Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks in opposition to this bill that is extreme, dangerous legislation.

Madam Speaker, when you ask Americans what Congress' focus should be, guess what they don't say? They don't say, Forget about jobs. What this country really needs is a divisive assault on women's privacy and primary care.

This bill tells women, Madam Speaker, that if they use their own money, using their own money they can't purchase insurance that includes abortion coverage. Isn't it the majority party that is constantly saying that they trust people with their own money? I guess that applies if you're a CEO but not if you're a woman making a wrenching decision about your reproductive health.

This bill has no chance of becoming law. It is a dog-and-pony show designed to please the far-right fringe. I say: Do it on your own time, Republicans, and not on the American people's time.

I ask us to vote ``no'' now and get to the job at hand, which is to put America back to work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Marin County's departing Director of Pubic Works, Farhad Mansourian. After more than three decades of service to the County of Marin and seven years as Director of the Department of Public Works, Mr. Mansourian has demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to the people of Marin. His passion for managing public works initiatives has earned him the respect and admiration of colleagues across the North Bay. Mansourian moves on to a position as General Manager of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) District, where his voice of experience will be instrumental in bringing our regional rail service to completion.

Farhad Mansourian began his service with the County of Marin in 1980 as a Junior Civil Engineer, gradually branching into new fields as he was promoted to administrative analyst, traffic operations engineer, road maintenance engineer, and eventually Assistant Director. In 2002, the Marin County Board of Supervisors named Mansourian Director of the Department of Public Works, putting him in charge of an agency with over 200 employees and an annual budget of roughly $80 million.

Since that time, Mansourian has distinguished himself as the principal guardian of the County's infrastructure, including roads and bridges, flood control operations, hazardous waste systems, and public buildings. The County has turned to Mansourian every winter to keep an aging infrastructure functioning in the aftermath of heavy storms. The community turned to him in the event of emergencies like flooding or earthquakes many times. Mansourian also serves as Co-Commander of the Regional Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, which has provided assistance not only in the North Bay, but in other communities recovering from natural disasters, as far away as the Gulf Coast.

In countless ways, Farhad Mansourian has been responsible for keeping our County functioning by facilitating environmental protection and economic development that ensure the safety of Marin County residents. I have found him to be a thoughtful, reliable, and expert partner when working together on these important issues.

Over the past several years, Mansourian has also been a strong advocate for the SMART initiative linking the urban centers of the North Bay with a modem and environmentally responsible rail system. He was active in gathering support for the proposal and in achieving the overwhelming public support received for the bi-county ballot measure providing SMART funding. Mansourian's new role managing the SMART District is fitting for a man so committed to advancing the North Bay's vision for its future, while bridging its infrastructure needs with strong environmental priorities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in thanking Farhad Mansourian for his many contributions to Marin County. He represents an admirable model of public service, and we wish him the same success in his new endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I would like to insert into the Record a letter from the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades and a letter from the National Farmers Union in opposition to the Korea FTA.

International Union of Painters

and Allied Trades, AFL-CIO,

Hanover, MD, June 30, 2011.

Dear Representative: On behalf of the 140,000 active and

retired members of the International Union of Painters and

Allied Trades (IUPAT), I am writing you regarding the

proposed Free Trade Agreement between the United States and

the Republic of Korea (KORUS FTA). I have serious concerns

about duty free construction materials entering the United

States and the devastating effect that this and all free

trade agreements have on the manufacturing sector.

The IUPAT represents men and women working in the finishing

trades as commercial and industrial painters, drywall

finishers, wall coverers, glaziers, glass workers, floor

covering installers, sign makers, display workers, convention

and show decorators, and many more occupations. Our union is

made up of over 400 local union halls throughout the United

States. While the IUPAT is working overtime to make sure our

membership has the ability to provide for their families

through this time of chronic and crippling unemployment, I

find it unimaginable that this job killing trade agreement

would even be considered. According to the Bureau of Labor

Statistics, 13,700,000 Americans remain unemployed and nearly

2.5 million Americans have given up on finding work because

job loss is so rampant in their communities. The United State

International Trade Commission (ITC) report from March 2010

projects that implementation of the Korea Free Trade

Agreement would increase the U.S. goods trade deficit. This

predicted increase in the U.S. trade deficit under the Korean

FTA would risk the jobs of millions of Americans, including

IUPAT members, employed in our industries.

