Duncan Hunter

Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the House passage of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote. The Senate followed the House two weeks later with passage on June 4, 1919, and the amendment was ratified by the states the following year. This historic centennial offers an unparalleled opportunity to commemorate this victorious milestone of the women's suffrage movement.

In 1848, a group of women organized a national women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. Following the convention, the right to vote came to the front and center of the women's rights movement. Many women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, along with Susan B. Anthony and other activists, raised public awareness and lobbied state and federal governments to grant voting rights to women.

Almost 70 years later, in her first term, Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, introduced a Constitutional Amendment to grant women's suffrage. Several years later, women's rights groups finally emerged victorious with the passage of the 19th Amendment.

Madam Speaker, our democracy is stronger because of the 19th Amendment, and I am proud to honor women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony and other women, who accomplished so much. The efforts of these great American women afford generations to come with the opportunity to vote freely, whether it is in a neighbor's garage in Escondido, or from a far battlefield defending our freedom.

Madam Speaker, in the aftermath of the attack at Chabad of Poway on April 27, 2019, that took place on the last day of Passover and just months after the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, I rise to strongly condemn antisemitism and to bring attention to the troubling increase in attacks on Jews.

Just last year, attacks on Jews and Jewish communities rose to a level that has not been seen in decades, with offensive language, actions, damage to property, injuries to people, and unfortunately, loss of life. There is an increase in anti-Semitic content online and in print and the rhetoric is becoming more common place and seemingly more normalized and accepted by civil society.

Last week was Israel's recognition of Holocaust Remembrance Day. It's therefore fitting that we recognize the threat of unchecked anti-Jewish bigotry and discrimination in light of one of the world's worst state sponsored massacres: the systematic and deliberate, government- controlled persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime.

At the same time, I stand with the victims of the attack in Poway and their families, and will work with those here, and in my community, to guard against such hateful violence in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Karl B. McMillen, a Marine, a successful business owner and entrepreneur, and a generous philanthropist. Karl's life can be broken down into 3 distinct parts. The first part was to study hard and get educated. Then came working hard and building a successful business; and now he's giving back.

Karl McMillen was born September 19, 1928, in Miami, Arizona. In 1929, when Karl was just a year old, his family moved to California, seeking relief from the Great Depression. In the years that followed, Karl's father Mac instilled a strong work ethic in his son--through his childhood and teen years, Karl helped Mac with odd jobs, mining and other pursuits.

After graduating from Pasadena Junior College in 1946, Karl joined the Marine Corps. After two years with the Marines he left the service and began work at a plumbing company to earn some money. Seeking to advance his education, in the Fall of 1949, Karl enrolled at the University of New Mexico (UNM). One summer, during a break back home to Pasadena, he met a young woman named Thelma Mastraight. After a 3 month courtship Karl knew that Thelma was the woman for him, and they married in the fall of 1950. From there, the married couple went back and forth from Southern California and New Mexico for Karl to continue his education at UNM. During breaks, both worked hard to earn a decent living.

Over the next couple years, Karl became a water-softening wizard and started a small

business with his fraternity brother installing lawn sprinklers. He eventually transferred to the University of Southern California (USC) for his junior year in 1952, where he gained the necessary tools to run his plumbing business with the mentality of a businessman. Karl graduated from USC in 1954 with a B.S. in Finance. From there, he worked at Kohler and then created Cobabe Plumbing. By 1964, the company employed 150 journeymen, operated a fleet of 76 trucks, and was performing 7,000 jobs a year in Southern California.

In 1968, Karl started a new plumbing supply business with his friend Ralph Todd called Todd Pipe & Supply. Their winning theory was simple: treat your customers as people. This golden touch playbook led to the small company in Hawthorne, California growing to nine highly-respected facilities in California and Nevada, including San Diego. Karl's success as a businessowner was the result of hard work, honesty, integrity, and respect for others. Karl served as Co-Founder and Chairman of the company before he sold it in 2004. It still successfully operates in Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, and San Diego Counties.

Karl's amazing story of business success is counterbalanced by the emotional deaths of his first wife to alcohol and cancer, and both his sons who lost both of their lives to substance abuse. Karl, too, has struggled with alcoholism and proudly has over 20 years sobriety today.

When Karl retired from the plumbing industry, he knew he was not done making an impact. Karl's golden touch playbook continued and his persistency to help others made an even greater turn. More determined than ever in his war against addiction, Karl established the Thelma McMillen Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment, named in memory of his late wife, at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. His gift to the hospital greatly expanded their existing program, including the creation of a teen outpatient program, which was important to him after what happened to his sons.

Karl and his new wife Carol also started the McMillen Family Foundation. The foundation made an immediate impact in the Southern California community and the fight against substance abuse. To date the foundation has helped over 60 organizations and has donated millions of dollars. Organizations that have benefited include the Thelma McMillen Center at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, the House of Hope, Pathways to Independence, the Friendly House, the Beacon House, 1st Step, Lynn House, the Shawl House and 2 Alano Clubs.

Karl has seen to it the foundation will go on in perpetuity, by giving 20 percent of all profits from his existing business as well as all his current assets to the foundation upon his death.

Karl's persistency to help his family, employees, customers, and those in need highlight his courage and dedication in changing lives for the better. Karl is no regular guy. He's a champion of Southern California and who we are as Californians.