Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I, along with my colleague Representative Mark DeSaulnier, rise today to honor Eduardo Diokno upon his retirement after 12 years of service with Contra Costa County. Mr. Diokno currently serves as Deputy Chief of Staff to Supervisor Federal Glover and has been a thoughtful policymaker and committed voice for Filipino Americans in the County.

Mr. Diokno is a lifelong East County resident with a passion for serving our community. He served our country in the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and later joined the Army Reserves. Mr. Diokno then worked as a journalist for 28 years with the Philippine News, Oakland Tribune, and Contra Costa Times where he reported on politics and policy-making.

Upon joining the County, Mr. Diokno served as a Senior Field Representative and then a Policy Analyst before stepping into his current position with Supervisor Glover. In his various roles, Mr. Diokno facilitated the County's first recognition of the contributions of Filipino Americans, developed small business initiatives, and worked with committees and advisory bodies developing health policy at the county level. He also served as the principal liaison to Bay Point, the County's largest unincorporated community.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Diokno has served our country and our county and his legacy sets a high standard to which other public servants should aspire. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor him here today and extend our best wishes for an enjoyable retirement.

Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank Mr. Davis for his great leadership on this issue.

Madam Chair, I rise today in opposition to this bill.

Since its inception, MIECHV has been universally hailed as a tremendous success. It works, and it is cost effective. Participants like it; State and local governments like it; Democrats like it; and Republicans like it. It helps young families get off to a running start and makes sure that kids get the hand they need to stay on track.

I have seen this program work. The Nurse-Family Partnership program in Solano County, in my district, helps moms get the care and the support they need to have a healthy pregnancy and to learn to care for their babies. Home visits teach these new young moms the basics of raising healthy kids, helping them become more self-sufficient.

But instead of building on these successes and giving community programs the support they have been asking for, today the Republicans are focusing on undermining a great record of progress. Take, for instance, the new matching requirements in this bill.

When Congress created MIECHV, we authorized money for Tribes that don't have the resources to build home visiting programs on their own. This bill would force those Tribes to attribute matching money--which they don't have--to keep their program going. That is a death sentence to Tribal programs like the one in my district in Lake County, California.

With the passage of this bill, we are shortchanging hundreds of vulnerable families that rely on these programs. In addition, poor communities--not just Tribal communities, but poor communities across the country--have the same funding challenges, and these are most often the areas that benefit the most from MIECHV. This bill hurts people in those communities.

With this bill, we are not empowering communities to raise healthy children; we are undermining a great bipartisan program, and for that I stand in opposition to this piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Touro University California upon the occasion of its 20th Anniversary of providing quality graduate and professional programs to its students.

In 1997, Touro University California was established in San Francisco, California as the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. Two years later, on May 27, 1999, the College relocated to Mare Island in Vallejo, California. Today, Touro owns twenty-three historic buildings and structures on forty-four acres on Mare Island. They have grown to more than 1,500 students enrolled in three fully accredited colleges: the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the College of Pharmacy and the College of Education and Health Sciences.

Touro University California's academics are student-centered and research oriented. The College of Osteopathic Medicine hosts ``Research Days'' where students and faculty can share their research with our community. The Public Health program is using a one million dollar grant to research HIV prevention in high-risk populations with the KHANA Research Center in Cambodia. US News and World Report has ranked Touro in the Top 10 for placing graduates into primary care residencies for six consecutive years.

Touro University California is dedicated to helping their students develop rewarding careers in community service. The business community in Solano County awarded Touro the Spirit of Solano Award for Community Service. In 2012, Touro partnered with Solano County Public Help, increasing access to three county clinics for more than 30,000 patients. In the past year, the student-run clinic, staffed by groups of Touro students and faculty, recorded 420 free patient visits and 1,300 volunteer hours at the clinic.

Mr. Speaker, for the past twenty years Touro University California has offered a quality education to their students and many hours of service to our community. I am proud to have such an institution operating on Mare Island. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor them here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Florence Douglas Center in Vallejo, California, upon the occasion of its 40th Anniversary serving seniors in our community.

In 1975, Mayor Florence Douglas of Vallejo appointed the late Lou Burgelin, a retired chief progressman at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard and a tireless advocate for seniors, to form a committee to study and organize the best way to open a senior facility. Lou envisioned a place where local seniors could continue to improve themselves after retirement. Mayor Douglas and the committee secured funds to build a new facility on a vacant parcel on Amador Street where the Center stands today. The Florence Douglas Center officially opened in August 1977.

