Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House observe a moment of silence for the injured, the missing, and for all those who have perished in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit our endearing friend, the democratic nation of Japan, this past Friday.

Mr. Speaker, I rise as a proud cosponsor of the ``Student Non-Discrimination Act,'' SNDA, introduced today by my friend Congressman Jared Polis of Colorado.

I commend Congressman Polis for his commitment to creating and fostering a safe educational environment for all students. The legislation we introduced today would assure equal protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, LGBT, students.

As an educator for over 30 years, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating impact bullying and harassment has on students emotionally, socially and academically. These problems are pervasive and persistent in our schools. The hostile environment created by harassment and bullying not only deprives students of the opportunity to receive a quality education, but also contributes to academic underachievement. Furthermore, bullying and harassment can, and have, led to life- threatening violence and suicide, as evidenced by several nationally reported incidents including cases in New Jersey, Philadelphia, New York and across the United States.

Existing federal civil rights statutes that address discrimination do not cover sexual orientation or gender identity, thus LGBT students are vulnerable to discrimination, harassment, and bullying. Furthermore, there is no recourse or legal protection when the rights of LGBT students are violated.

The Student Non-Discrimination Act is a positive step toward achieving equal protection for LGBT students. It will do this by prohibiting discrimination in public school based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. These steps will provide LGBT students a safe environment free from discrimination to learn and succeed in school.

The SNDA has goals similar to legislation I supported as chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus including the Safe Schools Improvement Act, which helps schools and school districts develop and improve anti-bullying and anti-harassment initiatives. We need all of this and much more, until our students are safe enough to study without the strain of discrimination or fear of bullying and harassment.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Student Non-Discrimination Act and urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation to ensure that all our students have access to a quality education free from fear.

Mr. Speaker, my thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the devastating earthquake on the eastern coast of Japan, and the resulting catastrophic tsunami that struck Japan and is currently moving throughout the Pacific, with the potential to impact Hawaii, Alaska, and the West Coast of the United States, including my state of California. President Obama has stated that the United States stands ready to help, and I join the President and the American people in pledging our assistance to the people of Japan as they recover from this terrible disaster.

The United States Congress must stand united with our ally Japan and provide it with the resources it needs to respond and recover. I will work with my colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee to ensure that we make available the resources necessary to assist the Japanese Government and the Japanese people during this time of suffering and distress. While we mourn the massive loss of lives, we recognize this is a time for action and a time for Congress to commit ourselves to assisting our friend and ally Japan.

Thank you, John.

As a returned Peace Corps volunteer, I rise to recognize the work of the Peace Corps on its 50th anniversary. The Peace Corps has played an instrumental role in establishing prosperous foreign relations while fostering cross-cultural understandings. Countries from all over the globe celebrate the contributions of the Peace Corps and look forward with anticipation to its continued growth.

In representing the Ethiopian Caucus here, I was in Ethiopia a couple of years ago and traveled extensively through Ethiopia during the 8 days I was there. I ran across some folks in the upper part of Ethiopia, and we talked about the Peace Corps. Immediately, a lot of the young people there brightened up, and asked, Do you know Garamendi? It was at that moment I remembered that our colleague Garamendi had served in Ethiopia. What struck me the most were the memories of people and the fact that we touched them in their youth. The influence that we had on the young people in the different countries had stayed with them, and they have become leaders in their own right in the countries in which we served. The same happened in El Salvador. I'm sure the same happened in Somalia where our other colleagues had served their time.

The Peace Corps provides a unique opportunity for volunteers to help some of the most impoverished people in the world, work that changes their global perspectives.

I had met another person at Stanford University. He was a visiting scholar. He was not much more than 5-foot 1-inch, articulate in English and Spanish, who said that he was an aberration of statistical probability. In saying that, he meant that he was a young boy in the mountains of Peru and that it was a Peace Corps volunteer who had touched his life, who had allowed him to learn more about himself and his country, which pushed him to learn English. Because of the Peace Corps volunteers, he was able to go to school.

His name was Alejandro Toledo. He became the President of Peru. Now he is a visiting scholar and is also looking at running again and perhaps serving his country. He not only serves his country; he serves all people of this world by the fact that he was able to express the idea that he was probably an aberration of statistical probability and that he had attained a position on the global stage, a leadership position, because of Peace Corps volunteers.

