Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I will make this very brief. I know we are up against the clock here.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Shuster so very much for chairing the committee during my tenure on it and Mr. DeFazio, also, for his leadership. I want to also express my appreciation to the new chair, as well as the previous chair of the subcommittee, Mr. Hunter, with whom I was able to work over the last 3 years.

Essentially, this is a good bill. It covers the things that the Coast Guard needs. It increases their funding to a level that is necessary. The title of the bill is proper. We all thank Mr. LoBiondo for his many years of service.

There are a couple of things about the bill that I do want to speak to, and that is we have in the bill a backup system for the GPS that we so much rely upon now. It is finally going to get into the legislation. We also move forward with Blue Technologies and the autonomous, both air and underwater, vehicles that are going to be necessary for the Coast Guard to fully carry out its responsibilities.

Beyond that there are some things in the bill that are a compromise. I want to point one out that is very important, and that is section 834 to which I continue to object. This is a bill that actually allows for an aged wooden ship to ply the waters of the Mississippi. The Coast Guard correctly states that this vessel, constructed primarily of wood, and operating the overnight passenger trade, presents an unacceptable fire risk to its passengers and crew, and, accordingly, the Coast Guard is opposed to this particular section. It is unfortunate that is in the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record two letters, one from the Department of Homeland Security and another one from the National Volunteer Fire Council.

Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs,

U.S. Department of Homeland Security,

Washington, DC, June 28, 2017.

Hon. Bill Shuster,

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Representative Shuster: This letter sets forth

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) views with regard to S.

89, a bill ``[t]o amend title 46, United States Code, to

exempt old vessels that only operate within inland waterways

from the fire-retardant materials requirement if the owners

of such vessels make annual structural alterations to at

least 10 percent of the areas of the vessels that are not

constructed of fire-retardant materials and for other

purposes.''

Notwithstanding the form in which S. 89 is drafted, only

one vessel, the Steamer DELTA QUEEN, would be eligible for

the exemption. Because of the advanced age, construction, and

configuration of the Steamer DELTA QUEEN, the vessel

represents an unacceptable degree of fire safety risk to its

passengers and crew. Given the risk that a marine casualty

aboard the Steamer DELTA QUEEN poses to life, property, and

infrastructure, the DHS must oppose S. 89.

Background:

The Steamer DELTA QUEEN is a 20th century vessel, the

superstructure of which is constructed of wood. The vessel's

boilers are original and open directly to the wood

superstructure. Uniquely, the vessel's configuration has been

altered such that the sole means of egress is the stage

(gangway) on the bow.

In 1966, Congress stipulated that, ``no passenger vessel of

the United States . . . shall be granted a certificate of

inspection . . . unless the vessel is constructed of fire-

retardant materials (emphasis added).'' During the ensuing

decades, Congress temporarily delayed the effect of the

mandate as it would apply to the Steamer DELTA QUEEN five

separate times. Finally, in 2008, the temporary delay

expired, and the mandate was made applicable to the Steamer

With that, I think I have consumed all the time allowed. I will simply close in this way: All in all this is our third effort to successfully pass legislation. I see the majority counsel over there. I thank John so very much for working with us. And on the minority side David is an extraordinary individual. It has been a pleasure working with him on this, the third

successful passage of the Coast Guard reauthorization.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my Chairman on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Bill Shuster, and my Ranking Democrat Member on the Transportation Committee, Congressman Peter DeFazio, to endorse and support S. 140, the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018.

The Coast Guard is a special Federal agency, one that is selfless in service and highly proficient in its work. Ironically, the Coast Guard also is an agency that is over-worked, under-resourced, and rarely given the thanks that the men and women of the Coast Guard so rightly deserve.

Today, with the passage of this legislation, we can say that we are at last stepping up and authorizing funding levels commensurate with the many demands we ask our Coast Guard to undertake. The 2.6 percent increases for both fiscal years 2018 and 2019 will go far to address the deferred needs of the Coast Guard.

This stands in sharp contrast to the folly of the Trump administration's skinny budget for Fiscal Year 2017 that actually sought to cut Coast Guard funding by $1.3 billion--a gross mistake if there ever was one.

