Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 40. This resolution undermines our NICS background check system.

I am a gun owner and a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, but this isn't about denying people the right to own a gun. It is about upholding the law, and the law is very clear on who should be reported to the NICS system.

The law was passed more than a decade ago to keep guns out of the hands of people who can't responsibly own them. These are not people just having a bad day. These are not people simply suffering from depression or anxiety or agoraphobics. These are people with a severe mental illness who can't hold any kind of job or make any decisions about their affairs. So the law says very clearly that they shouldn't have a firearm.

The Supreme Court in the Heller decision recognized that the Second Amendment grants Americans the right to own firearms, but they also stated that reasonable restrictions to that right can apply, such as when a person is diagnosed with a severe mental illness.

The Social Security Administration is simply obeying the law.

So what exactly is the objection here?

Passage of this resolution puts Americans at risk. It would prevent the Social Security Administration from reporting the names of those who should not have a gun and prohibit that indefinitely.

If there are concerns about the rules, let's revise it. But the CRA process is not a revision. It would ban Social Security from even amending their rule. This is a dangerous overstep, and I urge Members to consider the safety of our districts. No one wants another Virginia Tech. No one wants another Newtown.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Richard Bernini, whom the Napa and Solano County Medical Societies have awarded the honor of Professor Emeritus. Dr. Bernini served as an emergency room physician at Queen of the Valley Medical Center for 38 years until his retirement in 2015.

The Napa and Solano County Medical Societies award this distinction to medical professionals who have a demonstrated commitment to service and teaching. Dr. Bernini exemplifies these attributes and is very deserving of this award and recognition.

Dr. Bernini graduated from Thomas Jefferson University's Jefferson Medical College in 1970, and was certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine in 1976. He is active in supporting and mentoring the medical students at his alma mater.

During his time at Queen of the Valley Medical Center, Dr. Bernini served in many leadership positions. He helped design the Napa Valley Emergency Medical Group, which provides high quality emergency medical care to our community. Dr. Bernini created an advanced Quality of Assurance Program to ensure proper medical care for patients. He is known in our community for his willingness to mentor and befriend the next generation of medical health professionals.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Bernini has demonstrated an incredible commitment to his students and the medical profession in our community. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor him here today and congratulate him on this well-deserved award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor New Technology High School, which is celebrating its 20th Anniversary of providing innovative educational and career opportunities to students in Napa, California.

New Technology High was established in 1996 by local business people and community educational leaders as a place where students would learn the skills necessary to compete in the changing technological and global economy. This vision has been achieved and expanded over the past 20 years, resulting in an innovative, award-winning educational community. New Technology High School is recognized as a California Distinguished School, a California Gold Ribbon School and a New Tech Network National Demonstration Site.

The school offers a curriculum using innovative administrative and educational models including project and problem-based learning, easy access to technology resources and a focus on student-centered culture and outcomes. Students regularly work in teams to prepare for real life collaborative projects in the technology sector. New Technology High is providing students the important skill set that they will use to tackle the cyber, climate, business and global challenges we face.

In addition to providing exceptional educational opportunities to their own student body, New Technology High offers programs serving 13 schools in the Napa Valley Unified School District. This outreach has led to the creation of the New Tech Network, which helps 180 schools across the country implement innovative models.

Mr. Speaker, for the past 20 years, New Technology High School has been a leader in education reform in the Napa Valley, Northern California, the United States, and globally. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor the school here today.

Mr. Speaker, I, along with Representative Huffman, rise today to honor Ms. Elizabeth Basile and her extraordinary life devoted to education and activism. Her family and friends are gathered with her today in Santa Rosa, California to honor her years of dedicated service to our community.

Ms. Basile is a native of Stockton, California, and spent much of her early childhood in Brooklyn, New York. At sixteen, her family returned to California, and she spent the rest of her adolescence in Los Angeles. After marrying and starting a family of her own, Ms. Basile enrolled in college at the age of thirty and earned her Bachelor's Degree in English and History and her Master's Degree in Reading Specialization at California State University, Los Angeles.

Ms. Basile began teaching in East Los Angeles at El Sereno Junior High School. After her family moved to Sonoma County, she continued her teaching career at Casa Grande High School until she retired in 1992. The California Teachers Association recruited Ms. Basile during her first year of teaching, and she rose through the ranks to become Chapter President of the Association of Petaluma Teachers.

