Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the City of Santa Rosa in California's Fifth Congressional District as we celebrate the city's 150th anniversary.

Santa Rosa was officially incorporated in 1868 as the third city in Sonoma County. Currently, the city has a population of over 175,000 residents living within its 41.5 square miles. Santa Rosa is the largest city in the North Bay and the fifth most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the 28th most populous in California. Santa Rosa is known to be one of the great centers of California's viticulture community. The city and its surrounding region is home to hundreds of wineries, big and small, which play a central and dominant role in our region's tourism industry.

Santa Rosa has a vibrant arts community and has been the setting of numerous films for many decades. Our town's historic buildings have been backdrops for movies including Shadow of a Doubt, Pollyanna, Peggy Sue Got Married and Cheaper by the Dozen. The city is also home to the Summer Repertory Theater, Santa Rosa Symphony, Sonoma County Philharmonic and many other world-class arts organizations.

Santa Rosa is also known for being the home of Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC), one of the most renowned community colleges in California and the whole of the United States. SRJC is an important institution in our city that serves recent high school graduates and people who are continuing their education alike.

Santa Rosa has been home to numerous significant Americans for over a century. Renowned horticulturalist Luther Burbank, actress Natalie Wood and nationally celebrated cartoonist Charles M. Schultz all called Santa Rosa home at one point during their lives. Mr. Burbank summed up the beauty and special character of Santa Rosa as ``the chosen spot of all this earth as far as Nature is concerned.''

Mr. Speaker, the City of Santa Rosa is the home of prominent historical and cultural assets. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor its 150th anniversary here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 120 years of service that Penngrove Community Church has provided to Penngrove, California and our surrounding community.

The Penngrove Community Church started in 1897 when the Thompson brothers came to hold revival meetings. After conducting church meetings in the Eagle School building, a church was eventually built half a mile from Penngrove. In 1910, the church was moved closer to town and placed on its current site on Oak Street. In 1937, the church changed its denominational affiliation to Congregational Church and adopted the name it has today. In the 1950s, Penngrove Community Church was affiliated with the United Church of Christ and later, became the independent community church that it is today.

Penngrove Community Church has several local missions and remains deeply involved in our community. The Redwood Gospel Mission provides homeless shelters, facilitates food drives and holds school supply drives for children. The Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, which is affiliated with the Penngrove Community Church, serves students at Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University. The church is also affiliated with Mt. Gilead Bible Camp and Conference Center. Penngrove Community Church is a member of City Ministries of Petaluma, a non-profit informal prayer group.

Penngrove Community Church is a host for Committee On The Shelterless, a nationally recognized program that provides living space for homeless families with children and helps them secure housing. The church holds an after school bible study at Penngrove School and holds an Annual Women's Tea and an Annual Aebleskiver Breakfast. They also assist with the Penngrove Social Firemen with an annual gift giving to needy families in the community. The church donates to Partners International Harvest of Hope, a mission to provide a practical solution to poverty in some of the poorest nations in the world.

Mr. Speaker, Penngrove Community Church is an important pillar in our community. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor its 120th anniversary here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Napa's retiring Chief of Police, Stephen Potter, for his lifelong dedication to public service to our community.

Chief Potter was born and raised in Napa, California. In 1980, he received an Associate of Science in Law Enforcement from Napa Valley College. In 2007, he returned to school and graduated from Union Institute & University with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Management.

Chief Potter has been an integral member of Napa's law enforcement community since he began his career as a Deputy Sheriff at the Napa County Sheriff's Department in 1981. He served as a Patrol Deputy, Field Training Officer, Deputy Coroner, Investigator, SWAT Team member and Narcotic Investigator. In 1987, Chief Potter joined the Napa Police Department, where he became known for his communication and problem solving skills. He became the Chief of Police for Napa in 2015. During his time at the Police Department, he has worked tirelessly to serve our community through public safety.

Chief Potter has been active in our community outside of his official duties. Be was a basketball and baseball coach and has been a mentor to countless young adults throughout the years. He has stayed in contact with many of his mentees and continues to offer advice and provide guidance.

Chief Potter is an essential part of many community organizations. He is a Board Member of Leadership Napa Valley, Napa Emergency Women's Services, Puertas Abiertas, Napa County Hispanic Network and is an Honorary Board Member of Napa Police Historical Society. Chief Potter is an Associate Member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the California Police Chiefs Association, and a member of the California Police Officers Association, Napa County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Napa Sunrise.

Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to call Chief Stephen Potter my friend and he is a kind and caring person who is devoted to our community. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor him here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 20th anniversary of the founding of Moving Forward Towards Independence, an organization that provides adults with intellectual disabilities the skills needed to live and work independently.

Moving Forward Towards Independence was founded in 1998 by a group of parents. This group created a unique transitional housing program that assists young adults with intellectual and high functioning Autism Spectrum Disabilities. Moving Forward Towards Independence offers structured on-campus group housing, apartment living near campus and off-campus community living. Moving Forward Towards Independence provides classes, social activities and individual case management services to its clients to assist them in maintaining friendships, relationships and employment.

Moving Forward Towards Independence has had hundreds of adults, ages 18 to 37, participate in its program. Residents are from all over the country and come to Moving Forward Towards Independence with the goal of eventually being able to live independently with minimal support.

Moving Forward Towards Independence is an integral part of our community. It is active in the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership and is a member of the Napa Chamber of Commerce. The organization regularly meets with the Napa Valley Community Organizations Active in Disaster for disaster relief preparedness. Moving Forward Towards Independence is a strong supporter of the Napa Special Olympics and partners with the Napa College Disability Services Unit. The organization is also an active member of the Disability Committee to the Napa Nonprofits Coalition.

Mr. Speaker, Moving Forward Towards Independence is a great contributor to our Napa Valley community. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor Moving Forward Towards Independence here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Mike Parness upon his retirement from a distinguished 40 year public service career in city management.

Mr. Parness grew up in Livermore, California and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Santa Clara. He continued his education at California State University, Hayward, where he earned a Master of Public Administration.

Mr. Parness worked as a City Administrator in Renton, Washington for eleven years before returning to California to serve as the City Manager for San Clemente for twelve years and later, Walnut Creek for almost five years. Since November of 2006 Mr. Parness has been the City Manager of Napa, California.

During his tenure at the City of Napa, Mr. Parness was a member of the Sunrise Rotary and served on the Board of Directors for the California City Management Foundation and the International City Management Foundation. As City Manager, he oversaw the construction of Fire Stations 4 and 5, the renovation of the Edward I. Barwick Jamieson Canyon Water Treatment Plant, the introduction of Measure T and the launch of the 10-mile Paving Program and Sidewalk Repair and Replacement Program. Mr. Parness played an essential role in the revitalization of downtown Napa, the expansion of public event space at the Oxbow Commons and the city's financial recovery after the Great Recession.

Mr. Parness also facilitated the growth of public areas during his career in Napa with the additions of Trancas Crossing Park, China Point Overlook Park, Third Street Overlook Park, and the renewal of Veterans Park. He is also a wonderful colleague. His quick wit, sense of humor and lively stories are cherished by those who work with him.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Parness is a passionate civil servant with an esteemed record for giving back to our community. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor Mr. Mike Parness here today.

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

Mr. Speaker, the House has passed this bill before, making clarifications on the existing religious exemptions for healthcare. I understand that religious groups have important healthcare concerns that must be taken seriously.

I support this bill. But we should be talking about issues in healthcare that our constituents are bringing up to us every day, like skyrocketing prescription drug costs, increasing premium costs, and threats to guaranteed coverage for preexisting conditions, a direct result of efforts by my Republican colleagues.

The Trump administration continues to raise costs and reduce access to affordable healthcare in its never-ending effort to sabotage the Affordable Care Act.

In just the last few weeks, the administration has refused to defend protections for Americans with preexisting conditions, stopped risk adjustment payments to health plans covering sicker patients, and again slashed payments to the navigators that help people access healthcare insurance. These and many other misguided efforts are raising the costs for those Americans who need healthcare coverage the most.

We should be examining and responding to this growing threat to affordable care, not ignoring it.

I encourage my Republican colleagues to bring to the floor bills that truly address the healthcare cost crisis that middle class Americans and seniors are facing. After all, that was their promise to our constituents.

In 2015, the President promised:

We're going to terminate ObamaCare. We're going to terminate it, it's going to be terminated. It's going to be replaced with something much better and something much less expensive for you and for the country.

Republicans and the President have failed to present the public with a better plan, and they have failed to drive down the cost to patients.

As a matter of fact, their work has driven costs up. The cumulative ACA sabotage by the Republican Congress and the administration are adding as much as 24 percent of healthcare premium increases in my home State of California.

Now they should work with us to strengthen and protect existing programs so that our constituents can go to the doctor when they need to or get surgery or a drug that their lives depend on. As Members of Congress, this is our responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I just want to mention that my friend and committee member was half right in what he said about tomorrow's vote. We will be voting on some healthcare bills tomorrow, and they are bills that will help. But they will help people that either have the money to pay for healthcare or people who are healthy, not the folks who need access to quality, affordable healthcare.