Over the years, the Center established many traditions and helpful programs. Along with social events, bingo twice a week and ongoing bus trips to casinos, the Center offers many opportunities for seniors to learn. There are several course options, including Zumba instruction and French and Spanish lessons. Technology has changed quite a bit since 1977, and the Center has kept up to date by building their own lab to host computer classes.

The Center hosts many annual events including an International Gala, the Fall FUNraiser, and a popular Luau. The Health and Technology Fair is a one-stop shop for seniors to gather information from multiple healthcare providers. On every Christmas Day since 1984 the Center has hosted hundreds of seniors for a delicious Holiday Dinner. The Dinner gives seniors who otherwise would not have a meal the opportunity to be served by their friends from the Center. In 2009, the Center named this tradition ``The Free Lou Burgelin Holiday Dinner,'' a fitting tribute for a place where seniors gather to serve seniors.

Mr. Speaker, for the past forty years the Florence Douglas Center has been a place where the seniors in our community can gather to take classes, make friends and have meals. The U.S. Census Bureau expects the population of seniors to double between 2012 and 2050. The Center will be an important part or our community's effort to improve the lives of our seniors for the next forty years and beyond. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor the Center here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor President and Founder George Altamura upon the 25th Anniversary of Hands Across the Valley, an outstanding annual event that benefits Napa County safety net food programs.

As a young man growing up in Buffalo, New York, Mr. Altamura dreamed of living in California. When he graduated from high school in 1949, he made his dream a reality by hitchhiking his way across the United States, working first as a carpenter's apprentice and eventually obtaining a general contractor's license. In 1952, he established Altamura Enterprises, a successful property development company. He has worked hard to help make Napa Valley a wonderful place to live.

Mr. Altamura founded Hands Across the Valley when he learned that hundreds of people in our community were going hungry every day. He and other leaders in our community decided to come together ``to do something about the hunger in Napa Valley.'' They formed a committee to plan a fundraising event, not knowing how the community would respond. Over five hundred guests attended the inaugural event. Hands Across the Valley has become a popular annual event in our community, succeeding in raising well over two million dollars to benefit Napa Valley's safety net food programs.

Hands Across the Valley raises funds for the Napa Valley Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, the Salvation Army, and The Table, a local charity focused on providing nutritious meals to anyone that is hungry. In addition to providing much needed funds to these safety net services, Hands Across the Valley helps the Food Bank, Catholic Charities, The Table and American Canyon Family Resource Center provide holiday turkeys and food baskets each year.

Mr. Speaker, the Hands Across the Valley benefit and George Altamura have been helping our community organizations with their goal of creating a ``community without hunger.'' Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor him here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jennifer Louise Stenger

Marinace, upon the occasion of receiving her award of Napa County Teacher of the Year for 2018.

Ms. Marinace was born in Oakland, California and raised in Santa Rosa, California by her parents George and Patricia. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Teaching from Humboldt State University. She continued her education at Boston College, where she received her Masters of Arts degree in Curriculum, Instruction and Administration. Ms. Marinace lives in Santa Rosa with her husband, Bruce, and her children, Katherine and John.

Ms. Marinace began her teaching career in 2003 at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School in St. Helena, California, where she continues to teach today. She has taught classes in English, Drama and Journalism. She also coordinates the Advanced Via Individual Determination (AVID) Program, which prepares first generation college applicants to transition into higher education. Ms. Marinace brings art and community service into her classroom with the ArtSpring program.

In addition to being an excellent teacher, Ms. Marinace is a dedicated leader and compassionate mentor. She is a member of the Napa County Reads Committee, the Superintendent's Cross-Cultural Committee, and the School Site Council. She is a founding advisor for the Unity Club, which works toward a more accepting educational environment for all people. Ms. Marinace fundraises for and leads the school's annual Washington, D.C. trip for eighth graders. She was honored as the St. Helena Public Schools Foundation Teacher of the Year in 2006 and received the American Literacy Corporation's Outstanding Contributions to Literacy in 2008.

Mr. Speaker, Napa County Schools has awarded Jennifer Louise Stenger Marinace with the Napa County Teacher of the Year Award for 2018. She is Napa County's Nominee for California State Teacher of the Year. I am proud to have such an educator in our District. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor her here today.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect DREAMers like Fernando, who is a doctoral student at UC San Francisco thanks to DACA.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Richard, Cindy and Jennifer Crane for receiving the annual Leadership in Agriculture Award from the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber.

