Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 230.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mrs. Melany Reis-Abernathy, who sadly passed away on March 18, 2017 after a long battle with cancer.

Mrs. Melany Reis-Abernathy was born in Modesto, California on March 27, 1973. Growing up, Melany was the daughter of a dairyman and a District 5 Dairy Princess. She attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she graduated in 1996, and went on to work in the agriculture industry with the Farm Credit system and later at Rabobank North America Wholesale as a financial analyst.

An avid adventure seeker, Melany met her husband, Kevin Abernathy, while in a martial arts class in 1999. The two became quick friends due to their active lifestyles and similar upbringings in the dairy community and began dating soon after meeting. Melany and Kevin got married on June 17, 2003 in Kauai, Hawaii at Ship Wreck Beach and made their home in Delhi, California. Kevin and Melany enjoyed water skiing, boating, hiking, running, and snow skiing together. Although the two never had children of their own, Melany was known and loved by her nieces and nephews as the ``cool aunt''.

Known for her dedicated service, Melany and Kevin began working with disadvantaged children through Aspiring Children for Tomorrow, an organization of which her husband serves as general manager. The goal of the organization is to assist struggling young people through training and competition in the fighting arts.

Mrs. Reis-Abernathy became a yoga instructor while battling cancer, showing her strength and resolve even in the face of adversity. Melany had the strength to continue fighting this disease and living her life with love and joy, as she always had. She truly lived every moment to the fullest.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in honoring the life of Mrs. Melany Reis- Abernathy. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends during this difficult time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Mr. Jay Tamsi for his dedicated community service and to congratulate him for being selected as the Grand Marshal of the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta in Delano, California.

Mr. Tamsi was born August 17, 1978 in Bakersfield, California to his parents, Olivia and Jimmy Tamsi. Mr. Tamsi has strong Kern County roots, having attended Cecil Avenue Middle School in Delano, Delano High School, and later the California State University, Bakersfield, where he graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Marketing.

As the President and Chief Executive Officer of Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a successful business owner of his own company, Tamsi Consulting Services, Jay has been generous in giving back to his local community. A strong man of God, Jay serves as a member at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Delano and was responsible for organizing the induction of rites celebration for Father Loji Pilones as the new priest of St. Mary's. Jay was an organizer for the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Community Feed, where he helped provide meals for less fortunate families during the holidays.

His community service extends past his parish; Mr. Tamsi works as the Director on several community boards including the Greater Area Delano Youth Foundation and the Philippine Weekend Executive Committee. He is also a Lifetime Member of Delano Harvest Holidays. Mr. Tamsi's love of service and community involvement extended into his creation of the only Filipino Hall in the State of California, which works to promote Filipinos' needs in the community.

Mr. Tamsi is being honored as the Grand Marshal of the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta of his home city of Delano, California, which holds one of the largest and oldest celebrations in the United States. This high honor is being bestowed upon a great man who has spent countless hours helping his community and neighbors.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in thanking Mr. Jay Tamsi for his years of community service and congratulating him on being the Grand Marshal of the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta in Delano.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the anniversary of the Armenian genocide, a horrific event impacting many of my own constituents in California.

From 1915 to 1923, the Ottoman Empire engaged in a systematic and organized deportation and extermination of over 2 million Armenians from their homeland. It is estimated that nearly 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children were killed and many more permanently displaced or forced to flee.

I recall one Armenian genocide remembrance ceremony outside city hall in Fresno, California. During the ceremony, I was given a copy of the event invitation, which had inscribed the words of Avetis Aharonian, an influential Armenian writer and poet. It read: ``If evil of this magnitude can be ignored, if our own children forget, then we deserve oblivion and earn the world's scorn.''

The passionate and enduring advocacy of the Armenian Americans, especially those in California's Central Valley, is evidence that the descendants of those who escaped the genocide have not forgotten this evil or their obligation to share its lessons with the world.

Like Armenians from around the world, our central California community has heeded Aharonian's words, accepting his call to remember.

I am proud to have recently coauthored a bipartisan letter encouraging President Trump to properly recognize the Armenian genocide. As in years past, this year I took part in the Capitol Hill remembrance ceremony and supported the Armenian Caucus' screening of ``The Promise,'' a film made possible by Fresno-native Kirk Kerkorian that depicts the Armenian people's will to survive.

