Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Chief James Vincent Tasa for his 32 years of service with the Pacifica Police Department. Chief Tasa has been an exemplary leader and confidant for his colleagues and the residents of Pacifica.

Chief Tasa first joined the Pacifica Police Department as an officer in 1982. Ten years later he was promoted to the rank of Police Sergeant and in 2002 he was promoted to the rank of Police Captain. He successfully completed the POST California Law Enforcement Command College in 2007 and in 2011 he was promoted to his current position as Pacifica's Chief of Police. Though he officially retired in February of this year, he continued to serve as Chief until now to allow the City of Pacifica time to search for his replacement.

Chief Tasa has received numerous awards for his exemplary work as a law enforcement officer, including the Police Officer of the Year Award by the San Mateo County Trial Lawyers Association, the Captain's Award, and countless commendations from the community, citizens and law enforcement professionals.

Chief Tasa has approached every aspect of his work with professionalism, integrity and a refreshing sense of optimism and humor. He has earned the respect and admiration of his fellow officers and residents. I've had the honor to work with Jim over the last three years to combat human trafficking in San Mateo County. His work and collaboration with all other chiefs of police have been essential to find cures for this epidemic of modern day slavery.

During his three decades with the police department, Jim has witnessed many memorable moments. One of them is without a doubt the afternoon of August 19, 2011. He accompanied Mayor Mary Ann Nihart and other city officials on a mayor's walk on Palmetto Avenue to meet local business owners. Towards the end of the walk, they opened the door of a ``flower shop'' and were met by an unmistakable aroma--the flower shop was a medical marijuana dispensary. Jim had to deliver the bad news to the owner that he had a false license and therefore needed to shut his flower shop.

Jim is married to Susan Kae Tasa and they have two sons, Nick and Ryan.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring Jim Tasa for his outstanding service keeping the residents of Pacifica safe. His leadership and warmth will be remembered long after he moves on to the next chapter of his life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lily Ring Balian, an extraordinary American who has been active in business and civic affairs for more than 35 years. Today Lily Ring Balian will be honored by the Los Angeles Affiliate of the Armenian International Women's Association upon the occasion of her receipt of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Recipients of this prestigious award exemplify outstanding professional and personal accomplishments while also preserving the richness of their heritage. Ms. Balian justly deserves this award.

From 1981 to 1997, Lily was the Corporate Director of Civic Affairs and Public Affairs for Northrop Grumman Corporation. Northrop Grumman is a major employer in California, and Lily was an outstanding advocate on behalf of this important company and its thousands of employees.

In public life, she served as the Executive Assistant for District Attorney, later California Attorney General, Evelle J. Younger, from 1964 through 1979. In 1980, she was offered positions in the administration of President-elect Ronald Reagan, but Lily turned down these opportunities to return to her family in California. Recognizing a talented individual and realizing that she could make a contribution to our nation, President Reagan appointed Lily to the National Advisory Council on Adult Education, a position that allowed her to advise the administration and Congress from the vantage point of an employer that regularly needed outstanding employees to maintain its national operations.

Lily's superb talents were also recognized by others. For example, California Governor Pete Wilson appointed her to the California Commission on the Status of Women, where she served for six years, and was Chair from 1994 to 1996. The commission advises the Governor and Legislature on issues such as economic equity, education equity, health access, and violence against women. In 1995, she represented the commission in Beijing at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women.

Lily is legendary for her energy and community involvement. She not only managed a challenging career in private industry, but she has led a decades-long effort supporting the Armenian community. She served as Chair of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America from 1985 to 2005, and she was elected to the Diocesan Council in 2006 and re-elected in 2008, serving as its Secretary. She was a member of the Cathedral Fund Raising Committee, a member of the Zorayan Museum Committee and of the Annual Christmas Ball Committee. As a longtime member of St. James Armenian Church of Los Angeles, she is a member of the St. James Ladies Society and currently serves as Chair of her Parish Council.

I am proud of my Armenian heritage, and proud that we have women like Lily to promote an understanding of America's cultural diversity, in part by supporting community-wide efforts encompassing Americans of all backgrounds. Lily has volunteered for the KCET Women's Council and is currently on the Board of Directors of this station. She has been a member of the Braille Institute Auxiliary Board from 2011 to the present. At the University of Southern California, she is currently President of the Friends of Armenian Music.

