Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, from Monday, February 2, 2015 to Thursday, February 5, 2015 I had to remain in California and was unable to vote.

Had I been present on the House floor on Monday, February 2, 2015, I would have voted ``aye'' on roll call No. 51, H.R. 361, the Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act. I would have also voted ``aye'' on roll call No. 52, H.R. 615, the Department of Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act and ``aye'' on roll call No. 53, H.R. 623, the Social Media Working Group Act of 2015.

On Tuesday, February 3, 2015, I would have voted ``nay'' on roll call No. 54, H. Res. 70, On Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule Providing for Consideration of H.R. 596, To Repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, and ``nay'' on roll call No. 55, H. Res. 70, the Rule Providing for Consideration of H.R. 596. I would have also voted ``aye'' on roll call No. 56, on Approving the Journal, and ``aye'' on roll call No. 57, on the Democratic Motion to Recommit on H.R. 596 with Instructions. I would have voted ``nay'' on roll call No. 58, on Passage of H.R. 596.

On Wednesday, February 4, 2015, I would have voted ``nay'' on roll call No. 59, Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 50, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2015, and H.R. 527, the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015, and ``nay'' on roll call No. 60, H. Res. 78, the Rule Providing for Consideration of H.R. 50 and H.R. 527. I would have also voted ``aye'' on roll call No. 61, H.R. 50, the Cummings of Maryland Part C Amendment No. 2, and ``aye'' on roll call No. 62, H.R. 50, the Connolly of Virginia Part C Amendment No. 3. I would have also voted ``aye'' on roll call No. 63, the Democratic Motion to Recommit H.R. 50 with Instructions, and ``nay'' on roll call No. 64, on Passage of H.R. 50.

On Thursday, February 5, 2015, I would have voted ``aye'' on roll call No. 65, H.R. 527, the Schrader of Oregon Part A Amendment No. 4, and ``aye'' on roll call No. 66, H.R. 527, the Jackson Lee of Texas Part A Amendment No. 6. I would have also voted ``aye'' on roll call No. 67, on the Motion to Recommit H.R. 527 with Instructions, and ``nay'' on roll call No. 68, on Passage of H.R. 527.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert my statement in the Record that the House should vote for bigger paychecks and better infrastructure instead of attacking women's access to health care.

Madam Speaker, once again, women's rights are being attacked on the floor of the House. A decision about health that should be made by a woman and her doctor is, instead, being made by politicians with an agenda. Despite their claims of acting for the sake of women's health, this draconian bill would deny women access to medical care and drive out abortion coverage from private health plans once and for all.

What would be the effect?

Women would be denied access to abortion, especially low-income and minority women who are buying health insurance through the marketplace. For some, they will be sent back to the

days before Roe v. Wade, when women who were desperate for help were driven to unlicensed doctors and unsanitary conditions, often suffering infections, hemorrhages, and, at times, death.

We should not be in the business of endangering women's health and safety. This is why, yesterday, I introduced the Women's Health Protection Act. It would prevent States from restricting access to abortion if they cannot demonstrate an actual benefit to women's health. Personal medical decisions belong solely to the people they impact and to the medical professionals they trust. We must oppose this bill.

Mr. Speaker, the world is mourning. Millions have marched in Paris in memory of the victims and to stand against terrorism; yet, at a time when we should strengthen our response against terrorism, Republicans are playing games.

By hijacking this bill with measures that dismantle the President's executive action, Republicans are threatening to endanger the security of our entire Nation for the sole purpose of playing partisan politics.

Despite claims of support for reform, we are not being asked to vote for a better immigration system; we are being asked to vote for a crueler one--a system of mass deportation, one that tears parents away from children, disrupts communities, and weakens our economy, one that replaces the open hands of the Statue of Liberty with a sign that reads: You are not welcome here.

Worse, Republicans know that this will not become law, so today's debate serves only to placate an extreme wing of their party while making millions of hardworking and aspiring Americans afraid and unsettled.

Undocumented or not, immigrants are integrated into our communities, and pulling a thread once woven just weakens the fabric. I urge my colleagues to vote against this toxic bill.

``. . . and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defence.''

