown was Palo Alto's artist in residence in 1975, and created art for Palo Alto's centennial in 1994. His murals are a significant part of Palo Alto's public art collection and the nine trompe l'oeil vignettes adorning the walls of city buildings are treasures for all to enjoy. He also produced drawings and paintings and worked for private clients in many places. Greg Brown was a learner, a reader, and a keen observer of people. Mr. Brown leaves his wife, Julie, of Palo Alto, his daughter Whitney of Palo Alto, and his son Justin of Redwood City.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in expressing our deepest condolences to Greg Brown's entire family and to all those who knew and loved him. His legacy lives on in the lively, whimsical art he created and shared with countless appreciative people, and our community and our country have been enriched and blessed by his life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3670, the Anti-Spoofing Act and H.R. 5161, the E-LABEL Act.

H.R. 3670 updates the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009 to combat against fraudulent phone calls and text messages received by millions of Americans, including seniors, veterans and the disabled. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), ``caller ID spoofing'' is defined as the deliberate falsification of caller ID information, including a telephone number and/or name for the purpose of disguising the identity of the calling party.

Just last month, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department reported a series of spoofing incidents in which San Diegans received calls purported to be from the Sheriff's office, indicating a warrant for their arrest. With similar reports of fraudulent behavior around the country, this bipartisan, pro-consumer bill will better protect Americans from becoming victims of scammers. I commend Representative Meng for her leadership and I urge the House to pass this commonsense bill.

I also urge House colleagues to support H.R. 5161, a bipartisan bill which I introduced with Representatives Latta, Welch and Blackburn in July. Following on the E-Labeling guidance issued by the FCC this summer, H.R. 5161 would promote electronic labeling for FCC certified devices such as phones, computers, smart watches and other consumer electronics products.

As the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) described in a July op-ed, ``etching 17 characters into a phone might not seem like a Herculean feat, but as wireless devices have proliferated and shrunk in size, many manufacturers have been forced to buy increasingly expensive equipment and invest more design time into placing the label.'' Electronic labeling thus provides manufacturers with a more practical solution to existing FCC labeling requirements and does so while lowering device costs.

I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for H.R. 3670 and H.R. 5161.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring up the Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, H.R. 4582, to strengthen the middle class, instead of this partisan lawsuit attacking the President.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the unprecedented Republican plan to sue the President of the United States.

At a time when Congress should be focusing on strengthening the middle class and expanding opportunities for all Americans, our Republican colleagues in the House accuse the President of unconstitutionally abusing his executive power by delaying the requirement in the Affordable Care Act that larger companies provide health insurance to their employees.

At a time when student debt exceeds credit card debt in our country, when mothers are the primary breadwinner yet receive unequal pay, and when job creation is stagnating, our Republican colleagues have proposed a baseless, shameful lawsuit that further erodes the public's confidence in the United States Congress and a functioning American democracy.

The lawsuit is fundamentally flawed in several ways:

First, Republicans argue that the President acted outside of his authority with respect to implementing the ACA.

Claims that the President is ignoring the law are unmerited. Records show that the President is using the same flexibility that presidents of both parties have long utilized to phase in new programs and policies and ensure that statutes are implemented in workable, sensible ways, minimizing disruption to individuals, families and businesses.

Everything we do in Congress bears the mark of humanity. No law is perfect and occasionally, presidents must make reasonable, short-term accommodations to reality.

Second, the courts are not the appropriate place to work out political disagreements between one half of one House of Congress and the Administration.

The Affordable Care Act was passed by the House and the Senate and signed into law by the President. I understand that many House Republicans hate the law; they've made that abundantly clear in the more than 50 times they have voted to repeal it.

After unsuccessfully attempting to repeal the law through regular order, House Republicans, grasping at straws, have opted to give away the mighty powers of the legislative branch to the judicial branch. If Congress starts relying on judges to check executive power, instead of the tools the Constitution grants us, this body will transfer enormous authority to the judicial branch.

And to add insult to injury, the entire cost of this political misadventure will be paid for by the taxpayers.

Repeated attempts to maintain regular order regarding cost transparency have been rebuffed.

Ranking Member Slaughter of the Rules Committee sent a letter to Chairman Sessions, asking for a cost estimate of the lawsuit. No useful information has been provided.

Ranking Member Brady of the House Administration Committee sent a letter to Speaker Boehner asking for regular order and transparency with the use of taxpayer money. No useful information has been provided.

Amendment after amendment was offered by the Minority Members of the Rules Committee to provide transparency to the expenditures which would come out of legislative branch funds. All were voted down on party lines.

This lawsuit is further proof of House Republicans' contempt and disregard for the priorities of the American people--an effort to pander to the most extreme, rightwing voters at taxpayer expense and our nation's well-being.

Mr. Speaker, I was not present during rollcall vote numbers 433, 434, 435, and 436 on July 22, 2014, and rollcall vote numbers 437, 438, 439, 440, and 441 on July 23, 2014.

