Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman and my colleagues, I rise to announce that I have been confirmed by the United States Senate as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. I have informed my friend, the Speaker of the House, and the Governor of California that I will be resigning my seat at the end of votes today.

Madam Speaker, Mr. Chairman, I am deeply grateful for the trust that both President Obama and Secretary Clinton have placed in me. I am equally grateful and humbled by the honor and privilege to have represented California's 10th Congressional District for the last 13 years in the House of Representatives. It has been the deepest and greatest professional experience of my life, and I am deeply, deeply grateful for the opportunity and the trust that my constituents have placed in me.

In my seven terms in the Congress, I have tried to keep my promise of being an independent and effective moderate. I have worked hard, and I have worked with you. I look around the room; many Members I have served with for the entire time I have been here, and some of you I have flown on planes with and some of you I have taken codels with.

What I know is that we sit here and we do the people's work, and whether we agree or not doesn't always matter. What is most important is that we represent our constituents, that we honor the Constitution, and we keep faith with our conscience. Those are the

three Cs that I have tried for these years to maintain in balance. It's not always easy, but I have tried.

I look at all of you and I understand how difficult this world is and how troubling the lives of many Americans are now and how heavy the burden is on you.

What I pledge to you, as I leave the legislative branch in this great House that I have grown to love and all of you that I love, and my constituents that I love, what I promise you in my new capacity is to work with you to achieve what we all know is important, to make sure that we have the safety and the security of the American people always on the forefront of our minds.

I have been blessed to have, I think, some of the best staff in the world. I have always told people I represent the smartest people in the world. I have the two national nuclear labs in Livermore, California, and I have Travis Air Force Base and 600-some-odd thousand constituents who apparently, now, 100 percent of them have voted for me every time. There's nothing like leaving to become popular.

But I just want to thank the staff who have worked with me, both on the subcommittee and my personal staff and my district staff, that have been just absolutely fabulous.

I want to thank my friends in the House, my friends that started as friends and became family and who have sustained me and with whom I have learned so much.

I want to thank the Speaker for her indefatigable energy. I want to thank Steny Hoyer. I want to thank my partner in my county, George Miller. I want to thank Ike Skelton and Jim Oberstar, my chairmen, for being so generous and for helping me learn.

I want to thank, again, my constituents for the honor. I especially want to thank my family, my parents and my sisters and brothers and my friends who have been patient and understanding when I couldn't be at birthday parties and volleyball games.

I want to thank my daughter, who was raised in the House. She came here as a 5\1/2\-year-old. She is now going to college, and I am so thrilled that she is emancipated and happy and healthy and a smart young woman. And you should be as proud of her as I am, because you helped raise her.

And I want to thank, especially, my fiance, Jim Cieslak, who I will marry tomorrow. Thank you. It's hard to be a blushing bride at my age, but I will do my best.

Let me just close and say that no matter where I am serving in government, I will always remember those that sent me here, and I will always be grateful for your trust and support.

I just want to take a second and say that I have been honored to represent the Speaker on the podium. There's nothing like having the view from up there, because the view from up there is of all of you, and that's the best view I have had, I think, in my life. I will take that in my heart as I go to the State Department.

I want to thank all the people behind the scenes who work so hard to make sure that we do the job that we do.

I am not saying goodbye, I am just saying farewell for the time being. I expect I will work with you all very well, but know that this has been the best experience of my life.

God bless you. God bless America.

Announcement by the Acting Chair

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I stand in significant opposition to this amendment. The committee's bill provides $9.3 billion for missile defense, fully funding the administration's request. The budget supports our efforts to build a robust defense against threats from rogue nations such as North Korea, and increases funding for proven missile defense systems like The Aegis BMD and the Terminal High Altitude Aerial Defense, called THAAD, by $900 million over the budget level of last year.

This amendment would result in wasteful, unnecessary spending. As Secretary Gates told our committee, The security of the American people and the efficacy of the missile defense system are not enhanced by continuing to put money into programs that in terms of their operational concept are fatally flawed or research programs that are essentially sinkholes for taxpayer dollars.

