Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise today in support of H. Res. 122. I also want to thank the House leadership on both sides, as well as Chairman Conyers, for their leadership in steering this measure to the floor today. While the resolution addresses events from our past, there is much that we can learn from our history, as has been stated by our friend Mr. Issa.

This is a resolution recognizing the 65th anniversary of the Day of Remembrance and supporting the goals of the Japanese American community in recognizing a National Day of Remembrance to increase public awareness of the events surrounding the restriction, exclusion and internment of all persons of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

The resolution also recognizes that many in the German and Italian communities experienced deprivations during this time as well.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of President Roosevelt's signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, and the 19th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which was signed into law by President Reagan.

In 1942, some 120,000 people were rounded up in this country, primarily from the west coast, and incarcerated. Families were torn apart. Hardworking people had to sell their businesses for pennies on the dollar and their personal properties. Everything these people worked so hard for evaporated overnight.

I spent part of my childhood in a camp in southeast Colorado, an internment camp called Amache. H. Res. 122 also recognizes that many in the German and the Italian communities experienced deprivation during this period as well: public humiliation, detention and, at times, deportation.

In 1942, on the domestic front, our political leaders failed. Therefore, today we must work to educate the public about the internment of Americans in order to prevent similar injustices to be forced upon anyone in this country. Our civil liberties have not been in as much risk since World War II, and this time we, as political leaders, cannot fail.

True to the democratic process, our Nation has been able to look back and admit errors from its past. I can think of no greater evidence to show why the United States, with all its flaws, still is looked to worldwide as the Nation with the strongest and the fairest form of government.

By admitting that the government did wrong in its treatment of its citizens and legal residents who were aliens during World War II, Congress and the President reaffirmed our Nation's commitment to the principles founded in the Constitution.

However, we must always be vigilant in the protection of our civil liberties, and in this time of tension as we wage a war against terrorism, we must again reaffirm our commitment to the principles in the Constitution.

While national security is always a paramount concern for those of us making the laws, as well as executing and interpreting the laws, we see that there are those in government who continue to pursue policies once again that target our civil liberties.

The whole point of the Day of Remembrance resolution is about learning. It is about being persistent about the lessons that we have learned from the American of Japanese ancestry, experience that is really an American lesson on the Constitution and is also a lesson of the American character where, upon reconciliation, there is a healing.

There is a healing among not only those who were incarcerated, but there is also healing among those who were affected but maybe not necessarily incarcerated. So victims are both those who were directly victimized and those who were indirectly victimized by the misdeeds of our government.

Also, the further learning, when we talk about the Day of Remembrance, is that other communities get to reflect upon their own experience at that time and project into the future when this kind of thing should happen again.

As a teacher, I want to reemphasize the necessity for this type of resolution as it continues to teach us the old maxim that those of us who do not learn from the mistakes of our past are doomed to repeat them.

In today's current light, I want to underscore that national security is my highest priority. It is our government's highest priority, and I support efforts to fight our war against terrorism. But we must also understand that in doing so, we do not again have a failure among our political leadership. We must not give in to war hysteria. We must not fall back to racial prejudice, discrimination and unlawful profiling.

It is critical and important, more than ever, to speak up against possible unjust policies that may come before this body. It is critical that we educate all Americans of the Japanese American experience during World War II, as well as the experience of other Americans, like the Japanese Latin Americans.

These people were extricated from Latin America, brought over here, had their documents taken away from them, thus becoming individuals without a country, to be used as pawns in exchange for POWs in the Pacific theater. As this resolution does, we must also remember the experiences of our comrades of the German and Italian Americans who were also victimized.

In order to learn the important lessons from our own history, I introduced H. Res. 122, the Day of Remembrance resolution, here in this body. I cannot emphasize enough that the lessons of those dark days are more important than ever. Remembering Executive Order 9066, signed on February 19, 1942, rescinded on February 19, 1976, and the reconciliation brought by the redress legislation signed on August 10, 1988, are still instructive to us today.