Even the White House has ceded the point that this Free

Trade Agreement will cost jobs when they demanded on May 16,

2011, that Trade Adjustment Assistance be a prerequisite to

the ratification of any of the three pending Free Trade

Agreements. While the IUPAT is supportive of the president's

promise to provide burial insurance to thousands upon

thousands of Americans who will lose their jobs due to the

Korean Free Trade Agreement. A better policy would be to

focus on rebuilding the frail U.S. economy by investing in

American workers instead of workers from North Korea, Korea,

China or any other country that imports component parts

through Korean ports.

Approximately 20% of IUPAT members work in the

manufacturing sector. They work to maintain factories and

manufacture paint, plate glass, and floor covering materials,

and fabricating glass systems. According to the ITC, these

members' jobs and their livelihood would be directly

threatened by the duty free importation of the products they

proudly manufacture or fabricate as American made.

IUPAT members working in glass fabrication shops

manufacture energy efficient shells for buildings and

factories. Their product would be turned away in favor of

duty free glass panels shipped from Korea. The ITC report

indicates that IUPAT members who manufacture floor covering

materials or wall coverings would be told to find a new

career when cheap carpets, rugs, and wall covering materials

flood the United States duty free. It is clear that duty free

will destroy American communities and leave Americans

families helpless.

Beyond the very troubling job loss predicted by the USITC,

I am deeply concerned about the weak rule of origin that was

negotiated by President George W. Bush in this Free Trade

Agreement. In 2009, millions of pounds of toxic drywall

entered the United States. That lack of oversight put

thousands of IUPAT members and an estimated 60,000 families

at risk. This was the direct result of allowing uninspected

products from an under-regulated country. The weak rule of

origin opens the United States, the members of the IUPAT, and

American property owners up to the strong possibility that

subpar and possibly dangerous building materials will enter

the United States and be used in our homes and businesses.

In the interest of the United States economy and all of the

families who wish to be working again, including the

membership of the IUPAT, I strongly urge you to stand up for

American made products and jobs by voting against the

Republic of Korea/United States Free Trade Agreement.

Sincerely,

James A. Williams,

General President.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Carole Dillon-Knutson of Novato, CA, who is retiring after 20 years of public office. She served 16 years on the Novato City Council and four years on the College of Mann Board of Trustees, earning the appreciation of her constituents and peers for her many accomplishments that enhanced the community's quality of life.

First elected to the Novato City Council in 1994, Carole is especially proud of significant projects that she worked with colleagues to create including the Novato Arts Center, the Gymnastics Center, several development projects at the former air field at Hamilton from a large wetlands restoration to transitional housing, improvements on Grant Avenue (the city's downtown artery), restoration of City Hall, and refurbishment of the Novato playgrounds.

Carole also represented the community on key boards and commissions such as the Association of Bay Area Government's Executive Committee, the North Bay Division of the League of California Cities (President in 2001), the Marin County Council of Mayors and Council members (President in 2004), the Transportation Authority of Marin Executive Committee, and the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit Agency Board.

Carole says she feels ``a deep comfort in the priorities and accomplishments that I originally set as my goals: to create a balanced approach and focus on the quality of life issues so important to the residents of Novato.''

Mr. Speaker, I know Carole-Dillon Knutson is looking forward to spending more time with her family, including five grandsons. Please join me in congratulating her on her years of service and in wishing her well in her retirement.

Madam Speaker, today with unemployment in the United States at over 9 percent and the middle class under siege, we're considering a Colombian trade bill that would cost, according to the Economic Policy Institute, 55,000 jobs. That makes absolutely no sense.

