Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Senate 2061, the Former Charleston Naval Base Land Exchange Act of 2012. This bill authorizes the Secretary of Department of Homeland Security to convey a parcel of Federal land in North Charleston, South Carolina, to the South Carolina State Ports Authority in exchange for specified lands owned by the Ports Authority.

The land to be transferred by the Department of Homeland Security formerly comprised a portion of the Charleston Naval Base but is now vacant. DHS currently leases the land it plans to acquire in this transfer and uses it to house some of the operations of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center also known as FLETC.

The Charleston Harbor area includes the fourth busiest international container shipping port in the United States, with one passenger and four container port terminals, as well as numerous privately held terminals. The waterways in this area contain shipping channels, rivers, bays, creeks, streams, the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Atlantic Ocean. These waterways provide a realistic training environment for FLETC's Maritime Law Enforcement and Port Security students.

Specifically, the FLETC Charleston facility is one of Charleston's three residential training centers and includes a variety of specialized capabilities for maritime law enforcement and port security training. The facilities include four deepwater piers for large commercial or military vessels and three sets of floating docks for smaller vessels.

Students at the FLETC Charleston facility engage in programs such as commercial vessel, boarding, training, maritime tactical operations training, and seaport security antiterrorism training. All of these programs are critical to protecting our Nation from the potential of a variety of criminal and terrorist threats.

By allowing a mutually beneficial transfer of the lands between the Port Authority and DHS, we are advancing the important mission of the

If you want proof that Congress is dysfunctional, that it is putting partisanship ahead of all else, look no further than today's vote to hold Attorney General Holder in contempt.

In office, Holder has tirelessly pursued justice for all communities. He has helped prevent mortgage fraud, fought gang violence, protected intellectual property rights, and worked to ensure every American has the right to vote. We should let the Attorney General enforce our Nation's laws, not make his job harder.

The contempt vote against Holder is unprecedented, unjustified, and unfounded. Never in the 223-year history of the House have we held an Attorney General in contempt. Yet, today, we will do just that in this ridiculous partisan stunt.

Congress should be creating jobs, not wasting taxpayer money putting on a political sideshow during an election year.

Madam Speaker, 30 years ago, Vincent Chin, a young Chinese American engineer, was celebrating his impending wedding in Detroit, Michigan, when two unemployed autoworkers started shouting at him, saying, ``It is you Japanese who are taking away our jobs.'' They chased him down and bashed his head in with a baseball bat. Vincent's murderers were only punished with a $3,000 fine and got off without even spending a day in jail. In the meanwhile, instead of going to his wedding, Vincent's family went to his funeral.

This injustice led to the emergence of a national Asian Pacific American identity and movement. This week, as chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus, I will be introducing a resolution on the significance of the 30th anniversary of Vincent's death. His story remains an important reminder of why we must always combat the dangers of xenophobia and scapegoating.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Howard Berman for his help passing H. Res. 683, an expression of regret for the House passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Due to a clerical error, Mr. Berman was added as a cosponsor when he should be listed as an original cosponsor.

Howard was a key ally in the passage of this legislation. Because of his positive relationships with Members across the aisle, he successfully convinced key Republican lawmakers to support this effort. He was very influential in getting this bill through the House Judiciary Committee, and was with me every step of the way as we pushed to get a vote on the floor. This effort required a great deal of negotiation with the Republican leaders in the House. And who was by my side? Howard Berman! The community couldn't ask for a better or more dedicated champion to their cause.

Representative Berman has been a dedicated supporter since the introduction of the original resolution H. Res. 282, which he also cosponsored. Without Howard's support, we would not have made history when the House unanimously passed an expression of regret for the discriminatory Chinese Exclusion Act on June 18, 2012.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong opposition to the so- called Conservation and Economic Growth Act, H.R. 2578. On behalf of my constituents and millions of other Americans who believe in protecting our public lands and natural resources, I am opposed to this bill.

This bill is yet another in a long string of anti-environmental assaults that the Republican majority has put forth relentlessly throughout the last two years. Most of its 14 titles do nothing to promote conservation or economic growth. Rather, they advance ineffective and unnecessary policies that undermine long-standing, successful laws like the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Wilderness Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.