With all due respect, Mr. Chairman, I find myself here trying to rescue the missile defense program from its strongest advocates, because all they want to do is spend money. We have spent $120 billion over the last 10 years on missile defense. I am a strong supporter of missile defense, but unless you have oversight and unless you have an operationally effective system to protect against the existing threats and deploy those systems to protect our forward-deployed troops, the American people and our allies, it is just spending money after money after money.

The advocates of missile defense that just want to spend money don't seem to want to deal with the fact that in this bill we authorize $1 billion to test, sustain and improve the existing system, because what we found out recently is that the system that is deployed has got some problems. It has got problems with operation and maintenance because enough of that money during the previous administration wasn't spent to make sure that the system was maintained.

Democrats are strong on missile defense. We want to make sure we have a proven system, one that is going to not only work but one that is also going to deter, and the best way to do that is to have a system that is operationally effective and tested, one that is maintained properly, and one that is fielded to array against and deter and defeat the threats.

I think that on our side, we believe that we have done that, both during the time of the Bush administration and certainly now in full support of the President's budget request.

Mr. Chairman, I am happy to reserve my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews), a longstanding member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee.

(Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin), a longstanding member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee.

Before I yield, I would just like to engage the new Member from Illinois. I know you are a new Member, sir, but the truth of the matter is over the last 8 years of the Bush administration where all we did was spend money without very much oversight, we would have had, after spending all that money, $120 billion, we should have a system that is operationally effective and actually achieved credible deterrence.

You have to ask yourself why that hasn't happened after $120 billion. The question is not how much money you spend; it is whether you spend it smartly. That is what this budget does.

I yield to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen) for 2 minutes.

I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the chairman of the committee, Mr. Skelton of Missouri.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve my time.

Mr. Chairman, I could not make a better argument for rejecting the Franks amendment.

Let's get it right. We are investing $9.3 billion for missile defense because we believe what the President has said is right, that we need to have defenses that are going to defeat long-range, short-range, and medium-range systems that are raid against the United States, our forward-deployed troops, and our allies. Don't take the money from cold war legacies. We are going to lose 10,000 jobs of people that are cleaning up sites around the country.

We need to defeat this amendment because we want to invest money smartly. We don't want to follow what we've done for the last 8 years, which is just spend money and not have any oversight.

Let's get this right. Let's have strong missile defense. Defeat the Franks amendment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

California, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Washington, South Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho, Georgia. Anybody live there? Those are the States that are expecting this cleanup money. Your Governors are expecting this cleanup money. Mayors of communities are expecting this cleanup money.

This isn't just a little slush in tanks that we are trying to clean up, ladies and gentlemen. This is the 50-year residue of the Cold War; dangerous, dangerous proliferation risks, dangerous health and safety risks.

These States have agreements, usually because they have sued the Federal Government, to have this money be spent for this cleanup. So if you think this is a triviality, if your phone is ringing right now, it is probably your Governor saying do not take this money away from us because our communities are at risk.

That is why you need to oppose this motion to recommit.

We have had hearing after hearing. We have had subcommittee markups and full committee markups. None of this was brought up. This is a convenient way to change the subject. The subject is support this mark. Defeat this motion to recommit.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for those very kind words. It has been a pleasure to work with you and my colleagues on the committee and my colleagues in the House. Thank you for your patriotic service.

I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, and to summarize the portions of the bill drafted by the Strategic Forces Subcommittee which I am proud to have chaired for the past 3 years.

I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, including Ranking Member Turner for his hard work and always good willingness to work in a bipartisan way.

H.R. 2647 includes $14.3 billion for the Department of Energy national security programs, not including nuclear nonproliferation programs, $9.3 billion for ballistic missile defense programs, the amount the President requested, and $11 billion for military space programs, including just over $9 billion for Air Force space programs.

For Department of Energy national security programs, the bill authorizes $6.5 billion for nuclear weapons activities and $5 billion for the Defense Environmental Cleanup.

H.R. 2647 authorizes a new stockpiling management program to provide better guidance to the National Nuclear Security Administration on the

maintenance of our nuclear weapons and to establish clear limits on that maintenance. The bill also adds a new requirement for lab-to-lab peer review called ``Dual Validation'' as part of the annual assessment of the nuclear stockpile.