In addition to Ms. Basile's dedication to education, she displayed an exceptional commitment to the Girl Scouts youth organization in our community. She served as her daughter's troop leader for a decade, and worked as a Camp Counselor for Kamp Konocti, a Girl Scout Council's established camp, and volunteered at the Girl Scouts Day Camp in the Whittier area. She proudly maintains her lifetime Girl Scouts membership to this day.

President John F. Kennedy inspired Ms. Basile to engage in politics. She became a Precinct Captain during his 1960 presidential campaign, and she coordinated with several leaders across California to organize canvasses and phone banks. Ms. Basile has since been involved in every presidential election to register Democrats and get voters to the polls, and she is one of the best known figures in our Sonoma County political community.

Mr. Speaker, Ms. Basile has dedicated her life to local activism and the betterment of children through education and volunteer work in our community. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor her here today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Aaron Thornton, whom the Napa and Solano County Medical Societies have nominated for its Physician of the Year Award. Dr. Thornton has worked in our community for over 25 years. He previously worked in the Vallejo Medical Center as a hospitalist, and now works as a general internist in the Permanente Medical Group.

The Napa County Medical Society has named Dr. Thornton as the Napa County Physician of the Year based on his tireless dedication to patients and the advancement of the medical profession. Dr. Thornton exemplifies these attributes and is very deserving of this award and recognition.

In addition to his service to our community as a medical health professional, Dr. Thornton is a prolific volunteer in our community. Every year, he can be found assisting runners in the Napa Marathon medical area. He has served as a local scout master and instructor with the Boy Scouts of America. Dr. Thornton works with Napa County's Managing Pain Safely Project, which ensures that clinicians prescribe opioids safely and appropriately.

Dr. Thornton also regularly volunteers abroad. For the past 15 years, he has partnered with missions in Haiti to care for hundreds of people who live in cities without access to hospital services. Dr. Thornton even enlists volunteers to accompany him on these trips and collects supplies needed to provide important medical services to Haitians. Recently, Dr. Thornton also traveled to Kenya to provide medical training to local students.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Thornton has dedicated his time and knowledge to the medical field and some of the most vulnerable people in our community and across the world. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor him here today and congratulate him on this well-deserved award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Edward Martin, whom the Napa and Solano County Medical Societies have awarded the honor of Professor Emeritus for his years of work as a pediatrician and an educator.

Dr. Martin has worked with the Permanente Medical Group for 16 years. He has served as both Chair of Pediatrics for Napa and Solano and Chair of the Chiefs of Pediatrics for the Northern California region.

The Napa and Solano County Medical Societies award this distinction to medical professionals who have a demonstrated commitment to service and teaching. Dr. Martin exemplifies these attributes and is very deserving of this award and recognition.

Dr. Ed Martin graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine in 1980. He completed a residency in Pediatrics in 1983 and has been certified by the American Board of Pediatrics since 1986. He served as an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Pediatrics for Touro University, where both his students and colleagues recognize him as an excellent teacher and leader within their institution.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Martin has demonstrated an incredible commitment to his students and

the medical profession in our community. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor him here today and congratulate him on this well- deserved award.

Mr. Speaker, I, along with my colleague Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, rise today to honor Edward 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.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Osby Davis, the Mayor of Vallejo, California, upon his retirement from an impressive career as a public servant.

Mr. Davis has been a resident of our Vallejo community for 58 years. He graduated from Vallejo High School in 1963, completed his A.A. at Vallejo Junior College and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Fresno State College. He then earned his J.D. from the University of California at Berkley Boalt Hall School of Law in 1973.

Mr. Davis served on the Solano County Board of Supervisors from 1979 to 1993, the first person of color to do so. As Supervisor, he established the ``I CAN BE'' program for elementary school students in 1988. With this program, Mr. Davis mentored 5th and 6th grade students to encourage them to work to their full potential and cultivate positive self-esteem. He has also served as a mentor and legal counsel for the Continental of Omega Boys and Girls Club for over 25 years. His service and leadership set an excellent example for young people in our community. As Supervisor, Mr. Davis initiated monthly breakfast meetings with the African-American business community and formed the Black Chamber of Commerce in Vallejo.