To the Armenian community throughout the United States, please know that I stand with you today and always in honoring Aharonian's words and never forgetting all those impacted by the Armenian genocide.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Ms. Allison Louise Rosa for her service to my office and the people of California's 21st Congressional District.

Ms. Rosa was born May 14, 1994 in Hanford, California where she grew up on her family's dairy farm with her parents, Roland and Karen, her sister Emily, and her brother Jack. Growing up, Allison was very active in the dairy community; she was even crowned the First Alternate Dairy Princess for Kings County, California in 2012.

After graduating from Mt. Whitney High School in Visalia, California, Ms. Rosa went on to attend College of the Sequoias and Holy Names University. She graduated in 2016 from Fresno Pacific University with a degree in Communications. While in college, Allison was an avid tennis player and an NCAA division II athlete.

Allison joined my team as Scheduler in my Washington, D.C. office in May 2016. As Scheduler, she was instrumental to my team through managing my daily schedule and helping her coworkers with daily tasks to make the office run more smoothly. While on my team, Allison was greatly respected by her peers for her professionalism, dedication to her work, and sense of humor.

Outside of work, Allison enjoys spending time with her friends and talking to her family back in California. She is currently looking forward to moving back home to California to be closer to her family and the coast.

Ms. Rosa's time with my office will come to a close April 7, 2017 when she leaves to begin a new career at Epoch Estate Wines in Templeton, California. Knowing Ms. Rosa, her character, and her work ethic, I have no doubt that she will achieve many great things in her future.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in commending Ms. Allison Louise Rosa for her public service to the people of the Central Valley and wishing her well as she embarks on the next chapter of her life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Fresno County Farm Bureau in celebration of its 100 year anniversary of advocating for agriculture on behalf of the Central Valley.

The Fresno County Farm Bureau has been dedicated to bringing farmers and ranchers together to promote agriculture in the Central Valley since 1917. The organization was started by George Feaver, J.A. Poytress, Sam Heisinger, H.W. Wrightson, Charles Parlier, and Leroy Smith. Leroy Smith was the first Extension Service farm advisor assigned to Fresno County, which spurred his desire to initiate the Fresno County Branch.

The Fresno County Farm Bureau is one of fifty-three county Farm Bureaus, and represents over four thousand members. The

members include farmers, ranchers, and dairy producers who put food on Americans' dinner table every night. As a voice for agriculture, the organization has a goal of preserving California's fresh, local, and diverse agrarian culture for generations to come. It also leads the industry in addressing issues that result in long-term viability for agriculture through political action, community outreach, and public education. The Farm Bureau achieves their goal of advocating for the Central Valley by promoting economic vitality of the region through the work of its members.

The Fresno County Farm Bureau has been known to encourage all citizens to be supportive and appreciative of the incredible contribution farmers, ranchers, and farm workers make daily to the Central Valley community and economy.

Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Fresno County Farm Bureau on 100 years of contributions to our country and our Valley's agriculture industry. We commemorate the service of all the members of this organization who have worked collectively to improve, protect, and promote agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley, which has now become one of the breadbaskets of our nation. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the incredible contribution our farmers and ranchers make to the Central Valley community and our nation's economy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and accomplishments of the Honorable John Gilcrest O'Rourke, a former judge and active member of the community in Hanford, California, who sadly passed away on March 9, 2017 at the age of 82.

Mr. O'Rourke was born January 11, 1935 in Hanford, California. After graduating from Lemoore High School, he went on to attend the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. While a student at Notre Dame, Mr. O'Rourke met his wife, Joan, and the couple married January 3, 1959. The couple had five children, Peggy, John, Katie, Ellen, and Thomas.

In 1956, after graduating from the University of Notre Dame, Mr. O'Rourke was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. While in the U.S. Navy, he served as a Fuel Quality Control Officer in Guam, sailed on a destroyer in the Pacific during Eniwetok atomic testing, and conducted patrol operations in the Strait of Formosa in Taiwan. After twenty- seven dedicated years of service, Mr. O'Rourke retired from the U.S. Navy as Captain, U.S. Navy Reserves.

John's successful legal career began at the University of California Hastings College of Law, San Francisco in 1960. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1965 and began his law practice as an attorney with Clawson and Jennings in Hanford and Lemoore. He was appointed and elected District Attorney, County of Kings in 1966, and served until 1979. Mr. O'Rourke left his judgeship to serve in private practice until 1985, when he was later sworn in as a Judge of the Municipal Court for the County of Kings. He was later sworn in as a judge in the Superior Court in 2001 for the county and state. While serving as a Judge, Mr. O'Rourke was known for his strong belief in the law, the Constitution and personal responsibility. In 2003, he retired the only way he knew how, and immediately began participating in the California Retired Judge Program, having last sat on the bench in December of 2016.

