Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Police Chief Steve Sweeney, who is retiring this month after nearly 30 years of service to the City of Livermore. Chief Sweeney has served his community with excellence and has executed his role as a public servant with professionalism, fairness, and integrity since he joined the Livermore Police Department in 1984. Under his leadership, the department has remained fiscally stable and has maintained vital partnerships with outside agencies, schools, and community groups.

As a former prosecutor, I understand the importance of cultivating the public's trust and assistance in ensuring our communities remain safe places to live and work. Chief Sweeney's work has exemplified this model of service, as he has stressed accessibility and community outreach throughout his tenure. For example, he has overseen the expansion of the Livermore Police Department's Citizen's Academy, Youth Academy, and Neighborhood Watch programs.

Chief Sweeney graduated from Cal State University, East Bay before becoming a patrol officer and member of the SWAT team of Livermore in 1984. He steadily climbed the ranks and served as a detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and captain before becoming chief of the department in 2007. Chief Sweeney played a key role in the merging of the Pleasanton and Livermore SWAT teams in 2011, which resulted in the formation of the new East County Tactical Team. Even after several years of budget cuts, Chief Sweeney's skilled management and leadership enabled the Livermore Police Department to hire seven new officers this past January and restore the department's Drug and Gang Task Force.

I want to thank Chief Sweeney for his decades of public service to Livermore and for helping to keep the East Bay a great place to live, work, and visit. After his retirement, he plans on staying in the town he has served for so many years and looks forward to spending time with his wife and three children. I wish him the best of luck as he begins this new chapter of his life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and recognize Dr. Hope Michelsen of Livermore and Alice Deng of Pleasanton for their recent induction into the Alameda County Women's Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding women in our area and their contributions to our community and Nation. Dr. Michelsen is being honored in the category of science, and she is a leader and trailblazer at Sandia National Laboratory in my district. She is a combustion and atmospheric chemist at Sandia National Lab and a lead researcher on several projects related to energy and climate change.

Alice is being inducted to the Hall of Fame in the youth category. A student at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, Alice demonstrates leadership well beyond her years. She is the cofounder of an organization that helps young people overcome their fear of public speaking and an active volunteer with the Tri-Valley Eden Township Youth Community Court.

It's fitting that these extraordinary women are being honored in March, which is Women's History Month. I'm very proud to have both Alice and Dr. Michelsen in my district. Their hard work continues to move our district forward.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my friend, Mr. Rob White, for his contributions to the innovation community of the Bay Area. Rob recently announced that he is stepping down as CEO of the iGate Innovation Hub and as Director of Economic Development for the City of Livermore, California. As cofounder of the iGate hub, Rob was instrumental in establishing a broad regional partnership that is helping leverage public investments at the Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories into economic development that benefits the growth of small businesses focused on bringing new green energy technologies to market.

Just last year, the White House named Rob a Champion of Change for Local Innovation, acknowledging him as ``a thought leader in government led collaborative networks, public policy assessment in support of entrepreneurship, and economic development frameworks that focus on technology growth and innovation.'' Under Rob's leadership, iGate received an award for Regional Collaboration from the International Economic Development Council, the Thomas H. Muehlenbeck Award for Excellence in Local Government from the Alliance for Innovation; and the Outstanding Partnership Award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium, Far West Region.

Rob has worked for more than two decades in researching, assessing, and developing the ecosystem for regional innovation networks. His tireless support of small businesses, focusing on green transportation and clean-energy technologies, is already helping transform the economic climate in the Tr-Valley area and the region at large.

On a more personal note, Mr. Speaker, Rob has played a vital role in assisting me in the development of my economic policy and strategy. I was honored when he agreed to serve on my Economic Development Advisory Committee and I have learned a great deal from him. I want to thank Rob for his contributions to the East Bay. I wish him the best of luck as he begins this new chapter of his life.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the Hayward Education Foundation, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. This organization was founded by Hayward school teacher Elaine Adams in 1983. This nonprofit grants money to Hayward school teachers with creative ideas to inspire and enrich their educational experience.

In 2012, grants were given to the butterfly garden at Longwood Elementary, a solar cell car at Bret Harte Middle School, and a college motivation program at Hayward High School. In its 30-year history, the foundation has given out over $1 million.

I want to acknowledge the board of directors: Dianne McDermott, Pastor Chuck Horner, Rick Bartholomew, Peter Bufete, Paul Hodges and Penny Hodges, Guy Sandoval, Bruce Roberts, Maria Servin, Andrea Pa- Shote, Don Evans and Bill Liu.