For missile defense, the bill authorizes the President's request of $9.3 billion overall, including nearly $8 billion for the Missile Defense Agency. The bill focuses on the highest priority threats and on making our missile defense system more effective. As such, the bill shifts away from the capabilities-based approach of the last few years, which meant that if a contractor said they could build it, MDA would fund it whether or not it addressed a current threat or whether or not the combatant commanders requested it. That approach yielded several early-to-need programs that fell behind schedule and went way over budget and left us with ground-based interceptors in Alaska that we are currently spending millions of dollars to fix and upgrade.

In contrast, as MDA Director General Patrick O'Reilly told our subcommittee in May, the process leading up to this year's request on missile defense was the first that involved the combatant commanders in a meaningful way and the first with a mature Missile Defense Evaluation Board in place.

This more sensible process yielded a balanced, threat-based approach to missile defense.

H.R. 2647 includes $1 billion to further develop the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system to defend against emerging long-range threats, and it includes a requirement to prepare a sustainment and modernization program for the ground-based system.

H.R. 2647 also substantially increases the deployment of proven missile defense capabilities such as Aegis BMD and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, THAAD, which are designed to counter the ballistic missile threats our troops are most likely to face: Short, medium-range missiles.

Over the next 5 years, the Aegis Standard Missile-3 inventory will grow from 133 to 325.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you again for working with me. I think this is a very good bill. I think we address the threats to our forward-deployed troops, our allies, and I hope my colleagues work with us to support the bill and get its passage.

In military space programs, the mark builds on the bipartisan approach the subcommittee took in the last Congress.

The bill makes reductions in programs with significant schedule and cost risks, including the Third Generation Infrared Satellite System and the High Integrity GPS program.

The bill reflects the subcommittee's support for the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) program, and includes an increase of twenty- three point four million dollars to support the launch of the first ORS imaging satellite, ORS SAT-1.

H.R. 2647 also requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a space science and technology strategy when the President submits the budget request to Congress. This provision will help guide the Administration and Congress as we approach major investment decisions in national security space.

H.R. 2647 also provides a twelve month extension for the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the U.S., to allow the commission to review the strategic security issues addressed by the pending Nuclear Posture Review and Quadrennial Defense Review.

Finally, in intelligence-related matters, the bill recommends a funding increase to boost the focus and resources of the Intelligence Community devoted to analyzing foreign nuclear weapons capabilities, programs, and intentions.

H.R. 2647 also includes two important planning requirements related to intelligence.

First, it requires the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense, to prepare a plan to maintain a robust foreign nuclear activities analysis capability in the DOE national labs.

Second, it requires the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the DNI, to assess foreign ballistic missile intelligence analysis gaps and shortfalls, and prepare a plan to address such gaps.

In sum, H.R. 2647 smartly tackles the critical national security priorities within the jurisdiction of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee. I strongly encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 2647.

Madam Speaker, I rise with my colleague, Hon. George Miller, in the House of Representatives--to recognize the work of Andrew J. Baltzo, founder of the Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center in Walnut Creek, California, who passed on Memorial Day 2009 after a long illness.

Andy Baltzo was born in Berkeley, California, on February 3, 1920. He was raised in Oakland, and studied at the University of California in Berkeley where he attained a teacher's credential. For the 10 years following his graduation, Andy taught chemistry to local intermediate school students. He also served four years in the U.S. Army as a medical lab technician. It was the bombing of Hiroshima that gave Andy the incentive to devote his life to speaking out against the further development of nuclear weapons world-wide.

In 1969, Andy led the way in forming the Mt. Diablo Peace Center and served as the Center's full-time director until 2000. Striving to demonstrate that a peaceful world based on justice for all people is possible, the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center has consistently worked to provide venues for people to further their experience of the peace process through classes, public forums and educational programs.

A man of deep convictions, Andy devoted his life to furthering non- violent resistance and expanding social justice. Because of his work, he received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Honorable Mention Award for ``Keeping the Dream Alive'' from the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on January 16, 1996. He

also received the 6th Annual Peacemaker Award from the Center for Human Development on January 27, 2000.