John was truly a staple of the community and was known for his visibility and activity in Hanford. He felt his status as a judge gave him a greater obligation to give back to his community, and he was often seen scrubbing pots, making pancakes, and cleaning up at events and fundraisers. John held leadership positions across the community, where he was a Minister and lector for St. Brigid's Parish, a Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, a Rotarian, school parent volunteer for McCarthy School, Hanford High volunteer, and a member of the YMCA Board, among many others. Despite his many great achievements and long list of volunteer work, above all Mr. O'Rourke was known for being humble.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in honoring the life and achievements of Mr. John Gilcrest O'Rourke. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, March 20, 2017, I missed votes due to unavoidable flight delays. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on roll call votes no. 173, 174 and 175.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, March 7, 2017, I missed votes due to unavoidable flight delays. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on roll call votes no. 127 and 128.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today and am joined by Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Costa of California, to commend The Wonderful Company for receiving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's 2016 Corporate Citizenship Award for Best Community Improvement Program.

The Best Community Improvement Program Award honors businesses for the many ways they influence and enhance local communities. Companies from around the world compete for this award, making it an extraordinary acknowledgment of outstanding corporate social responsibility. The Wonderful Company was presented with the esteemed 2016 U.S. Chamber Foundation Corporate Citizenship Award for Best Community Improvement Program.

Since 1979, The Wonderful Company has quickly grown and become known worldwide for its almonds, bottled water, citrus fruits, flower bouquets, pistachios, pomegranates, and wines. However, its legacy does not stop there. Investing nearly $200 million in education, environmental technologies and sustainability research, and health and wellness programs, The Wonderful Company has an extensive history of philanthropy and community involvement.

The Seventeenth Annual Chamber of Commerce Corporate Citizenship Awards recognized The Wonderful Company for its work in Lost Hills, California, home of the company's largest pistachio plant, which serves as the economic backbone of the local community. In fact, more than fifty percent of households in Lost Hills have family members who work at the Wonderful Pistachio plant. Always committed to the wellbeing of the local community, The Wonderful Company has made significant investments in Lost Hills, investing more than $15 million in transportation and infrastructure projects, such as roads and sidewalks, bus shelters, storm drains, and streetlights. It has also rejuvenated the community park with two community centers, two soccer fields, volleyball and basketball courts, playgrounds, and a broad range of community activities and events. The Wonderful Company has also helped build affordable housing, assisted with financing and construction of the town's first sit-down restaurant, and recently received approval from the Kern County Board of Education to open a charter school in the community next fall.

This prestigious honor recognizes the hard work and significant investment made by Mr. and Mrs. Stewart and Lynda Resnick, owners of The Wonderful Company. They have dedicated their lives not only to growing a successful and sustainable business, but to improving the lives of so many across the globe, especially those in the communities The Wonderful Company calls home.

Mr. Speaker, we ask our colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join us in congratulating The Wonderful Company for receiving the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's 2016 Corporate Citizenship Award for Best Community Improvement Program. The Wonderful Company's altruistic leadership provides an exceptional example of corporate responsibility and we look forward to their future initiatives that continue to make the world a better place, one community at a time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Mr. Jacob Bennett Mizner for his service to my office and California's Central Valley.

Mr. Mizner was born on July 16, 1994 in Tulare, California to Kevin and Sharon Mizner. After graduating from Tulare Western High School in Tulare, California in 2012, Mr. Mizner graduated from Fresno Pacific University in Fresno, California in 2016. While attending Fresno Pacific University, Mr. Mizner, a lover of music, was involved in Fresno Pacific Concert Choir.

Mr. Mizner has been a Field Representative in Kings and Tulare County, California from June 1, 2016 to January 5, 2017. As Field Representative, Mr. Mizner was known for his friendly, optimistic personality throughout both counties. He is a hard, dedicated worker who was highly respected by his peers and was able to create and foster connections with constituents, business leaders, and public officials, all of which are integral skills of congressional staffers.

Outside of work, Mr. Mizner enjoys music; he is an avid saxophone player and enjoys singing in choir, as well. Mr. Mizner is a member of California Baptist University Choir and Orchestra.