In recognition of her support of the church, Lily was awarded the Gontag and St. Nerses Shnorhali Medal from His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and received the Archbishop's Award from Archbishop Derderian in May 2006.

I am proud to call Lily a friend and have long appreciated her devotion to others, her selfless and daily endeavors to build America through mutual understanding and tolerance, and her sense of warmth, humor and generosity. The experience of America is that of an immigrant nation blending the cultures of hundreds of geographic origins into the land that we know as the United States of America. Lily, through her goodwill, her wisdom, and her always-present smile, is a superb example of why America thrives. We know that the future of this nation is bright when we have engaged the energies of millions of Americans in the common endeavor of bringing peace and prosperity to every new dawn across this land. Lily is one of those persons who rivals the sun in its energy, and she is therefore appropriately being recognized today for her extraordinary accomplishments that benefit every American.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Lily on her lifetime contributions to our great land.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Michael J. Massoni who is retiring as Police Chief after 35 years of outstanding service at the South San Francisco Police Department. Mike is an exceptional law enforcement officer and human being and I have had the great privilege of working closely with him to combat human trafficking in San Mateo County.

Mike started as a police officer in August 1979, was promoted to police corporal in 1983 and to police sergeant in 1988. In his four years in that capacity, he served as traffic and planning liaison sergeant, acting commander of the investigations division, and acting watch commander and in the patrol and criminal investigation divisions. In 2001, Mike became police lieutenant and served as patrol watch commander and training manager. Three years later he rose to police captain and was the commander of the operations and services divisions. And finally in May of 2009, he rose to the top of the department and became Police Chief. Over the course of three decades, Mike has served on the San Mateo County Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Association, the San Mateo County Commanders Association, the San Mateo County Training Managers Association, the Police Athletic League and the Police Association--on most of them as president. As if that wasn't enough responsibility, he agreed to also serve as the Public Safety Chief this last year. What that really means is that he served as both Police and Fire Chief.

You will never hear Mike complain. He just gets the work done quietly, and with a smile on his face. However, I have heard him say over the last few months leading up to his retirement that he is looking forward to relaxing and spending time with his wife Lexann who has lots of plans for him.

Mike was born in South San Francisco in 1955 and attended South San Francisco High School. He received his Associates of Art in Administration of Justice from the College of San Mateo in 1975. He continued his education at Notre Dame De Namur University where he earned his Bachelors of Sciences in Human Services in 2001 and his Masters of Public Administration in 2004.

Mike has completed a long list of professional classes and certificates, including the Supervisory Leadership Institute, Executive Development and the Role of the Police Chief. He also served on several regional committees such as the North San Mateo County Gang Task Force, the San Mateo County Commanders Subpoena Process Revisions Committee and the San Mateo County Human Trafficking Committee, which Mike and I cofounded in 2012. He was an incredible partner in taking on an issue that nobody in San Mateo County law enforcement knew existed. Human trafficking on the San Francisco Peninsula is indeed a serious problem because of high demand and an infrastructure that easily supports it with freeways, an airport and a large number of hotels. We brought together law enforcement on the local, state and federal level to combat this modern version of slavery. Mike took the lead in developing and implementing the San Mateo County Human Trafficking Protocol for Law Enforcement which lays out in detail how to best deal with trafficking cases. The protocol should serve as a model for communities across the country and the world.

Mike's thoughtful approach to law enforcement has been appreciated and published on many occasions. He is a prolific writer. One of his articles was published in the FBI Law Enforcement Journal and the South San Francisco Municipal Code includes several of his city staff reports on issues such as regulating adult related businesses, side shows, curfew violations and commercial alarms.

His dedication and work have been noticed and recognized throughout his career; he was awarded a Certificate of Commendation in 1981, the South San Francisco Police Department Chief's award in 1995 and the South San Francisco High School Community Service Award in 2007.

Mike firmly believes in giving back to the community, so in addition to his job obligations, he volunteers as a guest lecturer and advisory committee member at Notre Dame de Namur University, and is a member of the South San Francisco Rotary Club, a member of the Sitike Counseling Center and co-chair of the Interact Club for South San Francisco High School. He also participated in the annual Senior Citizens Breakfast, Tip-A-Cop and Day in the Park events organized by the police department for the community.