In general, I applaud Chairman Shuster and his staff, and Ranking Member DeFazio and his staff, for their cooperative and collegial, yet determined, negotiations with the other body to arrive at a final bill that advances or clarifies several maritime policy initiatives, improves Coast Guard administration and management, and enhances Coast Guard mission readiness and capabilities.

I am particularly pleased that this legislation advances the Coast Guard's future use of new technologies to improve maritime safety and security and maritime domain awareness.

Chief among these is my provision to direct the Department of Transportation to establish a reliable back-up timing system to function should the positioning, navigation and timing signals transmitted by GPS satellites be disrupted or degraded.

The loss of GPS signals has been characterized as a ``single point of failure'' for national security and for critical infrastructure systems. Simply stated, we no longer can afford to ignore this threat, and I urge members to join me and support this legislation today.

The bill also institutes a new acquisition policy for the Coast Guard to acquire unmanned aerial systems, or UAS. The inability of the Coast Guard to acquire UAS systems for its National Security Cutters is a chronic problem. Restricting the Coast Guard to acquire only systems already acquired and proven effective by other military or non-military agencies, should enable the Service to acquire a UAS system that meets its mission needs without, as they say, ``re-creating the wheel.''

In addition, the bill directs the Coast Guard to sponsor a National Academy of Science study on the status of unmanned, underwater vessels and their potential as mission platforms for the Coast Guard, especially for surveillance activities.

This study should help inform the work of the Coast Guard's Blue Technology Center of Expertise that Congress authorized earlier this year with the enactment of Public Law 115-265.

I also want to express my support for Title VII of the bill that reauthorize the activities of the Federal Maritime Commission and enact some important amendments to the Shipping Act made necessary by the disruption and consolidation in the global container shipping market.

Overall, I am pleased that this legislation would authorize increased funding levels for fiscal years 2018 and 2019 for the Federal Maritime Commission. Increased funding should enable the Commission to improve its capabilities to monitor shipping trades that remain turbulent.

The bankruptcy of Hanjin Lines in 2016 and the subsequent consolidation of the few remaining ocean carriers into three large alliances produced shock waves in global shipping markets. These new alliances also sent shock waves to U.S. marine terminal operators, tug operators, bunkering operators, and other marine service providers.

Title VII of this bill amends the Shipping Act to make some targeted and strategic amendments to improve the legal standing of U.S. port service providers. Additionally, this title strengthens the authority of the Federal Maritime Commission to oversee and intervene, if necessary, in future interactions between these alliances and U.S. port service providers to ensure fair competition.

I support these amendments to the Shipping Act as a good first step. I expect that these ideas will require additional refinement as the process moves forward, especially on how best to protect confidential and proprietary information gathered by the Federal Maritime Commission to understand market dynamics. I am open to those discussions and look forward to improving the bill.

I also want to express my support for Title IX of the bill that establishes new authorities for the regulation of ballast water and incidental discharges from commercial vessels.

While perhaps not perfect, the measure does provide for uniform regulation of vessel discharges within the scope of the Clean Water Act. In addition, the legislation addresses several important issues raised by coastal states, none the least granting states the ability to establish ``no discharge zones'' if necessary to protect sensitive state waters.

In closing, this bill is non-controversial legislation that addresses the interests of the Coast Guard and U.S. maritime industry. It also addresses the needs of the members on both sides of the aisle, and both sides of the Capitol. I support the legislation and urge its adoption.

Although I spoke earlier to express my full support for the underlying bill, I rise now to express my strong opposition to a provision that the Senate inserted into the legislation over my objection.

The specific provision is section 834, Fire Retardant Materials. Nothing could be further from the truth.

What this provision actually does is reinstate an exemption from a longstanding fire safety requirement for passenger vessels carrying 50 or more people on overnight voyages to be constructed using fire retardant materials.

And although the provision does not clearly state the vessel or vessels that would benefit from this exemption, the reality is that there is only one vessel, the Delta Queen, an aged paddlewheel steamship whose superstructure is almost entirely built out of wood, for which the exemption will apply.