One of the most concerning provisions of this bill seeks to create a 100-mile zone along the northern and southern U.S. borders that would allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection to circumvent laws protecting Native rights, clean water, clean air, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities in areas rich in hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities in National Parks, Forests, refuges and recreation areas. This undermines the balance between security and preservation of public lands, putting at risk some of America's

most renowned natural treasures such as Joshua Tree National Park in my home state of California. And the Department of Homeland Security doesn't even want it, calling this provision ``unnecessary and bad policy.''

Another provision would reverse, for the first time in Congressional history, the National Wild and Scenic River designation for part of the Lower Merced River in California. The Merced River was given this designation in 1992, under the administration of George H.W. Bush, and Wild and Scenic River protections have successfully preserved miles of pristine U.S. waters, enjoyed by a vast outdoor tourism, sporting and recreation industry. The Merced River runs through Yosemite Valley, one of America's most popular natural wonders, and is a tributary to the San Joaquin River that provides most of the water supply for California's agricultural industry. This provision would remove vital protections for one of California's most important water life-lines in a never-before-seen manner, and undermine valuable economic activity among some of the most hard-hit California communities.

The bill would allow the clear-cutting of America's largest remaining old-growth temperate rainforest in the Tsongas National Forest of Alaska; reverse the prohibition of vehicle use on the fragile habitats of Cape Hatteras National Seashore; and mandate the killing of sea lions in the Pacific Northwest in order to protect endangered fish species. . . . This is the Republicans' conservation and jobs bill: killing sea lions and destroying landscapes and habitat across the nation.

As a leading member on the House Small Business Committee and a firm defender of environmental protection, I believe striking the right balance of policy has always been key to our economic growth and our strength as a nation. H.R. 2578 does not accomplish that goal. In fact it does much to undermine it. H.R. 2578 is wrong for America.

I strongly encourage my colleagues to oppose this bill, and any measure introduced that undermines the conservation of America's treasured public lands and natural resources.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 683. First, I want to thank Chairman Lamar Smith and Subcommittee Chair Trent Franks of the Judiciary Committee for all their work on this resolution. I appreciate it so much.

We have come together across party lines to show that no matter what side of the aisle we sit on, Congress can make amends for the past, no matter how long ago those violations occurred. It is because we have worked together in a bipartisan way that we will make history today. Today, for the first time in 130 years, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill that expresses regret for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, one of the most discriminatory acts in American history.

Over a century ago, the Chinese came here in search of a better life. During the California Gold Rush, the Chinese came to the United States to make something of themselves. Their blood, sweat, and tears built the first transcontinental railroad, connecting the people of our Nation. They opened our mines, constructed the levees, and became the backbone of farm production. Their efforts helped build America.

But as the economy soured in the 1870s, the Chinese became scapegoats. They were called racial slurs, were spat upon in the streets, and even brutally murdered. The harsh conditions they faced were evident in the Halls of Congress.

By the time 1882 came around, Members of Congress were competing with each other to get the most discriminatory law passed and routinely made speeches on the House floor against the so-called ``Mongolian horde.'' Representative Albert Shelby Willis from Kentucky fought particularly hard for a Chinese Exclusion Act. In his floor speech, he said the Chinese were an invading race. He called them aliens with sordid and unrepublican habits. He declared that the Pacific States had been cursed with the evils of Chinese immigration and that they disturbed the peace and order of society.

The official House committee report accompanying the bill claimed that the Chinese ``retain their distinctive peculiarities and characteristics, refusing to assimilate themselves to our institutions and remaining a separate and distinct class, entrenched behind immovable prejudices; that their ignorance or disregard of sanitary laws, as evidenced in their habits of life, breeds disease, pestilence and death.''

So on April 17, 1882, under a simple suspension of the rules, the House

passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. It prevented them from becoming naturalized citizens. It prevented them from ever having the right to vote. It also prevented the Chinese--and the Chinese alone--from immigrating.

But this was only the beginning.

As the years passed, the House built upon this act, increasing the discriminatory restrictions on the Chinese. Two years later, the House made clear that any ethnically Chinese laborer, even if he were not from China but from somewhere like Hong Kong or the Philippines, was banned from U.S. shores.

Four years later, the House passed the Scott Act. This bill prohibited all Chinese laborers from reentering the United States, if they ever left, even if they were legal residents in the U.S. and even if they had the certificates of return that should have guaranteed their right of return. This prevented approximately 20,000 legal U.S. residents who had gone abroad, including 600 on ships who were literally en route back to the United States, from returning to their families or their homes. With little floor debate, the Scott Act passed the House unanimously.