It's bad enough to ship U.S. jobs overseas, but particularly to a country that leads the world in deadly violence against union members. In Colombia, to band together in solidarity with your fellow workers is to take your life into your own hands. Twenty-three trade unionists have been murdered so far this year, including one teacher--a teacher-- who was hanged with barbed wire. Last year, 51 such murders. As the AFL-CIO put it, ``if 51 CEOs had been murdered in Colombia, this deal would be on a very slow track indeed.''

Let's reject these trade agreements, and let's put America back to work with a big, bold jobs plan for the American people.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in favor of the Capps amendment, and I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, it's been 274 days since the Republicans took over the House. What do we have to show for it? Well, first up, they've introduced a budget that would end Medicare as we know it. Then the Republican-led House voted to take money away from NPR. Next up, they voted to make it easier to outsource jobs. And just last week, they even voted to cut programs supporting green jobs. Quite a record: not one single job-creation bill. So what's on deck for today? A bill that would allow more toxic pollutants in the air that we breathe.

I'm certain, Mr. Chairman, that if we went outside and asked 100 people, would you prefer dirtier, more toxic air, we are going to get 100 ``noes.'' So why are we taking this up today? It's not because working families are clamoring for more toxins in their homes, at the workplace, or in the parks. This bill is a handout to the polluters of America. It says that their profits are more important than the health of our Nation. More asthma? Who cares. We've got to make a profit.

Well, let's admit what this underlying bill is really about. It's one more break for Big Business at the expense of working families and our communities.

The American people have had enough, Mr. Chairman. Let's stand up for public health. Let's stand up for common sense. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this dangerous and reckless legislation, and I urge the Republicans to get behind President Obama's jobs bill and put America back to work.

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

Mr. Speaker, this week marks an anniversary we must acknowledge, but that we certainly cannot celebrate. This Friday, we will have spent 10 years at war in Afghanistan. We will have spent a decade fighting a war that the American people no longer support. The sobering 10th anniversary is the time for reflection--reflection on how our world has changed in the last 10 years.

This war has consumed an unjustifiable amount of our financial treasure, led to an unprecedented burden on our servicemembers, and changed forever how an entire generation of young people views the world.

This anniversary is the time to reflect on the choices we've made and their impact on the world. Ten years later, we are still building war machines that have the potential to cause devastating harm to innocent people around the world. Ten years later, many of our Nation's best and brightest are coming home with scars, both physical and mental, that they and their families will live with forevermore.

The numbers are against us. After a decade at war, we still have 90,000 soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. More than 1,800 Americans have died. Our Nation has spent $460 billion on an unwinnable war, and tens of thousands of innocent Afghans and Iraqis have been killed. It is well past the time for us to end this.

In remembering the last 10 years, we must think of the future. My five grandchildren are now part of a generation that has grown up without knowing what it's like to live in a country at peace. Over the past 10 years, we've led our world down a path towards war rather than fighting for peace, rather than fighting for a smarter security plan.

The American people and the global community see the error in our policy, and we are facing increasing scrutiny from our international partners. In fact, not one other government agrees with the U.S.' use of drones. In fact, our European allies have never supported the U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Instead of heeding their calls, we are expanding the use of this deadly force, creating automatic drones that have the potential to cause unchecked devastation.

I have spoken from this spot 407 times, as you all know because you've heard me so many times, in support of SMART Security--an approach for an end to the war. And I am not alone. I've been joined by colleagues on both sides of the aisle and have been supported by Americans across the country to call for an end of our war and the return of our troops. That's exactly what my SMART Security plan is about--making military force a last resort and, instead, directing our energy and our resources toward diplomacy, democracy promotion, development

aid, and other more powerful, peaceful ways of engaging with the rest of the world.