In 2008, the 110th Congress decided--wisely in my view--not to renew this ill-advised exemption for the Delta Queen in favor of upholding maritime safety. It was the correct decision then, and it remains the correct decision today.

I have little choice but to raise my objections to this provision based on the manner by which the other body tacked it onto the Coast Guard bill despite the fact that companion legislation introduced in the House, H.R. 619, went nowhere.

This legislation would waive a critical maritime fire safety standard and consequently expose the American public to overnight travel on a vessel that the Coast Guard maintains is ``an unacceptable fire hazard to passengers and crew.''

The Coast Guard's position remains clear and unequivocal. As stated in its 2008 Special Inspection report, the Coast Guard found that ``The combustible construction of the vessel presents an unacceptable fire risk that cannot be mitigated by the addition of fire suppression measures.''

The Coast Guard also concluded that, ``The vessel, constructed primarily of wood and operating in the overnight passenger trade, presents an unacceptable fire risk to its passengers and crew.'' Accordingly, the Coast Guard has been, and remains, opposed to legislation to renew the exemption from fire safety standards for the Delta Queen.

Mr. Speaker, I have included in the Record the administration's views letter stating its opposition to S. 89, which is the underlying provision in section 834.

This provision also has drawn opposition from the National Volunteer Fire Council. The Council concludes that the ``fire safety exemption in S. 140 will endanger the lives of passengers and crew members aboard historical vessels, but also for the dangerous precedent it sets.''

Mr. Speaker, I have included in the Record the Council's letter stating its opposition to section 834.

I commend the Coast Guard for upholding its fire safety standards. I fail to see why it makes any sense for the other body to advance legislation that would sharply contradict the Coast Guard's recommendations and compromise maritime safety.

The American public trusts Congress to ensure that our nation's transportation system remains the safest in the world. Section 834 violates that trust.

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to move to the subject of climate change, however, my colleague, Terri Sewell, has reminded me that a very important organization needs a few moments, so I yield to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell), to speak about the Stennis Center.

Recognizing Rex Buffington

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Harper).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Mrs. Roby).

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Roby, Mr. Harper, and Ms. Sewell for bringing to our attention one of the important organizations that develops leadership here in the United States, and, obviously, from the two of you, Mrs. Roby and Ms. Sewell, who are perfect examples of the success of the center.

Climate Change Is Real

Mr. Speaker, we will turn to another topic, I think, of interest, if my colleagues would just excuse me for a moment.

I always try to start these sessions with purpose. What are we all about here? And I often use this from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and he said: ``The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.''

While I always use this, I am trying to figure now, how does this figure into climate change? What would the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt have to do with climate change in the era of greenhouse gas emissions?

I thought about it for a while and I said, it may be difficult to make the connection, but there really is one. And I really want to start with this: What is our purpose here?

If we think about climate change, we are going to have to understand and read and pay attention to this. This is the cover of an extraordinarily important document that the Federal Government, the Government of the United States of America, issued last Friday when most of America was out shopping, Black Friday.

Now, maybe there is some reason that the administration chose to issue this critical report on that day. If it was to bury the report, they are not going to be successful, because this document, required by Congress over the last 20-plus years, gives a clarion call to every human being on this planet today.

That clarion call is so important that, on this first day following Thanksgiving and the issuance of this report, we brought it to the floor of the House of Representatives to alert this Nation that, despite trying to hide this report on Friday, it is now part of the public record.

We need to understand what the impact of climate change is on all of us today, Americans, and to generations into the future. The impact is stark. It is heavy. It is ominous. And it is already happening.

The front page says: Fires. I am from California. We know about fires. This is a month ago, fires in California, all of

these at one time: the Mendocino Complex in my district, the largest single wildfire in California's history; the Sierras, down in the southern valley; and the smoke from the Camp fire, burning more than 1,000 homes on this day; smoke covering nearly the entire State of California.

Are those fires the result of climate change? The answer is absolutely, yes--the extensiveness, the severity, and the number of acres burned.

More familiar, perhaps, and more recent, just days after those fires that I just put up there, this one happened. Eighty-four people are known to have perished in the Paradise fire, the most mass casualties in recent history in the United States. Unfortunately, there are still a couple hundred people unaccounted for.