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, December 1, 2014, I was unavoidably detained due to business in my district. Had I been present on the House floor, I would have voted ``aye'' on roll call No. 532, H.R. 5629, the Strengthening Domestic Nuclear Security Act of 2014. I would have voted ``aye'' on roll call No. 533, H.R. 3438, the National Laboratories Mean National Security Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with Representatives Xavier Becerra, Julia Brownley, Tony Cardenas, Janice Hahn, Alan Lowenthal, Grace Napolitano, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Linda Sanchez, Adam Schiff, Brad Sherman, and Henry Waxman to recognize a dedicated leader and public servant, William ``Bill'' Fujioka, on his retirement as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the County of Los Angeles. His retirement marks the end of a remarkable four decades in public service for the Los Angeles city and county governments.

Bill Fujioka is a third-generation Japanese-American born to parents William and Linda Fujioka and raised in Boyle Heights and Montebello, California. His grandfather, Fred Jiro Fujioka, first arrived in Kansas City from Japan in the early 1900s and became a successful businessman and esteemed member of his community in California. Tragically, during World War II, the family was sent to an internment camp and all their possessions were confiscated during one of the darkest moments of U.S. history. Decades later, Bill has honored the Fujioka name as a faithful public servant for local government. He began his career as a janitor at UC Santa Cruz, and steadily rose to high-level positions within the city and county offices, including the city of Los Angeles' coveted seat as the City Administrative Officer. Seven years ago, he became the CEO of the County of Los Angeles with unanimous praise from the County Board Supervisors and many public officials. He broke bathers as the first person of color in this prestigious position, managing the largest county in the nation with over 100,000 employees and a budget of approximately $27 billion. As CEO, he diligently oversaw the delivery of programs and services to the county's more than 10 million residents, including public safety and municipal services as well as programs for health, recreation, culture, and the arts.

Although he initially agreed to serve five years as CEO, Bill's dedication to the community compelled him to stay and help guide the county through the Great Recession. The county benefited immensely from his decision; during the Great Recession, no county employee was laid off or furloughed and many critical services were maintained and provided. His ability to stabilize the county during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression is truly an extraordinary accomplishment.

Bill's success in managing the County of Los Angeles and his exceptional career as a public servant is a true inspiration for all of us. We thank him for his service, his leadership in the community, and for being a role model for so many.

Mr. Speaker, it seems the Republicans will do anything other than put a bill on the floor to pass immigration reform. So far, they have refused to allow for a vote on the bipartisan H.R. 15; they are threatening another government shutdown; and they suggest impeaching the President for doing what is right.

When they did put a bill on the floor, it was to repeal DACA. It has been more than a year and a half of refusing to allow a vote on H.R. 15, even though, if it were on the floor today, it would pass. Instead, we have this bill to undo the President's executive action, a step he wouldn't have had to take had Congress done its job.

This is just another distraction when what we need are real solutions. There are real families at stake who need real immigration reform. American businesses need it. Our communities need it.

If Republicans are unhappy that the President acted, there is still an option for them--legislative. Join us in crafting and voting on a bill that will fix our broken immigration system.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor my colleague and friend, Congressman Eni Faleomavaega of American Samoa.

Eni has served on Capitol Hill for nearly four decades, starting as a congressional staff member and eventually being elected to Congress for 13 straight terms.

Throughout his distinguished career, Eni has broken many barriers. He is the first Asian Pacific American ever to chair the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, and he is the longest-serving Samoan Member of Congress. He is also a Vietnam war veteran; an author; a musician; and a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.

Over the years, I have had the privilege to work with Eni through the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and I have witnessed firsthand his unwavering commitment to the well-being of his constituents and to the broader Asian Pacific American community.

Thank you, Eni, for your lifetime of leadership and service. I wish you all the best.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the long, full life of a beloved constituent, family man, athlete, gardener, centenarian, and genocide survivor: Joseph ``Bebo'' Manjikian.

I had the great pleasure of celebrating Bebo's 104th birthday with him and a great many members of his family, the Armenian community in the San Gabriel Valley of California, and other local elected officials. Bebo was an extraordinary man and an example of triumph over tragedy.