Mr. Speaker, I hope all of my colleagues will take note of Friday's anniversary and realize that now is the time to turn the tide on our policies in Afghanistan. We need to end this war. We need to do it now. We need to promote peace through democracy. We need to promote peace through diplomacy and development. We must bring our troops home.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Joseph R. Fink and recognize his contribution to higher education and community involvement in Marin County, California. Dr. Fink is retiring as the President of Dominican University of California.

It has been my privilege to work closely with Dr. Fink for many years, during which time his friendship and assistance have been invaluable. Under his leadership Dominican has established itself as a successful university with high ideals and a big vision. Establishing the Green MBA Program and the Center for Sustainability, Dominican University has emerged as an innovative school whose students are working to develop creative solutions to some of the world's toughest problems.

Dr. Fink earned a doctorate in American History from Rutgers University and began his career as an Associate Professor of History and Assistant to the President at a small liberal arts college. Before coming to Dominican University, he served as Dean of Arts and Sciences at the City Colleges of Chicago, president of a public college in New Jersey, and president of an independent liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. He is the recipient of many awards and recognitions, including four honorary doctorate degrees for his achievements in higher education and community service.

Starting at Dominican University in 1988, during a period of transition, Dr. Fink restructured the management of the university to move it from small college to university status. He worked with the Board of Trustees and the faculty to successfully assume control of academic and fiscal affairs to put the university on a whole new course. With his expertise in management, the university's enrollment almost quadrupled while the average SAT scores rose by more than 180 points. A leader with considerable collaborative skills, he has been innovative in creating opportunities for friends of the university to support its mission. With increased fundraising, the annual operating budget rose dramatically allowing extensive campus renovation, the building of a new recreation complex, new residence halls, and a state- of-the-art science research center.

In addition to being a very competent administrator, Dr. Fink is an outstanding member of the community, serving on the boards of a variety of organizations, including the Council of Independent Colleges, the World Affairs Council of Northern California, the Marin Symphony, the American Land Conservancy, and the Commonwealth Club of California.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Fink is a man of remarkable talent and considerable commitment, he will be missed in the community and at the university, but we honor him today and wish him well in his next endeavor. Congratulations, Joseph Fink.

Madam Speaker, there was an article in The Washington Post earlier this week that we should all find very unsettling and disturbing.

We know that in recent years the Pentagon has increasingly used unmanned drone aircraft to carry out violent acts of war. And frankly, that's bad enough. But now there's a new and even more frightening technology in the works. It's called ``lethal autonomy.'' And under the system, the drones would no longer be remotely operated and controlled by actual human beings. The lethal autonomy drones would be computer programmed to carry out their deadly mission independently. No human hand providing steering and guidance.

I can't even begin to wrap my head around the humanitarian red flags associated with this experiment in robotics.

Software can break down. It could even be hacked. Furthermore, computers don't have a conscience. They aren't nimble, they can't make snap decisions based on new information or ethical considerations. They're programmed to do what they do without judgment, discretion, or scruples. You can just imagine, or I can anyway, mass civilian atrocities thanks to a robot drone raging out of control.

Thankfully, a group called the International Committee for Robot Arms Control is speaking up and making these points. Pointing out that if we have a treaty banning land mines, why not one that outlaws these automatic killer drones.

According to the Post, the military has begun to grapple with the implications of this technology. Well, I can really suggest that they continue grappling before using these technologies and finding the flaws and possible harmful and unpredictable consequences.

One advocate of these new drones believes it's possible to program them to comply with international law regarding the conduct of hostilities. Well, I'm certainly skeptical. We couldn't even get the last President of the United States to understand and abide by the Geneva Conventions. I don't know how we're going to get a robot to do it.

Madam Speaker, the increasing dehumanization of warfare is part of a terrifying trend. Somehow it's easier to kill one another when we have computers and machines to carry it out for us, when we don't have to stare our own mayhem in the face.

As a member of the Science Committee, I'm totally enthusiastic about American high-tech innovation. But I believe we should be using our knowledge and ingenuity to give the civilian economy the boost it needs to create good jobs for hardworking middle class Americans and to create a smarter response to world conflict. All of this money we're funneling to defense contractors to devise evermore sophisticated ways to kill one another must be reinvested in alternatives to warfare and nonviolent ways to resolving conflict.

