Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, it is with profound sadness that I rise to honor the life of Thomas Steiner, a five year veteran of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). On April 21, 2004, he was the victim of a senseless hate crime committed in front of the Los Angeles County Municipal Court in the city of Pomona. As he was walking to his car following traffic court testimony, a 16-year-old ``wannabe'' gang member pulled his car in front of Mr. Steiner, stepped out and opened fire, killing the officer. The California State Senate will soon consider a bill that would rename the interchange of State Highways 60 and 71--Thomas's favorite region to patrol--in his honor.

Tom was born February 14, 1969, and spent his childhood in Virginia and Ohio, before his parents settled in Long Beach in 1984. He graduated from Millikan High School in Long Beach and then pursued several different majors at Cal Poly Pomona. When he heard that the CHP was looking for accounting majors, he chose to study accounting. Tom always had been both attentive to details and desirous of being in law enforcement. He was not a perfectionist. He was just particular. Even as a child playing pick-up baseball, he never allowed cheating. He also loved helping people. Tom knew that being a CHP officer was the right career for him.

Tom's passion was fatherhood. He loved his stepson Justin, whom he called J.T., and his son Bryan, with whom he would walk home from preschool every Friday afternoon, holding hands. He converted his garage into a pool hall, with walls adorned with old Sports Illustrated covers, for both boys to enjoy. Also on the garage wall was Tom's collection of shot glasses from the different cities his father, Ron, had visited during his many business trips. It was a reminder that his father had valued his son Tom, and that now Tom valued his sons.

Tom is survived by his wife Heidi who will now raise 5-year-old Bryan and 14-year-old Justin. He is also survived by his parents, Ron and Carol, and his sister Julie.

Our country owes a great debt of gratitude to Tom. He died doing the job he loved, a victim of perhaps the ultimate hate crime: the assassination of a law enforcement officer solely based on the victim's status in the community, the uniform worn and what it represented. I met his father and with fellow CHP officers at the dedication of a memorial worthy of Tom's commitment to the safety of others. Join me in wishing our sincere sympathy to his family. We and the entire law enforcement community, especially the California Highway Patrol, mourn for a lost brother. I ask that all of my colleagues join me to honor this fallen hero who has made the ultimate sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a constituent of mine, Gilbert Arenas Castillo on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

Like many immigrant-Americans, Mr. Castillo came to this country as a young adult seeking to fulfill his dream of a better life in a new land. His story is the classic immigrant tale of leaving the comforts of family and home behind in the adventurous and challenging pursuit of the American Dream.

In attaining his version of the American Dream, Mr. Castillo purchased a home and together with his devoted wife Delia Gutierrez Castillo raised a family of 6 children, 12 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren; became a United States citizen; exercised his civic duties including voting regularly; became a land lord; retired following a successful career; became a certified television technician; and recently earned his high school diploma--at the age of 79!

I can think of no better honor to salute Mr. Castillo's achievements on the occasion of his 80th birthday than to enter into the Congressional Record the story of his life as he wrote it on the recent occasion of his high school graduation.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my best wishes to Mr. Castillo and his family on his 80th birthday, and I hold him up as a model example of the American Dream come true.

Autobiography of Gilbert Castillo

I was born in Mexico City, Mexico on July 18, 1925. I had a

very difficult childhood. At the age of ten I began hearing

stories about the United States of America, the land of

promise. It was soon my dream to go to the United States. I

was told that there your dreams can be achieved.

In 1943, when I was 18 years old, I had the opportunity to

come to the United States as a contract worker. I came to

work in Texas at the Santa Fe Rail. I was one of many Mexican

Immigrants working for the railroad. It was hard work laying

rails down and the weather was unforgivable. It was either

extremely cold or extremely hot but nonetheless I fell in

love with this great country.. I was only able to work under

contract for six months then I had to return to Mexico.

A few months later I signed another contract to come back

to work in the U.S. I was working in the fields of Madera,

California as a field hand or as we were referred to back

then as a ``bracero''. I did this for six months.

For the next year and a half I worked in several different

restaurants as a bus boy. Those jobs took me from Sacramento

to San Francisco. They were very exciting times. I was happy

to be living in the U.S.A.

In 1946 I returned to Mexico. I spent the next two years in

Mexico dreaming of returning to this country. In 1948 I

returned to the United States.

I was working in a restaurant in 1949 when I met a

beautiful lady named Delia. We fell in love and got married.

We spent 52 years together. Delia was a wonderful wife and

mother. She was completely dedicated to the family. She

passed away in December of 2001 and is greatly missed. We had

a total of six children. Our eldest son Gilbert Jr. works for

Southern California Edison, Evelyn our eldest daughter works

for the County of San Bernardino County, and her husband

David is a CPA for the City of Redlands. Our two other

daughters Blanca Stella and Judith are both police officers

as is my son-in-law Rudy. Our son Victor works for U.S.