I would be remiss if I didn't point out that, contrary to this party's position for decades, these bills aren't paid for, and they are going to add about $70 billion worth of costs to our national debt.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. Does the gentleman from Illinois have further speakers?

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I yield myself the balance of my time, and I thank the sponsors for their work on this bill. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, the House has passed this bill before. It allows individuals eligible for Indian Health Service, or IHS, to participate in a health savings account if they are enrolled in a high-deductible health plan.

I support this bill. We should be talking about issues in healthcare that strengthen our healthcare system for all Americans while addressing the issues in the Indian Health Service program, and there should be no exception to that today.

Given the important role IHS plays providing primary care to our Native American population, we should be working to ensure that all participants in IHS have access to high-quality care. Reports of underfunding and resulting substandard care need to be addressed, so we make sure that all individuals that this healthcare program serves benefit from the congressional action that we take, not just those who happen to have the money to put in an HSA, to pay for an HSA.

We shouldn't overlook the important role Medicare and Medicaid play in providing healthcare to these populations. Thousands of IHS beneficiaries are also enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, or some combination of both.

Republicans are looking to dramatically cut and undermine these critical programs. Offering IHS enrollees a savings account won't make up for damage inflicted by the cuts to Medicaid or Medicare.

Instead, we should strengthen both of these programs and coordinate care with IHS to make sure individuals are getting the best care possible.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsors of this bill, and I want to give a particular shout-out to Congressman Raul Ruiz, also Dr. Ruiz when he is not in Congress, for his cosponsorship of this bill and all the hard work that he has put into this effort.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to cast an ``aye'' vote for this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, the bill before us will allow certain entities to retain their tax exemption so long as they are generally reinvesting that revenue in operations and maintenance, including capital projects.

As a farmer from California, I know well how critical water infrastructure improvements are to small irrigation districts. This change will help irrigation districts continue to invest in drought- resilient projects instead of relying on rate increases.

In States like mine, both drought-stricken and reliant on irrigation districts for water deliveries, infrastructure investment is a critical tool to help us prepare for future droughts. But we must also ensure that Federal policy changes do not create unintended consequences for water users.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Buck and Chairman Brady for working with me to include guardrails in this bill that will eliminate financial incentives to transfer water among regions in a way that disadvantages agricultural enterprise, impairs water quality, or causes environmental harm. This protection against potential for abuse resulting from the policy changes in H.R. 519 should prevent undue harm to my northern California constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsors of this bill, in particular Congressman Buck for his good work working with me to ensure that we were able to take care of some concerns that we had in the original drafting of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for this piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Chief Bret Sackett, on his retirement as the longest tenured police chief in Sonoma County, California.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Chief Sackett moved to Sonoma County and earned an Administration of Justice degree from Santa Rosa Junior College. He also graduated from Sonoma State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management.

Chief Sackett has served 28 years with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department and 14 years with the City of Sonoma. For the last 11 years he has been Sonoma's Chief of Police. Throughout his time as a law enforcement officer, Chief Sackett has been a correctional officer, academy training officer, field training officer, background investigator, SWAT team member and detective in the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault unit.

When the City of Sonoma began contracting with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department to provide law enforcement services in 2004, Chief Sackett joined the transition team as a patrol sergeant. In 2007, he was promoted to the Chief of Police for the City of Sonoma. Under Chief Sackett's leadership, the Sonoma Police Department enhanced community relations while approaching public safety compassionately. He also oversaw law enforcement services for the unincorporated areas of Sonoma Valley. He created a K-9 program and advanced a financial partnership with the City of Sonoma and Sonoma Valley Unified School District that established a School Resource Officer at Sonoma Valley High School. Chief Sackett's leadership and emergency management skills were crucial in responding to the 2017 October fires.

Chief Sackett has received honors from the Consul General of Mexico, the Sheriff's Office and the Optimist Club. He has been recognized for his service to the Hispanic community and his exceptional work and commitment to law enforcement and our Sonoma community.

Mr. Speaker, Chief Sackett is an admirable leader who is dedicated to serving our community. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor Chief Bret Sackett here today.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, let's be real clear. There is not a carbon tax bill before us today. This is a political stunt, and this stunt comes at the same time that the Republican majority is undermining access to affordable healthcare for all our constituents.

They are working with this administration to sabotage the healthcare marketplaces and drive up prices, legislating away coverage and protections for our constituents. They have gutted resources that help people enroll in the plans that are best for them. They are expanding junk healthcare plans that don't provide care if you are sick or injured, that can charge more for preexisting conditions, that charge more for older people.