As mentioned earlier, Mike's wife of 32 years, Lexann McKay Massoni, will be his travel and social manager in his retirement. He will no doubt enjoy spending extra time with their two children, Heather and Steven, and watching San Francisco Giants games.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House of Representatives rise with me to honor the long and meaningful law enforcement career of South San Francisco Police Chief Mike Massoni whom I'm proud to call a friend and colleague. He has touched and saved countless lives and leaves behind giant shoes to fill. Mike will be deeply missed, but his impact on our community will be felt for years to come. He will no doubt go down as one of the finest police chiefs to serve in the history of San Mateo County.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Jerry Deal who is retiring after serving for eight years on the Burlingame City Council, the last four as Vice Mayor, and for 13 years on the Planning Commission, three times as the Chair. His work on the Planning Commission earned him the nickname ``Father of Design Review.'' Jerry's commitment to his beloved home community and public service has benefitted the city of Burlingame and the quality of life of its residents.

As an architect, Jerry has used his training and skills to inform many of his public policy decisions. He was instrumental in the transformation of Burlingame Avenue and the building of the new Safeway, roof garden, pocket park and retail and office spaces. As a business owner himself and a member of the Burlingame Economic Development Committee, Jerry helped foster a business-friendly environment. His pragmatism and humor, essential to any good architect, have allowed him to be effective in leading the public and his colleagues.

Due in part to Jerry's leadership, the library was saved and Burlingame still maintains its own police department. Jerry is also a tireless advocate for children, promoting and protecting our schools and developing additional recreational fields.

Jerry's passion for community service began with a seat on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Repertory Company, and as a board member of the free Shakespeare in the Park festival. During his time on the Burlingame City Council he was involved in a long list of issues and committees. In addition to the already-mentioned Economic Development Committee, Jerry served as a liaison between the city and the Burlingame Chamber of Commerce. He has one of the better attendance records at Chamber functions, and he listened closely when the Chamber made important suggestions to improve the quality of life in Burlingame. He was also a member of the Fire Advanced Life Support (ALS) Joint Powers Authority, a public--private partnership launched in 1977 to provide improved emergency medical care to Burlingame citizens.

It isn't just the citizens of Burlingame who trust Jerry Deal to be fair and insightful. Jerry was elected by San Mateo County's 20 mayors to serve on the SamTrans Board of Directors overseeing fixed-route and para-transit bus services in San Mateo County. The county's mayors also elected him to serve as Vice Chair of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board which owns and operates Caltrain. The Caltrain Board of Directors appointed Jerry as its representative on the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA), the body responsible for overseeing the new Transbay Transit Center, a rail extension for Caltrain and High-Speed Rail and adjacent transit-oriented developments in downtown San Francisco. As you can surmise from this list, Jerry is smart, self- effacing, and is passionate about improving the quality of life for all Bay Area residents directly impacted by city planning, housing and transportation.

Jerry's expertise, enthusiasm and effectiveness have left an indelible mark on the city of Burlingame which he has called home for over 35 years. He and his wife JoAnn Johnson-Deal, a teacher at Franklin Elementary School, have five children and ten grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor Jerry Deal, the Vice Mayor of Burlingame, a proud resident and a dear friend, for over two decades of outstanding public service. He will be leaving us shortly to move to Oregon, but his legacy will live on in the beauty of Burlingame, in its architecture, in its family- focused activities and lifestyle, and in the example of fairness that Jerry exhibited during his time in public office. We will say farewell to a friend of decades who has etched his mark on decades yet to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 150th Anniversary of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Redwood City, California. This congregation cherishes its diversity and welcomes anyone who wants to join its spiritual journey.

Father Giles Alexander Easton founded the church in 1864 a few months after he led the first Episcopal service in Redwood City in a room at the old county courthouse. He named the congregation after St. Peter's Church in Smyrna, Delaware, where he had been baptized and confirmed.

St. Peter's was the second church in Redwood City to organize and construct a church building. In 1867, the ``Little Red Church'' was built and became a landmark for six decades.

In the 20th century, as the population in Redwood City increased, the parish outgrew its building and moved to its current location at 178 Clinton Street. In 1925, the congregation built a parish hall that served as the church and a meeting space. In 1952, the sanctuary, offices and classrooms were added as the baby boom reached its peak. While many of the baby boomers are thinking about retirement now, the young generations continue to utilize St. Peter's buildings and grounds. The church houses a Montessori preschool, the Ragazzi Boys Choir and its own youth group.