This story is replicated over and over again with the over 195,000 volunteers who have served. Yet I just want to pay special attention to Sargent Shriver, the person who made the selfless commitment and took the visionary leadership in creating a pioneering organization that provided opportunities for young people and that provided them opportunities to grow in themselves. Filling Sargent Shriver's shoes will always be difficult.

President Clinton was right when he said that never has America had a stronger warrior for peace and against poverty than Sargent Shriver. Sargent Shriver, himself, said it best when he said that the Peace Corps represents some, if not all, of the best virtues of this society. It stands for everything that America has ever stood for. It stands for everything we believe in and hope to achieve in this world.

So I want to thank my colleague for putting this together. I want to thank my friend Mr. Petri, on the other side of the aisle, for his friendship. We say ``the other side of the aisle,'' but I think that the aisle does not exist with our relationships and with our commonality within the Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps allowed me to grow up. The Peace Corps allowed me to believe in myself. The Peace Corps was responsible for my being here today to be able to speak fervently and hopefully convincingly in encouraging other young people to serve this country through the Peace Corps. It will be 2 years that you will never ever regret--years I would never exchange for 10 years of regular life in this country.

I thank you.

Mr. Chair, I rise against this amendment and to express my strong support for the Department of Education's proposed federal student aid funding rules for postsecondary education programs that prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.

The program includes a loan repayment rate measure to assess how effectively program attendees repay the student loans they borrow; debt to earnings measures that assess the relationship between the student loan debt of program completers and their earnings; and a stringent performance threshold for each of the three measures.

I strongly support these ``Gainful Employment Rules'' because they protect students from fraud, which has adversely impacted the minority student population.

These rules were a response to the Department of Education's recent investigation findings that some for-profit institutions were promising students' job placement upon completion of their programs and not following through on their commitment. Consequently, students who enrolled in these schools were unable to pay off student loans because they were never placed in the jobs they were promised and could not find employment. According to the Institute for College Access and Success, the student default rate at for-profit colleges is the highest at 25 percent in comparison to private non-profit schools at 7.6 percent, and public schools at 10.8 percent respectively.

Not surprisingly, nearly one in five students who attend for-profits default on their loans within 3 years. Students seeking an education are completely unaware of the dire long term implications of loan default including the inability to receive credit to rent an apartment; buy a car or home; or receive future loans for postsecondary education. Moreover, evidence has shown that some programs tend to overcharge students for an education that can be acquired at a much lower cost at a private non-profit or public institution.

Despite this increased federal assistance, tuition at for-profit institutions continues to far outpace other schools. Attendance at a two-year for-profit institution costs more than five times as much as a community college, forcing students to take out more loans, including risky private loans. The percent of bachelor's degree recipients from for-profit institutions who carry debt in excess of $30,000 is more than four times that of their peers at public institutions.

I am especially troubled by the fact that low-income and minority students are increasingly concentrated in for-profit institutions. Approximately one out of every four African-American, Latino, and low- income students start their post-secondary education at a for-profit institution. According to a study by the Education Trust, for-profit institutions represent about 9 percent of all student enrollments, but 16 percent of black students and 24 percent of Pell Grant recipients attend these schools. Four-year, for-profit institutions have an average graduation rate of 22 percent, while public institutions have a rate of 55 percent and private institutions 65 percent. For black and Hispanic students, the graduation rates are similarly low at for- profits--16 percent and 28 percent, respectively--far below the rates for such students at public and non-profit colleges.

In the 2008-2009 school year, the federal government invested $4.31 billion in grant aid at for-profit institutions, quadruple what it had invested just a decade earlier. With this level of public investment, the Department of Education has a fiduciary responsibility to make sure that its investment is being administered correctly and that the for- profits are delivering on the commitment they make to their students. The Department's ``Gainful Employment Rules'' will accomplish these goals, and I support their adoption.

Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.

Madam Chair, just a word against the amendment.

The amendment really actually reduces the House of Representatives' budget by $1.5 million, which will bring the total reduction to $82 million from fiscal year 2010.

The gentleman purports that this amendment cuts energy reduction programs when in actuality that is not what his amendment does. He makes a general cut that will affect office budgets and the services of the House.

So I just want to be clear on this. It is a shortsighted strategy to handicap the legislative branch of government by reducing our own staffs here. We are an equal branch of government and must effectively serve our own constituents.