Is this fire a result of climate change? Yes, it is--the intensity of the fire, the rapidity with which it tore through the forest and wiped out an entire town of 26,000 inhabitants. Fourteen thousand residences were burned out in this fire. There is more to be said.

How about flooding? Port Arthur, Texas, a city that was flooded, and more along the Gulf Coast this fall. Another community was totally wiped out or near totally wiped out on the Florida panhandle. Massive storms ripped through the Caribbean and up into the United States.

Is flooding a result of climate change? The severity and the intensity of the flooding, certainly--North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Texas. In California, we have our share of it also.

All of these are words laid out in this climate assessment: Economic losses today and into the future, perhaps $141 billion over the next several decades from heat-related deaths alone; $118 billion cost from sea level rise.

Do you live on the coast? The San Francisco Bay, Florida, a good portion of Florida, Miami, the Everglades, the East Coast, all of it is affected by climate change.

We have a problem, folks. Are you interested in ecology? Are you interested in wildlife? Are you interested in forests? This was once a green forest in California.

We predicted in the mid-1990s, when I was given a task as the Deputy Secretary at the Department of the Interior to investigate and to anticipate what climate change would bring to America, we said there would be more fires, more intense fires. They would be more devastating. They would be larger. They would be faster.

We said there would be more flooding. We said the hurricanes would be even greater than in the past. We predicted that a city called New Orleans would flood. We predicted that a place called New York City would flood. And they both did a few short years after that report, as we prepared the United States for the Kyoto climate conference.

Coming out of that conference, the House of Representatives and the Senate of this great body denied the opportunity for the United States to join in the treaty that came out of that conference, and it got worse.

Forests of California, we predicted there would be a die-off. And, in fact, there is. This is just one small part of the massive die-off of trees that is occurring in the forests all across America, even into the Arctic regions.

Pay attention, America. Pay attention, Congress. Pay attention, Senate. And for heaven's sake, President Trump, please pay attention to the reality of climate change. It is here. It is a massive problem.

The U.S. military more than a decade ago predicted that wars would be breaking out because of climate migration, climate refugees. It is happening. It is happening around the world.

Read this assessment of what it means to America. We have an obligation. We, the 435 Representatives of the American people, have an obligation to address this crisis. It is not a crisis of the future. It is a crisis of today and the future.

Do we have the courage to do this? Do we have the courage to decarbonize our energy supplies? We have to find the courage. We have no choice.

Joining me tonight are people, Members of this House who share the commitment to address climate change.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider), my friend from the city of Chicago, to join us and share with us his concerns.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman so very much for his very forceful words and for the fact that he brought to the table not alternate facts, but real facts laid out by the scientists who put this together. We have a challenge, and I know, with the kind of leadership the gentleman is providing for all of us here in the House of Representatives and back in Illinois, we have no choice but to get this done--and we will.

Mr. Speaker, I would like now to turn to my colleague, Mr. Payne from New Jersey. We often are here on the floor together. I invite Mr. Payne to please join us, and we will talk about this issue as it might affect him and his constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

Mr. Speaker, in the gentleman's discussion, Mr. Payne hit upon a really important issue, and it relates to this. I brought this up because this is where I am coming from on public policy.

When FDR said that it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little, normally we think about this in terms of economics, we think about in terms of wages, living standards, and the like. But you hit this squarely, because it is those who have little who are going to be the first and most terribly impacted by climate change.

You talked about the vulnerable. You talked about the elderly, the young, the working class, and communities of color. Those who have the least will be the least able to adapt. They won't be able to afford the additional electric bill for air-conditioning. They are the most likely to get sick from the various new illnesses that will work their way into the American healthcare system. As the climate warms, we can expect to have more tropical, hot weather illnesses coming. We see it already. West Nile virus is the example that you gave.

So this is very, very relevant. I don't think FDR had in mind climate change when he talked about this. This is what

he talked about during the Great Depression. This is relevant today in the era of climate change not just here in the United States, but you look at the poor around the world.

For the population of Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world, it is likely that 50 percent or more of that population will have to move because of sea level rise.