There is a maturity in this country that I am very proud of. This maturity

says that we can learn from our mistakes of the past and we can also teach to other of our lessons that we have learned. We have learned that the Executive Order 9066 was not signed out of military necessity. It was not signed out of national security. It was not signed out of personal safety and security of the Japanese Americans, but, as the Commission on Wartime Internment and Relocation of Civilians concluded, that it was a result of racial prejudice, war hysteria and the failure of political leadership.

The experiences from 1942, applied to our situation in this post-9/ 11, show us that the Constitution of this country is never tested in times of tranquility. Rather, our Constitution is always tested in times of trauma, tragedy, terrorism and tension, that the very principles of our Constitution continuously need to be taught until it is ingrained in our own character, so that every decision we make as a citizen, as adults, as children, as students, and as policymakers, that we will always be true to the principles of our Constitution.

The foundation of these ingrained principles is the light that draws people from around this world to overcome any obstacle to come to this country and be part of this society. The word is out around the world that this Nation will protect individual rights against even the most powerful in its government. The protection of our Constitution is what our forefathers and our veterans have shed their blood and sacrificed their limbs and lives for, in order that our Constitution may live and really be reflected in every action that we have, not only in this body but by every action of every citizen of this great country, so as to, or stated in the Preamble of the Constitution, in order to form a more perfect union.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Berman for his leadership.

I rise today in support of H. Res. 109, which recognizes the historical significance of the Pinedale Assembly Center, and I want to thank House leadership for bringing two resolutions on the floor today recognizing the important historical aspects of the Japanese American internment. I also want to thank Congressman Costa for his leadership in introducing this very important resolution.

Executive Order 9066 authorized the exclusion and internment of all Japanese Americans living on the west coast during World War II. As we recognize the Pinedale Assembly Center, I want us to place the internment period into a broader historical context rather than just focus on the plight of the Japanese Americans during World War II.

Our Nation has always battled the dueling sentiments of openness and freedom on the one hand and apprehension and fear of perceived outsiders on the other. Due to apprehension and fear when our economy took a downturn in the 1880s, the Asian community became the target of politicians looking for someone to blame.

In 1882 the Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act to keep out people of all Chinese origin. During World War II, Japanese Americans were the well-known target of the government's submission to apprehension and fear.

During this time, 10,000 Italian Americans were forced to relocate; 3,278 were incarcerated, while nearly 11,000 German Americans were incarcerated. German and Italian Americans were restricted during World War II by measures that branded them enemy aliens and required identification cards, travel restrictions, seizure of personal property as well.

Our Federal Government has made amends for the fundamental violations of the basic rights of those of Japanese ancestry that took place pursuant to Executive Order 9066, but we must continue to learn from these events. In the post-9/11 world, we need to protect our Nation and our civil liberties more than ever.

As political leaders we must not fail to uphold constitutional principles.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, February 5 the House unanimously passed H.R. 161, the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Monument Act of 2007. This measure would provide for the preservation of a historic site on Bainbridge Island, WA, where the first Japanese Americans were assembled for internment during World War II.

I thank my friend, Congressman Jay Inslee, for his heartfelt commitment and leadership in introducing this legislation and working so effectively through the years to provide for this historic site. As an original cosponsor of this legislation and supporter of past efforts, I am proud to see its passage in the House. In addition, I wish to thank the Committee on Natural Resources and especially my friend, Chairman Raul Grijalva of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands for their support and quick action.

During the war hysteria in 1942, Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Roosevelt which effectively trampled on the rights of U.S. citizens by ordering the internment of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans.

Due to the military importance of Bainbridge Island, WA, lawful Japanese American families of this community were the first to be forcibly removed from their homes and sent to internment sites. These families would not be able to return to the island for more than four years. H.R. 161 would preserve their story.

H.R. 161 would enact recommendations from the National Park Service by extending the boundary of the Minidoka Internment National Monument, located in Idaho, to include the Bainbridge Island site as a satellite location. The Minidoka internment camp was the final destination until the end of the war for most of the families from Bainbridge Island. Including the Bainbridge Island site into an existing national monument would make it eligible to receive grants for funding.