Not only is the gentleman's amendment flawed, but the motive of his amendment is flawed. Energy reduction programs save the government and taxpayers money. For example, the House has installed nearly 13,000 energy saving compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs, throughout the House complex, saving more than 1.1 million kilowatt hours annually. This project has already saved taxpayers up to now $446,000 and is projected to produce an annual savings of $178,000 annually into the future. So we are getting a return on our investments.

Furthermore, consolidating Member office computer services has dramatically saved energy and taxpayer money. This project has already saved taxpayers over $1 million and is projected to save nearly $800,000 annually, returning back to us a return on investment.

All told, energy reduction programs for the House have already saved taxpayers $3.2 million and is projected to save nearly $9 million annually once it is completed.

While I know that cuts are needed, Madam Chair, I would prefer if the Congress focused its time on policies that actually accomplished deficit reduction. Now, if the gentleman wants to cut energy funding and we're looking at our budget, it's really the Architect of the Capitol's budget. So there is a misfocus on the target. But if the gentleman wants to really cut energy funding, he should join this side of the aisle and call for the end of the Big Oil subsidies.

Let's stop the message amendments and work towards real deficit reduction.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

I rise in support of this amendment. I am opposed to this continuing resolution and to the Republicans' ``no jobs'' agenda.

Mr. Chairman, the American people want a recovery that supports jobs. Republicans have controlled the House for 41 days and have brought up zero bills to create jobs. These mindless cuts mean 1 million job cuts: no jobs for nurses, no jobs for teachers, no jobs for police, no jobs for firefighters, no jobs for manufacturing, and no jobs for small businesses.

Even worse than what the Republicans are doing to American workers is what they are doing to America's children. This bill will cut funding for education programs by over $10 billion, or 16 percent, which is the largest education cut in history.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA, State grants will be slashed by $557 million, shifting to States and local districts the costs of educating 324,000 students with disabilities, therefore increasing local tax burdens and killing over 7,000 education jobs.

Pell Grants. Pell Grants will be cut by $5.6 billion, making it more difficult for low- and middle-income families to pay for college. These cuts would eliminate or reduce aid for almost 1.5 million students.

Head Start. Head Start would be cut by over $1 billion, leading to the elimination of enrollment slots for 127,000 poor children and the potential loss of over 14,000 jobs.

No one who votes for this bill could ever have the audacity to say they care about our children.

Republicans are wearing their hearts on their sleeves a day after Valentine's Day, but they don't care about children. They don't care about working middle class families, and they don't care to follow the rules of the road. Instead, Republicans want to make you pay. They want to make you pay for Big Oil's $1 billion subsidies, make you pay for higher drug prices, make you pay taxes to start your small business, make you pay for CEO salaries, and make you and your children go it alone.

So, Mr. Chairman, in closing, I oppose this bill. Republicans want you to keep paying for their war and tax cuts for the ultra-rich while they cut jobs, services, and schools. This is not fiscal discipline. This is fiscal insanity.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 22 on H.R. 54, the button did not record my ``no'' vote as the gavel fell.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in fervent opposition to this reckless effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act and put insurance companies back in charge of our healthcare system, rather than patients and their doctors. The Affordable Care Act, landmark healthcare reform legislation enacted just last year, makes health care more affordable by immediately providing small businesses with a tax credit to provide insurance coverage, and in 2014, by providing tax credits to those who need help buying insurance--representing the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history. Once the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented, Americans will have access to affordable health coverage in a new competitive private health insurance market through state exchanges.

Many critical benefits have already gone into effect, including bans on the worst insurance company abuses and coverage options for many Americans who have previously been locked out of the insurance market because of a preexisting condition. Indeed, millions of American families and businesses are already feeling the positive effects of the Affordable Care Act, and many more will benefit as the final provisions are phased in over the next few years.

The bill under consideration today, the Patients' Rights Repeal Act (H.R. 2), would completely eliminate the Affordable Care Act with no consideration for the wellbeing of the millions of Americans for whom it will improve healthcare. H.R. 2 was expedited for a vote without taking the testimony from a single witness or holding a single hearing on the issue, and there was no committee consideration of the bill, in direct contrast to the campaign rhetoric espoused by the new Republican majority.

Opponents of the Affordable Care Act have used questionable arguments to validate their repeal efforts, including claims that it would inflate the national debt. In truth, the Affordable Care Act helps to reduce the national debt by minimizing waste, fraud, and abuse in the health care system and preventing the rampant growth of health care costs. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, repealing the law would increase the deficit by $230 billion over the next decade and over $1 trillion in the following decade. Now, that is a difficult pill to swallow, with long-lasting effects on our nation's fiscal health.