I would like to submit how I would have voted:

On rollcall vote No. 433 I would have voted ``yes.''

On rollcall vote No. 434 I would have voted ``yes.''

On rollcall vote No. 435 I would have voted ``yes.''

On rollcall vote No. 436 I would have voted ``yes.''

On rollcall vote No. 437 I would have voted ``no.''

On rollcall vote No. 438 I would have voted ``no.''

On rollcall vote No. 439 I would have voted ``yes.''

On rollcall vote No. 440 I would have voted ``yes.''

On rollcall vote No. 441 I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4572, the STELA Reauthorization Act of 2014.

Seventeen months ago, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology embarked on a process to reauthorize the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act of 2010 (STELA), a law ensuring that approximately 1.5 million satellite subscribers can continue accessing broadcast television signals. By reauthorizing STELA for a period of five years, H.R. 4572 ensures that these mostly rural households do not lose access to broadcast programming when the statute expires on December 31, 2014.

H.R. 4572 also offers several meaningful reforms to the video marketplace. First, the legislation ensures broadcasters cannot team up against pay-TV providers for leverage during retransmission consent negotiations. As retrans revenue is projected to rise to an estimated $7.6 billion by 2019, this provision is an important step toward rebalancing the playing field and ultimately protecting consumers from unacceptable blackouts and increased rates.

Second, the bill eliminates a provision dating back to the 1992 Cable Act which has prevented a cable operator from dropping a broadcast signal during a Nielsen ratings ``sweeps week.'' With no such prohibition for a broadcaster that pulls their signal during a retrans dispute, H.R. 4572 creates regulatory parity and ensures a more level playing field for cable operators and broadcasters.

Finally, while I support provisions intended to modernize the video marketplace, I continue to have deep concerns about repealing the cable set-top box integration ban prior to the industry-wide adoption of a successor to the CableCARD. With an eye to the future, we can fulfill a goal I set out to achieve nearly 20 years ago and that is to give consumers an alternative to renting a set-top box from their local cable company each month.

I thank Chairman Upton and Chairman Walden for their leadership in bringing H.R. 4572 to the House floor and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished ranking member of the Judiciary Committee and my friend for yielding this time to me.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support today of this legislation, the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act. This is a bill that has been stated before that will permanently eliminate any barriers created by the taxation of Internet access.

The current tax moratorium is going to expire shortly on November 1, which would then open the doors to taxation on Internet access. I think it is very important to make this very clear. This really protects consumers because the taxation would fall to them and their access to the Internet.

This issue should not be confused with the issue of sales taxes collected by jurisdictions and the discrepancies between Main Street and what is purchased on the Internet. That is not what this issue is about. This is clearly, I think, a consumer issue.

Now, whether for communication, commerce, business, education, research, the Internet is an integral part of the everyday lives of the American people and around the world as well, so we need to encourage its usage. We need to protect that usage, and I think we need to do everything we can to ensure that the access to the Internet is universal.

This legislation has widespread support in the House. It has been my pleasure to work with Chairman Goodlatte as the Democratic lead on this effort. It has 228 bipartisan cosponsors in the House--I think that is the most eloquent statement about it--and there are 51 bipartisan cosponsors in the Senate. It has strong support of the communications, Internet, and e-commerce communities.

I think this is an affordability issue. It is a consumer issue. It is sensible. It is bipartisan, and I believe that it deserves the full support of the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life and work of an extraordinary man, the Honorable Ira Bruce Ruskin. Ira was born in New York City on November 12, 1943, and passed away after a long struggle with brain cancer on July 3, 2014.

Ira Ruskin was drawn to progressive issues at the University of California, Berkeley, where he became involved in the Free Speech Movement. This began his lifelong advocacy for civil rights, women's rights and the environment. After graduating from Berkeley, he earned a degree in communications from Stanford University. He was a marketing and public relations consultant for two decades until he began his political career in 1995, serving on the Redwood City Council and as the Mayor from 1991 to 2001. In 2004, he was elected to the State Assembly, a position he held with dignity and distinction until 2010, when his illness prevented him from entering the race for the State Senate.

Ira Ruskin gave generously of his time and considerable talents to others. He helped organize and served as Chair of the Committee for Regional Water Reliability, and was Chair of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency. He also served our community as a Director of the San Mateo County Transportation Authority and as an Advisor to the Redwood City Education Foundation, the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, the San Mateo County Joint Powers Authority, and the San Mateo County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Advisory Board.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our condolences to Ira's beloved wife, Cheryl, to his entire family and to his many friends. It is fitting for us to honor the life of Ira Ruskin who was kind and compassionate and who will be greatly missed by all who had the good fortune to know him. He was a patriot who served his community and his country with a deep sense of dedication and integrity and his values and his life of service to others have bettered us and made our union stronger. How blessed and privileged I am to have known Ira, served our mutual constituents together, and called him my friend.