That's what my Smart Security plan does. I've discussed this many, many times from this very spot. It's called Smart Security. It defines military force as the very, very last resort. And it directs energy and resources toward diplomacy, democracy promotion, development, and peaceful ways of engaging with the rest of the world.

Madam Speaker, in two weeks' time we will have been at war for a full decade. More than 6,000 Americans have

died, 10,000 innocent Afghans and Iraqis have been killed for the cause of their so-called liberation. Many, many more of our own troops have been harmed and will always be living with the results of their injuries.

The time is now. The time is to stop building machines that can kill more efficiently and start bringing our troops home.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a truly historic day in our country's struggle for equal rights for all people. Leaders of the United States Army sent a notice to soldiers serving around the globe that simply said the following: ``Today marks the end of `Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' The law is repealed. From this day forward, gay and lesbian soldiers may serve in our Army with the dignity and respect they deserve. Our rules, regulations, and politics will apply uniformly without regard to sexual orientation, which is a personal and private matter.''

Mr. Speaker, 18 years after this hideous policy was first implemented, it is now gone. And the thousands of soldiers who were shamefully discharged under Don't Ask, Don't Tell may apply for reenlistment.

To the men and women whose service and sacrifice have made us so proud, we say, as of yesterday: ``You no longer have to live a lie.'' To them, we say: ``You no longer have to choose between your personhood and your patriotism.'' To them, who have had the courage to do right by America, we now say: ``Your Nation now has the courage to do what is right by you.''

Air Force Lieutenant Josh Seefried, a leader among gay and lesbian servicemembers, describes the oppressive nature of this policy in this way. He said: ``It consumes your thought process, it consumes your future, because of the fear of getting caught.''

Mr. Speaker, it is incomprehensible to me that anyone--in particular, brave, selfless members of our military--should live any day in fear of ``getting caught.'' This step is hugely welcomed, and it is long overdue.

``Don't ask, don't tell'' was opposed by an overwhelming majority of Americans because it violated the values we claim to stand for as a Nation. It was not only tearing at our moral fabric; it was undermining our military readiness and national security as well. At a time when we're asking so much of our servicemembers, putting them on the front lines of two wars, we owe them, at the very least, and we have finally brought them the dignity of a discrimination-free workplace.

I salute President Obama, and I salute our military brass for their leadership in reversing this injustice. I salute the Members of Congress, Democrat and Republican, who voted for the repeal. And of course we all owe a debt of gratitude to those who serve with honor and integrity, those who defended American rights and freedoms even when America wouldn't afford them the same rights and freedoms.

So, Mr. Speaker, now there will be no sanctioned bigotry or homophobia in the Armed Forces of the greatest country on Earth. Our military will accept everyone who demonstrates their fitness to serve. Their sexuality will be irrelevant. They may be as open about it or as discreet about it as they choose.

Good riddance to ``don't ask, don't tell.'' Our country will be stronger, safer, and fairer without it. And while we support our troops by eliminating this wrong-minded policy, let's take the next step and support all of our troops, regardless of their sexual orientation, by bringing them home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of a passionate and dedicated public servant. San Rafael Police Chief Matthew Odetto announced his retirement in July 2011, the culmination of thirty years of work serving the people and public safety of Marin County. His leadership has touched the lives of countless Mann residents, and his example has helped forge new bonds between our law enforcement organizations and the communities they serve.

Odetto comes from a family with well-established roots in Marin County and in law enforcement. He started his career in 1981 as a deputy with the Marin County Sheriff's Office, based in Southern Marin, where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant. In that position, he served as commander of the Sheriff's SWAT team

and was lead instructor for the Emergency Vehicle Operation Course.