Mr. Speaker, I am truly grateful for the support H.R. 161 enjoyed in the House of Representatives, and I anticipate similar endorsement in the Senate. Memorializing the Bainbridge Island site will preserve the stories of injustice fallen on these innocent American families and serve as a reminder of how easily the civil rights can be discarded in guise of homeland security. Appropriately, the Bainbridge Island Memorial will be named Nidoto Nai Yoni, which translated from Japanese means ``Let It Not Happen Again.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to memorialize the recent passing and pay tribute to a great and former Member of this House, Father Robert Drinan. Many Members of this House have already praised his advocacy of human rights and women's rights, his efforts to uphold government morality, his role as an educator, and his commitment to his Catholic faith. I rise today to highlight and honor Father Drinan for a particular element of his human and civil rights advocacy work.

In 1981, as a former Congressman and noted advocate for social justice, Father Drinan was named to the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC). This commission was formed to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding Executive Order (EO) 9066 and the

impact of this order and the ensuing exclusion, relocation, and internment on American citizens and permanent resident aliens of Japanese ancestry.

The CWRIC found that EO 9066 and the decisions that followed were not justified by military necessity, but shaped by racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political leadership. As a member of the commission, Father Drinan was among the most outspoken about the need to remedy the injustices done to these loyal Americans and permanent residents. Based on the CWRIC's findings and recommendations, Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which provided a national apology and redress to all surviving individuals who were excluded from their place of residence due to EO 9066.

The CWRIC and its findings are cited as historic and remarkable due to their impeccable credentials, solid research, and far-reaching influence, As such, we cannot understate the role of Father Robert Drinan in the proceedings and findings of this commission. He spoke for redress to former internees in his Congressional testimony on behalf of the commission. His testimony was truly instrumental in the passage of the Civil Liberties Act and sent a message to the Nation and the world that the U.S. Government is able to admit its mistakes and take responsibility in making reparations. In a speech before Congress in 1987, Father Drinan profoundly stated, ``No U.S. Government may take away the liberty of its citizens, even in wartime, unless there is some clear and provable reason. Lacking any such reason, the deprivation of liberty of any U.S. citizen is a clear violation of the Constitution, which states in the 14th Amendment that no person may be deprived of `life, liberty, or property without due process of law.' ''

Father Drinan maintained his commitment to the causes of human rights, education, and promoting awareness of the triumphs and follies of U.S. history throughout his life and well after his tenure on the CWRIC. On the matter of Japanese American Internment, Father Drinan was among the founding board members of the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund which was created by the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 to fund educational and humanitarian purposes related to the wartime internment of Japanese Americans. As part of this board, Father Drinan ensured that we as a Nation never forget the mistakes in our history and are reminded to uphold the virtues of equality and justice for all.

Mr. Speaker, Father Robert Drinan has certainly impacted this Nation in innumerable ways, but I have been personally touched by Father Drinan's work and advocacy on behalf of the Japanese American community towards redress. Our Nation owes Father Drinan much honor, respect, and gratitude for his work to address the wrongs done to Japanese Americans during World War II and his tireless effort to ensure this Nation lives up to its own standards. He will be sorely missed.

Madam Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I welcome you to join me in commemorating the the history of Africans in the Americas. Since 1926, the month of

February has been the designated time for honoring the Black contribution. It serves as a reminder that we must be ever vigilant of the Black experience in this country, and the African roots of our shared concepts of freedom, hope, and justice. This year's theme for Black History Month is fittingly, ``From Slavery to Freedom: The Story of Africans in the Americas.''

As Chair of the Congressional Ethiopia and Ethiopian American Caucus, I am particularly interested in the history of Africans in this country. My experience with this community has taught me that the history of the Diaspora is as complex and divergent as the communities themselves. Our challenge this month is educate ourselves about the Diaspora and to understand how African Americans embrace and explore their heritage.