Richard Hope Crane arrived in California in 1849 as part of the great California Gold Rush. A few years later, the family settled in Santa Rosa. They built Crane Melon Barn on Petaluma Hill Road in 1868. The Barn is made entirely of redwood and has survived several major earthquakes with no damage. Richard's son, Oliver, developed and began selling Crane Melons out of the Barn in the 1920's.

Today, the Crane family owns and operates Crane Canyon Ranch, The Crane Melon Barn and Crane Vineyard. In addition to their famous Crane Melons, the family ranch sells watermelons, heirloom tomatoes, Crane Melon Honey, organic Sonoma County walnuts and metal sculptures by Richard. Crane Vineyard is a four-acre pinot noir vineyard on the ranch. Rick and Jennifer are fifth and sixth generation Sonoma County farmers.

The Crane family are active members of our community, with members serving on the Sonoma County Fair Board, Harvest Fair Board, Farm Bureau, 4-H Foundation Board and Farm Trails.

The Santa Rosa Metro Chamber has recognized long-standing leadership in the community and successful maintenance of agricultural enterprises with its Leadership in Agriculture Award for over forty years. The Crane family is very deserving of this award. They work hard to develop excellent produce, serve our community, and maintain the great tradition of family farming in Sonoma County.

Mr. Speaker, the Crane family has been farming in Sonoma County for six generations. They are leaders in sustainable farming and contribute honorably to our community. I am proud to have such a hardworking family living in our District. It is fitting and proper that we honor them here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mi Sueno Winery and owners Rolando Herrera and Lorena Robledo Herrera upon the occasion of their twentieth Anniversary of producing excellent wines.

Rolando Herrera and Lorena Robledo were both born in Mexico. Their families immigrated to the Napa Valley to seek better lives and opportunities for their children. Lorena's family taught her to tend vines and grow grapes, and Rolando was able to study enology and viticulture at UC Davis. When the couple met, ``it seemed like fate.''

Rolando and Lorena founded Mi Sueno Winery in 1997, the same year that they were married. Together they have built their dream winery with love, passion and deep understanding of the art of growing exceptional grapes and creating award-winning wines. As Rolando says, ``farming and making wine is not science, it's experience.''

Rolando and Lorena believe that creating truly unique wines requires careful attention to every stage of the winemaking process, from start to finish. From choosing the right plot of earth, to personally planting the vineyards and selecting the most attentive distributors, Rolando and Lorena have created a truly exceptional business and product. The White House recognized the quality of their wines by pouring three different Mi Sueno wines at state dinners. Earlier this year, the Smithsonian Institution honored them at their Fifth Annual Winemakers' Dinner.

This month Rolando, Lorena and all their children will gather to celebrate their twentieth Anniversary. Rolando and Lorena have developed different single-vineyard, barrel-selected wines named after each of their six children. Their brave story of immigration, incredible hard work and passion is a perfect example of what it means to live the American Dream.

Mr. Speaker, Mi Sueno Winery has been producing quality wine for the past 20 years. I am proud to have such a hardworking family living in our community. It is fitting and proper that we honor them here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Sheriff Steve Freitas upon the occasion of his retirement from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Freitas has dedicated 32 years to serving our community in law enforcement.

A native of San Jose, California, Sheriff Freitas moved to Sonoma County in 1988. He attended DeAnza Community College and graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Administration Justice. He and his wife, Michelle have two sons, Michael and Zachary.

Sheriff Freitas began his career in 1985 with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. In 1988, He joined the Novato Police Department. He joined the Sonoma County Sheriff's office in 1991 where he worked in several different assignments, including Detention, Courts, Patrol, Investigations and Administration. The City of Windsor selected him to be Chief of Police in 2005.

The people of Sonoma County elected and reelected Sheriff Freitas in 2010 and 2014. While serving as Sheriff, he created the Latino Advisory Committee to ensure quality communication and closer relationships with the Latino Community. He successfully guided the Office through necessary budget cuts during the recession. His hard work with Sonoma County's new law enforcement oversight agency is admirable. Sheriff Freitas will be remembered for leading the Sheriff's office to maintain the safety and security of the people of Sonoma County.