Today our thoughts and prayers are also with Andy's wife Doris, his daughter Alice, and son Daniel, and all of his family and friends. We join them in celebrating a life well lived. It is an honor and a privilege to commemorate the life of Andrew J. Baltzo and recognize the indelible mark he leaves behind on the residents of our Congressional Districts.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Diablo Theatre Company, founded in 1959 as the Diablo Light Opera Company. For five decades, Diablo Theatre Company has brought San Francisco Bay Area audiences ``the music and magic of Broadway.''

The company grew from modest beginnings. It was founded in 1959 as the Diablo Light Opera Company, a name that endured until May of this year. The founders were two Walnut Creek couples who were inspired by singing with the 120-member Glee Club and Treble Clef at UC Berkeley. Their last show on campus was, prophetically, ``Of Thee I Sing.''

The Diablo Light Opera Company's first offering was Gilbert and Sullivan's ``The Pirates of Penzance,'' staged in the multipurpose room of Walnut Creek's Las Lomas High School.

A few years later, the new company presented ``Brigadoon,'' marking a major turning point for the arts in Walnut Creek. Ron Caya, Walnut Creek's first cultural services director, attended a performance. Since seats at the Las Lomas multipurpose room were not on an incline, his view was obstructed and he could not see the famous sword dance in the show. He subsequently complained to the Walnut Creek City Council, telling members that, ``This group needs a real theater.''

He got the council's attention and plans were made to buy an old walnut warehouse, which occupied what is now the site of the Lesher Center for the Arts. The warehouse was transformed into a makeshift theater, the Walnut Creek Civic Arts Center which became affectionately known as the ``Nut House.'' It opened in December 1965 with Diablo Light Opera Company's production of ``The Sound of Music.'' The audience came in black tie and, because of no heating in the building, blankets.

Years and many performances later, ``Nut House'' was demolished. A new performing arts venue, the Lesher Center for the Arts, was constructed and opened 19 years ago. Diablo Light Opera Company has performed at the Lesher Center ever since in addition to other venues, including the recently restored El Campanil Theatre in Antioch in eastern Contra Costa County.

Beginning in June of 2009, Diablo Light Opera Company will assume its new name, Diablo Theatre Company while celebrating its colorful past and focusing on the future.

Today, the Diablo Light Opera Company is celebrated and honored for enriching the cultural atmosphere through their craft and commitment to providing theatrical productions to the Bay Area.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my good friend from Oakland, Ms. Barbara Lee, for her tireless service and for introducing this resolution.

I rise today to honor the lives of four Oakland Police Officers, who were tragically killed in the line of duty on March 21, 2009. Officer John R. Hege, Sergeant Mark Dunakin, SWAT Sergeant Ervin Romans, and Sergeant Daniel Sakai.

I want to take a few moments to honor Officer Hege, a resident of Concord and California's Tenth Congressional district.

Throughout his life, John nurtured a love of sports and the outdoors. To his friends, he was ``outgoing and friendly, an honest and fair- minded man.'' The Contra Costa Times described him ``as a good-natured sports fan with a hearty laugh, nonstop energy and a heart of gold.''

John was foremost a public servant. He attended Piedmont schools growing up, achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, and graduated from Saint Mary's College in Moraga in 1990. He began his career as a high school teacher, coaching and officiating basketball and football. He joined the Oakland Police Department Reserves in 1993 and became a full-time officer in 1999.

He continued his passion for teaching as a police cadet instructor. Officer Hege's lifetime of service continued until the final moments of his life. He underwent surgery to donate his organs to save the lives of four others. He is survived by his parents, John and Tamra Hege.

The brazen assault on the Oakland Police Officers is a tragic reminder of the lengths our police officers go to keep our families and communities safe. I ask all Americans to join us in honoring the life and achievements of Officer John R. Hege and his fellow officers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to engage in a colloquy with my distinguished colleague from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren) regarding the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009.

Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Lofgren, Chairman Conyers, Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, and Majority Whip Clyburn for the collaborative and constructive discussions we have had during the past several weeks.

Our good-faith negotiations have resulted in positive changes to this bill by increasing uniformity in the Chapter 13 bankruptcy process and by making qualified loan modifications the centerpiece of our efforts to keep families in their homes.

