Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, more than a year ago, the U.S. Department of Justice rescinded the Cole Memorandum, a directive that provided a framework for states to pursue the reasonable regulation of cannabis within their borders. The Department's ill-conceived decision adversely affects California and other states that in ``good faith'' implemented regulatory frameworks that relied on the memo.

In November 2016, the people of California spoke up and voted in favor of Proposition 64, which legalized recreational cannabis, joining the growing number of states in our nation that have legalized recreational cannabis.

To date, ten states have legalized recreational cannabis and more than 30 states--which represent more than half of the American population--permit some form of medical cannabis use. The repeal of the Cole Memo contravenes the will of the American public. Furthermore, this decision will negatively affect numerous Americans who utilize cannabis for medical purposes. We need to provide consumers, patients, businesses, and regulators with certainty.

Therefore, I am introducing the bipartisan Sensible Enforcement of Cannabis Act. This legislation will prohibit the Attorney General from prosecuting individuals for any conduct that concerns medicinal or recreational cannabis use in states in which it is legal, with narrow exceptions provided for the safety of the public.

Madam Speaker, I would like to take some time today to honor Steve Harris, an elected Trustee for the Centralia School District, who is retiring with honor and distinction, having been changing the lives of students and teachers for decades.

After graduating from California State University Long Beach, Steve brought his talents to teach some of the most academically and

socially challenged students in the region, he began his education career as a learning disability aid eventually becoming an elementary school teacher. When Steve saw a need, he acted, which is why he went back to school himself, where he earned a master's degree with Second Language acquisition so that he could bring a diverse language program to English language learners.

Steve Harris went beyond the classroom and began teaching teachers and developed the prototype for standard-based evaluations, including having served as Chair of the Los Angeles County Consortium for Peer Assistance and Review. Steve went on to become a program specialist for Title I schools and a teachers' union official, where he lobbied countless members of Congress and the California State Legislature on issues relating to advancing student achievement, including for meaningful changes to No Child Left Behind. Steve has been recognized by the President of the United States, legislators, and the countless students whose lives he has impacted.

After retiring as a teacher, Steve first ran for the Centralia School District board of trustees in 2014 on a platform focused on serving the entire child and their family, and won in one of the largest margins of victory in the District's history. As a Trustee, Steve championed serving children more meals after school and during the summer, expanding a local resource center, ensuring adequate raises to employees, bringing improvements to special education, and implementing a local hire agreement on bond construction projects.

Steve retires from the Board of Trustees ready to continue making a difference in his synagogue, neighborhood watch, and most importantly, with his three children. Steve's service will be missed, but his impact will continue.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Nguoi Viet Daily News, the first and largest daily newspaper published in Vietnamese in the United States, and its 40 years of success.

Nguoi Viet Daily News was initially established as a weekly four-page newspaper by Mr. Yen Ngoc Do in 1978. On December 15, 1978, the first issue was dated and printed in Mr. Do's garage. With his own savings, he was able to finance the press run of 2,000 copies and distributed them in San Diego, California. In 1985, the publication officially became ``Nguoi Viet Daily News'' and was relocated to Santa Ana. In 2004, Nguoi Viet Daily News became the only Vietnamese newspaper to be audited and certified by the Verified Audit Circulation.

Today, Nguoi Viet Daily News also publishes other editions including: Nguoi Viet North-East, Nguoi Viet Houston, Nguoi Viet San Francisco, and Nguoi Viet Utah. Having its headquarter located in Westminster, Orange County and two other locations in San Gabriel and Gardena, Los Angeles, where many Vietnamese Americans reside, Nguoi Viet Daily News produces an average of 13,736 copies per day and has 50-60 readers accessing its online news per day.

After four decades, Nguoi Viet Daily News remains the largest Vietnamese newspaper in the United States as it continues to make significant impacts on the Vietnamese American population overseas. On Nguoi Viet Daily News' 40th anniversary, it is with great pleasure that I commend Nguoi Viet Daily News for their devotion and contributions to the Vietnamese community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Western High School championship-winning football coach Dan Davidson on being named Orange County's Football Coach of the Year. Coach Davidson led the Western High School Pioneers to the first-ever CIF championship.

Coach Davidson built a winning team of hardworking young men--inner city kids, average athletes--and made them believe in themselves and hard work.

Do you know what? They won CIF this year in Orange County.

I want to congratulate Coach Davidson because not only did he create and build a football team of winners, but he also changed the lives of many students in central Orange County.

Coach Davidson, congratulations. All of us in Orange County are proud of you. Keep up the good work.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge the House to concur in the Senate amendments to H.R. 4227, the Vehicular Terrorism Prevention Act of 2017.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the Senate amendments to H.R. 4227. They are technical in nature and would enhance H.R. 4227, a bill to require the Department of Homeland Security to report to Congress on what it is doing to help emergency responders and private sector partners counter the threat of vehicular terrorism. It would also explain how DHS is using existing DHS programs like grants, information sharing, training, and research to help in this effort.