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard and was a member of the

1992 Presidential Electoral College, and our youngest son

Christopher works in the home construction industry.

In 1955 I started working for General Motors in South Gate

California. I worked there for 28 years assembling

automobiles. While I was working for G.M. I went to night

school and received a certificate in electronics. It took me

two years to complete that course, but at the end I was a

certified television technician. On my spare time I repaired

televisions, radios and stereos.

I became a U.S. citizen in 1976 and have exercised my

voting power ever since. My wife Delia also became a citizen

in 1995 and was also very proud to be an American.

In 2002 I decided to return to school and work towards

attaining my high school diploma. Going back to school has

been very beneficial for me. It has kept me busy, attending

five days a week. It has kept my brain sharp and eager to

learn more. It has also given me the opportunity to make new

friends. In fact, I met a wonderful lady named Josephine. She

is very special to me and we have become very close

companions.

My goal is to continue my education. I would also like to

learn a new trade. I'm looking in to a refrigeration course.

I will be eighty years old in July of this year, and I still

believe that you can achieve your dreams at any age. I love

this country and the opportunities it has given me. With a

little hard work and dedication you can accomplish anything

in this great country no matter how old you are. I am proud

to be an American. May God bless the United States of

America.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I rise also in opposition to the Paul amendment that is not cognizant of the fact that suicide is the third leading cause of death amongst youngsters. It would affect current funds used by States for mental health services and future planning to address this issue. It is a major medical concern, and this amendment does not provide for a solution.

This amendment must not pass because it is harmful not only to our youth but to our families, to our Nation, and would risk increasing the current statistics.

Mr. Chairman, on rollcall No. 256, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Amendment No. 21 Offered by Mr. Hostettler

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Asian Pacific Heritage Month and honor the Asian Pacific Americans who make such a positive impact in the state of California and my district.

California is home to more Asian Pacific Americans--4.6 million--than any other state and it has also seen the greatest increase in this population since 2000. In my congressional district, more than 76,000 Asian Pacific Americans contribute to the vibrancy and diversity of our communities. Their effect in the community has also been felt on an economic level, including the many thriving small businesses they run. It has also been felt on a spiritual level, as a number of Buddhist temples--including the nation's largest in Hacienda Heights--has helped raise cultural awareness throughout our communities.

Since the early 1800's, Asian and Pacific Americans have been crucial to the development of our country. They helped build our transcontinental railroads and have fought for our nation, beginning with the Civil War. While our country wrongly imprisoned many Asian Americans in internment camps during World War II, Japanese Americans and Filipinos valiantly fought for this country and our freedom and continue to do so today.

It took our country much too long a time to apologize and compensate the Asian Americans that were wronged. And it is shameful that the United States continues to fail Filipino veterans by not keeping our promise to give them full veteran's benefits for their service. I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 302, which would repeal the provisions that deny benefits for those who served our country, fought in the organized military forces of the Philippines and as Philippine Scouts in World War II.

As the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I have also seen the same type of barriers placed before our Asian and Pacific American brothers and sisters that have troubled my fellow Latinos. We are working with the Tri-Caucus--consisting of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus--to close the gap in affordable health care coverage and accessibility that continues to heavily impact all of our communities. Together in the last session of Congress, we cosponsored the Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act, H.R. 3459, and expect to reintroduce the bill in the coming weeks. So many issues, especially dealing with healthcare, small business assistance and education difficulties for bilingual students, affect both of our communities.

I am committed to reducing the inequities for all our minority populations. As we celebrate our nation's Asian Pacific heritage this month, be assured I will continue to work year round to ensure future generations have the tools and opportunities they need to thrive.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to Kevin Gano, who recently retired after more than 30 years of distinguished public service. His innovative approach to law enforcement has had a tremendous positive impact on the safety and gang presence in my hometown of Norwalk, California, for more than a decade and a half.

Kevin Gano entered the justice arena in 1973. Over the course of that decade in the California cities of West Covina and La Verne, he held a variety of positions as a uniformed officer ranging from patrol officer to major crimes investigator to field sergeant and watch commander. In 1987, he served as senior administrative assistant to the City Manager in Upland, California.

In 1989, Kevin was named Norwalk's first director of the Department of Public Safety. He immediately began working to combat a gang warfare problem that had gotten so bad that area schools had taken to conducting drive-by shooting drills during which students would practice taking cover under their desks. He introduced the ``Silver Bullet,'' an RV that was deployed to at-risk communities to establish a visible police presence in the areas of suspected gang or drug activity. He worked to hold parents of gang members responsible for the children's actions. He targeted taggers--gang members who sprayed graffiti around the community. He led the way as the first leaders in the area to push for a gang injunction that imposed curfews for gang members, prohibited them from communing together in public and carrying items that could be used as weapons. The measure imposed fines and jail time for offenders. He did all this knowing that he could eventually become a target of the gang members, and he was. In July 1994, one gang painted ``Gano 187'' on an alley wall, a reference to state's penal code for homicide.

