Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a very dedicated, committed leader of the labor movement in our state who deserves to be recognized for his many achievements and contributions to organized labor.

Since being awarded the title of ``Apprentice of the Year'' by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 441 in 1969, Bob Balgenorth has dedicated his life to protecting the rights of workers in California's construction industry.

After being elected business manager/financial secretary of his local union and head of the Orange County Building Trades Council, Balgenorth has spent the past 18 years as president of the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, which represents the 186 private-sector building trades local unions and regional councils that represent 350,000 men and women employed in the state's construction industry.

As president of the council, President Balgenorth has helped forge a partnership between two historically opposed movements: the construction industry and environmentalists. While advocating on behalf of construction workers throughout the state, he's also served on the boards of environmental organizations such as the California Apollo Alliance, California Unions for Reliable Energy, the California League of Conservation Voters, and the California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy.

With leaders such as President Balgenorth pressing to develop relationships with non-traditional allies, the Labor Movement is positioned to build a broad coalition of support for workers rights.

It gives me a great honor Mr. Speaker, because of President Balgenorth's career-long commitment to building solidarity between interests which have traditionally been opposed, I join with the Executive Board of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council in honoring him with the 2010-2011, ``Spirit of Solidarity Award.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a very dedicated Labor organization that has distinguished itself in San Diego County.

In Labor, we realize that hard-fought victories can only be accomplished if we stand together to reach a common goal.

This is especially true when unions come together to stand up for issues that don't directly affect their membership. The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135 is an example of how all unions can contribute to Labor's victories.

The blue and yellow of UFCW Local 135 can be seen at nearly every Labor Council event.

From precinct walks to rallies and job actions, UFCW Local 135 understands that Labor must stand up for each other in order for it to achieve success.

In the weeks leading up to June's primary election, at least a dozen UFCW Local 135 members volunteered for each precinct walk and weekly phone banks to protect union jobs in construction, an industry in which they have no members.

This was repeated in the fall as UFCW Local 135 strongly supported the election of Jerry Brown for governor.

This leadership by example was rewarded throughout 2010 as members from other unions supported UFCW Local 135's priority issue of requiring large big box retailers to prove they don't have a negative economic impact on neighborhoods.

The desire of other unions to write letters, make phone calls and attend community planning meetings was a result of the respect won by UFCW Local 135 for the solidarity they've shown other unions.

For their exemplary display of leadership and volunteerism, I join with the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council in honoring United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135 as 2011--San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council's Union of the Year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a very dedicated committed leader of the labor movement who deserves to be recognized for his many achievements and contributions to organized labor.

The past year was an important one in the history of California's Labor Movement, with workers campaigning to restore a pro-labor governor for California.

Tens of thousands of California's union members dedicated 2010 to ensuring that our next governor would stand up for the fundamental right of workers to organize.

In San Diego, American Federation of Teachers Local 1931 President Jim Mahler answered nearly every call in ensuring that collective bargaining rights and worker protections remained a priority in California.

As workers prepared for the March for California's Future, which featured union members marching from Bakersfield to Sacramento in a call to solve the state's budget crisis, Mahler committed his union to driving its success. Several buses full of AFT Local 1931 members and their students left San Diego City College at dawn on March 5, bound for Los Angeles and Bakersfield, to kick off the historic march.

When the Labor Council proposed an aggressive approach to courting voters' support for Jerry Brown for governor, Mahler and AFT Local 1931 committed $100,000 to fund the program. He also realized money alone could not win the governor's race, so he organized nightly phone banks to support Brown and Proposition 25, the simple majority budget bill. His organizing yielded phone bank nights and Saturday precinct walks that overflowed with student and teacher volunteers.

For his dedication to keeping California worker-friendly, I join with the Executive Board of the Labor Council in congratulating Jim Mahler as the 2011 Labor Leader of the Year.

Mr. Speaker, on several occasions when we begin a discussion about taking care of veterans, we sometimes bypass or overlook the veterans' survivors.

Today, I am introducing a bill to help our veterans' survivors.