In 2000, Odetto became the Tiburon Chief of Police, a position he held for six years before his appointment as San Rafael Chief of Police in December 2006. Chief Odetto, firmly committed to maintaining services to San Rafael residents in spite of economic difficulties, guided the Police Department as it confronted newly limited resources. He built partnerships with community groups, solicited support from the private sector, and made community policing a priority. He secured new funding sources to ensure that gaps in resources were covered, eventually providing for the return of the Citizen's Academy program, which introduces the public to the work of the San Rafael Police Department and its law enforcement officers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in thanking Chief Odetto for his contributions to Marin County. He has set an admirable standard for compassionate and responsive public service, and we wish him the best in his retirement.

I thank the ranking member for yielding to me.

When the President spoke in this Chamber last week, he urged us to focus on jobs. Believe me, this outsourcer's bill wasn't what he had in mind. He demanded that we move urgently to create new jobs, certainly not jeopardize the ones we already have. This outsourcer's bill of rights is nothing more than a gift to the majority's corporate cronies. It gives unscrupulous employers the green light to retaliate against workers, to punish them for engaging in union activities, or for fighting for their rights as workers. And they do that by saying that it is perfectly okay to pick up and leave town, and they do that after the president of Boeing actually admitted the reason they were moving to South Carolina was because there was too much union activity in Seattle. That is retaliation, my folks.

Someone tell me how exactly is this supposed to revive our economy? It's part of the Republican vendetta against workers and their collective bargaining rights. It's part of their orchestrated assault on the labor movement that built the American middle class. This is not the time to be undermining or threatening the job security of any American. It is time to defeat this bill and move immediately to pass a big, bold jobs bill, one that will put America back to work.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the U.S. embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul were attacked. The Taliban, which we know has exerted its influence in many of the remote regions of the country, is now flexing its muscle in the supposedly secure capital. It's just the latest piece of evidence that the military occupation of Afghanistan is having exactly the opposite of its intended effect. Nearly a decade after we allegedly defeated the Taliban and drove them from power, they remain as fearless and undaunted as ever.

The longer we have boots on the ground, the more we prop up the very enemy we are supposed to be fighting. And for this, the American people have the privilege of shelling out $10 billion a month.

I ask my friends on the other side of the aisle, the ones who are lecturing us every day about cutting spending, isn't there something better we can do with the taxpayers' money?

Well, it turns out there is, and it would do more to promote security and counterterrorism than waging a bloody and violent war.

For years now, I've been promoting a platform I call ``SMART Security.'' SMART Security represents a wholesale change in the way we protect our country and promote our values abroad. It puts us in a position of partner, not invader. It's smart because it treats warfare as a very last resort. It's smart because it uses different tools to engage other nations and resolve global conflicts. It's smart because it emphasizes diplomacy, pursues multilateralism, promotes democracy, and respects human rights. And it's smart because it would dramatically increase our investment in international development projects that will lift people up instead of tearing their country down.

What we need in Afghanistan and poor countries around the world is a civilian surge, one that will rebuild infrastructure, power lines, schools, hospitals, economic opportunity, and much more, whatever that nation would find useful that we could help with.

You think it sounds expensive? It's a drop in the bucket. I'm talking about pennies on the dollar compared to a 10-year military occupation. In fact, The Washington Post noted last week that civilian efforts in Afghanistan have cost the United States about $1.7 billion over the last 2 years. Let's compare $1.7 billion over 2 years to $10 billion a month in Afghanistan. And even that level of funding is now facing tough scrutiny here on the Hill. Are you kidding me? Let's put this into perspective--$1.7 billion, we spend that much on the war in Afghanistan in less than a week, and that's what we invest in 2 years of civilian efforts.

If we ended this war, we could reinvest the money in the bigger, bolder surge that we really need and still have plenty left over to create jobs right

here at home and meet other important obligations. But right now, Mr. Speaker, our priorities are completely distorted. We are sacrificing the lives of our troops in a morally reprehensible war that is fiscally reckless and strategically an epic, historic failure. After 10 years, it's time to bring our troops home, make the change we so desperately need.