Repeal of the Affordable Care Act has direct consequences to the diverse congressional district that I am proud to represent, California's 15th district. The Patients' Rights Repeal Act would:

Increase the number of my constituents without health insurance by 17,000 individuals;

Allow insurance companies to deny coverage to as many as 307,000 individuals, including up to 40,000 children, with pre-existing conditions;

Rescind consumer protections for 484,000 individuals who have health insurance through their employer or the market for private insurance;

Eliminate health care tax credits for up to 14,900 small businesses and 86,000 families;

Increase prescription drug costs for 8,000 seniors who hit the Part D drug ``donut hole'' and deny new preventive care benefits to 76,000 seniors;

Increase the costs of early retiree coverage for up to 7,600 early retirees;

Eliminate new health care coverage options for 2,900 uninsured young adults; and Increase the costs to hospitals of providing uncompensated care by $113 million annually.

Furthermore, as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), I am proud of CAPAC's partnership efforts through the Tri-Caucus and with community advocacy groups to ensure that the Affordable Care Act benefits all of our communities, including the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community--roughly one in five of whom are uninsured. For instance, the Affordable Care Act helps to address traditional AAPI health disparities in vaccinations, cancer screenings, and infant mortality rates through increased access to preventative care services. Further, new federal regulations on data collection, disaggregation, and oversampling on certain minority populations will help to identify and ensure comprehensive coverage of all AAPI health disparities. These hard-fought benefits for our communities would be completely eliminated if Republicans were to succeed in enacting H.R. 2.

Mr. Speaker, for these reasons, I continue to support the Affordable Care Act, as it is vital to the wellbeing of every community in our nation. I urge my colleagues to stand against this reckless repeal of critical healthcare reform and vote against the Patients' Rights Repeal Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 32, honoring our colleague, Representative Gabrielle Giffords, and those killed and injured in a senseless shooting during a Congress on Your Corner event in Tucson, Arizona. Our colleague Gabby was doing her job to serve the constituents of the 8th Congressional District of Arizona, those who were killed and wounded were there to participate in the democratic process we hold dear. As the nation mourns with the victims' families, we learn about these innocent Americans whose lives were cut short by this unspeakable crime against our democracy and our humanity.

Dorothy Morris, age 76, known to her friends as ``Dot,'' was a retired homemaker and secretary who lived with her husband of 50 years, George, at a retirement community just north of Tucson. When the shots rang out, George, a former Marine and retired airline pilot, threw himself on his wife in an attempt to shield her from the bullets. George survived after suffering two gunshot wounds; Dorothy did not.

Judge John Roll, age 63, was the chief judge of Arizona's Federal district court. Appointed to the Federal bench in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush, Judge Roll was a widely respected jurist by his colleagues. Known for this deep Catholic faith, it is reported that Judge Roll was simply stopping by the event to say hello to his friend, Gabby, after morning mass. Judge Roll is survived by his wife, Maureen, their three sons, and five grandchildren.

Phyllis Schneck, age 79, a widow and retired homemaker, was a native of Rutherford, New Jersey, where she would return during the hot Tucson summers. Phyllis is known by her three children, seven grandchildren, and great-granddaughter as a talented cook, and she spent much of her retirement volunteering at her church. According to her daughter, Phyllis was a registered Republican who was not involved in politics, but Representative Giffords was ``the first person she really took a liking to.''

Dorwin Stoddard, age 76, was a Tucson native and leader in his church. Dorwin attended the event with his wife Mavy, a high school classmate who he reunited with and married after both their former spouses passed away. After seeing Mavy shot and wounded, Dorwin threw himself on her and shielded her from the spray of bullets. As Dorwin's stepdaughter noted, ``What a way to go, as the hero, he lived that kind of a life.''

Gabe Zimmerman, age 30, was the Director of Community Outreach for Representative Giffords. Oftentimes the face of Representative Giffords's office to her constituents, as one of his colleagues said, ``Gabe helped people for a living.'' Gabe was engaged to be married with a wedding date set for 2012.

The youngest victim, Madam Speaker, was Christina Taylor Green, age 9, a third grade student at Mesa Verde Elementary School. Christina had recently been elected to the student council and was inspired into politics by President Obama's 2008 campaign. A neighbor brought Christina to the event to meet her Congresswoman. Born on the fateful day of September 11, 2001, Christina was taken from her parents and this nation on January 8, 2011.