In 1892, when the Chinese Exclusion Act was set to expire, the House extended it for another decade, but it increased restrictions further. It made the Chinese the only residents who could not receive bail after applying for a writ of habeas corpus, that being to protest an unjust imprisonment. It made them the only people in America who had to carry papers, or certificates of residence, with them at all times. If they couldn't produce the proper documents, authorities threw them into prison or out of the country regardless of whether they were U.S. citizens or not. Legally, the only means by which this could be stopped is if a white person testified on their behalf.

In 1898, the U.S. annexed Hawaii and the Philippines, making them U.S. Territories; and while other residents of the territories could come and go between their homes and the U.S., who did the House make sure to exclude? Only the Chinese.

Then, in 1904, the House made the Chinese Exclusion Act permanent. This act lasted for 60 long years. It was not until 1943 that this law was repealed, but it was only because of World War II, when the United States needed to maintain a critical military alliance with China. U.S. enemies were pointing to the Chinese Exclusion Act as proof that the U.S. was anti-Chinese, and the U.S. had to erase that perception. However, Congress made no formal acknowledgment that these laws were wrong. The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first and only Federal law in our history that excluded a single group of people from immigration on no basis other than its race, and the effects of this act produced deep scars on the Chinese American community.

Families were split apart permanently without the ability to naturalize as citizens and to vote. The community was disenfranchised. Because immigration had been so severely restricted, few women could come, and the ratio of males to females was as high as 20 1. Many Chinese American males could not have families and were forced to die completely alone. If they did try to marry, they were forced to go abroad, and families were separated.

The family of Jean Quan, mayor of Oakland, had been here legally since 1880. Her father went abroad to marry a woman in China in 1920, but had to leave her behind along with her children. When the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed over 25 years later, his wife was finally able to come and have Jean in the United States, but the siblings did not know each other for decades.

The Chinese, like my grandfather, did not have the legal right to become naturalized citizens. He had been here legally since 1904, but unlike non-Chinese immigrants, he was forced to register and carry a certificate of residence at all times for almost 40 years or else be deported. He could only be saved if a white person vouched for him. These laws are why we ask for this expression of regret.

Last October, the U.S. Senate did its part to right history by passing its own resolution of regret for these hateful laws. It did so unanimously with bipartisan support. Today, the House should also issue its expression of regret. It is for my grandfather and for all Chinese Americans that we must pass this resolution, for those who were told for six decades by the U.S. Government that the land of the free wasn't open to them. We must finally and formally acknowledge these ugly laws that were incompatible with America's founding principles.

We must express the sincere regret that Chinese Americans deserve. By doing so, we will acknowledge that discrimination has no place in our society, and we will reaffirm our strong commitment to preserving the civil rights and constitutional protections for all people of every color, ever race, and from every background.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California, Representative Mike Honda.

I yield one more minute to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from American Samoa, Representative Eni Faleomavaega.

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

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

Today is historic. This is a very significant day in the Chinese American community. It is an expression that discrimination has no place in our society and that the promise of equality is available to all.

This is only the fourth such apology in the last 25 years. In 1988, President Reagan signed the bill apologizing for the Japanese American interment during World War II. In 1993, Congress apologized to Hawaiians for the U.S.-led overthrow of their monarchy. In 2008, the House issued an apology to African Americans on behalf of the people of the United States for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow.

This bill was a huge undertaking, requiring the efforts of Chinese Americans and their supporters all across the Nation. Without the dedication of countless community organizations and grassroots advocates across the country, none of this would have happened.

I thank them, and I thank all the Congress Members from both sides of the aisle, including the 50 cosponsors of the bill and especially Chairman Lamar Smith, for their support.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3668, the Counterfeit Drug Penalty Enhancement Act of 2012, would increase the maximum criminal penalties for trafficking in counterfeit drugs. Counterfeit drugs are a serious public threat to all Americans for several reasons.

To begin with, a person who unknowingly consumes a counterfeit medication may be harmed by dangerous but undisclosed substances in the drug. As a Food and Drug Administration representative testified at a hearing before the Judiciary Committee's Crime Subcommittee, ``a counterfeit drug could be made using ingredients that are toxic to patients and processed under poorly controlled and unsanitary conditions.''

Also, an individual who consumes a counterfeit drug is deprived of meaningful treatment that can respond to life-threatening illnesses. Consider, for example, a patient suffering from a heart ailment or a child who is desperately fighting an aggressive life-threatening infection. The consequences of consuming an ineffective counterfeit drug are blatantly obvious.