Over the last 150 years Redwood City has changed dramatically. The railroad transformed a small logging port into a suburb, and the explosive growth of Silicon Valley turned the suburb into the hometown of many technology companies and their employees. This explosive growth has brought wealth to many residents, but it has also left some of them behind. Many families struggle with skyrocketing housing prices and rents, a high cost of living and job insecurity. One thing that has not changed in Redwood City is that the doors of St. Peter's Church are open to everyone.

The parish is proud to include people from all walks of life and of all ages. It is also very active in mentoring young people to give back to the community. St. Peter's has delivered hundreds of backpacks and uniforms to local schools, has served many meals and filled many ``Hope Bags'' for the homeless.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives rise with me to acknowledge the good that St. Peter's Episcopal Church has done over the last 150 years for its parishioners and the community at large. May it continue to share its welcoming spirit for at least another 150 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the San Mateo County Law Library, a unique California resource that provides public access to justice. The law library in Redwood City, founded in 1916, houses a wealth of information not available at other public libraries and is used by some 9,000 individuals a year. In addition to attorneys, legal professionals and students, ordinary citizens use the library to get assistance with landlord/tenant complaints, marital and child custody disputes probate questions, entrepreneurial pursuits, safety issues and a broad range of other legal issues. In fact, last year the general public constituted 26 percent of all library users.

Individuals without legal training are not left to their own devices to find and interpret legal literature. Librarians help everyone find answers to their legal questions, regardless of their educational background or financial circumstances. The appreciation for this service is best expressed by the public users themselves. One patron said, ``The best legal librarians in the Bay Area. Superior kindness, knowledge and patience.'' Another said, ``The staff here have made my life better, and for that I feel compelled to dole out some kudos to them.''

The idea for law libraries was born in the Bay Area. In 1870, the San Francisco Law Library Act required the City and County of San Francisco to provide facilities and services at no charge and mandated access to county citizens. In 1891, the California Legislature adopted this practice at the state level requiring each county to have a law library. The libraries were not connected as a system, instead each county library rendered services according to the needs of its communities and was funded by the filing fees generated by the court system.

Because the state law does not provide any financial support to maintain the law collections or services, the San Mateo County Library is now at risk. Filing fees have dropped dramatically.

Before the San Mateo County Law Library opened at its current location at 710 Hamilton Street in Redwood City, it used to consist of two branches to serve the entire peninsula, one in San Mateo's Superior Court and the other in South San Francisco's courthouse. Due to funding cuts, support for the law collection at San Mateo's Superior Court had to be discontinued many years ago and then the courthouse was closed. Similarly, support for the law collection at the South San Francisco courthouse was discontinued in 2011 due to cutbacks and then the courthouse was closed. This created a Catch 22: as the courts closed and filing fees increased, fewer law suits were filed, more members of the general public used the law libraries to solve their legal issues, and the funding for the library dropped. The popularity of the San Mateo Law Library has ironically contributed to its threat of extinction.

California's County Law Library Statute was a direct result of the progressive movement in the late 20th century when disparity in wealth resulted in armed clashes between the working and moneyed classes. Lawyers were considered tools of the rich and the law libraries were tools for the common man to be his own lawyer. Justice Conrad Rushing wrote: ``The establishment of law libraries was not by any means the most important feature of what grew out of the progressive movement, but it nevertheless spoke strongly to the idea of equality under the law.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to honor the important role the San Mateo County Law Library continues to play today by providing access to legal support services and justice. May it be saved for all San Mateo County residents as a symbol and manifestation of ``equality under the law.''

Mr. Speaker, ``anything for football.'' It is a phrase I have heard a lot recently, that we should ignore what happens off the field for the sake of the sport.

This creed used to mean something positive. Vince Lombardi, the namesake of the Super Bowl trophy, said he viewed his players as ``neither black nor white, but Packer green.'' ``Anything for football'' meant he had to fight racism and homophobia off the field to coach the best football team possible.

Recently, ``anything for football'' has been used to justify an organization that perpetuates violence and sexism rather than teamwork, family, and sport. Instead of fighting injustice off the field for the sake of the sport, the NFL chooses deafening silence. We are told to ignore what happens on the sidelines, in disciplinary boardrooms, or behind elevator doors, all for the sport. Well, I refuse to ignore what is happening.

The NFL thinks they can play by their own rules. As we saw in the Ray Rice case, these decisions go all the way to the top. Commissioner Roger Goodell is judge and jury, yet he is also the one who stands to profit by seeing these cases hushed and unpunished.