Mr. Speaker, survivors often serve as the backbone of our veterans. In many instances while they are serving and giving selflessly to their nation, their loved ones are holding down the homefront for when they return.

However, I believe that current law shortchanges our survivors.

This bill speaks directly to the appropriateness of our current regulations regarding Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) because it would shorten the time period for which a veteran must be rated continuously totally disabled immediately preceding his or her death before the veteran's survivors are eligible for these benefits from 10 years to 1 year.

DIC is a monetary payment made to survivors of our service-connected disabled veterans. Survivors deserve to be taken care of when their spouse who served and gave their all has died.

Given the current backlog in the VA's claims processing system, veterans wait years, even decades, to receive their final rating. In the case of totally disabled veterans, the resulting benefits may, unfortunately, come too late. These delays should not negate our responsibility to these veterans' families and this legislation would ensure that their survivors receive the benefits due to them.

Mr. Speaker, when we provide for and protect our veterans we must always remember to include their survivors. They cannot be an afterthought.

When I was the Chair of this Committee, I always remembered our veterans' survivors and made them a priority. I hope we continue that tradition in this Congress.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have introduced H.R. 917, the South San Diego County Water Reclamation Project of 2011, to authorize the Bureau of Reclamation's participation in Phase I of the South San Diego County Water Reclamation Project.

Southern California must reduce dependence on water that is imported from outside the region. The South San Diego County Water Reclamation Project is a comprehensive and coordinated approach by public water agencies to address this need by sustainably using groundwater resources through desalination of brackish water, and recycling of wastewater for non-potable uses.

When fully implemented, the Project will reduce dependence on imported water by approximately 18,600 acre-feet (or 4 billion gallons) per year, enough to provide service to about 37,000 households. This will minimize

supply and environmental impacts to the region's imported water sources, the Colorado River, and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta. This water supply would also mitigate the potential impacts of planned or emergency water supply interruptions.

The Project includes the following components:

A Regional Concentrate Conveyance Facility would serve existing and future desalting and water reclamation facilities. The proposed Conveyance Facility will facilitate continued and expanded operation of the existing Reynolds Desalination Facility and potentially other facilities that may be developed in the region.

An additional groundwater desalination facility in the Otay River Valley.

A Recycled Water Membrane Bioreactor Facility to treat wastewater and produce recycled water that will be constructed as part of Phase II of the project.

The South San Diego County Water Reclamation Project will highly leverage scarce Federal resources. The maximum Federal share would be 25 percent, so each Federal dollar authorized would be matched by a minimum of three nonfederal dollars. In addition, no Federal funding would be used for the operation or maintenance of these facilities.

Mr. Speaker, the Fair Access to Veterans Benefits Access Act of 2011, H.R. 810, is a bill that would help our veterans who file appeals before the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. This legislation would require the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims to hear appeals of administrative decisions by veterans denying them benefits when circumstances beyond their control render them unable to meet the deadline for filing an appeal.

This legislation would extend the 120-day limit for the filing of an appeal to the Court of Veterans Appeals after a final decision of the Board of Veterans' Appeals upon a showing of good cause for such time as justice may require. The bill considers as good cause the inability of a veteran to file within the 120-day period due to a service- connected disability. The bill would make such extension applicable to appeals of final Board decisions issued on or after July 24, 2008. This bill also requires the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to reinstate untimely appeals already dismissed as a result of the court's failure to toll the filing period for good cause.

Under the current system, the veterans' appellate processes are very difficult to navigate especially since so many veterans are pro se at that stage. Additionally, as TBI and PTSD are the signature disability of the current conflicts of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn, many veterans are also filing claims and appeals while suffering from a physical or mental disability. The adherence to rigid filing deadlines by the CAVC potentially has resulted in the denial of benefits for many veterans. My bill seeks to rectify this issue by allowing the veteran to show ``good cause'' for missing the filing deadline if related to the veteran's service-connected disability. It is clear to me that Congress intended to allow equitable tolling when it created the veterans' court.