When Mr. Davis was first elected Mayor of Vallejo in 2007, and re- elected in 2011 by three votes, he became the city's first African- American mayor. Mr. Davis was instrumental in leading the city through bankruptcy and developing a plan for economic recovery. He established the Mayor's Cup Golf Tournament, and served on numerous regional boards and commissions that addressed issues relevant to Vallejo and its citizens. He will also be remembered as the ``best dressed'' man in any meeting room.

Mr. Davis and his wife Terrye practice law as Davis & Davis, and they are both engaged business leaders in our community. Mr. Davis has previously served as a director for the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce and chaired the Chamber's Educational Roundtable. He and his wife are also active at Lighthouse Covenant Church, where they perform pre-marital counseling and teach Sunday school.

Mr. Speaker, by attempting the impossible, Mayor Davis has made our Vallejo community stronger as both a public servant and business leader. He is a true friend of Vallejo and a good friend of mine. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor him here today and extend our best wishes for an enjoyable retirement.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

For 7 years, all we have heard from the Republicans regarding health care is repeal and replace.

After 7 years and more than 60 votes, they still have not come up with the replace. This isn't just a talking point. This is literally a matter of life and death for people.

Raymond, from Napa in my district, was diagnosed with stage III renal cancer in 1996. His premiums rose year after year until we passed the

Mr. Speaker, I, along with Congressman Huffman, rise today to honor Richard Thomas, the recipient of the 2017 Nick Frey Community Contribution Award. This award was established by the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission in 2013 to recognize members of our community who have made important contributions to grape growing.

A Sonoma County native, Mr. Thomas graduated from Santa Rosa High School, where he was an award-winning member of the Future Farmers of America. He studied agriculture at the University of California, Davis, before going on to work as a vocational agriculture instructor at Healdsburg High School and livestock manager of the Sonoma County Fair.

Mr. Thomas saw Sonoma County's potential for viticulture and became an instructor at Santa Rosa Junior College, where he taught thousands of vineyard owners and workers throughout his 28 year career. He enjoys sharing that ``God put Sonoma County on earth for one reason: to produce great wines.'' His past students are now at the helm of many of the great viticulture operations in our Sonoma County wine community today.

Mr. Thomas is a life-long learner and educator. After taking a sabbatical to study wine trellising in New Zealand and Australia, he brought the skills he acquired back to winegrowers in California, helping to shape the look of Sonoma County Vineyards. He has lectured in the United States and around the world, sharing his mastery of grape growing.

He is the founder of the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association and the Sonoma County Vineyard Technical Group, which support our community by discussing and implementing the best practices in grape production.

Mr. Speaker, Richard Thomas has been a leader in the transformation of Sonoma County into some of the best of Wine Country. He is respected as a world-class educator and our Sonoma community considers him the Dean of Sonoma County grape production. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor him here today and congratulate him on this well- deserved award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Chief Michael Randolph upon his retirement as Fire Chief for the City of Napa Fire Department. Chief Randolph is retiring after an impressive 27 year firefighting career, including serving as Chief for four years.

Chief Randolph completed his B.A. Degree in Information and Communication Studies and then began his career with the City of Napa Fire Department as a firefighter in 1989. He was promoted to a firefighter paramedic five years after that. He was subsequently promoted to Captain, Battalion Chief and Division Chief before becoming Chief in 2012. Chief Randolph has distinguished himself in his department as an excellent mentor, coach, co-worker and friend.

Chief Randolph is dedicated to our community and has provided leadership to many of our service and community organizations. He serves as Board Member and President of the California Fire Chiefs Operations Section, on the Paramedic Advisory Board for Napa Valley College, as the Chair of the Napa County Emergency Medical Care Committee and as a member of Life Healthy Napa Valley.

Mr. Speaker, Chief Randolph has had a dedicated firefighting career and is known for his strong, focused and determined leadership. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor him here today and extend our best wishes for an enjoyable retirement with his wife, Wendy, and his children, Andrew and Hanna.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the Democratic lead on the conservation easement bill and to very regrettably say that I rise in opposition to this bill that I think so highly of.