Ethiopia, where Patti and I served as Peace Corps volunteers, has always been plagued by famine as a result of the climate moving back and forth. It will get worse.

So do we provide enough for those who have too little? Across the world this is a key issue.

Joining me now is my colleague from California. He and I get to share the great Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the greatest estuary on the west coast of the Western Hemisphere.

Before I come to Mr. McNerney, I am going to put up one of your favorite things here for him to look at, because I know this is what gets him really excited--clean energy systems. This has been his life's work, and he can talk about it. When he finishes, we will talk a little bit more about some of these.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).

Mr. Speaker, before the gentleman leaves, I brought this up because I know that these wind turbines, these windmills are part of the gentleman's life. You spent, as you say 25, 26 years building these systems. I believe he was doing it in Altamont Pass in California, which is now part of his district and adjacent to mine.

It was 1978, 1979 that California passed the very first laws in the nation to provide a State tax credit for wind, solar, and conservation. I was the author of that law. The gentleman and I go back a long, long way here on this issue, Mr. Speaker, and we are not going to give up. As he said, it is about the next generation.

I have got here on my phone, which I know I cannot use on the floor, so I am not going to turn it on, but I have a picture of my 13th grandchild, who was born yesterday. It is those children, that young boy and his generation, that will either curse us or thank us. Thank us because we had the courage, we had the wisdom to attack this problem; or curse us because we didn't.

I believe that we have the wisdom. We have people like Mr. McNerney who has spent his life working on this, both in the private sector and now in Congress. I thank him so very much for that determination to address this critical issue. I thank him for joining us tonight.

I have noticed the East-West show is back in town. Mr. Tonko and I started doing this 7 years ago. Climate change and energy issues were what we talked about back then. This was some of his work when he was working in the State government in New York City, as I recall. Not that he always talked about it on the floor, but he occasionally would point out that he was working, trying to create the new technologies that would address this problem. I thank him for joining us this evening.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Tonko said something a moment ago that I know will happen. He is presently the ranking member of the Environment Subcommittee of Energy and Commerce. In about 1 month I believe he is going to be the chairman of that committee. The hearings on this issue, the Fourth Annual Climate Assessment, will finally be heard and the issue will finally be before the Congress.

It has been 8 long years of denial by the Republican-led Congress and 2 years by the current President. I know that in his role--and I believe he will be the chairperson of that committee--he will make sure that America and the Congress know and understand this critical issue. I look forward to those hearings. I look forward to his leadership on it, and once again to be on the floor with the gentleman with what we fondly call the East Coast West-Coast program. We are back.

Mr. Speaker, indeed, we are paying for it in so many way. I showed earlier the fires, the floods, the sea level rise that is already occurring, the storm surge that recently affected the Panhandle of Florida. All of these things are the reality of today. And it is not going to go away.

The gentleman cited several facts. This is one of our programs that we used 8 years ago. It is this slide. Eight years ago we used this in our Make It in America presentations and we talked about the wind turbines and solar. That is actually an electric bus made by a bus manufacturer in California, the Gillig company. They are using that. These electric buses are part of the future, as are electric cars.

All of these are the new jobs. These are the new technologies. These are where people will be going to work. So that is where the jobs are. These are jobs that won't be exported. These are American jobs. The maintenance of this, all of these things are available today.

The gentleman mentioned California. Yes, California is way out in front, really, competing with New York on who can be the best to decarbonize, to move away from it.

Unfortunately, the administration is going exactly the wrong direction. The President wants to do away with the mileage standards, the fuel mileage standards for automobiles, wants to reintroduce coal back into the economy, which is the worst of all energy sources. We don't need to do that.

We can do it. We have proven that it can be done, in California and other places, in other parts of the world. We cannot go backwards. We owe it to the future generations.

Exactly.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Tonko mentioned asthma. We Democrats campaigned on a better deal for the people, which I just happened to put up here: A better deal for the people.

We talked about healthcare. Asthma is a preexisting condition. We have a challenge to deal with the Affordable Care Act and the Republican attempt to reinstitute insurance companies being able to discriminate based upon preexisting conditions.