Mr. Mizner's time with my office came to a close on January 5, 2017 when he left to pursue an eleven-month mission trip with The World Race to serve needy groups in eleven countries in Central America, Asia, and Africa. Knowing Mr. Mizner, his character, and his work ethic, I have no doubt that he will achieve many great things in his future.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in commending Mr. Jacob Mizner for his public service to the people of the Central Valley and wishing him well as he embarks on the next chapter of his life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Mrs. Erica Sargent for her service to my office and the people of California's 21st Congressional District.

Mrs. Sargent was born on May 30, 1990 in Los Banos, California, where she grew up on her family's dairy farm with her parents, Joey and Charlotte Mello, her sister Trisha, and her brother Michael. As a child, Erica took part in Future Farmers of America, where she showed dairy cows, Holsteins, Jerseys, and swine.

After graduating from Los Banos High School, Mrs. Sargent went on to receive her Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture Business at California State University, Fresno in 2013. While in college, Erica was a member of Delta Gamma Sorority and worked as a nanny part-time. On September 3, 2016, Erica married her husband Brandon Sargent.

Mrs. Sargent has held several positions with my office, in both Washington, D.C. and California over the past 4 years. She first joined my team as Staff Assistant in my Washington, D.C. office in July 2013. As Staff Assistant, she was instrumental in supporting others in daily tasks and helping the office run smoothly. In December 2013, she was promoted to Scheduler. Mrs. Sargent relocated from Washington, D.C. back to California's Central Valley, where she remained on my team as a Field Representative in Fresno County. Mrs. Sargent was known for her hard work and excellent community outreach. She was respected by her peers and was able to create and foster connections with constituents, business leaders, and public officials, all of which are integral skills of congressional staffers.

Outside of work, Erica enjoys spending time with her family, especially her husband, sister, and niece, Sofia. She is currently pursuing a Master's Degree from National University and hopes to become a school counselor.

Mrs. Sargent's time with my office will come to a close today, January 5, 2017, when she leaves to begin an internship in Laton, California, as a school counselor. Knowing Mrs. Sargent, her character, and her work ethic, I have no doubt that she will achieve many great things in her future.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in commending Mrs. Erica Sargent for her public service to the people of the Central Valley and wishing her well as she embarks on the next chapter of her life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Karl Kildow on his retirement after 38 years of working in the education industry as both an educator and an advocate.

Mr. Kildow was born in San Diego, California and spent his youth in San Diego and Tustin, California. After completing his high school education, Mr. Kildow attended California State University Fullerton, where he received a degree in Social Science.

After college, Mr. Kildow dedicated his life to the noble profession of teaching. His first teaching job was at Needles High School in Needles, California. While there, he taught English, mathematics, history, and physical education and coached the school's basketball team. In addition launching his career as an educator in Needles, he also met his wife Sandy there.

Mr. Kildow settled in Visalia where he taught at Divisidero Middle School, Mt. Whitney High School, and Redwood High School teaching English, for 1 year, 18 years, and 8 years, respectively. During this time period he received an English credential and got involved in the Visalia Unified Teachers Association (VUTA) and the National Educators Association (NEA).

He served as the President of the VUTA for 12 years and currently is an NEA Director.

After 38 years of teaching and advocating on behalf of students and teachers alike, Mr. Kildow will be retiring later this year.

Educators and students throughout the Central Valley of California have been extremely fortunate to have had someone as talented and dedicated as Mr. Kildow working on their behalf. Mr. Kildow touched the lives of countless individuals throughout his career. The Central Valley has benefitted greatly from his insight and perspective.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in commending Karl Kildow for his 38 years of dedicated public service as an educator in the Central Valley and congratulating him on his recent retirement.

Mr. Speaker, a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to go visit Israel and actually spend some time with Prime Minister Netanyahu. That was, for me, probably one of the most enlightening trips I have been on, to have the opportunity to actually see what they are experiencing there and to see how important our relationship is to the folks there in Israel, but also to us here in the U.S.

We learn so much from the technology that they use to protect their borders, to protect themselves from terrorists, and we see the situation that we have got going on with ISIS now today, and we need that relationship more than ever, something that can actually truly make a difference because we truly are under attack at all times.

We have got people around this world--and now, we are hearing today in committee, it was mentioned that there are a lot of people within our own borders today, so it truly is a scary time.

To have someone with the experience that Netanyahu has and to see what he has seen over the years and to bring that and share that with us here in our Chamber where we pass the laws, where we are here, sworn to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, but also the people here, and that is our number one priority, and to have the opportunity to have him speak to us, I think, is an honor.