Embrace and adopt the principles of SMART Security.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career of an exceptional man and public servant. Peter Douglas has dedicated his life to defending our natural heritage and promoting conservation along the California Coast. Rarely does a single man cast such a long and positive shadow over our state; but as an architect of the California Coastal Commission, and as its longest-serving Executive Director, Douglas's contributions are truly incalculable. His retirement in November 2011 will mark the end of a proud era in the history of our environmental movement.

Peter Douglas has long been a passionate fighter for a just cause. As a Jewish child born in Berlin in 1942, Douglas's early life was imbued with a special sense of purpose. Douglas eventually immigrated via Mexico to California, where he attended the University of California at Los Angeles, graduating with a law degree in 1969--months after the Santa Barbara oil spill, and just as the national environmental movement was beginning to make significant strides.

Douglas wasted little time in putting his passion for public service to work, throwing his energy and expertise into the California campaign for 1972's Proposition 20. Douglas was key in drafting the language for the voter-approval initiative that created one of the country's most powerful land-use agencies, overseeing development across California's entire Coastal Zone. In 1985, he became the third Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission, a position he has held to this day.

Under Douglas's tenure, the Coastal Commission has become a formidable instrument for ensuring that all Californians' voices are heard in development decisions affecting our unique coastal environment. Douglas has helped to expand public access to our beaches, limit private encroachment on public lands, and prevent the spread of pollution throughout our fragile ecosystem. His work has ensured that our coast remains above all a public landmark, inclusive of any individual who wishes to enjoy the same unspoiled natural wonder that has inspired others for generations.

Countless organizations have acknowledged the impact Peter Douglas has made as an environmental pioneer. He is the recipient of awards from groups as varied as the National Resources Defense Council, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Center, the California State Legislature, and the National Coast Trail Association. He was the first recipient of the

Julius A. Stratton ``Champion of the Coast'' Award, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has named him a National Marine Sanctuaries Environmental Hero. Douglas has also participated in an advisory role on President Clinton's U.S. Panel on Ocean Exploration, the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Science and Policy for the Coastal Ocean, and many others.

Throughout my tenure in the House of Representatives, I have had the special honor of calling Peter Douglas a constituent and a friend. A longtime resident of Marin County, Douglas has been a powerful advocate for the priorities that Marin residents hold dear and a staunch promoter of my legislation to extend federal Marine Sanctuary protection to the Sonoma coast. He has also had a hand in public service at the local level, co-founding community nonprofits and co- chairing one of California's first successful campaigns to enact a parcel tax to support local public schools.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in recognizing a man who has made immense contributions to our environment, a man whose tireless advocacy has expanded the meaning of the public good. Peter Douglas's work has encouraged us to celebrate and protect the richness of our natural surroundings, and his legacy lives on in the unrivaled beauty of the coastline that defines California.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with my colleague Rep. Mike Thompson to honor the

Sonoma County Indian Health Project on its 40th anniversary, celebrated August 19, 2011.

Sonoma County Indian Health Project was founded in 1971 to provide healthcare to the Native American population residing in Sonoma County. Since its establishment, the Indian Health Project has grown considerably, serving evident unmet needs in our community, and leading to its move into the large, modern healthcare facility it occupies today.

Through its relationship with the California Area Indian Health Service, the Sonoma County Indian Health Project assists in serving not only a large Native American population, but also a non-Indian population lacking sufficient access to care. Hundreds of families and individuals from communities across our region seek care at the facility each year, from traditional medical or dental treatment to nutritional consultation or transportation services for those in isolated areas.

Supported by the Cloverdale, Dry Creek, Lytton, Graton, Manchester- Point Area, and Stewarts Point Rancherias, the Indian Health Project also puts an emphasis on providing its services in a manner that respects and contributes to Indian culture. It is a symbol of the strength and determination of our Native American community and a proud part of what makes our region unique.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join us in thanking the Sonoma County Indian Health Project for its longstanding contributions to the health and welfare of Sonoma County, and in wishing the organization many more years of success.