By receiving these counterfeit drugs instead of the real medications that they require, each of these individuals would be denied receiving the effective treatment that they must quickly be given in order to address their illnesses.

Finally, the proliferation of counterfeit drugs poses a grave nationwide risk to the public health and safety of all of our citizens. Current technology and distribution channels present the real danger that a very large quantity of these counterfeit drugs could enter into the marketplace where they can injure and possibly risk the lives of many Americans before they are even detected.

The Food and Drug Administration is working with medical product supply chain stakeholders to respond to this emerging threat, but we need to do more. It is critically important for us to reinforce our criminal law so that it clearly addresses the national menace presented by large-scale, intentional trafficking in counterfeit drugs.

Under current law, trafficking in counterfeit drugs receives the same criminal penalty as trafficking in other less dangerous items. This shortcoming in current law explains why the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator supports H.R. 3668, as stated in her recent annual report to Congress.

This bill not only appropriately recognizes the need to treat crimes involving counterfeit medications more seriously, but also requires the Justice Department to prioritize its investigatory and prosecutorial efforts with respect to these crimes.

I am particularly pleased that during the Judiciary Committee's markup of the bill, an amendment offered by my colleague, Congressman Bobby Scott, was adopted that would direct the Attorney General to give increased priority to efforts to investigate and prosecute these offenses.

As amended, this measure appropriately recognizes that, while penalty increases may be warranted, effective deterrence depends mostly on the likelihood of apprehension and conviction of offenders.

I commend the efforts of my colleagues, Congressman Patrick Meehan and Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, for introducing this important legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3668, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose this amendment.

If this amendment passed, it would have a negative effect on many immigrants, many of whom work hard and play by the rules and are here legally, but may not have the ability to speak English well.

If this amendment passed, innocent people could be harmed. Foreign- born naturalized citizens would be at risk of erroneous detention and deportation by ICE. Not only that, detainees with serious, possibly life-threatening, medical needs would be placed in great peril due to the inability to make medical requests and communicate effectively with medical service providers.

If this amendment passed, lives could be lost because DHS and FEMA would have difficulty issuing danger warnings and evacuation instructions, as well as other critical notices in other languages during times of national emergency or catastrophe.

If this amendment passed, it would be harder for people to become citizens. That is because DHS would be prevented from providing foreign-language assistance to the elderly and disabled immigrants and refugees seeking to naturalize and become U.S. citizens.

We want immigrants to be fully assimilated in American society. This amendment would stop this process and, in fact, potentially cause great harm to many who do not deserve it.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the amendment to increase the resources for the Advanced Research Projects Agency--Energy, or

Mr. Speaker, imagine the shocked faces of daughters and sons all across the country when they open up their July billing statement, add up all the figures, and find it's cheaper to buy a home than pursue their higher education.

Come July 1, Republicans are going to let interest rates on student loans double. At the same time, they're making sure wasteful tax breaks for yacht and private jet owners stay in place. In fact, it's the best way for them to keep the Millionaires Club an exclusive club for good old boys, by blocking the best avenue for success that this country has ever known--a college education.

The GOP is turning the aspirations of young Americans into a revenue stream for the wealthy. They're financing reckless tax policies on the hopes and dreams of our children. I urge them to join Democrats in a serious proposal to stop these interest rates from doubling. The next generation is counting on us to act responsibly.

I have a personal reason for offering this amendment. My nephew was a victim of military hazing, and it killed him.

Harry Lew was serving in the Marines in Afghanistan when his peers ordered him to dig a foxhole, to do push-ups, like crunches and planks, with his heavy, full body armor and a 25-pound sandbag. They stomped, kicked, and punched him, and poured the entire contents of the sandbag onto his face and in his mouth. It lasted a full 3 hours and 20 minutes. Twenty minutes later, he committed suicide.

I thank Chairmen McKeon and Wilson and Ranking Member Smith because this bill takes the most significant steps to protect servicemembers from hazing--ever.

My amendment adds a GAO report so we can have an objective analysis of the DOD's antihazing policies. It also adds an annual report to Congress on what the DOD is doing to prevent hazing so that we can ensure there is real accountability.

Mr. Speaker, this month is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It is a time for us to take pride in our country's diversity and to celebrate the ways in which Asian Pacific Americans have contributed to the vibrancy of our Nation.