This February, let us broaden our understanding of the myriad ways people of African descent arrived here--beyond the slave trade. Let us be honest and open about the impact that slavery has had on African descendant communities today, but let us also celebrate the African contribution to our culture in spite of it. The best way to honor the African American experience is to educate oneself and one's community. I urge you to use this month to expose yourselves to the ways in which the African American experience has already been made a part of your life.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the over 200,000 ``comfort women'' in Asia who suffered unimaginable dehumanization by the Japanese Imperial Army during Japan's colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s through the duration of World War II.

These women, whose experiences were unprecedented in cruelty and were officially commissioned by the Government of Japan, endured gang rape, forced abortions, humiliation, and sexual violence resulting in mutilation, death, or eventual suicide--and to this date, they have still not received justice from this tragedy.

Their hope is a modest one: That the government of Japan acknowledges, apologizes and accepts full historical responsibility for this crime.

Today, I am introducing a resolution which calls on Japan to formally and unambiguously apologize and acknowledge the tragedy which the comfort women endured under its Imperial Army during World War II. Not only should Japan's Prime Minister issue a public apology, Japan must take responsibility unequivocally.

Some question whether this resolution is necessary and warn that it could affect our nation's strong friendship and alliance with Japan. Some even argue that Japan has already apologized, and this resolution fails to recognize that. It is true that Japan's previous Prime Ministers have issued statements related to comfort women. However, it is clear that these statements are not viewed by the government of Japan with unequivocal respect, and the comfort women themselves do not consider them formal apologies. Japan has equivocated in its stance on this issue, which is made clear in their recent attempts to alter previous public statements and their school textbooks.

For example, in 1993, Japan's then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono issued an encouraging statement regarding Japan's comfort women, which expressed the Government's sincere apologies and remorse for their ordeal. Today, some members of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party strive to review and even possibly rescind Secretary Kono's statement.

Further, the Japanese government continues to seek to downplay the comfort women system in its textbooks. We must ask ourselves, if Japan has truly come to terms with its past in acknowledging what its Imperial Army forced upon these women, why are they suppressing the knowledge of this through education? Education on this tragedy is important to ensure that future violence against women, especially in conflicts, should not be tolerated or repeated. Textbook suppression, coupled with efforts to revise Secretary Kono's 1993 statement, is disheartening and indicates that Japan wavers in its apology to these women.

I want to make it clear that I recognize and value the importance of our strong friendship with Japan. I appreciate Japan's efforts to provide monetary compensation to surviving comfort women through the Asia Women's Fund, a government-initiated and largely government-funded private foundation whose purpose was the carrying out of programs and projects with the aim of atonement for the comfort women. The Asia Women's Fund is to be disbanded on March 31, 2007, and while I agree that the Asia Women's Fund was important, the reality is that the majority of surviving

comfort women refused to accept these funds, and that without an unambiguous and unequivocal apology from the government of Japan, the money was not significant to them.

The purpose of this resolution is not to bash or humiliate Japan. This is about achieving justice for the few remaining women who survived this atrocity. We must recognize this grave human rights violation, which has remained unknown for so many years.

Further, this resolution is intended to encourage and provide for reconciliation, as the U.S. Congress did when it passed H.R. 442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which was a formal apology made to U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry who were unjustly put into internment camps during World War II. As someone who was put into an internment camp at a young age, I know firsthand that we must not be ignorant of the past, and that reconciliation through government actions is long lasting.

I would be remiss if I failed to recognize the efforts that my good friend and former colleague Lane Evans made to push this issue forward in Congress. I am proud to be carrying the torch that Lane passed on, and commend him for the hope he has instilled in the comfort women and the communities that have worked so hard on their behalf by bringing this issue to Congress.

Madam Speaker, to put it frankly, the few surviving comfort women in the world who live with this burden are dying. We must help them achieve some peace of mind by moving this resolution forward. For the women who survived this brutality, this resolution demonstrates that our nation supports them and hears their voices calling for justice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service and achievements of my dear friend, Lane Evans.