Since he took over the NFL in 2006, there have been 56 arrests of players for domestic violence. The NFL has been inconsistent in its response, ranging from counseling, to single game suspensions, to conditional fines, to nothing at all.

After a player is arrested, more often than not they continue to play, even if there is clear evidence for their violent crime. When a police officer is being investigated for domestic violence, they are suspended with pay until the investigation ends. If the NFL is serious about zero tolerance, why shouldn't it play by the same rules?

Of the 56 football players arrested for domestic violence, they only saw a combined 13 games suspended. The NFL would rather see these players on the field than take a stance against violence. After all, ``anything for football.'' I say, ``Bench them.''

Ray McDonald of the San Francisco 49ers was arrested at a party after his fiancee, who was 10 weeks pregnant, showed police bruises on her neck and arms. He has played the last 2 weeks. Why hasn't he been benched? ``Anything for football.'' I am an avid 49er fan, but this is disgusting. I expect more from my 49ers.

Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers was arrested and convicted for assaulting his former girlfriend. The woman said Hardy picked her up, choked her, threw her on a couch covered in assault rifles and shotguns, and bragged to her that they were loaded. He is appealing his case and still playing. Why hasn't he been benched? ``Anything for football.''

Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens, who was indicted in March with assaulting his then-fiancee, has finally received a punishment befitting his crime, but only after a video of the actual event was released. After he was indicted, his coach, John Harbaugh, said, ``He will be part of our team. Support the person without condoning the action.'' Why wasn't he benched from the start? ``Anything for football.''

The list goes on and on. Like the military and universities, the NFL thinks they can enforce their own justice internally. They have failed. The NFL should change their policies so that these players stay on the bench while they are investigated.

This week I will send a letter to Commissioner Goodell and team owners, calling on them to immediately change their domestic violence policy. When a player is arrested for domestic violence, the NFL should immediately suspend the player and continue to pay them until a preponderance of the evidence determines their guilt or innocence. This suspension should continue until the end of court proceedings, when the NFL can then apply its player policy. It is what we do with police officers. This is what zero tolerance looks like.

Two-thirds of all Americans watch the NFL. Let us work together to put an end to the NFL's inaction. Lombardi didn't just think we could fight racism through football. He said, ``People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses or the problems of modern society.''

It may be difficult, but we deserve sports that show the best in our society. After all, ``anything for football.''

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Armed Services Committee and my ranking member for their leadership on this issue and for the exhaustive discussions and briefings we have had. I also commend all of my colleagues for their thoughtful statements.

This is, indeed, a tough decision, but we are elected to make tough decisions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this amendment to equip and train the Syrian rebel forces. After countless briefings and the President's speech, I am left with more questions than answers. At a briefing today, former U.S. generals have opined that

training 3,000 to 5,000 members of the Free Syrian Army will be lame-- in fact, totally inadequate.

Why would we train an inadequate number of FSAs to contain ISIL? How do we identify and vet a sufficient number of Syrians who can fight a long, protracted conflict to effectively degrade ISIL? How do we compel the Free Syrian Army to focus on ISIL instead of Assad, the brutal dictator they took up arms in the first place to destroy?

What will prevent Assad from continuing to attack the FSA? And what will we do in response? How do we avoid arming individuals that would rather do harm to the United States than ISIL? How do we create a true coalition that will share the burden of this conflict when some only agree tacitly behind closed doors?

Jordan has ISIL on both borders but cannot commit publicly to providing boots on the ground. How does a plan that relies primarily on airstrikes truly degrade ISIL's capability?

What I have heard in response to these questions simply doesn't add up.

We should have our eyes open wide enough to know that we are being asked to support today something much more than just training 3- to 5,000 members of the Free Syrian Army. There are consequences of what we have supported in the past, and there will be consequences today.

What happened when we spent billions of dollars to train and equip the carefully vetted Iraq military over almost a decade? They folded in the face of ISIL, many taking arms up with ISIL and others stripping their uniforms from their backs.

The plan before us is unrealistic and insufficient. None of the military experts outside the government believe that this strategy will topple ISIL. General Dempsey conceded yesterday that if this plan is insufficient, which I believe it is. He may recommend ground forces. He also said that there is no military solution to ISIL.

We should be frank with ourselves and the American people. We are not facing a limited engagement but a new war that will only escalate. We are setting out on a path to send our own troops to the ground. This is an amendment and a debate to start yet another war in the Middle East with a very uncertain future.