Mr. Speaker, I am looking forward to that opportunity. I think it is something that will help all of us here in Congress truly understand what we are up against and what needs to be done. I think it is something that most of us are smart enough to attend. There are a few that choose not to, but I think that is going to be a very small group of people.

Again, Mr. Jolly, I appreciate the opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative McSally. I had an opportunity to go to your home State a couple of weeks ago and spend some time with you on the border. I have spent quite a bit of time here in Washington over the last 2 years talking about immigration reform. I do believe that we have to fix the problem. We have to address the situation we have with immigration in general. But something that I learned a lot about on that trip which I knew before, until I really got to experience and see for myself, I didn't realize how bad the situation on the border was and what our border agents face on a day- to-day basis, with people coming in with tools that I happened to use in my shop when I am building stuff, saws and torches and different types of equipment, just to get through the fence. When you see the situation we have got with the types of drugs and the types of people crossing the border on a daily basis, it is truly a situation that has to be resolved and looked at in a totally different way.

Chairman McCaul came up with a piece of legislation to address this, going along the whole border in a piece-by-piece manner. It looks at each part of the border and how it needs to be addressed. From that tour and the time I spent on the border, I got to see how important it was; from the California portion in San Diego and how people are getting across the border and the type of tunnels they are digging to the type of aircraft that people are flying, the drones that you can buy for a couple thousand bucks online; and even down to your part of the border where we got to see people cutting through the fence and actually making ramps and driving over barriers that weren't able to be cut; down to Texas to the Rio Grande when we traveled the river and saw what the situation was there, where people can hide and how narrow that area is.

The bill that was introduced helps secure the border because it looks at each portion of the border separately and individually and addresses it as a problem in itself. It puts technology in those places where it can truly make a difference. That border with this legislation can actually be secured--as much as we possibly can. Then we can move on with the rest of what has to be done. Obviously, fixing our guest worker programs and fixing our visa programs and the type of legal immigration that we welcome in this country because this country was built on immigrants. But we want to make sure that we secure the border first.

I am thrilled to be here and spend some time with you this evening talking about such an important issue. I appreciate the invitation.

I appreciate the opportunity again.

But, no, that is something we hear about a lot in the district. Everybody just says: Build a fence, follow the existing law.

Most people don't know the technology out there. Like you said, they literally have scouts. They have got people every so often, every so many yards or 100 yards, whatever the distance, spotting where the Border Patrol agents are. They know everything about these Border Patrol agents.

I heard a story that one of the people crossing the border actually had a booklet with all the names, addresses, and the tendencies of each and every Border Patrol agent.

They knew if they chewed gum, if they chewed tobacco, if they read a book while they were sitting there. They knew how slow they drove from checkpoint to checkpoint. They knew everything about this person. They knew exactly how long they would have those openings to get across.

They knew how to dig a tunnel. There was a tunnel they found that was 90 feet underground, 700 yards long, and the only reason they found that wasn't

because of technology--because they don't have the technology to find that--it was because they found an informant that opened their mouth and told them where it was at, and they were able to stop that.

It is amazing how much is out there and what these people are doing, and anyone that believes just building a fence is going to work--they are going to go under it, they are going to buy those drones to go over it.

I heard stories of cannons that are literally firing bales of drugs over the top. There are so many opportunities out there. For anybody to believe that just enforcing the law the way it is written today, it will never work--it just won't--because the technology is out there.

If you ask any police officer on the street or any parent out there, you can't do everything the same you did 50 years ago because your children have way better technology to do stuff, our prisoners in our prison system have much more opportunity, and now, these folks have unbelievable amounts of technology out there to get across or to bring their drugs across.

Like you mentioned earlier, the problem has changed. What the folks in your district had mentioned to me was 20 years ago, 15 years ago, it was a large number of people--it was families, it was those that we see typically working on farms--who are out here just looking for an opportunity.

The folks coming across today are dangerous. They are cartels. They are trying to bring drugs. They are bringing problems into this country. A lot of times--like one of your constituents--someone's life was taken. It is a truly sad situation.

But it has to be addressed in a way that actually solves our problems. We don't just take votes here because of sending out a press release. We solve problems. Legislation that we introduce and that we pass and that we vote on has to solve problems for the American people. That is what we are responsible to do, and that is what I want to do.

So again, I thank you for the opportunity.