Their scam of a tax bill eliminated the individual mandate, driving healthier folks away from coverage. That means risk can't be spread and prices go up. Kids born with heart problems or young adults diagnosed with cancer will pay a penalty for the rest of their lives.

On top of all of that, the administration has frozen the risk adjustment payments, which prevent insurance companies from cherry- picking only the healthiest people to cover.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, Republican sabotage efforts will increase the cost of health insurance by as much as 24 percent this year alone.

These are some of the issues that are hurting the middle class now, and these are some of the issues that we should be focusing on. We should be holding hearings on these issues.

If you have concerns with other issues, have hearings on them. But don't bring some political malarkey on the floor and pretend that we are doing something for the American people.

This is a failure by the majority party. We should be working for our constituents on real bills that are before us now.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Chief William ``Bill'' Goswick of Hercules, California for 40 years of service to the Hercules Police Department in Hercules, California, including his seven years as the Police Chief.

Chief Goswick joined the Hercules Police Department in 1978 as a reserve officer while he was in the U.S. Navy. After being hired as a full-time police officer in 1980, Chief Goswick rose through the ranks of the Hercules Police Department, first as a patrol officer, and was assigned to the detective division in 1983. Chief Goswick was promoted to Police Sergeant in 1985, Detective Sergeant in 1987, and Commander in 2008. In 2010, Chief Goswick was promoted to Chief of Police and has served in that position ever since. Chief Goswick has also served as the Assistant City Manager of Hercules since 2016.

In addition to his service in the Hercules Police Department, Chief Goswick is an active member of our community. He is known as ``Chef Bill'' in our community because he organizes and volunteers to cook at many local events. Some of the events that he has lent his culinary talents to support include disaster relief in the Philippines, senior citizen groups, Parent Teacher Organizations, the Hercules Police Explorers and the Sea Scouts. Chief Goswick was a driving force in planning Hercules' Fourth of July celebration, and is on the committee to build a Veterans Memorial in Hercules.

Chief Goswick is a committed leader and has been recognized by Hercules Rotary, the Exchange Club, West Contra Costa County School District, Boy Scouts of America, Hercules City Council and Contra Costa County Supervisors. In 2001, Chief Goswick was named the Police Officer of the Year. Chief Goswick was born in Piermont, New York and is married to Karen Goswick. They have one daughter, Amy. He is a grandfather to Jake, Ally and Ashley.

Mr. Speaker, Chief Goswick is a life-long police officer with a deep sense of duty and public service. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor Chief William Goswick here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mentis, Napa's Center for Mental Health Services, for its 70 years of service to Napa County, California.

Mentis opened in 1948 as Family Service, an agency dedicated to assisting Napa's veterans and their families. In 2015, the organization moved to a new, expanded clinic and changed its name to Mentis, Napa's Center for Mental Health Services, to reflect the expansion of its work to accommodate residents of every age, stage, and income level.

The staff at Mentis is committed to giving the best possible assistance and seeks to meet clients wherever they have need, including at schools, senior living homes and family resource centers county- wide. The dedicated staff members provide bi-lingual services that are tailored to the clients' backgrounds and cultures. Through these efforts, Mentis is able to assist community members that may have

no other options available. Mentis achieves excellent results well above the national average, with 80 percent of its clients reporting improvements in emotional wellness and daily functioning.

Mentis is the oldest continually operating non-profit in Napa County, and in its 70 years of service, Mentis has proven to be a mental health champion for all of our Napa community. With the help of partners all around the County, Mentis runs a diversity of programs including supportive housing programs, dementia and depression interventions for older residents and those recovering from natural disasters. Its work was invaluable during the October 2017 wildfires. The staff at Mentis provided support and counsel for 700 individuals and families who were affected by the fires that tore through our community.

Mr. Speaker, Mentis, Napa's Center for Mental Health Services, has been an incredible resource for our community for the last 70 years. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor its continued service here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with the Honorable Jared Huffman to honor Doug McIlroy for his commitment to sustainable agriculture and his work to protect the jobs and livelihoods of farmers in our community from overregulation. Mr. McIlroy is being honored with the Luther Burbank Conservation Award by the Sonoma County Farm Bureau.

Mr. McIlroy was born in England and moved with his family to Marin County, California when he was an infant. He developed a passion for agriculture from an early age. He spent his summers driving tractors and picking prunes on his family's Aquarius Ranch near the Russian River in Healdsburg, California. Mr. McIlroy studied at the Santa Rosa Junior College and graduated from the University of California, Davis, with degrees in economics and plant science.