He was a man who, well into his 90s, was power-lifting and competing in the Senior Olympics, winning gold medals no less. Bebo trained by staying active with a unique blend of traditional exercise and his diligent gardening, tilling the soil and tending to his cherished fruit trees. It was said that if everyone did this, the way Bebo did, their fitness would be rewarded with good crops and a beautiful garden. And in many ways, this was the philosophy of Bebo's life. He believed in being a role model through his actions. He would say, ``You have to walk the walk.''

Bebo was also a genocide survivor. He was born in 1910 in the Armenian village of Kessab, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. His father, an Armenian officer conscripted into the Ottoman Army, was killed in the Armenian genocide of 1915. Bebo and the rest of his family were driven from their village and forced into exile by Turkish soldiers. Their village was destroyed and they endured sickness and hunger, walking for miles. They could not stop or they risked being shot, so his mother fed her children with weeds and grass. Eventually Kessab became part of Syria after World War I and Bebo was able to return. And, though his life would ultimately take him far from his childhood home, he ended up marrying a woman also from his village, named Sara. Bebo rejoiced in Sara's traditional cooking, harkening back to the couple's roots. They never forgot where they came from, and never ceased to keep their best memories and traditions alive.

Bebo was a self-taught man and entrepreneur of great skill. At 18 he left his village again and settled in Palestine, where he lived for over two decades and worked as a mechanic for the British Army. In 1950 he came to the United States with his young family and settled in Inglewood, California, where he operated his own mechanic shop for 25 years. His family recalls that he could fix anything, and he would tell them ``In Kessab, there were no Home Depots.'' Once again, he taught others through his example, not only sharing his skills but also his belief in empowering himself and others. He also spoke a remarkable seven languages, despite much formal education. These included German, French, Hebrew, Turkish, Arabic, English, Armenian, and Kessaberen.

Perhaps most of all, Bebo was a family and community man. He and Sara eventually moved to the West Hills and spent much time with family in Pasadena. They had three children, eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Bebo was always quick to help a relative or friend in need, opening his home to them. After his retirement he worked at Camp Kessab, an Armenian youth camp in California focused on traditions from Bebo's home village. He was instrumental in keeping the place going. Bebo was deeply devoted to his family and community, sharing stories and testifying to over a century of history, still sharp in his mind.

His loss is a loss for all of us. He was an incomparable repository of experiences; an unbelievable specimen of physical and mental acuity; an exemplary citizen and humanitarian. But most of all Bebo was an inspiration to know. He will be greatly missed and long remembered; he who always walked the walk.

Mr. Speaker, I enter into the Record the story of a 15-year- old Salvadoran boy whose body was found in a plastic bag with his hands and feet bound.

[From La Pagina, June 25, 2014]

Burn Bus Route 177 in Tecoluca After Assaulting Passenger

(By Maribel Montenegro and Carlos Hernandez)

A bus route 177 was intercepted by at least 8 heavily armed

men, forcing passengers to surrender their belongings and

then burned them down the unit, police said.

According to reports, the incident occurred in the village

of Las Pampas, on the road that leads to San Vicente

Zacatecoluca Tecoluca in the jurisdiction of the department

of San Vicente.

Police said the fire was set and the place has became a

unit of the Fire Department to extinguish the flames of the

unit was completely destroyed.

Depending on the version of the automotive PNC was off

course forcing it to penetrate into the community Las Pampas,

where 20 passengers were assaulted. The authorities say they

are on the trail of the perpetrators.

He also said that he reported no casualties, only material

damage.

Resume, Resume

The body of an unknown man was found this morning in the

subdivision Istepec, Canton El Cerrito, the, in the

department of Sonsonate municipality Nahuizalco. Police said

the incident occurred the night before and do not know the

motives of the crime that was committed with knives.

Resume, Resume

A 16 year old girl was killed by multiple gunshot wounds

that caused unknown subjects while walking on the 3rd km of

the Pan American Highway, in the jurisdiction of the

municipality of El Carmen, department of Cuscatlan.

The victim was identified as Adonis Hernandez, according to

the PNC disappeared yesterday. So far the police said he was

unaware if the victim had any connection with gang groups.

Colon, La Libertad

The body of a 15 year old boy was found is tied hand and

foot in a plastic bag that was abandoned in Lourdes, Colon,

La Libertad morning.

The victim was identified as Ivan N., who was kidnapped

last week in La Libertad.

According to the PNC, the young man had at least 36 hours

have passed.