In addition to his service in law enforcement, Sheriff Freitas serves on the Boys and Girls Club of Marin and Southern Sonoma County's Leadership Council. He is a member of the Verity advisory board, the California Parenting Institute executive board and the Sonoma County Alliance.

Sheriff Freitas supports the Future Farmers of America and 4-H students at the Sonoma County Fair. He is an active Member of his church, a longtime fan of the San Jose Sharks and an avid camper. He is a valuable member of our community.

Mr. Speaker, Sheriff Freitas has led a long and distinguished career serving the people of Sonoma County. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor him and extend our best wishes for an enjoyable retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Captain Jeff Paganini upon his retirement after over forty years of firefighting in the Sonoma Valley. He has been serving as Captain at Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue since 1997.

Captain Paganini began his fire service as a work experience student at Sonoma Fire Department in 1975. Two years later, at the age of eighteen, he became a regular volunteer firefighter and spent his summer working the fire season with the California Division of Forestry. In 1978, he served as a reserve firefighter for the Napa Fire Department before joining Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue as a paid Engineer. The department promoted Captain Paganini to Lieutenant in 1990 and Captain in 1997.

In 1980, the Department recognized then Engineer Paganini as the Sonoma County Firefighter of the Year for his quick thinking during a house fire call. When he arrived to the scene with his crew, he witnessed a woman collapse and initiated CPR, an act that

saved her life. Captain Paganini touched many lives during his years of fighting fires, serving the public and mentoring other firefighters.

Many buildings and programs stand as a testament Captain Paganini's excellent career. He secured funding and helped design the museum at the Albert C. Mazza Fire Station in Sonoma. The museum shares the rich history of firefighting the Sonoma Valley and displays several original objects and photos. He played a major role in the design of a state of the art training tower that is still in use. In 2006, Captain Paganini started the ``Every 15 Minutes'' program at Sonoma Valley High School. This program demonstrates the fatal outcomes related to driving drunk or impaired. He used his experience and insight to set the specifications for the new ladder truck to service our communities.

Captain Paganini was instrumental in the formation and ultimate success of the Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority, which started as a Joint Powers Authority between City of Sonoma Fire and Valley of the Moon Fire District. Through skillful negotiating and compromising, he paved the way to establishing the great organization that our community enjoys today.

Mr. Speaker, Captain Jeff Paganini has led a long career serving the people of our community. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor him here today and extend our best wishes for an enjoyable retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Miljenko ``Mike'' Grgich, whom I have selected to receive the American Dream Award for California's 5th Congressional District. This award recognizes the achievements of immigrants in my district who have made remarkable contributions to our communities in the areas of Arts and Culture, Professional Achievement, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, or Community Service. Mr. Grgich is very deserving of this award and recognition.

Mike Grgich was born in Desne, Croatia and studied winemaking and viticulture at the University of Zagreb before leaving to escape communism. He came to Napa Valley in 1958 where he has become a successful vintner and an innovator in the wine community.

After arriving in Napa, Mike learned from some of the best vintners in the region. He became a winemaker for Chateau Montelena and made the Chardonnay that won the 1976 Paris Tasting, forever changing the way the world views American Wine. George Taber documented this consequential decision in a TIME magazine article, ``Modern Living: Judgment of Paris.'' The resulting coverage of the Judgment of Paris created an immediate positive impact on the world of wine, and inspired among experts, consumers, and the trade a new appreciation for California wines.

In 1995, Mike returned to the University of Zagreb at the age of 72 and finally received the degree in enology and viticulture that he earned as a young man. In 2002, he helped prove that the Zinfandel vine originated in Croatia. His work led to his induction into the Vintners Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the California State Fair. His 366-acre property, Grgich Hills, is completely organic, solar powered and strongly supports community organizations. Mike is an active member of Roots of Peace, an organization that works to replace land mines with grape vines all over the world. In 2007, Roots of Peace presented Mike with their Global Citizen Award for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, we recognize Mr. Miljenko ``Mike'' Grgich for his achievements and for enriching our community. It is fitting and proper that we honor him here today with the American Dream Award.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation, and I want to thank all my colleagues who worked in a bipartisan manner to make it happen.

Patients and providers in my district and across the country will benefit from these important improvements, and I am proud to support them.