Mr. Speaker, four years ago today, a massive explosion killed eight of my constituents, injured 66, and destroyed 38 homes, and scarred a San Bruno neighborhood.

The fire roared for 90 minutes until PG&E finally located the gas line's manual shut-off valve. Last week the California Public Utilities Commission recommended a $1.4 billion fine. Their punishment must send a message to all utilities across the country: putting profits before safety has serious consequences.

We're good at passing legislation that doesn't solve problems and patting ourselves on the back. The fact that there have been ten more explosions since then shows we must do more. That's why I'll be introducing legislation that will adopt recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board including requiring auto and remote shut off valves and hydrostatic testing.

Please join me in honoring the families of the Crestmoor neighborhood and the first responders. I also ask you to join me in remembering the lives of Jacqueline Greig [Greg], Janessa Greig [Greg], Jessica Morales, Elizabeth Torres, Lavonne Bullis, Greg Bullis, Will Bullis, and James Emil Franco.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Lester Chun who is retiring after 33 years as Instrumental Music Specialist for the Hillsborough City School District. Mr. Chun has shared his love of music with hundreds of students and opened their ears and hearts to this universal art form.

I witnessed his infectious style of teaching in my own son whom Mr. Chun taught for three years at Crocker Middle School. He describes him a musician through and through and a teacher who created a great environment for learning. My son remembers that he was jovial, yet didn't allow talking during class. ``Practice makes perfect,'' Mr. Chun would say--and of course he was right.

You can honestly say that music is Mr. Chun's life. When not teaching with an inexhaustible enthusiasm, creativity and dedication, he plays trumpet and is a pit musician.

My son wasn't the only one recognizing his talent and passion. Mr. Chun has received numerous awards including the Hillsborough Community Care Award, TONY Award--Teachers Outstanding Nurturing Youth, BRAVO Award--S.F. Bay Area awards for the Arts, the Kent Award for innovative instruction, and the Golden Bell Award for eight years of publishing the Viking Weekly for Crocker Middle School.

Lester Chun was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1954. He attended Damien Memorial High School in Honolulu. When he moved to the mainland for his higher education, he didn't leave the Aloha spirit behind; it is part of his soul. He earned his BA in Music at the College of Notre Dame in Belmont and did his graduate work in Music History at the University of Southern California.

He started his position as Instrumental Music Specialist in 1981 and is a member of the Hillsborough Teacher's Association, the California Teacher's Association and the California Music Educator's Association.

In his well-deserved retirement, Mr. Chun is looking forward to spending more time with his wife of 34 years, Janet, and their daughter Clarissa.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor Lester D. M. Chun, an exceptional music teacher who makes his students' hearts dance with joy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 100th anniversary of Holy Angels Church in Colma, California. This diverse and close-knit parish beautifully calls itself a family of faith, sharing time, talent and treasure.

Today the church on San Pedro Road has a seating capacity of 1140, but its beginnings a century ago were much smaller. St. Anne Church was built in 1868 on land donated by Peter Dunks of Colma and named after his daughter Anne Dunks. Priests from San Mateo and San Francisco rode their horses to the church until the advent of the railroad. One priest, Reverend James Cooper, spent so much time in the saddle that he was known as ``the horseback priest.'' It took him four days round trip to travel to the church.

From 1899 to 1914, St. Anne was a mission of St. Michael in the Ocean View district. In 1914, the mission received the status of parish and the name of the church was changed to Holy Angels. Catholics from the coast had to travel to Colma for mass and sacraments until Father Sorasio, the pastor at the time, set up a mission in a house near present-day Nick's Restaurant in Rockaway Beach.

By 1952, the parish had outgrown the size of the church. A growing number of Catholics from Broadmoor, Sterling Park, Sherman, Callan Heights and other new developments joined the church. A campaign to enlarge the church and build a parish school was launched in July of that year under the chairmanship of San Mateo County Supervisor Thomas Callan. As a result, Holy Angels underwent its first major alteration in 87 years. The church was enlarged and a school with eight grade levels, a library, office and convent was built.

In 1960, a fire destroyed the whole sacristy including all vestments and linens. It was accidentally started by children playing with candles in the sacristy.

The following year, the church once again needed to be enlarged and a new campaign began. The new Holy Angels Church and rectory were dedicated in September of 1962. Its mission architecture, mosaic murals and stained glass windows give it a simple beauty and grace.