For the past quarter of a century, Congressman Evans led efforts on behalf of veterans, including the fight to give Filipino veterans the benefits that they had been promised. He also became legendary in his advocacy for our nation's middle class. As a champion of these causes he earned the respect of America's veterans and their families.

He also stood as a tireless champion in the fight to provide justice for over 200,000 ``comfort women'' who were forced into sex slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. He has been a voice for these voiceless women who are still holding out hope that they will receive a formal apology from the Japanese government for the indignity they suffered. I have assured him that I will do my best to continue his work and legacy on this issue after his retirement this year.

Today I am pleased to vote in favor of naming a Post Office after a man who deserves our greatest respect. Mr. Speaker, for his leadership, mentorship and companionship, for his work on behalf of those who would have otherwise been forgotten, and for his unparalleled work these past 24 years, I emphatically raise my voice in support of naming a Post Office after my friend, Congressman Lane Evans.

Madam Speaker, as chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I strongly support H. Res. 78, a resolution that would restore the privileges of the House Delegates representing the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa, as well as the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, to cast a vote in the Committee of the Whole.

For the past 12 years, Delegates and the Resident Commissioner have been deprived of the ability to sufficiently represent the voices of their constituents. The time is long overdue to restore this privilege.

Of great significance to the Asian Pacific Islander community, the resolution would give greater voice to the approximate 170,000 U.S. citizens in Guam, and the approximate 60,000 U.S. nationals in American Samoa.

Permitting the Delegates and the Resident Commissioner to vote in the Committee of the Whole improves the legislative process and increases the degree to which the House of Representatives accurately reflects needs of American citizens and nationals. In this regard, every American benefits with a truer democracy.

On behalf of CAPAC, I urge my colleagues to pass this measure.

Madam Speaker, today I rise, along with Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, to honor the life and contributions of Mrs. Miriam Ayllon, who recently passed away. Miriam is survived by her son, Huascar Castro, and her loving husband, Marvin Castro. She will be sorely missed by her friends and by the people she helped. Today, I honor her energy, her determination, and her lifelong service to many communities here in the United States and in Bolivia.

Miriam Ayllon was born in La Paz, Bolivia, on June 14, 1959. At the age of 13, she began volunteering at a nursing home across the street from her school reading to elderly patients. Miriam grew up wanting to make a difference in the lives of the poor and the underserved.

Miriam moved to the United States in 1977 to live with relatives. She attended both Foothill and De Anza Colleges in California. Later, she moved to Houston, where she studied economics at the University of Houston. Soon after graduation, she moved to New York where she met her husband, Marvin Castro. In New York, she helped start an English as a Second Language school.

In 1988, Ms. Ayllon and her husband relocated to San Jose, California, where they later had their son, Huascar. In San Jose, she joined the Mexican American Community Service Agency (MACSA), where she helped senior citizens find affordable housing and worked to build a youth center. Later, she worked at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA). At SCVTA, she helped coordinate transportation for the poor, especially those in East San Jose. She also managed to earn a Masters of Science degree in Transportation Management from San Jose State University.

Ms. Ayllon also served her community through personal volunteerism and community projects. Miriam's community advocacy included empowering others to advocate for themselves. She co-founded the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley and served on its board, as well as the School Site Council of Noble Elementary School, and the Board of MACSA.

Though the United States was her home, Miriam never forgot her Bolivian roots. In 2001, she founded an orphanage for homeless girls in Cochabamba, Bolivia, called Casa de la Alegria (``House of Joy''). The girls are provided with room, board, health care, clothing, and education until they graduate from high school.

Ms. Ayllon had the vision to address broader issues, yet she remained grounded enough to respond to the needs of those immediately around her. When an SCVTA co-worker's home burned down, Miriam immediately dedicated her time and effort to raising money and collecting necessary supplies for the family that had lost so much.