All of these things will tie back: job creation, new technologies, research, healthcare. All of this, in one way or another, comes back to this question of climate change. So we need to address it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Tonko very much for joining us.

This issue is about those of us who are here today, but it is, far more importantly, about those who will be in the future.

I want to dedicate this hour to a very special person, our new grandson, Grady Christopher Bardet, who was born yesterday afternoon.

He will live in the future, either a very good future that we and our colleagues here build for him, or one that is not.

To Faith and Eric Bardet, we love you. Thank you for this beautiful gift.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 8 o'clock and 51 minutes p.m.), the House adjourned until tomorrow, Wednesday, November 28, 2018, at noon.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Amagda Perez as a woman of the year. She is an instructor at the UC Davis School of Law and a committed advocate for the legal rights of immigrants. As co- director of the Immigration Law Clinic at UC Davis and as an attorney with the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, she has extensive experience working with immigrants of varied nationalities and other marginalized communities. Professor Perez brings to her work a wealth of experience and expertise in immigration and poverty law, allowing her to successfully advocate for some of our community's most vulnerable. In her work at the UC Davis Immigration Law Clinic, Professor Perez supervises law students in the preparation of deportation defense cases. This work is important both in its advocacy for the rights of immigrants as well as the invaluable education and experience it provides for future immigration attorneys. Her work mentoring the next generation of legal scholars and advocates is of critical importance to shaping the future of our society. The generosity Professor Perez shows in lending her time, knowledge, and experience to her students, and to those in need of representation, is truly worthy of recognition.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Gloria Diaz as a woman of the year. She exemplifies the qualities of selfless service and possesses a deep desire to help others in the community. Her professional work and volunteerism demonstrates her commitment to improving her community. As a Clinical Service Manager for the Vacaville Police Department, Gloria has worked for more than two decades as a mental health clinician and care provider. She oversees more than twenty grants that provide funding to programs that are vital in assisting members in the community who need urgent care and aid during a crisis. In her leadership role at the Family Resource Center in Vacaville, Gloria dedicates her time selflessly to assist hundreds of individuals and families gain financial support and access to direct-need services. Each year through the Family Investigative Response Service Team and Youth Services Section, Gloria works to support internship opportunities for college students to gain valuable experience in the field of mental health counseling. Her role in putting together the successful and expanding Summer at City Hall program aimed at supporting students focused on careers in public service exemplifies her fondness for community service. Gloria Diaz's tireless efforts and devotion to this program have been instrumental to its continuous success. Her hard work in helping those in need is inspirational and demonstrates what it truly means to serve your community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Gina Taylor as a woman of the year. She is committed to serving children throughout her community and devotes her time to many volunteer organizations. As president of the Willows Unified School District Board she works with other board members to ensure the school district provides a safe and engaging learning environment where each student has the opportunity to realize their full potential, develop respect and tolerance for others, and ultimately become a productive member of the community. Ms. Taylor is an integral part of realizing the school district's mission of preparing today's students for tomorrow's challenges. The time she devotes to the school board is a true testament to how much she values education. Ms. Taylor was also a founding member of The Painted Ladies, a group that worked to fill the gaps in school budgets by cleaning and painting classrooms throughout the district. This work helped to provide a positive learning environment for countless students. She has also given her time volunteering for the Clover 4-H Club, the Glenn County 4-H Council, the Willows High Ag Boosters organization, and the Sober Grad event. Ms. Taylor is a dedicated community servant who can be depended upon to find a positive approach to each objective she pursues. Her accomplishments throughout Glenn County are truly remarkable