Holy Angels has had 16 pastors since its establishment in 1914. Father Alex L. Legaspi became the newest one on July 1, 2013. Holy Angels has a rich parish because of its diversity, from its humble beginnings with German, Irish and Italian immigrants and more recently with parishioners from Mexico, Central and South America, the Philippines and other countries.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor the 100th anniversary of Holy Angels Church, a house of worship that enriches its parishioners with a close sense of community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Steve K. Oshita-- affectionately called Mr. O--who retired after 37 years of teaching math and science at Crocker Middle School in Hillsborough, California. Mr. O is no ordinary math and science teacher because his students learn about life and leadership.

He starts out his new classes by announcing that ``respect is the very first thing we will learn in this class.'' That is followed by his instruction that ``body language is everything, students. If you are sitting up, you are ready to learn; if you slouch, you are not!''

Every student in his class sits up straight and is ready to learn. The respect is mutual. Mr. O is one of the most thoughtful and dedicated educators I have met. He gained the deepest respect of my two children whom he taught math, science and invaluable lessons for life. They remember him as personable, resolute, with a wonderful sense of humor and the gift of creating a great environment for learning.

In the Hillsborough community, Mr. O is known as one of the most beloved teachers at Crocker. Alumni often return just to visit with him. For one year he served as the Vice Principal, but that took too much time away from the classroom and he went back to teaching only.

Steve Oshita was born in San Francisco, California. His parents wanted him to become a dentist and he started his education at UC Berkeley in pre-medical technology, but his calling was science and he earned his degree in Biology and Entomology, the study of insects. He then earned his teaching credential at San Francisco State University and has been teaching ever since.

Not surprisingly, Mr. O married another Hillsborough teacher, Robyn Chamness. They met in 1986, married in 1995 and have two lovely children, Reid and Renee.

Mr. O loves to dress up at school events. A fan of Motown music, Saturday Night Fever and Miami Vice he has been spotted as John Travolta and Don Johnson. He is also an enthusiastic sports fan and enjoys SCUBA diving, basketball, tennis--religiously every Sunday--and the Giants.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor Steve Oshita, a model educator who has inspired hundreds of children and set them on a path to lifelong learning and success.

Mr. Speaker, with just 1 day before the recess and many pending issues before us, the majority has focused on one issue and one issue alone: suing the President of the United States for essentially doing what they seem incapable of.

The lawsuit focuses solely on a small part of the ACA, one that Republicans themselves wanted to roll back. I am going to list my objections to this monumental waste of time on this poster.

First is standing. The S is for standing because the Speaker is trying to sue the President, and he does not have standing. He must show that there is some concrete harm to him that goes beyond the general interest in seeing the law enforced.

In fact, he should listen to conservative legal minds like Justices Roberts, Scalia, and Rehnquist, all of whom have expressed skepticism about a court granting standing to the House to sue the President.

It is absurd to think that the House of Representatives, as an institution, has been harmed by President Obama's attempting in good faith to implement the ACA. I understand their feelings might be hurt, but acting out only gets them negative attention, and the Americans agree that this is a waste of time.

The next reason that I object is the taxpayer waste of money. The last time the Republicans sued the President, it was over the implementation of DOMA, which went nowhere and cost the taxpayers $2.3 million. Like this previous fruitless lawsuit, this will bounce around the courts for years, making rich lawyers rich. That is the only jobs program the Republicans will have passed in Congress this year.

The next reason I object to it is that it is useless. Just what are the Republicans trying to accomplish with this circus? It is certainly not governing. As of June 30, this Congress has only enacted 125 bills into law--the lowest number of any Congress in history since 1973, when they started keeping data.

Now, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will say, well, it is all about the Senate, but in five previously divided Congresses before this one, the average number of bills enacted at the same time period was 254--almost twice as many.

The next reason I object to this lawsuit is P, political stunt aimed at appeasing the fringe elements in the Republican Party that want to impeach the President. The same people calling for this lawsuit shut down the government last fall because they wanted to delay the Affordable Care Act, and it cost us over $24 billion. Now, they are suing the President over the fact that he did something they wanted him to do in the first place.

The only other group of people I know who scream that they want something and then throw a tantrum when they get it are toddlers.

The next reason I object to this lawsuit is that it is inconsistent. It is inconsistent because when George Bush

was proposing the prescription drug benefit and we were trying to implement that, he asked to have it delayed for 1 year--and guess what? The Republicans didn't object then.