His methods were so extraordinarily successful that in 1995, the FBI named Norwalk one of the 25 safest communities in the country, an honor it would receive for the next three years. Kevin was not complacent, even after crime, graffiti and truancy statistics fell dramatically in the city. He remained committed to combating the root of the problem. In 1995, he helped establish the Public Safety Cadet Youth Program that is still in place today. The program is aimed at giving youngsters leadership and problem-solving skills and a sense of responsibility while increasing their self-esteem through positive social interaction.

Kevin's public role was not limited to his work for the city. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors not only appointed him a commissioner and vice chair for the California Department of Children and Families but took portions of his program and implemented it in other areas around the State. California's governor appointed him to serve on the Metropolitan State Hospital Advisory Committee. And the State Department of Juvenile Justice tapped Kevin as an advisor on youth crime prevention and intervention strategies. His expertise in this area was so well recognized that he was called upon to write two bills that have since become State law. I am proud to say that I authored one of those bills, which have subpoena power to school truancy boards.

But it is Kevin's personal and behind-the-scenes approach that makes him more than a public servant. On an annual basis, he has unofficially adopted numerous Norwalk children and their families by providing them with basic essentials and resources they need to make it through their daily lives. He has always been willing to lend a hand and spend hours off the clock counseling or advising youngsters and parents alike.

Kevin stepped down from his position on April 15, 2005. The impact of his work will continue to endure in the city. You can see it just by walking around, an activity that was risky in sections of the city when he came to Norwalk 16 years ago. His legacy also manifests itself in the lives of children who are not only staying alive and away from gangs but making a positive impact on society. Not surprisingly, two of the children who have emulated his commitment to public service are his own: his son Kevin is a police officer in the City of Buena Park and his daughter Jeannette is a Recreation Supervisor with the City of Claremont. After 30 years dedicated to making his community safer, I know Kevin will enjoy the opportunity to spend more time with them and his wife of 34 years, Darlene. As a friend and a resident of Norwalk for more than 40 years, I thank him on behalf of my 38th Congressional District for all he has done to improve the lives of our community.

Mr. Speaker, I am sitting here listening to the information being disseminated in regards to small business.

I have been for many years a small business entrepreneur, if the Members will. I have sat on the committee for 6 years and have seen how the funding for some of the programs that are most helpful to minority business and other small business have dwindled and we have had to fight, especially for women-owned businesses. One year it was from 8 million, increased by 3 million to all of 11 million for the whole of the United States. Yet women-owned businesses were the biggest growing segment of new business in the United States.

So here we have areas that need help. The ability for some of our small business to grow, to be able to start up, grow, to be able to expand, to create the jobs. Small business is the recovery engine of our United States; and yet we are saying these are important things, that it does not really say anything about it, it just does not say anything about them to help them grow in these hard economic times that we are facing right now. When we are talking about the reimbursement of business license, that is a local issue. That is local government. It has nothing to do with the Federal Government. Those are reimbursement issues that procurement at the local level is handling. That has nothing to do with assistance in programs that will enable small business to be able to produce the jobs that we need to recover.

And, yes, there are a lot of other issues that I could bring up, but I stand here and cannot help but wonder why they are so adamantly opposed to add provisions in a bill this year that we can institute to be able to further along our engine of recovery through our small business assistance.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment establishes a diesel truck retrofit and fleet modernization program. It authorizes $200 million funding between 2006 and 2008.

This amendment is modeled after a very successful program which my colleagues and I initiated in 2001 through the gateway cities region. The gateway region is comprised of 27 cities throughout southern Los Angeles County, one of which has the highest pollution area in the State of California, that I and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) and other Members represent.

In 2000, the gateway region was identified in a study as having some of the highest levels of toxic exposure caused by diesel emissions in that whole region. As you know, 80 percent of the goods received at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are transported by trucks through our cities, and this traffic heavily impacts the region's infrastructure, the quality of life, and the health of the area's residents, particularly the young and vulnerable elderly.

Diesel engine emissions contain cancer-causing substances such as arsenic, benzene, et cetera, et cetera. I urge all of my colleagues to vote for the amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to Henrietta Villaescusa, who passed away at the age of 84 on March 6, 2005, in Tucson, Arizona. As we join her family and friends who mourn her loss, I would like to acknowledge Henrietta for her remarkable contributions to public health, the nursing profession and the Hispanic community.