Today, Asian Pacific Americans are the fastest growing racial group in the country and now account for nearly 6 percent of the total population. Asian Pacific Americans are an incredibly diverse group comprised of over 45 distinct ethnicities and speaking over 100 different language dialects. We are represented in every arena of American life, from college presidents to public servants and CEOs, and even to an NBA basketball star, Jeremy Lin.

This year marks a number of historic milestones for the Asian Pacific American community, including the 20th year since the formal establishment of APA Heritage Month; the 100th anniversary of the planting of the first cherry blossoms in our Nation's Capital; and the 150th year since the passage of the Pacific Railroad Act, which led to the construction of the transcontinental railroad.

This year also marks the anniversary of several painful events in our history: 130 years since the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, a discriminatory piece of legislation which prevented people of Chinese ancestry from becoming naturalized citizens and from ever having the right to vote; 70 years since the signing of Executive Order 9066, which led to the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II; and 30 years since the unpunished murder of Vincent Chin in Detroit by two unemployed autoworkers who blamed him and all Asian Americans for the loss of their jobs.

Although our history has indicated great progress since the days of discrimination, it is important to continue to remember our history in order to protect the civil rights of all Americans and to prevent these atrocities from ever happening again.

As chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, or CAPAC, I have the privilege of advocating for the APA community's needs and priorities on a broad range of issues, including civil rights, health care, economic justice, and immigration reform. This year, our caucus welcomed 12 new Congress Members, bringing our total to a record high of 42 members. This means that CAPAC will be able to serve as an even stronger voice for the Asian Pacific community at all levels.

As the Asian Pacific community continues to grow across the Nation-- not just in traditional strongholds like California, Hawaii, or New York, but also in States like Texas, Georgia, and Nevada--my colleagues and I will continue to ensure that the needs of the APA community are included as we push for policies that re-ignite the American Dream for all.

So as we celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month this May, I hope you will join me and remember the many contributions that Asian Pacific Americans have made to our great country.

As a former rape counselor, I've gone to emergency rooms and have seen the damage that sexual assault and domestic violence have caused. That is why I was so relieved when the Violence Against Women Act passed. And for the last 20 years, Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have come together for legislation to protect women from violence. But not anymore.

Though the Senate passed a bipartisan bill to reauthorize VAWA, with the support of 15 Republicans, including every female Republican Senator, this Republican House bill differs greatly. It declares war on women. The manager's amendment tries to make some changes, but don't be fooled. They are just small tweaks designed to pull the wool over women's eyes. They are trying to sneak in a bill that still fails to protect all women, that leaves LGBT victims out, and that prevents Native American women from seeing their abusers prosecuted.

Let me be clear. This bill still rolls back existing law. For instance, with this bill, there is new, expedited deportation for any abused immigrant woman coming forth who has had even the slightest of errors in her report. If she goes to an emergency room and is in pain but has an error in her report, then she would be deported.

Let's make sure that this bill does not pass. I urge its defeat.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize May as Asian Pacific American Heritage month and to a service organization from my district, the Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE) that provides crucial services to our community. This month gives us an opportunity to reflect and honor the Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) who have enriched our nation with their countless contributions to American history.

While generations of AAPIs have had profound impact on our nation and have achieved the American Dream, the AAPIs community is extremely diverse and some AAPIs have challenges and require assistance from federal programs to overcome obstacles in the journey to achieve the American Dream. Around the country, there are number AAPI community based organizations that provide assistance to the diverse AAPI community and doing great work to support AAPIs families. I applaud them for the work that they do everyday to help AAPIs to overcome these obstacles and to support to better their lives for themselves and their families.

An example of an outstanding AAPI organization is the Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE) that is lead by a committed and dedicated individual--Kerry Doi, the President and CEO. The mission of the PACE is to create economic solutions to meet the challenges of employment, education, housing, business development and the environment in the Pacific Asian and other diverse communities. PACE is a non-profit community development organization founded in 1976 to address the employment and job training needs of the Pacific Asian Islander communities. PACE has since expanded into a variety of service areas, all tailored to meet the growing

and changing needs of the multi-ethnic communities in Los Angeles County. Now, in addition to job training and employment services, significant PACE programs encompass: business development; early childhood education; financial education and asset building; housing and rehabilitation services; weatherization and energy-conservation programs; and affordable housing development. PACE's guiding principle in all their programs is the idea of expanding opportunity. A small sample of their business lines include:

An extensive workforce development center which offers a variety of job training opportunities.

190 affordable housing units and a home repair service to enable elderly and disabled persons to stay in their homes.