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Emma Green as a woman of the year. She is passionately devoted to improving her community both through her career and volunteerism. While professionally Emma has had a stellar career at Charter Systems, Inc. the financial services company she owned which just celebrated its 30th Anniversary, she is more likely to be recognized by the underserved in our community for the countless hours of volunteer service providing and delivering meals. One of Emma's passions is feeding the needy by running the Community Meal Program at the Church of the Epiphany where she serves over 350 meals per week. Not only do they serve meals, but she coordinates with other service providers to bring medical, dental, and transportation services to those in need. Ms. Green's history of service also includes her time as President of Vaca Arts, serving on Boards of the Boys & Girls Club, performing vocational rehabilitation and job placement for the disabled, serving as a liaison to Travis Air Force Base Airmen, working with the Vacaville Community Outreach Program, and donating her time to many other service organizations where she is always the first to help. The significant positive impact Ms. Green has had on this community cannot be overstated, which makes her extremely worthy of this recognition.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Gail Feinberg as a woman of the year. She is always finding ways to enrich the lives of those in Solano County. As a medical professional, Ms. Feinberg has a wealth of knowledge and skills to bring to bear on any issue. Having now served for two years as the Chair of Primary Care for Touro University, her continued excellence and tireless work to train medical students in providing care for our underserved populations has been indispensable to our community. Additionally, in spite of the demanding nature of her position, Ms. Feinberg is persistent in her willingness to go above and beyond, as demonstrated by her dedication to volunteering at a student-run free clinic. Here her valuable insight and tenacity became so integral to the mission of the clinic that she was quickly asked to take over as medical director. As a result, Ms. Feinberg provides much needed free medical services to those in need. She also manages to find the time to volunteer teaching nursing students and work with a diabetes research program. Ms. Feinberg is diligent in her work, generous with her time, and passionate about serving others. She is a dedicated community servant and truly worthy of this recognition.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Elta Barber as a woman of the year. She is committed to serving those in need both in her community and around the world. When she realized that her community lacked constructive activities for young people, she took the initiative to organize the ``Youth Explosion'' event. In coordination with other community leaders and faith-based organizations, she put on this quarterly program which gives youth in her community an opportunity to showcase their talents. Thanks to her dedication to this project, over 100 young people participate in this program each quarter.

Ms. Barber's advocacy for young people extends beyond her community into the rest of the world. She is a founding member of a program providing outreach and support to an orphanage in Africa. Each year she works with other community leaders to host ``To Tanzania with Love,'' a fundraiser which helps provide crucial educational supplies and other essentials to children living in an orphanage in Tanzania. She has provided devoted support to this organization as a member of the Board of Trustees for over 26 years. Ms. Barber is a skilled and passionate advocate who is an inspiration to volunteers and leaders throughout her community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dorothy Johnson as a woman of the year. She has spent her career as an educator and established a reputation for her dedication to community service. She serves on the executive board of the Solano County Retired Teachers Association, working to support measures that advance the financial security of retired educators and further safeguarding the state's commitment to these educators. Dorothy is an active voice in pressing for issues affecting teachers and the public education system. She is instrumental in supporting the educational needs in her community and beyond. As a teacher for the Department of Defense Dependent Schools and the Department of Defense Education Activity, Dorothy has served and taught the children of military service members at the American military bases in Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. Additionally, she generously volunteers her time to help members of her community who are in need by supporting toy drives, fundraisers, and assisting the Vacaville Police Department during their community outreach events. Dorothy Johnson's generosity and volunteerism are an example for future leaders and her work has been vital in strengthening her community and supporting Solano County residents of all ages.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Cindi Unger as a woman of the year. She is passionately devoted to improving her community both through her career and volunteerism. Her inspiration and motivation to work and volunteer in the Senior Care industry comes from her grandparents and their spirit of hard work and sacrifice that they passed on to her. Since 1986, when she worked to help open one of the first care centers in California focused on individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, she has helped care providers, families, and the community understand and care for those suffering with the disease. Her work in my Senior Advisory Group, the Yolo Healthy Aging Alliance, and the Solano Senior Coalition has been essential to my awareness and understanding of the critical issues facing our senior communities. As the co-chair of the Solano Walk to End Alzheimer's Planning Committee and a member of the Congressional Advocacy Group, Ms. Unger is no stranger to my office and provides invaluable insight to me and my staff on a regular basis. The significant positive impact she has had on this community cannot be overstated, and she is extremely worthy of this recognition.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jackie Sillman as a woman of the year. She is a pillar in the community known for her advocacy on behalf of recycling and organic programs in her community. As a Public Relations Manager for Yuba-Sutter Recology, Ms. Sillman educates community organizations, business associations, and school classes on topics related to recycling. She developed and implemented the Yuba-Sutter curbside recycling program in 2001 and went on to create a website in 2012 which helps individuals understand how to recycle more and move closer to their sustainability goals. Ms. Sillman is an integral part of the Yuba-Sutter Recology team. Outside of work, she is devoted to helping others fundraise for various organizations and causes. Her efforts include helping to raise funds for grad nights, week-long environmental camps, hospital foundations, and local organizations, including Pink October, Relay for Life, LEAD Yuba- Sutter, the Alzheimer's Foundation, and countless other causes. Ms. Sillman is a past President of the Soroptimist International in Yuba- Sutter and is currently the Chair of the Sierra-Nevada Regional Development Retreat. Her commitment to her community is evidenced by the numerous awards and commendations she's been honored with, including 2004 Yuba City Rotary, 2005 Athena Award, 2008 Appeal Democrat Spirit of Freedom One Nation Award, and more recently the 2017 Gaetano Tom Orlando Community Service Award. Jackie is a hard-working, responsible, compassionate, and effective community leader who truly cares about her community and embodies all the qualities of a true public servant.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Joanne Santandrea as a woman of the year. She has always taken it upon herself to be there when others need it most. As a radiology technologist at Adventist Health Clearlake, she is a committed healthcare professional always focused on the wellbeing of her patients. When fires have torn through her community, she has been on the front lines of ensuring that those affected receive proper medical care and supplies. Whether it's been the Valley Fire, Ranch Fire, or Pawnee Fire, she has gone above and beyond to meet all the pressing challenges and desperate needs that arise. An active member, secretary, and treasurer for the Clearlake Oaks Women of the Moose, Chapter 1691, she has been an indispensable resource for the organization. Whether changing dressings and checking vital signs, arranging for a truckload of food to be delivered to Lake County from her former church, or making hundreds of dinners for evacuees, Ms. Santandrea demonstrates her compassion and generosity daily. Her engaging personality and commitment to professionalism enable her to bridge divides and affect positive change in the lives of those she seeks to serve. Others are quick to note that she is amongst the most generous, caring, and helpful of people that they have had the pleasure of knowing. Ms. Santandrea is a true