The VSO community wholeheartedly supports this legislation and its costs are likely discretionary. I urge my colleagues to support this bill without delay to give these veterans the access to justice that they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I recently reintroduced H.R. 719, which will award a Congressional Gold Medal to the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol.

During World War II, the volunteer members of the Civil Air Patrol-- civilian men and women ranging in age from 19 to 81--provided extraordinary public and combat services at a critical time of need for the nation.

Civil Air Patrol members used their own aircraft to perform a myriad of essential tasks for the military and the entire country, including attacks on enemy submarines off the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Civil Air Patrol was established on December 1, 1941, one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor. After performing exemplary service in WWII, the Civil Air Patrol was chartered by Congress as a non- profit, public service organization and in 1948 as the Auxiliary of the United States Air Force.

The Civil Air Patrol was initially mobilized in response to a massive German Navy submarine offensive off the east coast of the United States that targeted oil tankers and other critical shipping.

As 52 tankers were sunk by enemy submarines between January and March 1942 alone, neither the Navy nor Army had sufficient resources to patrol and protect the coastline--threatening the entire war effort.

The Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol undertook the challenge of protecting our sea lanes and supporting the military's efforts at this critical time. From March 1942 until August 1943, more than 40,000 volunteers at 21 Civil Air Patrol bases stretching from Maine to Texas coordinated thousands of patrols, investigations, and convoy missions.

Heroic Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol aircrews were responsible for attacking 57 submarines--destroying or damaging two--as well as reporting nearly 200 submarine positions, 17 floating mines, and 91 vessels and 363 survivors in distress.

In addition to the work of its Coastal Patrol, the Civil Air Patrol also established itself as a vital wartime service to the military, states, and communities across the nation.

These brave volunteers engaged in an impressive array of missions including border patrol, forest fire patrol, courier flights for mail and urgent deliveries, emergency transportation of personnel, search and rescue, and various military support duties. Overall, during the war the Civil Air Patrol undertook tens of thousands of missions and logged hundreds of thousands of flight hours in defense of our country.

The Civil Air Patrol's WWII service came at the high cost of 64 fatalities and 150 aircraft lost. Indeed, the courage and sacrifice of the estimated 200,000 civilians in the Civil Air Patrol exemplifies the spirit and dedication of an entire generation who were willing to risk their lives for America and the cause of freedom.

In recognition of this remarkable volunteer service and commendable record, H.R. 719 will award a single gold medal collectively in honor of the WWII members of the Civil Air Patrol.

I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the valuable wartime service rendered by the civilian volunteers of the Civil Air Patrol by supporting this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have just reintroduced legislation intended to honor the service and sacrifice of many of the members of the United States Armed Forces who fought in Vietnam, the ``In Memory Medal for Forgotten Veterans Act'' (H.R. 540).

Those so recognized are veterans who have died as a result of their service in the Vietnam war but who do not meet the criteria for inclusion on The Wall of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has a program called ``In Memory'' which has raised money for a plaque that has been placed near The Wall. The plaque honors ``those who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service.'' No names are on the plaque, but all names are kept in the ``In Memory Book'' at a kiosk near The Wall, and families can order a copy.

My bill adds to this recognition by presenting the families of these veterans with a medal, to be known as the ``Jesus (Chuchi) Salgado Medal'' to be issued by the Secretary of Defense. Chuchi Salgado was an outstanding individual who lived in my congressional district, whose exposure to Agent Orange ultimately led to his death. His relatives continue to live in my district.

Because of the boundaries that have been set for the names to be placed on The Wall, Chuchi and many, many other Vietnam veterans are not honored in this manner. Now, with new veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, we are all taking a second look and a closer look at how veterans from past wars have been treated. While we must care for our newest veterans, we must also take this opportunity to do right by veterans of Vietnam, along with those of other past wars and conflicts.

I invite my colleagues to join with me in honoring these veterans. It is critical that we remember those who have fought so gallantly and sacrificed their lives for our freedom!

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise today to speak about a bill that I have just reintroduced, ``Providing Military Honors for our Nation's Heroes Act'' (H.R. 545), to reimburse expenses of volunteers who provide military funeral honors at veterans' funerals.