Hayward's motto is the ``Heart of the Bay,'' but it is the heart and mind and forward thinking of these individuals that really enriches Hayward and makes it such a special place to live.

So I want to congratulate them on their 30th anniversary and wish them well in their next 30 years.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the sacrifice and selfless service of Marine Sergeant Zachary George, who was born and raised in San Ramon, California. He and I even went to the same elementary school.

Sergeant George was wounded in Afghanistan on February 4 while honorably serving on his third tour of duty abroad. Last Tuesday, March 5, President Obama awarded Sergeant George the Purple Heart for his heroic efforts.

Last week, I had the honor of meeting Sergeant George at Walter Reed National Medical Center. His perseverance and positive outlook inspired me and should serve as an example to us all.

I thank Sergeant George for his brave actions, and I congratulate him on the prestigious achievement of a Purple Heart. His courage in combat and his honor to our country, our community, and the 15th District should forever be remembered.

Sergeant George exemplifies the Marine Corps' values of honor, courage, and commitment every day. His selfless service reminds us that, as a Nation, we must pledge that when our troops return home we leave no servicemember behind.

Along with Sergeant George's fellow marines and servicemembers, I sincerely thank Sergeant George's family for their sacrifice and service to our country. I wish Sergeant George a speedy recovery in North Carolina, where he resides with his wife and infant daughter.

Preventing violence against women means preventing violence against all women, especially those from the LGBT community, especially those from the immigrant community, and I'm here to support the bipartisan Senate bill that was passed and to oppose the House amendment.

I was a prosecutor in Alameda County for 7 years. I worked day in and day out with women who came in as violence victims, people who had been battered. And it's only because of the Violence Against Women funding that we had in our office that allowed our victim advocates to provide them with the emotional and physical services that they needed that we could even begin to put them on the track of healing. Only because of this funding.

So right now it is incumbent upon us to make sure that this funding is available, as we move forward, to all women--all women. Violence against all women must be protected against, and we must have funding that shows that we will go aggressively after their abusers and support our law enforcement and their efforts to do that.

Today's bipartisan bill gives us an opportunity to show that this House can do big things when we work together.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong disappointment in the House Republican leadership in committing such legislative malpractice by failing to do anything about automatic spending cuts that will happen this Friday.

Here we are on the brink of another economic disaster manufactured by Washington, and, just as before, this crisis will have real consequences to real people. In my district alone, schools will lose $11 million in Federal funding. California will be losing $87.6 million in funding for primary and secondary schools. Fewer students will be learning and more teachers will be out of work.

There's a rational way to approach balancing the people's budget, and this is not it. We can cut foolish spending without foolishly cutting spending.

H.R. 699, of which I'm a cosponsor, would replace this meat-cleaver method of budgeting with a balanced approach. It would include additional revenue from multimillionaires and smart cuts for unnecessary spending.

We might not agree on what the right way to cut spending is, but we also should agree that using broad, indiscriminate cuts is the wrong way to cut spending. Let's come together to pass legislation to avert these cuts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Dr. Richard H. Stulen, vice president of Sandia National Laboratories' California laboratory and the Energy, Climate, and Infrastructure Security Mission based in Livermore, California. Dr. Stulen, who recently retired after 36 years of service, spent his career helping to make critical advances in areas of scientific research crucial to our nation's interest and security. Under Dr. Stulen's leadership, Sandia National Laboratory in Livermore has been tasked with conducting research aimed at ensuring the stewardship of our nation's nuclear weapons, defending the homeland against weapons of mass destruction, and has engaged in hydrogen fuel cell research that has the potential to revolutionize how our nation's transportation system is powered.

Dr. Stulen joined Sandia National Laboratories in 1976, and during his tenure at Sandia Dr. Stulen has played a critical role in the evolution of the research landscape in the Bay Area. In the early 1990s, Dr. Stulen helped initiate one of Sandia's first cooperative- research-and-development agreements (CRADAs) under the Department of Energy's Technology Transfer Initiative. This CRADA led to the formation of the Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) Program and an industry-funded $300 million, three-lab CRADA with Lawrence Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley national laboratories. This consortium agreement between the three Bay Area national laboratories helped spur further innovation and growth in these research fields within our region.

Before serving in his current role, Dr. Stulen served as Sandia National Laboratories' chief technology officer, as well as chief scientist for Sandia's Nuclear Weapons Program. Dr. Stulen's extensive contributions to science were honored with Lockheed Martin's prestigious NOVA award for Technical Excellence in 1999.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Stulen has provided outstanding leadership in a variety of research fields that are incredibly important to our national security. I am honored to recognize his decades of leadership in service to Sandia National Laboratories, the research landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area, and to the nation at-large. I wish him the best of luck as he begins this new chapter of his life.