In addition to other changes making the bill stronger, the legislation will ensure that a bankruptcy judge considers whether a borrower has been offered a qualifying loan modification before seeking a judicial modification. This is consistent with President Obama's plan. Additionally, changes were made to ensure that judges use FHA appraisal guidelines in determining the fair market value of property. This will streamline and simplify the valuation process.

I am also pleased that we have included language to prevent wealthy people who can afford their loans from filing bankruptcy just to capitalize on falling real estate prices and to get a better deal when there are so many more who are truly in need.

This bill is not perfect, but the process has worked better than anyone expected. Over the last couple of weeks, we have worked together to make improvements that will ensure that bankruptcy is an option of last resort.

Accessible and sustainable loan modifications are essential to getting millions of families the tools they need to keep their homes. Along with President Obama's Making Home Affordable Plan, this bill will provide these tools, and it will offer a comprehensive plan to address our Nation's foreclosure crisis.

Thank you. I thank my good friend from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren) for her very intensive work to make this a better bill, and I appreciate the changes that have been made to this bill.

I urge my colleagues to support the significant engagement process to get a better bill by voting for the rule, and I will tell my colleagues that this is a better bill, that this is something that will help all Americans by making sure that the bankruptcy process through Chapter 13 is available to those who need it, but at the same time, that it is

the option of last resort. Most significantly, it puts the President's loan modification plan as the centerpiece of opportunities to keep millions of Americans in their homes. I urge my colleagues to vote for the bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the hard work, and professionalism of General McNabb and the fine men and women of the United States Transportation Command. Their accomplishments are unmatched as they delivered 2 million passengers, 3 million short tons of cargo, and nearly one and a half billion gallons of fuel worldwide in order to meet Department of Defense needs.

I am also proud to include the patriotism and total dedication to excellence exhibited by the military and civilian members of my district who played a vital role in these accomplishments as they performed their duties on Travis Air Force Base.

As you know, Travis Air Force Base is the largest Air Mobility base in the country and serves as the principal staging area for the Pacific Theater. As such, Travis plays an invaluable strategic role in our airlift programs.

With President Obama's decision to increase military operations in Afghanistan, Travis' role will increase in prominence. Travis is host to the 615th Contingency Response Wing and is also home to the David Grant Medical Center which is the primary lead for the Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Air Force Base.

Since the 2005 Mobility Capability Study, Department of Defense Officials have not been able to agree on the baseline inventory requirements for the C-17. I have long been an advocate of keeping the production line open to address future requirements and have supported supplemental appropriations to reach the baseline levels for this multi-role platform required by the Air Force and Transportation Command for mission accomplishment.

I look forward to working hard in this Congress to provide our brave men and women with the tools they need to continue to keep our nation secure while also being able to respond to national emergencies.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize John De Lorenzo as he retires after 18 years of public service with the city of Fairfield.

Mr. De Lorenzo's career with Fairfield began when he was hired as the city's community services director in 1990. During his tenure, the Community Services Department was recognized with many State-wide, regional and national awards including two Helen Putnam Awards of Excellence from the League of California Cities.

In addition to his outstanding service in Fairfield, Mr. De Lorenzo has also served as both the president and the administrators' representative of the California Park and Recreation Society, District 1, and was a member of the Annual Conference Planning Committee for the California Park and Recreation Society. He has also served as a member of the League of California Cities Administrative Services Policy Committee, and also was a member of the Annual League Conference Planning Committee.

The honors and awards Mr. De Lorenzo helped bring the Fairfield Community Services Department and his involvement with the numerous committees he has served on over the years are a testament to his hard work and dedication to local concerns.

As John De Lorenzo retires from his position as the director of the Fairfield Community Services Department, I would like to thank him for his leadership and dedication to improving the quality of life for the residents of the city of Fairfield. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to engage in a colloquy with Chairman Frank. I want to thank Chairman Frank for his leadership and for crafting this very, very important bill.

I've been very proud to work on this issue with my colleagues-- subcommittee Chairwoman Waters, the head of our congressional delegation; Ms. Lofgren and Mr. Cardoza from a neighboring district of mine in California.

In California, we have among the highest rates of foreclosure in the country. Sixty-eight percent of the home sales in my district of Solano County are foreclosed properties. Home values in the Bay Area have fallen 40 percent since their peak in 2007. Further, thousands of my constituents owe more than their homes' values and have little incentive to stay in their homes.