Miriam always made time for family and friends. Despite her important work in so many different professional and community arenas, her most important role was being a mother to her 15-year-old son. She loved to go dancing with friends and set up family dinners on Sundays.

Miriam was a gentle and loving soul, committed to justice for all. Her involvement in so many projects, which focused on access for the underserved, was a reflection of that commitment. Miriam's compassion was equaled only by her strength. She left a lasting impression on anyone she came across and was a strong champion of women's leadership development.

Miriam Ayllon died at the young age of 47 in a tragic accident while vacationing in Bolivia. When she passed away, the San Francisco Bay area lost one of its most dynamic leaders. Miriam was an advocate for women and the underserved from San Jose to South America. She will truly be missed by all those who had the opportunity to benefit from her generous service and those of us who were inspired by her commitment to community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4, the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007. I commend Speaker Pelosi and Representative

Dingell for bringing this important legislation to the floor for consideration.

I strongly believe that Medicare should ensure that seniors have access to the drugs and biologics they need. I applaud the leadership's effort to avoid the use of government price controls and restrictive formularies, while broadening the effort to make medication more affordable for our seniors.

It is critical that the Secretary structure the negotiation process so that the result does not limit seniors' access to both proven and new therapies.

Small, emerging biotechnology companies are researching and developing cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and other devastating diseases. The majority of these companies are small companies without approved products, which are highly reliant on the public and private capital markets.

As Medicare negotiates prices, we must be careful to protect this important research, which is costly and takes a long time to come to fruition but has added much to our quality of life.

I believe that this legislation is an important first step in achieving important cost savings for our seniors and urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, the Nation brought in the new year by marking a somber milestone: the 3,000th fallen American combatant in Iraq. In response, the President proposes to send even more of a failed and dangerous policy.

How much more heartbreak must American families suffer before the President comes to see what the rest of the Nation has long known: His Iraq policy is an utter failure, one that makes our country less and less secure with each passing day, all at the expense of the flower of our youth. How long before the President realizes that each fallen soldier, sailor, aviator, and marine is a valuable, cherished human being and not just a checkmark on a deployment order? How long will President Bush continue to ignore the demands of American voters who have clearly demanded a new direction?

Mr. President, I have asked before and I will ask again now: Why?

These policies of escalation have been tried in the past in Iraq. The results speak for themselves: 3,000 brave men and women return home in body bags, their families and friends left with nothing but memories; over 22,000 more returning home injured, their lives never the same.

America's credibility around the world and its domestic security have been dangerously eroded. We have plunged Iraq into a civil war, further destabilizing an already precarious region. All this while, at home the civil rights of American citizens are slowly being degraded, often without congressional oversight.

On November 7, 2006, the American people spoke loud and clear. They demanded a new direction.

This escalation is not a new direction. It is a slap in the face to all Americans. And the fact that the President began committing new troops in Iraq before Congress had a chance to respond to his new plan is an insult to this body and an insult to the people who elected us to lead our country in a new direction.

Mr. President, you have claimed that you wanted to start this year off in a spirit of bipartisanship and collegiality. As an equal partner, Congress deserves it, America deserves it and, most importantly, our troops deserve it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007.

I first want to commend Speaker Pelosi, the Democratic leadership, and Mr. George Miller for their leadership in making this issue a priority in the first 100 hours of legislation.

As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I stand here with my friends from the Tri-Caucus in support of increasing the minimum wage to $7.25 and urge Congress to support a clean vote to this bill.

It has been 10 years since the last increase in the minimum wage; and, adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage is now at its lowest level since 1955.

Over the past 5 years, the number of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans living in poverty has grown by 243,000. In 2005, more than 1.5 million Asian Pacific Islander Americans, nearly 9 percent of all APIA families in the U.S., were living below the poverty line. Certain ethnic communities, such as Hmong Americans and Cambodian Americans, experience poverty at up to three times that rate. The median household income for APIA families is down $2,157 since 2000.