In 2001, Mr. McIlroy was recruited by Rodney Strong Vineyards to manage its estate vineyards and be its Director of Winegrowing. Due in no small part to his leadership, vineyards at Rodney Strong are now 100 percent sustainable. Much like the Sonoma County Winegrowers' mission, Mr. McIlroy's goal is for all of Sonoma County vineyards to be sustainably farmed.

In addition to his work at Rodney Strong Vineyards, Mr. McIlroy also sits on the Board of Directors for Sonoma County Winegrowers, United Winegrowers of Sonoma County and the American Vineyard Foundation. Within these organizations, Mr. McIlroy has worked tirelessly on environmental issues and has been at the forefront of every water issue growers have faced.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. McIlroy is a passionate farmer, environmentalist and scientist who has a record for giving back to our agricultural community. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor Doug McIlroy here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with the Honorable Jared Huffman to honor Al Gerhardt for his lifetime commitment to Sonoma County agriculture and to recognize his unparalleled contributions to our farming community.

Mr. Gerhardt was born in 1938 and grew up in Sebastopol, California and attended Green Valley School. He graduated from Analy High School and was a member of the school's chapter of Future Farmers of America (FFA). Mr. Gerhardt was married to Pat Jesse from 1963 until she passed away. They had four children, Kathe, Gerry, Diana and the late Anna Marie. In 2000, he married Jan Smith and they moved to the family ranch near Occidental, California.

Mr. Gerhardt served on the Sonoma County Farm Bureau Board of Directors for sixteen years. While on the Board, he was on many committees, including agriculture education, membership and water. Mr. Gerhardt was known for his attention to detail and dedication to the Farm Bureau. He read the monthly Board packets cover to cover to ensure he was ready to discuss the issues facing Sonoma County farmers and ranchers and rarely missed a meeting.

Agriculture was a passion and community involvement was a lifestyle for Mr. Gerhardt. His dedication to our farming community is a main reason agriculture is still vital to Sonoma County's identity. Mr. Gerhardt was a supporter of FFA and 4-H and loved to support and encourage young farmers. He was a founder and director of the North Coast Livestock Protective Association and was a Commissioner on the County of Sonoma's Fish and Wildlife Commission. He was also a member of the Sonoma County Taxpayers Association and the Sonoma County Trailblazers. Mr. Gerhardt was an active member of St. Philip's Catholic Church in Occidental, California and was a committed volunteer for the Rural Food Program of St. Philip and St. Teresa Parish.

Mr. Speaker, Al Gerhardt was always willing to lend a hand and help our community flourish. He was a devoted steward of the land and was dedicated to preserving Sonoma County's agricultural integrity and history. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor him here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with the Honorable Jared Huffman to honor Don and Bonnie DeBernardi and their family for their immense contribution to the dairy industry in Sonoma County. The DeBernardi family is being honored as the Farm Family of the Year by the Sonoma County Farm Bureau.

Mr. and Ms. DeBernardi are first generation dairy farmers who entered the profession and lifestyle in the hills of Goat Rock in Sonoma County, California in 1968. They have been producing cows' milk since then and in the late 1990s added goats to their farm. Mr. DeBernardi followed the footsteps of his Swiss ancestors and began producing their Tomme-style Two Rock Valley Goat Cheese and expanding the DeBernardi Dairy franchise. They currently have 2,000 acres of owned or leased farmland, which is home to their 700 organic cows and 200 goats.

Mr. and Ms. DeBernardi are active members of our community. They are longtime contributors of 4H, FFA, Petaluma High School and Tomales High School. Mr. DeBernardi sits on the Sonoma County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and is a member of the Western United Dairymen, Druids, Elks, Nicasio Native Sons and the Petaluma Golf and Country Club. Ms. DeBernardi is a founding member of the North Bay Dairy Women and a member of St. Vincent de Paul Church. Mr. DeBernardi was an early supporter of the annual Artisan Cheese Festival and DeBernardi Dairy frequently participates in the community event. In 1979, DeBernardi Dairy was honored as the Dairy of the Year by the Sonoma County Fair.

Today the DeBernardi Dairy has three generations actively participating on the family farm. The entire family shares Mr. and Ms. DeBernardi's passion for the dairy industry and our community. Mr. and Ms. DeBernardi are dedicated stewards of the land and hardworking and passionate people.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. and Ms. DeBernardi and the entire DeBernardi family have made important contributions to our community. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor them here today.