I appreciate the efforts of the chairman and of the committee to work to direct a portion of the TARP funds to foreclosure mitigation. I thank you, Mr. Chairman, for including language in this bill that will address areas with high foreclosure rates.

For too long we have not addressed the root causes of this crisis. As we move forward with this legislation, I would like to continue to work with Chairman Frank and with the committee to help address the areas hardest hit by high foreclosure rates, declining home values, and rising unemployment. I believe it is important we address the crisis in these disaster areas.

I ask the chairman to help me provide relief to these victims. I yield to the chairman.

I want to thank Chairman Frank for recognizing that California has been particularly hard hit, and I look forward to working with him and with my other colleagues to ensure that Federal foreclosure mitigation efforts effectively address these areas that have been most affected by the economic crisis.

I urge everyone's support for the bill.

Madam Speaker, I am observing the violence unfolding in the Middle East with great concern. My constituents, like many across the nation, are horrified by the loss of life that is occurring on top of several decades of strife, and yearn for a solution that would bring stability to the region. I continue to believe that the United States has a central part to play and must return to an active and engaged role as mediator between Israel and the Palestinian people.

The solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is also a regional one, and it is high time that all countries in the neighborhood play an active role in supporting a two state solution.

The aspirations of the Palestinian people and of their Israeli neighbors will continue to be undermined if Iran and Syria continue to funnel support for terrorist groups who kill innocent civilians and challenge the aspirations of moderates.

Just like we in our country would and have responded to a terrorist attack on our soil, I fully support the right of Israel to defend its people against rockets launched by Hamas. Hamas has fired more than 6,300 rockets and mortars at Israeli population centers since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. No country can endure such actions. Hamas had an opportunity to govern the Gaza strip and work with Israel to meet the needs of the Palestinian people when Israel withdrew from Gaza in August 2005. Instead of renouncing its goal to eliminate the Israeli state and provide true leadership for the Palestinian people, Hamas chose violence and most recently broke the cease-fire which Egypt had brokered.

Fatah in the West Bank and Palestinian moderates have shown the way by growing the economy there. Moderates on both sides will find lasting solutions which must then be actively supported by our new administration, the region and our European allies. Until that time when all parties can return to the negotiating table, I urge Israel to keep its operation focused on its core goal of eliminating the military threat posed by Hamas while protecting the lives of civilians who must be Israel's partners in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise with the support of my colleague, the Hon. George Miller, in the House of Representatives to recognize Supervisor John F. Silva, as he retires after 53 years of public service with the County of Solano.

Supervisor Silva's career with Solano County began as a police officer in the Benicia in 1956. In 1978, he was appointed Benicia city manager. Following his time as city manager, he was elected to two terms as a city councilmember. Supervisor Silva was elected to the Solano County Board of Supervisors in 1997.

Supervisor Silva's outstanding service in Solano County also includes several achievements that significantly impacted the quality of life of the residents of Solano County. As supervisor, he was dedicated to representing his community and exemplified a strong work ethic. To address Solano County's escalating crime levels, he pushed hard for the successful development of a county-wide Gang and Drug Task Force. In addition, he was involved in the construction of the juvenile hall, the probation building, an award-winning new county administration center and parking facility.

One of Supervisor Silva's biggest achievements was his involvement in the program, Insure All Kids. Through the relentless fundraising efforts of supporters, the county was recognized by the State of California for achieving an astounding level of 96 percentile of health insurance for Solano County children.

The honors and awards Supervisor Silva has earned over the years are a testament to his hard work and dedication. This year, he has received the prestigious Circle for Service Award from the California State Association of Counties, as well as the Solano Transportation Authority's Outstanding Leadership in Transportation Award.

As Supervisor John Silva retires from his seat on the Solano County Board of Supervisors, I would like to thank him for his leadership and dedication to improving the quality of life for the residents of Solano County. I wish him and his wife Jan the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns on this legislative day, it adjourn to meet at 10 a.m. tomorrow; and further, that when the House adjourns on that legislative day, it adjourn to meet at 1 p.m. on Sunday, September 28.