Madam Speaker, today, with the passage of House Resolution 32, the People's House mourns with family and with the nation for these innocent lives cut short. During these trying times for our nation, I am reminded of what Senator Robert F. Kennedy once said in his remarks to the Cleveland City Club just months before he was assassinated.

``A sniper is only a coward, not a hero; and an uncontrolled, uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of the people.

``Whenever any American's life is taken by another American unnecessarily--whether it is done in the name of the law or in the defiance of law, by one man or a gang, in cold blood or in passion, in an attack of violence or in response to violence--whenever we tear at the fabric of life which another man has painfully and clumsily woven for himself and his children, the whole nation is degraded.''

Now is a time for reflection. My prayers and condolences are with the fallen victims' families and with those, including Gabby, who are making their way along the long road to recovery from the injuries they suffered. May our nation honor the loss of innocent lives with greater peace and understanding.

Madam Speaker, on Friday, January 7th, I was unavoidably detained on account of official business in California and was not present for three rollcall votes on that day.

Had I been present I would have voted: ``Nay'' on rollcall No. 9 on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 26; ``nay'' on rollcall No. 10 on passage of H. Res. 26, rule providing for consideration of H.R. 2, Patients Rights Repeal Act, H. Res. 9, Instructing certain committees to report legislation replacing the Affordable Care Act, and H. Res. 27, Session/Fitzpatrick Clean up Resolution; and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 11 on passage of H. Res. 27, Session/Fitzpatrick Clean up Resolution.

Mr. Chairman, a point of parliamentary procedure.

Now that the process has started, would the gentleman from

Washington's original question about parliamentary procedure be in order at this time?

``No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.''

Madam Speaker, I regret that illness prevents me from casting my vote in favor of H.R. 5116 today, but I would like to express my strong support for H.R 5116, America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, for the record.

I commend Chairman Bart Gordon and the other members of the Science and Technology Committee, on which I am proud to have once served, for the hard work and thoughtful consideration that went into this bill.

The America COMPETES Act of 2007 significantly bolstered American innovation, the most fundamental hope for sustainable economic growth and competitiveness in the United States and a critical driver of the economy in my Silicon Valley district. It helped drive new research and its commercialization, encouraged the creation of a more dynamic business environment, and made improvements to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education that are important for our nation's long term economic health.

It is critical that we sustain proper support for scientific research and STEM education, or our ability to compete in the global economy will be put in jeopardy. As the Business Roundtable noted in its Roadmap for Growth, a new report released last week, investing in scientific research and math and science education will create sustained, long-term economic competiveness and growth. That is why I am proud to support H.R. 5116, which authorizes those much needed investments.

Although the Senate's amendment to H.R. 5116 is a significantly trimmed down version of the House bill, it maintains the key principles of investment and innovation, ensuring America remains competitive in the 21st century global economy.

I am pleased that the bill includes provisions to ensure coordination of federal STEM education activities by elevating an existing committee under the National Science and Technology (NSTC). Providing this coordinating mechanism for the federal STEM education programs is long overdue.

According to the Academic Competitiveness Council's (ACC) report, in 2006 the U.S. sponsored 105 STEM education programs at more than a dozen different federal agencies. These programs devoted approximately $3.12 billion to STEM education activities spanning pre- kindergarten through postgraduate education and outreach. The report notes that many of these agencies do not share information or work collaboratively on similar programs, demonstrating a need for better coordination.

The STEM education coordination provisions of this bill are similar to those included in my own bill, the Enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (E-STEM) Act, H.R. 2710. Both bills seek to ensure that the various agencies involved in STEM education efforts are aware of what is being done and what has already been done elsewhere so agencies can strategically invest in programs and activities.

Again, I congratulate the Science and Technology Committee and Chairman Gordon for their work on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation to ensure that our nation leads the world in innovation and science and technology.

Mr. Speaker, as the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I rise in support of House Resolution 1377 and to pay tribute to my dear friend and mentor, Norman Yoshio Mineta.

Throughout his career, Norm, a distinguished former Member of this House, has broken through many glass ceilings, not just for himself, but also for the rest of us.

Norm was the first Asian American mayor of a major city, the first Asian American to hold a Presidential Cabinet position, trusted by both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Norm has dedicated and continues to dedicate much of his energy toward the building of the infrastructure needed for the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities to grow and thrive to what they are today.