I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, as threats to our homeland continue to evolve and as violent extremists seek to exploit soft targets, the risks posed to our innocent bystanders from vehicular terrorism continues to grow. A vote today to concur with the Senate amendment to H.R. 4227 is a vote to bolster preparedness and response to these emerging threats.

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

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to address this body, and I demand that the Government of Vietnam respect human rights, religious freedom, and international law as it pertains to an American citizen, Michael Nguyen, who is being held without formal charges, under arrest in Vietnam.

This unjust imprisonment raises issues, especially since he has never broken the law in the United States. He is a loving father, member of the local church, business owner, and model American citizen.

Yet, when he was traveling to Vietnam to visit his elderly relatives, he was arrested. Why? We don't know. Apparently, he has been arrested for ``activity against the people's government,'' yet we don't know the circumstances or the reasoning.

We ask one very simple thing from the Government of Vietnam: to play by the rules, respect human rights, respect religious freedom, and release Mr. Michael Nguyen, an American citizen who is being detained without formal charges.

Mr. Speaker, I urge that he be safely released and that he be returned to his family in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the distinguished career of the Honorable City of Orange Mayor Teresa ``Tita'' Smith, who is a lifelong resident of her hometown: Orange, California. Mayor Smith is an experienced community leader who began her service to the community in 1986 when she founded the Old Towne Preservation Association (OTPA), which works to preserve the historic neighborhoods in the City of Orange. Mayor Smith has been recognized twice by OTPA, winning the Spirit of Old Towne Award in 2000 and Volunteer of the Year in 2006.

Her involvement in the City of Orange continued when she was appointed to the Orange Centennial Committee in 1988, the East Orange Advisory Committee in 1990, and served

as the chairperson of the Planning Commission in 1992.

Mayor Smith's commitment to the City of Orange is evident by the thousands of hours she has given to the community. She is the Founding President of the Pitcher Park Community Foundation, served on the Orange Planning Commission for over ten years, dedicated 33 years to volunteering at the Orange International Street Fair, and has served on the Young Women's Christian Association Advisory Board; a program dedicated to empowering women and young girls on an economic and social level.

Other deserved awards of Mayor Smith are the 2009 Commerce Award from the Orange Chamber of Commerce and the William T. Glassell Award from the Orange Community Historical Society in 2011.

Her passion and love for Orange lead her to serve on the Orange City Council in 2004, as Mayor Pro Tem from January 2009 to February 2012, and Mayor from 2012 to 2018.

Mayor Smith will be dearly missed as she completes her term on the Orange City Council as Mayor on Tuesday, December 11, 2018. Her heart belongs to the City of Orange and I thank her for her dedicated service throughout the years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the House amendment to

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Western High School Pioneers on their first-ever CIF football championship.

Since Western High School opened its doors in 1955, the Pioneers have never won this coveted prize. Now, 63 years later, Coach Dan Davidson put together a very talented team that finally won CIF.

Having grown up in Anaheim, I have seen many, many talented Western High School football teams come and go, but I have to tell Coach Davidson: Congratulations. Job well done.

Again, congratulations to the Pioneers, to the parents, and to the student body: Job well done. Congratulations. We are all proud of you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mr. Bui Binh Ban, a well-respected leader who has made significant impacts on the Vietnamese community in Orange County, California.

Mr. Bui Binh Ban was born in 1937, in Nam Dinh, Vietnam. In 1954, he migrated to the South of Vietnam and continued his higher education. In 1958, he graduated and became an agricultural engineering professor training many engineers and officers in the field of agriculture in the South of Vietnam.

Mr. Bui left Vietnam and settled in Southern California where he dedicated his life to the Vietnamese community here. He served as the President of the Vietnamese American Federation Association of Southern California for two consecutive terms (1994 to 1998). In 2002, he established the Federation of Overseas Free Vietnamese Communities Television, FreeVN.Net, to livestream Vietnamese community events without accepting any compensation, advertisement or staff offers. His recordings are particularly valuable to not only the Vietnamese community, but other Vietnamese media. In 2010, he became the Advisor for the Institute of Vietnamese Studies and has been in this position until today.

Mr. Bui has lived blissfully for 81 years. His passing is a tremendous loss to the Vietnamese community in Orange County. In memory of his passing, I'd like to take this moment to recognize his contributions, dedication, and continuous efforts in preserving and developing the Vietnamese history, culture, activities, and most importantly, community in Orange County. He will always be remembered as a kind, devoted, and prominent Vietnamese community leader.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the services and contributions the Family Caregiver Resource Center (FCRC) offers to the Family Caregivers in Orange County.

The FCRC is a non-profit organization, established in 1988 to assist family caregivers who care for adults over sixty who are frail or adults age 18 and older with brain impairing conditions.