Henrietta Villaescusa was a pioneering Latina at a time when Hispanic women were not widely represented in the nursing field. Henrietta served as the only Hispanic public health supervising nurse for the Los Angeles City Health Department. She later broke boundaries in the federal government as the first Hispanic nurse to serve as Health Administrator for the Health Services Administration and the first Mexican-American Chief Nurse Consultant in the Office of Maternal and Child Health. Henrietta eventually rose to the position of chief nurse of the Division of Maternal and Child Health, where she was responsible for all nursing aspects of the nation's maternal and children's health programs.

Henrietta's work was not limited to America. She helped improve health care in Latin America through her work at the Alliance for Progress, the President's Office of Community Development and the Agency for International Development.

Nor was her work limited by her retirement. After officially retiring in 1985, Henrietta was asked by the Surgeon General to help develop

the Hispanic Health Initiative. President Reagan's Health and Human Services Secretary appointed her to the Task Force on Minority Health to advocate for Hispanic health needs. Henrietta also edited the first Hispanic Health Bibliography, which highlighted Hispanic health research needs and the need to prepare more Hispanic health professionals to conduct such research.

Henrietta gave so much of herself to assist others. She mentored Hispanic leaders and shared her vision with the federal government, local community health programs in Los Angeles, and organizations including the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, the National Coalition of Hispanic Health and Human Services Organization and the Mexican American National Women's Association.

Her accomplishments as a Latina, nurse and activist for others less fortunate are truly extraordinary. She will be greatly missed by those whose lives she touched.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mrs. NAPOLITANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 135. This legislation, as explained by my colleague, would establish the 21st Century Water Policy Commission to study Federal, State, local and private water management programs in order to develop recommendations for a comprehensive national water strategy.

The objectives of H.R. 135 are not only worthwhile but a necessity for the country, and we appreciation the cooperation we have received from the sponsor of the bill. I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Madam Speaker, I could not agree more with the intent of the bill. I certainly hope it takes less than the 12 years it took to do the Southern California Water Study. We do have a time frame for this to happen. It is critical for us to recognize that all areas of our country have water needs, and we need to consolidate how we address them and be together with the suppliers so we can move ahead with a comprehensive plan.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mrs. NAPOLITANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Madam Speaker, the Lincoln National Forest land exchanges takes approximately 80 acres of forest land in the Lincoln National Forest and exchanges that for private land currently owned by Lubbock Christian University. I would hope that this is in perpetuity rather than to be put up for sale at some time in the future. This has been a very grave area for me.

Our committee worked hard in the 108th Congress to refine the language that would make this exchange fair to the American taxpayer. The bill we are considering today requires that the exchange be of equal value. If the land appraisers determine the parcels are not of equal value, the bill provides for equalization of values through cash payment.

We are aware that land exchanges can often be controversial and contrary to the public interest. However, in this case we have worked to ensure a fair deal which both improves the National Forest by consolidating land ownership and enables Lubbock Christian University to extend its summer camp.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mrs. NAPOLITANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Madam Speaker, as a general rule, when Congress transfers Federal lands into other hands, the United States taxpayers should be compensated for the fair market value of the lands being transferred. In this instance, however, the locations of these parcels as well as the fact that they are currently in use as local cemeteries, and I have no idea how long it has been used as cemeteries but I am assuming it has been a while, justify the making of these transfers free of charge. As a result, we will not oppose H.R. 541.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I certainly want to add my support of the bill. My understanding is there were 1.2 acres allocated to the same group back in 2000 and now this additional land. I realize it is minuscule, but certainly be it far from us to be in denial of a proper respect of those who are buried there in the unmarked graves. I concur and urge support.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mrs. NAPOLITANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Madam Speaker, we strongly support passage of H.R. 18 which will provide financial assistance for cleaning up contaminated drinking water supplies in the Santa Ana River watershed in Southern California. There have been many problems in Southern California as well as in other parts of the Nation that deal with perchlorate, and this is just but one of

them. We hope that we will be able to shed some light on how we can do a better job of assisting our communities in being able to put that water back to good use, and that is by working with the municipalities.

I commend the principal sponsor of H.R. 18, the gentleman from California (Mr. Baca), for his determination and hard work to get this legislation enacted. I also greatly appreciate the support and leadership demonstrated by the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) on this very critical and important matter.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to my friend and colleague from Southern California (Mr. Baca) who has been very, very adamant about getting this addressed.

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

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

We have heard my colleague indicate how important the cleanup of water is, and I would urge my colleague from Georgia (Mr. Linder), sponsor of H.R. 135, the Twenty-First Century Water Commission Act of 2005, to consider that as an issue because that is something that affects, like the gentleman stated, 40-some odd States that are beginning to understand the harshness of reality and that is that we have contaminated aquifers and water resources.

So, with that, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Baca) for bringing that to our attention. I do support the bill and hope my colleagues will do likewise.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 94, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 22, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''