I rise today to congratulate the New Haven Unified School District in Union City in the 15th Congressional District for being named one of 16 nationwide winners in the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top grant program. The district will receive over $29 million in funding, which will provide training and equipment to support the outstanding students, teachers, and staff of New Haven Unified.

This is a tremendous achievement, and I am proud of the school's superintendent, Kari McVeigh, and school board members Linda Canlas, Jonas Dino, Michael Ritchie, Sarabjit Cheema, and Michelle Matthews, who had the good sense and worked hard to apply for this competitive grant. I know the 13,000 students from New Haven Unified will benefit from the technology and educational improvements in their schools.

In Union City, this critical funding will help to expand after-school programs, student support, and access to health care for the most vulnerable students, and will provide teachers with the training and techniques needed to improve our classrooms.

I am proud to represent New Haven Unified, Union City, students, educators, and administrators, and look forward to hearing of their many successes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of Mr. John Wilma of Hayward, California, who passed away on January 25th. John was known as a tremendous family man, a business and community leader, and was a friend

to countless individuals that he touched through his service to the people of the East Bay.

John was an active member of our community, serving in several local community groups. He was a proud member of the Hayward Rotary Club for 32 years and served as its president from 2002-2003. In 2005, John was honored as Outstanding Hayward Rotarian of the Year. John also was a member of the boards of the Hayward Chamber of Commerce, the Alameda County Fair, and the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Association.

John operated his small business in Hayward, alongside his beloved wife Robin, since 1976. He always was willing to donate his professional time to many, including the motorcycle units of the Hayward Police Department and the Alameda County Sherriff s Office. For his outstanding business practices, John was honored with the Hayward Chamber of Commerce's Inaugural Businessperson of the Year Award in 1989.

John always lived his life by the Rotary International motto of ``Service Above Self.'' A few years ago, John and his family helped start The Dictionary Project, wherein local Rotarians would visit each third grade classroom in Hayward and provide these students with a dictionary to assist them with learning, reading, and academic advancement. This is but one example of John's dedicated service through which he touched and improved the lives of so many of those around him.

John is survived by his wife of 43 years Robin Wilma, daughter Lieutenant Colonel Alisa R. Wilma, brother Charles Wilma, sister-in-law Cindy Wheeler, and brother-in-law Christopher de St. Croix. I am honored to be paying tribute to John today. His tireless efforts and generosity in service to the East Bay community will be missed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Family and Medical Leave Act, FMLA. After years of hearing talk about family values, it took President Clinton and the 103rd Congress to adopt policies like FMLA that actually value families.

As many people know, FMLA allows up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year due to an employee's own illness, to take care of a sick family member, or to be with a new child. For 20 years, this law has recognized the needs of hardworking families, particularly working women who often are heroically trying to balance their job and their role as primary caregiver.

The latest data from the Department of Labor demonstrate the importance of FMLA. In 2011, over 14 million workers took leave under the Act. And this leave is not disruptive to employers, with 40 percent of workers being away from the job for 10 days or fewer.

I know workers around the country are grateful for the protections of FMLA. Now over 20 years they have felt confident they could take time off as needed without fear of losing their job to care for themselves or their family.

As we debate the fiscal and budgetary issues of the day, I hope FMLA serves as a reminder that we can and should be valuing families, not just in our words, but in our deeds as well.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute the great work done by the Alameda County Family Justice Center, a nonprofit organization in California's East Bay, which represents my district.

I was an Alameda County prosecutor, and it was during my tenure that the Justice Center was founded by my former boss, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley. Prior to its existence, people in my area subjected to domestic violence, human trafficking, or sexual assault had to navigate a complicated bureaucracy and go to many different places to obtain much-needed services.

The Justice Center changed that by coordinating and centralizing critical programs in just one place. It operates as a one-place location for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking, offering services like counseling, job training, and housing. Those suffering at the hands of abusers now have a place to rest, recover, and restore their lives.

As a prosecutor, I saw the horrible damage that these crimes cause, and I am grateful that the traumatized victims of the East Bay have the Justice Center to which they can turn.

In a few days it's holding its sixth annual fundraising gala called One. I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone involved good luck with the event and continued success in helping all victims of the East Bay.

Article IV, section 1:

``Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.''

Article IV, section 2:

``The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States.

``A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice and be found in another State, shall on demand of the executive authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having jurisdiction of the crime.''