Resume

A young man was killed last night near the resort Spain,

Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring up H.R. 4582, the Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, to jump-start the middle class, instead of this partisan lawsuit attacking the President.

Mr. Speaker, on July 15, 2014, I was unavoidably detained from votes due to a conflict. Had I been present on the House floor I would have voted as follows: ``no'' on rollcall No. 408, H. Res. 669, the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 5021, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014.

I would have voted as follows on amendments to H.R. 5016, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2015: ``aye'' on rollcall No. 409, the Jackson Lee Amendment; ``no'' on rollcall No. 410, the Roskam Amendment; ``aye'' on rollcall No. 411, the Moore Amendment; and ``aye'' on rollcall No. 412, the Waters Amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on June 26, 2014, I was unavoidably detained from votes due to a conflict. Had I been present on the House floor I would have voted as follows on amendments to H.R. 4899, the Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act: ``no'' on rollcall No. 360, the Wittman/Duncan (SC) Amendment; ``aye'' on rollcall No. 361, the Lowenthal/Capps/Farr/Holt/Honda/Huffman/Langevin/Peters(CA)/ Pingree/Shea-Porter/Lee Amendment; ``aye'' on rollcall No. 362, the Capps/Brownley/Huffman/Lowenthal Amendment; ``aye'' on rollcall No. 363, the Deutch Amendment; ``aye'' on rollcall No. 364, the Blumenauer Amendment; ``no'' on rollcall No. 365, the Bishop (UT) Amendment; ``aye'' on rollcall No. 366, the DeFazio Amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Marketplace Fairness Act.

States and cities have seen a dramatic decline of sales tax revenue due to the increase in online sales, where a sales tax that is already owed is not collected. This means that potholes go unfilled and streets go unpaved, and it is unfair to the brick-and-mortar stores that do collect it, but this can be changed.

When my home State of California changed the law to require the collection of this already owed online sales tax, it brought in $260 million in its first year. The potential for future growth is even greater, with $1 billion more that could be collected in California alone.

Last night, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced a bill that combines the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would require this collection, with a 10-year extension of the Internet Tax Freedom Act.

With this act, we can stop the closing of businesses on Main Street and have a fighting chance to keep the jobs they provide our communities.

We cannot wait to pass legislation like the Marketplace Fairness Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise to speak in opposition to H.R. 3086 in its current form.

As a former member of the Board of Equalization, which is California's elected statewide tax board, and as a member of the Judiciary Committee, I support a temporary--not a permanent--extension of the current moratorium.

Madam Speaker, when the Internet was in its infancy, Congress rightfully put the moratorium in place to outlaw any burdensome tax regulations on Internet access. The Internet has grown tremendously since then, and it will undoubtedly evolve over time. As it evolves, Congress should be called upon to revisit these issues. But I believe that a permanent moratorium would make reexamination of technology and market realities very difficult in the future.

A permanent moratorium would impede a State or local government's ability to make taxing decisions that are right for them. This is the message I have heard from States, counties, and cities. Take, for example, the city of Pasadena, which is the largest city in my district. Pasadena does not have any plans to impose taxes and fees on Internet access. However, it has concerns with a permanent extension that could shut the doors years down the line.

In fact, Madam Speaker, the National League of Cities, the League of California Cities, and the California State Association of Counties all oppose this bill. They are opposing it because they see a dramatic decline of sales tax revenue due to the increase in online sales that are not taxed, and that is why I also support the Marketplace Fairness Act. It would require large businesses to collect online sales tax.

I can tell you that this makes a dramatic difference in whether local government has the funds to fill the potholes and clean the streets. Since enacting its remote sellers sales tax law, my home State of California brought in $260 million in its first year of collection. This is an improvement, but the potential for future growth is even greater, with a little over $1 billion of use taxes still to be collected from remote sales in California alone.

With this act, we can stop the closing of businesses on Main Street and have a fighting chance to keep the jobs that they provide our communities. Keeping the Internet tax moratorium temporary helps in this fight. A short-term moratorium strikes the right balance between respecting the rights of local taxing authority and the ability for the Internet to grow.

Congress must reserve the flexibility to examine the Internet Tax Freedom Act from time to time. That is why I urge a ``no'' vote on this bill.