When I think of Norm's legacy in our community, Mr. Speaker, I am reminded of the poem, ``Footprints in the Sand.'' The poem's last line reads: ``During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.''

Norm was one of the first in our community to see a light at the end of our path, a path cleared by so many greats before him, and to lead us forward. As with many movements, at times we

stumbled and wanted nothing more than to forget the past and bury our heads in shame. But Norm never let us stop from moving forward on our path to claim our rights as Americans. In good times, Norm marched beside us. When times were tough, Norm carried us, strengthened only by his vision of the possible and his undying patriotism and loyalty to this country.

Norm had a hand in establishing and strengthening so many of our community's key national organizations and, hence, deepened those footprints. These span from policy advocacy coalitions like the National Health Council of Asian Pacific Americans, to voter engagement organizations like APIA Vote, to organizations and fellowship programs that develop the future leaders of our community, such as the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, to the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation and the Japanese American Citizens League, to establishing the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, which I chair today.

Some of the national accomplishments, because he is so connected to our communities, Mr. Speaker, it is easy to forget what a major player Norm has been on a national level.

During his 20 years in Congress, Norm rose to the chairmanship of the House Transportation Committee, where he authored the landmark Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991.

And Norm was instrumental in the passage of H.R. 442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided an official government apology and redress for Japanese Americans interned during World War II, people like Norm, and the late Congressman Bob Matsui, his wife, Congresswoman Doris Matsui and myself.

In his last year in office, President Clinton appointed Norm Secretary of the Commerce Department, making him the first Asian American to hold a Cabinet post.

The following year, when President George W. Bush was organizing his Cabinet, he searched the country for the most qualified person on transportation issues and a leader who could put the interests of the country above party politics. President Bush found that leader in Norm and appointed him Secretary of Transportation. Norm served as Secretary of Transportation from 2001 to 2006, the longest serving Secretary in the history of the Department.

How fortunate our country was, Mr. Speaker, to have had a tested, experienced leader like Norm Mineta at the helm of the Transportation Department during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Norm issued a historic order to ground all civilian air travel on that fateful day and had the skill to get the thousands of planes back up in the air and the passengers safely home to their families.

What impresses me most about Norm's leadership as Secretary of Transportation after the attacks, and perhaps what many do not know, is his strong opposition to racial and religious profiling. Having grown up in a time when Norm and his family were led away from their homes by rifles and bayonets and interned in Wyoming solely because of their ancestry, he refused to allow the same injustices to happen to innocent Muslim and Arab Americans.

From his time in local government as mayor of San Jose, to his years in Congress rising to the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, to his leadership as Secretary of Commerce for President Clinton and Secretary of Transportation for President Bush, Norm has remained rooted in social justice and love of country.

In 1980, Mr. Speaker, with the help of Norm Mineta, Congress established the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. This commission was charged with the duty of examining executive order 9066, which led to the internment of over 120,000 American citizens during World War II.

Three years later, in 1983, the commission issued its findings in the book ``Personal Justice Denied,'' concluding that the internment was based on racial prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership.

Let me repeat, Mr. Speaker, a failure of political leadership.

Throughout his long and distinguished service to our Nation, Norm Mineta has committed himself to making sure that our country never has a failure in political leadership like it did 7 years ago.

Every time I step into the well of this House, I'm reminded of the example Norm set for me and for others throughout his life in public service.

It is telling that during this heated political climate, both Republican and Democrats can come together to honor a man whose service supersedes party affiliation.

I thank Norm for his years of friendship and mentorship. I thank his family, his wife, Deni, his two sons, David and Stuart, his stepsons, Robert and Mark, his grandchildren, and his sister, Etsu, and four other brothers and sisters for giving Norm a life outside of work. And we know that Norm still has many years of advocacy and leadership still in him.

Mr. Speaker, I want to also thank Chairman Brady and the House leadership for bringing this resolution to the floor.

And before I ask my colleagues to support this passage, and before I yield back the balance of my time, I just want to make it clear that this is not a memorial resolution. This is a resolution to recognize a man and his work while he's still alive and appreciated. And I know that, quite frankly, he's not prepared to accommodate a memorial.

And so with that, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues, the leadership, for this opportunity to be able to recognize and honor an American first, a man who understands that ethnicity is important, nationality is important, our flag is important. But most of all, our allegiance to the Constitution is utmost. For that I thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the DREAM Act.