The FCRC aids through various multicultural services which include family consultation, assessment and care planning, counseling, support groups, respite assistance, and education. In fact, in 1997, the FCRC started the first Vietnamese service program in the United Sates to ensure that the Vietnamese community in Orange County receive the services they need in their language.

The continuous devotion to serve the Family Caregivers and their families have earned the FCRC many awards such as Community Partner of the year from National Multiple Sclerosis Society Pacific South Coast Chapter in 2016, the Innovations in Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving Legacy Award in 2014 at the National Center on Aging, and the Diverse/ Multicultural Communities Award and Legacy Award from CSUF Institute Gerontology in 2008.

While I join you all to recognize family caregivers across the country on the National Caregiver Month, it is with great pleasure that I recognize the Family Caregiver Resource Center for its contributions, dedication, and efforts to help vulnerable caregiver families in Orange County.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the work of Latino Health Access, a community organization that has been devoted to helping underserved communities in Santa Ana for the past 25 years. Over this time, Latino Health Access has become an important pillar of the community by working to fulfill their mission of providing culturally appropriate health programming and civic engagement resources. This work has been invaluable to the city of Santa Ana as many of the individuals served by their programs may otherwise not have had the ability to get the care they needed.

Latino Health Access' ``Promotores Program'' is a shining example of the level of community engagement for which they have become known. Santa Ana residents have built lasting meaningful relationships with staff and volunteers from Latino Health Access through this program. By making themselves available in supermarkets, churches, and other community areas, the Promotores have made the mission of creating healthier communities a reality. This allows Santa Ana residents to receive comprehensive health care ranging from senior care to weight management, and everything in between.

Futhermore, Latino Health Access has worked diligently to provide Santa Ana residents with the tools and training to become more active participants in their communities and local governments. They have given these underserved individuals a chance to advocate for the needs of their communities and ensure that their voices are heard. This work has led to tangible results as Latino Health Access has played a critical role in bringing the only park and community center to the 92701 ZIP Code; thereby highlighting the importance open spaces play in the overall health and mental well-being of a community.

As they approach their 25th Anniversary, I congratulate them on reaching this milestone and wish them the best of luck on the next 25 years and beyond.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, in 2016, there were nearly 45,000 suicides nationwide, making it the tenth-leading cause of death.

Tragically, among teenagers and young adults, the suicide rate is particularly alarming, with suicide the second-leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 24.

For people experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Crisis Text Line provide free and confidential round-the-clock support. Many colleges and universities also offer mental health resources on campus.

To raise awareness of these available resources, my legislation simply requires colleges and universities to provide the contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline; Crisis Text Line; and a campus mental health center, if applicable, on student identification cards. For colleges and universities that do not provide identification cards to their students, schools must ensure that the information is available on their website.

Suicide is a major public health problem. Providing information on existing suicide prevention resources can help students experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress and potentially save lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mauro Calderon for his dedication and passion in sharing Mexican cultural traditions with the world. Mr. Calderon has done this through a voluminous body of musical and artistic work that transcends genres and touches the lives of people all over the world. Twenty years of traversing the globe has gifted Mr. Calderon with unique experiences and insights that leave an indelible imprint on his music which resonates with all those who have the pleasure of listening.

Though his career has taken him far, Mr. Calderon has never forgotten those who have

come before him and offered him instruction and advice when he was just beginning his lifelong journey in music back in 1983. Now 35 years later, Mr. Calderon has taken those lessons and turned them into a successful musical career working with renowned artists and being recognized with numerous awards along the way. One such award that was especially fitting was his recognition as ``Ambassador of Mexican Music in the World'' after a successful tour in Japan.

I know the impact music has in solidifying cultural identity--by bridging generational gaps and expressing a community--and Mr. Calderon has worked effortlessly to enshrine the Mexican cultural identity in song. For this reason, I am honored to recognize the accomplishments and career of Mauro Calderon.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the accomplished career of Chief Jack Thomas. Born and raised in Southern California, it was here where Chief Thomas began his career, first serving as an Explorer for the Orange City Fire Department. In 1988, he was hired as a Firefighter and then two years later assigned to the position of Firefighter-Paramedic. It was through his great leadership and zeal that Chief Thomas would go on to assume various leadership positions with the Orange City Fire Department: Fire Captain, Administrative Captain, and Battalion Chief to name a few.

Chief Thomas demonstrated heroism by deploying out with his team, California Task Force 5, to New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He is a brave and fearless man and has directed the actions of other fire engine companies during numerous wildland fires throughout California. Chief Thomas has been a hero to his city and community. He has been rightfully awarded the County Board of Supervisors' Courage Under Fire Award, the Orange County Fire Authority's Special Operations Citation for deployment to the Gulf Coast Hurricanes, and the Orange Rotary Manager of the Year.

Chief Thomas also serves as husband, father, and grandfather. He still resides in Southern California with his wife Lesa, their children, and grandchildren: I wish Chief Thomas all the best as he retires from a storied career with Orange City Fire Department. I thank Chief Thomas for his service.