Then the final reason that I object to this lawsuit is because it is a distraction. The Republicans are trying to distract Americans from the fact they have ruled over a do-nothing Congress.

While we are frittering away our last few days in session in this pointless and childish exercise, we are not creating jobs, fixing immigration, renewing the Export-Import Bank, doing tax reform, or even completing a full appropriations process.

Words fail me in describing the petulance of the other side. This toddler is more adult than some of my colleagues. She has figured it out. I suppose I will have to let her express her feelings.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California, whom I am honored to serve with and who I want to compliment for bringing recognition to this issue and a spotlight on the importance of providing this service to veterans when they are no longer in Active Duty.

The reason why this particular section 503 is so critical is because so few of these survivors ever come forward when they are on Active Duty to speak about their sexual assault. In fact, the military in many respects encourages them not to come forward because oftentimes the result is, when you do come forward, you are labeled as having a personality disorder and then honorably but involuntarily discharged from the military.

The stories I have heard over the last 3 or 4 years are really very disturbing because it makes the case over and over again that the military does not really want to deal with this issue.

So 26,000 sexual assaults or sexual harassments that take place to members of the military every year. 5,000--only 5,000 of them report them, only 500 of them go to court-martial, and only 250 see any kind of time in jail or prison.

There are many of these victims who upon retiring, upon being discharged from the military, are into drugs and alcohol, and all of a sudden find out that what is really driving their conditions is the fact that they were raped when they were in the military.

I had the opportunity just last week to spend some time at the MST program in Menlo Park, California, with five survivors who were in an inpatient program. They were all extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity they had to participate in that program.

They found it to be a lifesaver, literally a lifesaver. They were all on the brink before being admitted into this particular program and for the first time feel that they are getting their lives back, but one of the great eye-opening parts of that experience was that, of the five women, four of them would be homeless upon leaving this in-treatment program, which went on for about 45 days.

On top of everything else that we are learning about MST, I think it is important to recognize that survivors, particularly women survivors--but I believe it is true of men survivors as well--need to be in programs that are single-sex because they have so many issues associated with it and that we have got to find housing for them after they leave.

With that, I support the motion.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I think we can all agree that we want the workers at our nuclear facilities to be proactive in reporting health and safety violations. It seems pretty obvious.

In California, whistleblowers were key in pointing out critical safety problems at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Had these brave whistleblowers not come forward, we could have had a Fukushima- like meltdown right next to the Marine Corps Base at Camp Pendleton and within 50 miles of 8 million Americans. We need more whistleblowers, not less.

That is why I was flabbergasted to learn that the Department of Energy has allowed its contractors to force their employees to sign agreements not to disclose waste, fraud, or abuse. The DOE's allowance of nondisclosure agreements has been the subject of ongoing congressional investigations, which found that whistleblowers at the Hanford plutonium processing plant in Washington State were fired after raising safety concerns. Not only does this violate basic principles of workplace safety, but it circumvents Congress' constitutional duty to conduct oversight over governmental activities.

This is a part of pattern of abuse by contractors using employment contracts to hide outrageous crimes within their organizations.

In 2005, an employee of a contracting company deployed to Iraq was gang-raped by her coworkers and was then prevented from going to court because her employment contract said that sexual assault allegations would only be heard in private arbitration.

Another contract worker in Iraq reported $80 million in fraud by the major defense contractor that employed him and was terminated for blowing the whistle. The employer used the excuse that the employee had missed a conference.

Shockingly, the Department of Energy is actually subsidizing this type of illegal and unethical activity with taxpayer money. In many instances, DOE is picking up the legal tabs for these contractors, funding long legal battles against the very whistleblowers who have bravely come forward to protect public health and safety.

The DOE told me just this week that they have no intention of stopping these subsidies, and that they would only seek reimbursement from the contractors if the whistleblower won in court.

My amendment is simple. It makes clear that the Department of Energy must protect non-Federal employees from whistleblower retaliation. It is the workers on the front lines who are best suited to identify and expose misconduct, but contract workers are the most vulnerable to termination.

The risk of career-ending retaliation is currently too great for most non-Federal employees to blow the whistle on their employer or contract manager.

The DOE must stop allowing its contractors to stifle whistleblowers through illegal workplace secrecy agreements and taxpayer-funded lawsuits.

I yield to the gentleman from Idaho.

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