Because thousands of service members are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan while thousands of World War II and Korean War veterans die each day, there is simply not enough military to provide a proper seven-person honors detail for these funerals. Some families of veterans have had to ``make do'' with a CD playing ``Taps.'' I am saddened by this outrageous situation and determined to provide proper military funeral honors for all families who request them.

This bill will allow reimbursement to volunteers from members of veterans' service organizations (VSOs) and other organizations approved by the Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA). Transportation costs and other expenses, such as cleaning uniforms, incurred in providing funeral honors details will be reimbursed. A second change will allow reimbursement to details that are requested by funeral homes and the VA, as well as the Department of Defense, the current practice.

Currently, members of VSOs and other volunteers can assist the military by providing a color guard, pallbearers, a bugler or firing party, but the law does not address ceremonies in which VSOs render honors without military representation. My bill will allow volunteers to be reimbursed even when no military person is a part of the honor guard. This change will increase the number of honors details available to families. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I recently reintroduced my bill, H. Con. Res. 18, which urges the President to authorize the transfer of ownership to the Philippines of the bells taken in 1901 from the town of Balangiga in the Philippines. The bells are currently displayed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

In the 110 years since the taking of the bells occurred, the citizens of the United States and the Philippines have shared many historic and political ties. The Philippines was a staunch ally of the United States during World War II. Brave Filipino soldiers were drafted into service by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, fought side-by-side with American soldiers, and were instrumental in the successful outcome of World War II. Filipino soldiers also fought alongside our soldiers on the battlefields of Korea and Vietnam.

Since the independence of the Philippines in 1946, the U.S.- Philippine relationship has been largely one of friendship and cooperation. The Philippines is a republic patterned basically on our own system of government. The Philippines is a valuable trading partner of the U.S. and an ally in the war against terrorism. Approximately 2.9 million Americans are of Filipino descent and close to 250,000 United States citizens reside in the Philippines. The acts of conflict that surrounded the taking of the bells of Balangiga are not consistent with the friendship that is currently an integral part of the relationship between our two nations.

The Republic of the Philippines has repeatedly requested the return of the bells. They

are an important symbol to the Filipino people, who wish to have them re-installed in the belfry of the Balangiga Church. I believe that it is time to resolve this situation in order to solidify the bonds between our two nations. My resolution would honor and promote the positive relationship our counties enjoy.

As the years pass, I am confident that relations between our two nations will grow even stronger. To that end, the United States Government which has final disposition over the bells of Balangiga should transfer ownership of the bells to the people of the Philippines as a measure of good will and cooperation.

Mr. Speaker, I recently reintroduced H. Res. 94, Siding with the Pro-Democracy Movement in Iran. This resolution addresses Iran's nuclear threat as Tehran seeks a nuclear weapon in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, has started to enrich uranium to 20 percent, and has plans to build 10 additional uranium enrichment facilities. Moreover, Tehran's continued support for terrorism and its suppression of dissidents require the United States to adopt a new approach.

Over the past year, millions of ordinary Iranians have taken to the streets to participate in anti-government demonstrations, despite growing suppression and risk of arrest, imprisonment and execution. The ruling regime, for its part, has resorted to a brutal campaign of murdering protesters such as Neda Agah Soltan in the streets and in its many gallows. My resolution calls on the U.S. government to side with the Iranian people's endeavors by refraining from a selective approach to Iranian opponents who struggle for democracy and human rights. It invites the Secretary of State to join our British and European allies in ending the blacklisting of Iran's main opposition, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) by removing them from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).

Removing the PMOI from the FTO list is not only the right thing to do, but it also sends the right message to Tehran. The Iranian regime and its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have rebuffed offers of negotiations, and stepped up their intransigence in very sphere of contention with the United States, including human rights, the nuclear weapons program and support for terrorism in the region.

In November, I sent a joint bi-partisan letter along with a number of my colleagues to Secretary Clinton. In this letter we brought the resolution to the attention of the Secretary of State and stated that over 100 House Members have already urged her to delist the PMOI. In our letter, we noted that ``Iranian officials should not be seen as exploiting an unjust US designation to further justify imparting their draconian punishments on prisoners of conscience.''