An extensive energy and environmental program that promotes energy conservation.

A business development center that provides entrepreneurial training, business counseling and access to capital.

28 school sites offering early childhood education programming for more than 1,900 low income children and their families.

A financial literacy and asset building program that provides financial skills training.

This year, PACE established a new initiative called the Diversity and Democracy: America's Strength program that celebrates the important contributions that our nation's many diverse ethnicities, nationalities and races have made to our way of life--and the important role that government has played in their success. With the donation of 40 tickets from Southwest Airlines, PACE embarked on a journey to bring a diverse group of Federal program participants to Washington, DC to meet and hold a briefing with their elected representatives in Congress and representatives of federal agencies and the White House to tell their stories of how these programs have helped them on their journey to achieve the American Dream. The clients who are of various ethnic backgrounds will tell their own unique story describing how various programs empowered them to be able to become productive, economically self-sufficient Americans. They hope by conveying their real stories from PACE program participants will illustrate the key role that the various Federal programs have played in the lives of low income, ethnic minority, refugees, immigrants and asylees. Numbers tell one story; faces tell an even more important story.

As we in Congress debate the funding levels of the Federal programs that have helped numerous PACE participants, it is important that we listen to the voices of the PACE participants who have been helped by these programs that helped them--to start a business, to get the job training they need to secure good paying jobs, to provide early childhood education and to help refugees gain the skills they need to begin a new life in America. I encourage all my colleagues to read the compelling stories of these individuals who have become productive, economically self-sufficient Americans because of the existence of these Federal programs.

Workforce Development

I am Arax Nazarian.

My story is about hope--how I almost lost it and then

found it again.

In April 2009, my family and I arrived in the U.S. as

refugees from Iran. We fled our country seeking opportunities

for a better life and to raise our son in a safe place

without harsh discrimination. We came here without any money.

But we had lots of hope.

The U.S. was going through one of its worst economic

downturn in 2009. I worried about how I could get a job to

support my family, repay my debt and help my parents back

home. I spoke very little English. I didn't have any work

experience in the U.S. I also needed some time to adjust to a

new society, new culture, and new rules.

I applied for different full time jobs but I was denied

repeatedly for different reasons. I was studying days and

nights to improve my English and at the same time working in

any odd jobs that I could find. But I was barely making ends

meet. I felt helpless, desperate, frustrated and sad. I was

losing hope.

My worry and sadness must have shown on my face.

Because my 11-year old son came to me one day and said,

``Don't worry, Mom. I don't need a new bow for my violin and

I am not interested in going on the school's field trip. I

just need your smile.'' I choked back the lump in my throat

with a sense of guilt that I could not provide for my child's

needs. I also felt a tinge of pain and pride in my heart that

my child would sacrifice his own needs for his mother. I must

not give up hope.

A ray of hope came to me when I heard about the

Transitional Subsidized Employment program. I started my

first Work Experience job at PACE's Home Energy Assistance

Program Department where needy families get helped by paying

their gas and light bills. Through this on-the-job training

opportunity I became more skilled and confident. I learned

about my new society, work environment, rules and

regulations. Little by little I adjusted myself to a new life

here in the United States.

Then I was offered a permanent job and I am now working at

PACE Weatherization Department as a Program Support Clerk. I

have earned recognition and respect from my coworkers.

And the best of all, I am able to support my family. I am

happy that I am no longer dependent on public aid. My husband

has a peace of mind to focus on his education in pursuing his

carrier as an Electrician. My son has been growing up with

good manners. He is one of the best students in his school,

and receiving many awards.

I hope the program will continue to give other people the

same opportunities I received. These programs give people

hope, create jobs and change people's lives. They gave me my

hope and changed my life.

Patients deserve choice when selecting the right prescriptions and pharmacies for them, but powerful, unregulated middlemen, known as pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, are limiting their options, and most people don't even know it.

These companies are telling doctors what drugs they can prescribe, limiting access to pharmacy patient care, and they're telling customers what pharmacies they can go to. That's not fair to patients. With the pending merger of two of the biggest PBMs, one company will control three-quarters of the private insurance market. This leaves us with even less competition, higher prices, and fewer choices.

That's why I support the Medicare Pharmacy Transparency and Fair Auditing Act. This bill will ensure that PBMs are transparent and fair when dealing with local pharmacies, and it will help make sure the Medicare part D prescription program works for seniors. It will be an important step in protecting pharmacy choice for patients.