community servant whose positive impact cannot be overstated.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lucy Roberts as a woman of the year. She is a tireless advocate for underserved women and families throughout her community. As Director of Family Hui, she leads an organization dedicated to creating healthy, thriving families and communities by providing parents with the support and encouragement they need to raise their children in a healthy way. She has worked diligently to make a difference in the lives of children by empowering their parents to make the choices that are best for their family. Ms. Roberts is deeply committed to the empowerment of women and providing parents with the tools to help strengthen family bonds. She has made a lasting positive impact on countless families throughout Yolo County. As Co-Chair of Resilient Yolo, Ms. Roberts works to educate people about the impact adverse childhood experiences have on shaping adult behavior and health. She also brings her passion and expertise to the Yolo County Maternal Mental Health Collaborative, an organization which promotes maternal wellness by developing a system of care for Yolo County mothers at risk of maternal mental health disorders. The lasting positive impact Ms. Roberts has had on families throughout Yolo County cannot be overstated.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Wendy Zapata as a woman of the year. She is a well-known as a community leader, mentor, activist and small business owner. In 2012, she and her sister established the NorCal Assets Solutions which aims to provide Medicare Planning, Long Term Care alternatives, Safe Retirement, and importantly educates individuals on making informed choices to save for their future through a variety of resources. Ms. Zapata is instrumental in serving her community and annually organizes open workshops such as the Senior Resource Fair to inform the community about resources and organizations available to them. As a member of the Soroptimist International, Ms. Zapata generously dedicates her time to better the status of women and girls in the community by encouraging social and economic empowerment for women. She is especially passionate about organizing and supporting local community events to ensure their success and further assist individuals in her community. Her passion for volunteerism is evident from her role in organizations such as United Way, the Alzheimer's Association, Marysville Stampede, Alliance for Hispanic Advancement, Adventist Fairway to Golf, and many more. Wendy Zapata is known within her community to be hard-working, kind, and a leader with integrity. She aims to make a positive difference and her contributions to the community cannot be overstated.