Now is the time for us to take a step in a new direction and help to improve the quality of life for the estimated 14.9 million workers in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service and achievements of my dear friend Lane Evans. Lane Evans is a hero who has tirelessly fought to provide just for over 200,000 ``comfort women'' who were forced into sex slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. He has been a voice for those voiceless women who are still holding out hope that they will receive a formal apology from the Japanese Government for the indignities they have suffered.

I want to assure Lane that I will do my best to continue his work and legacy on this issue after his retirement this year. He has personally inspired me, and I look forward to seeking the justice the ``comfort women'' deserve, knowing that Lane Evans blazed much of the trail.

Mr. Speaker, for his leadership, mentorship and companionship, for his work on behalf of those who would have otherwise been forgotten, and for his unparalleled work these past 24 years, I will not forget Lane.

Lane, Semper Fi.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for H.R. 6316, and I am glad the House will be approving this bill today.

The bill extends the Army Corps of Engineers authority to accept and expend funds contributed by non-Federal public entities to expedite the processing of permits. If the House and Senate had been able to agree to the Water Resources Development Act, this authority would have been extended, but unfortunately the two bodies have been unable to pass WRDA yet again.

H.R. 6316 helps to address an increasingly important problem in areas that are experiencing significant growth in environmentally sensitive areas. In the Sacramento, CA region, for example, much of the land includes wetlands and endangered or threatened species, meaning that any construction projects require permits from the Corps of Engineers to proceed.

At current staffing levels, the Corps of Engineers cannot process the large number of permits in a timely manner. The authority granted by this bill allows the Corps to accept outside funds to support additional staff to work on the processing of these permits.

I would prefer that in the future we can address this problem permanently, either by giving the Corps of Engineers sufficient funding to do its job or by granting permanent authority similar to that in this bill; but in the interim, I am happy that we will be passing H.R. 6316 and I commend Representative Baird for pushing this bill forward.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Guam, my colleague and friend, for yielding me the time to address this important measure on the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1492, a measure to provide for the preservation of the historic confinement sites where Americans of Japanese descent, of Japanese ancestry, were detained during World War II.

I thank very personally Chairman Bill Thomas for his steadfast leadership in introducing and working so effectively and ardently to move this bill forward. I am also pleased to be an original cosponsor of this measure, along with Congresswoman Doris Matsui. I thank the Committee on Resources and the Senate for their successful efforts to bring us to this point where this bill is about to go to the President to be signed into law.

When I was a member of the California State Assembly, I had the privilege of passing legislation to create the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program. The measure created a program to fund grants for educational activities and the development of educational materials to ensure that the events surrounding the exclusion, forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans would be remembered.

This program has also shed light on how Executive Order 9066, the order paving the way for the internment, impacted others such as Italian and German Americans and the people of Japanese ancestry living in Latin America.

While my bill in California helped to preserve the stories of the internment period, this bill will help to preserve the physical and tangible reminders of this period and will have a deep impact on our ability to make the stories real for future generations.

This bill uses the phrase ``confinement sites'' so funds may be used not only for 10 internment camps but for associated sites as well.

The internment sites, Manzanar, Topaz, Minidoka, Heart Mountain, Tule Lake, Gila River, Poston, Amache where I was born, Rohwer, Jerome and related confinement sites stand as an important and powerful lesson for this Nation.

Ultimately, by preserving these sites we will demonstrate the Nation's commitment to equal justice under the law and preserve a true American lesson.

I commend the groups making up the Japanese American National Heritage Coalition and its constituent groups, and the work of Gerald Yamada and Floyd Mori in bringing this issue to Congress. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish my friend John Tateishi a speedy recovery and to thank him for his commitment to upholding civil rights as he steps down from his long and accomplished career as national director of the Japanese American Citizens League.

Finally, I again wish to thank Chairman Bill Thomas for his passionate dedication to making this bill a reality. The Japanese American community thanks you for your heartfelt commitment to this important issue and is overjoyed that it can be a part of the final act of your illustrious career in Congress.