The PMOI's continued designation in the US has deadly consequences. I invite my colleagues to support this resolution and send a message to the world that violations of human rights will not be tolerated!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about a very important bill that I just re-introduced, the Keeping Families Together Act of 2011 (H.R. 713). This bill would reinstate judicial review to the immigration process, end the practice of automatically detaining productive members of our society for minor crimes they committed years ago and for which they have already served with their sentence, and allow immigrants previously deported to appeal that decision.

This law has allowed stable, long-term families headed by legal immigrants to be torn apart because of minor crimes committed years ago--crimes for which the offender has already served their sentence!

You may recall that a basic legislative attempt to fix this law was passed by the House of Representatives in the 106th Congress, but it was never taken up by the Senate. The time has come to reverse the unfair so-ailed ``immigration reforms'' instituted by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.

Please join me in supporting this critical legislation to restore justice to our immigration process, by co-sponsoring the Keeping Families Together Act of 2011.

Mr. Speaker, I recently learned that the unemployment rate for veterans ages 18-24 in the U.S. is 22 percent, double the rate for civilians, and up from about 14 percent three years ago. This is unacceptable! It is because of this alarming trend that I have recently reintroduced my bill, the Let's Re-Up the Troops-to-Cops Program Act (H.R. 715).

This legislation authorizes grant funds to be used for the Troops-to- Cops Program, a grant program that provides funds to local law enforcement agencies for the hiring of recently separated members of the Armed Forces to serve as law enforcement officers. The Troops-to- Cops program was one of several grant programs available through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program that was authorized in 1994 under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and administered through the U.S. Department of Justice through 1999, when it was disbanded.

Despite an increase in job training programs, employer education efforts and post-9/11 GI Bill improvements, unemployment for veterans is still too high. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the root of the problem is lack of experience and ability to effectively translate military skills. Many skills acquired in the military can be transferred to civilian law enforcement and security jobs.

My bill will provide local law enforcement agencies funding to recruit, train and hire honorably discharged members of the Armed Forces to serve as career law enforcement officers. With thousands of troops set to return this year, it is essential that we be prepared to give them an opportunity to serve their communities. I urge all my colleagues to join me in reaffirming our nation's commitment to care for our servicemembers and veterans by supporting this bill.

Our veterans have invested in our country and this legislation invests in our veterans!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about a very important bill that I just reintroduced, the Visitors Interested in Strengthening America (VISA) Act of 2011 (H.R. 714). The bill would grant humanitarian visa waivers to children and their parents for one day in order to attend a medical appointment, an education or cultural event.

In the past, the Port Directors at the border had the authority to grant humanitarian visa waivers to certain children and their accompanying parent. Now, children who come without a visa must be turned away. The fee to enter into the United States for 24 hours is an insurmountable amount of money for these poor children and their families. These children pose no threat to our national security. They are merely trying to receive medical treatment or to enjoy a school field trip to one of our Nation's numerous tourist attractions.

This legislation does not affect the number of legal or illegal immigrants living in the United States--the children and accompanying adults visit for one day and then return to their homes. It gives Port Directors the

authority to use their discretion, and issue waivers to children that pose no security threat to our country.

This is commonsense legislation that allows us to cultivate relations with our Mexican neighbors, while keeping those who would do us harm out of our country. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this critical legislation, by cosponsoring the VISA Act.

Mr. Speaker, I have recently reintroduced the Firefighting Investment, Renewal and Employment (FIRE) Act (H.R. 716). This bill would authorize the Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grants for each of the next 5 years, at $210 million per year.

Our firefighters put their lives on the line each and every day without hesitation. And yet in many of our communities, we have outdated and deteriorating fire stations or simply do not have enough fire and emergency facilities as was found in a study of San Diego County. That is why I am reintroducing the FIRE Act. I urge my colleagues join me in standing up for our firefighters by co-sponsoring this critical legislation.