Two provisions come from bipartisan bills that I have worked on for a number of years. The first helps patients get the devices they need while keeping fraudulent providers out of Medicare. The change we are debating today

will ensure that any documentation created by device experts will be included in a patient's medical record to support the physician's directions.

The second provision that I authored comes from the comprehensive telehealth packages that I have been working on with Representative Black and our colleagues from the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Welch and Mr. Harper. This change will allow for virtual visits and remote patient monitoring for kidney failure patients living at home. Letting these patients utilize telehealth ensures that they can access the services they need from the setting that they prefer: their homes.

This bill is another step forward in the expansion of telehealth, but we can do a lot more. Our telehealth bills offer a menu of options for moving forward. Policies like paying for telestroke services or adding telehealth to the Medicare Advantage program have bipartisan support among both Houses, as well as a broad coalition of support from stakeholders.

We know they save money. I have worked on telehealth for decades. When I was in the California State Senate, I wrote the State's first telehealth legislation to bring critical services to folks enrolled in the State Medicaid program. That was in 1996. Now it is 2017, and we still haven't passed, in Congress, comprehensive telehealth legislation that would expand access for Medicare beneficiaries.

It is long past time for Congress to come to the conclusion that California reached long ago: telehealth saves money, and it saves lives. I am optimistic that the passage of this bill is just a small sample of what is to come in regard to telehealth in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Allied Clean Fuels Plaza upon the occasion of their Grand Opening Celebration. This fuel service center is the first business in Northern California to specialize in offering clean fuel options for all types of vehicles.

In addition to the traditional three grades of unleaded and diesel gasoline offered by most service stations throughout the country, the Plaza offers a broad range of fuels and energies which address the ecological issues of the twenty-first century. These fuels include E-85 ethanol, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), renewable hydrocarbon diesel, Propane Autogas and six fast-fill compressed natural gas (CNG) dispensers. The Plaza also features the option to recharge electric cars with a state of the art Tesla Supercharger Station. The Supercharger is capable of charging, eight Tesla vehicles simultaneously in just 20 minutes.

The Allied Clean Fuels Plaza is addressing the serious issue of climate change by making cleaner sources of energy available to our community. The station is already equipped to offer Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Hydrogen to meet the demands of our community as these fuels become more popular. The Plaza represents the first of the types of businesses we will need to protect the vitality of our environment for future generations.

While the Plaza is looking toward the future, they are firmly rooted in the history and values of our community. They are affiliated with Allied Propane Service, which has been operating in Northern California for 50 years. Their emphasis on clean fuel reflects the desires of members of our community to be responsible consumers. Their full service Circle K convenience store sells sandwiches, soups and regional cheeses from local vendors, and they offer premium wines from Napa and Sonoma, the best wine in the world.

Mr. Speaker, the Allied Clean Fuels Plaza is an innovative, responsible and impressive new service station in my community. Stan Teaderman is the driving force behind the Plaza and is an important member of our community who works hard to benefit the environment and support many charitable causes. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor them here today and wish them the best of success.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to hear all these great amendments that have been made in order, and I was glad to hear my friend from Alabama reference the fact that this is a bill to make the people of America safe.

I rise in opposition to this rule because there was one amendment that makes the people of America safe that was omitted from the list that was approved. It was a bipartisan amendment by myself, Mr. Young from Alaska, and Mr. Jones from North Carolina that would declassify a 50-year-old DOD project that sprayed biological and chemical weapons on our servicemembers and some civilians, and that amendment was not made in order.

Convulsions, paralysis, respiratory failure, and death--those are just a few of the most severe side effects of sarin gas, a chemical weapon so deadly and debilitating that it was outlawed as a weapon of mass destruction.

When Syria's military used it, we retaliated. But in the 1960s and 1970s, the United States Department of Defense sprayed biological and chemical weapons like sarin, VX nerve gas, and e. coli on our own servicemembers. In the years since, many of those exposed have suffered debilitating health effects.

For 40 years, the Department of Defense has not provided a comprehensive public accounting of these tests nor have they notified all the veterans and all the civilians who were potentially exposed. We can't allow this information to continue to be released piecemeal. These veterans can't wait any longer. Their health continues to decline, and some have already passed away. To sweep this under the rug is shameful.

These veterans served honorably for the security of our Nation. These tests are an ugly part of our history. They put veterans' lives at risk, and our veterans have every right to know what it was they were exposed to and how much they were exposed to. We need to think about their safety and their security.