I don't disagree with the policy. I don't disagree with the need for certainty, something that has been referred to many times today. And I don't disagree that the way the Republicans did it last year--in the last 2 weeks and doing it retroactively--I don't disagree that that was the wrong way to do it.

I have worked for permanency on conservation easements ever since Chairman Camp and I passed the big expansion in 2006. I have been the Democratic lead in every Congress to make conservation easements permanent.

Conservation easements are good public policy. They protect open space. They protect important ag lands. They protect important wildlife habitat. They are essential for clean air and clean water. They are essential for locally sourced good, healthy food. They are important to hunters, to fishermen, to conservationists.

They are important to people who live in rural areas and they are important to people who live in urban areas. Nowhere is that more apparent than what happened in New York. We were able to save New York City from having to spend $8 billion in building a water filtration system because we were able to protect their watershed area, in large part through conservation easements.

We all know that these are important. Every one of us knows it is important. That is why every Congress, when we introduce this bill, we get upward of and sometimes over 300 bipartisan coauthors on the bill, but the problem is this bill isn't paid for, as you have heard a number of times.

Sadly, I offered an amendment that would have totally offset the cost of the conservation easement portion of the bills that we are taking up today. It was an offset with no tax increases. It didn't increase anybody's taxes, didn't put the taxes on the back of somebody else, didn't shift the cost to anyone else. As a matter of fact, it focused on scofflaws who have been able to avoid paying their taxes because of a short statute of limitations. We offered to extend that statute of limitations. We could have paid for this whole thing. Unfortunately, my friends on the Republican side of the House rejected that amendment.

So instead, we are here with this bill, not paid for. Instead, today, we are going to vote on $93 billion worth of unpaid-for tax bills that will add $93 billion to our deficit.

If you add that to what our Republican colleagues did in the Ways and Means Committee this morning when they passed $225 billion of unpaid-for tax expenditures, that means that just today the Republican side of this House spent $320 billion that we don't have, directly shifting the cost to our deficit and our debt.

This is not tax reform, Members, and this is not paid for. It is not a good way to proceed, and I ask for a ``no'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Town of Yountville, California on the 50th anniversary of its incorporation. The Town of Yountville has developed a reputation for culinary excellence, distinguished lodging, fine wines and renowned retail businesses, which is especially impressive considering that the town has less than 3,000 residents.

Yountville's rich history dates back to 1831, when George Yount settled in Napa Valley. In

1836 Mr. Yount obtained the first land grant from the Mexican government awarded to a United States citizen in Northern California. By 1855, a surveyor had laid out the town's borders and Mr. Yount decided to call this town Sebastopol. Given that there was another town by the name of Sebastopol nearby, the town was renamed Yountville two years after Mr. Yount's death in 1867 in honor of its founder and his invaluable contributions to the town's beginning, which included planting the first grape vines in Napa Valley.

On February 4, 1965, the City of Yountville was officially incorporated and in 1982 changed its name to Town of Yountville. Over the past 50 years the town has grown to almost 3,000 residents. Today the town is home to many award-winning restaurants, such as The French Laundry which boasts a Three-Star Michelin rating, and which contributes to the town's reputation as the ``Culinary Capital of the Napa Valley''. In addition to the town's rich culinary history, Yountville's wine, retail, and lodging industries attract tourists from around the world to this small town known as the ``Heart of Napa Valley''TM.

Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize the Town of Yountville, California on the 50th anniversary of its incorporation. Yountville is a treasured part of our Napa Valley and I look forward to seeing the town continue to prosper over the next 50 years.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, it is said that insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result. Well, here we go again, the 56th bill to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act.

We all understand that the majority needs to give their freshmen Members an opportunity to say that they voted to repeal ObamaCare, so let's call this what it really is: an exercise in futility.

It may make for good talking points in your districts, but it is bad for our country, and it is a waste of time and a waste of tax dollars. You are in charge with the biggest majority in decades, and this is what you decide to do with it?

Folks on my side of the aisle are willing to work with you on things like investing in roads, growing our economy, creating jobs, and even making improvements in the Affordable Care Act.

Our constituents sent us here to get something done, not to pass bills that

are never going to become law. So let's do something meaningful. Let's say ``no'' to this bill and get on to the work of the people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Marcie Waldron, who has been named the City of Sonoma's 2015 Alcaldessa, or Honorary Mayor. The title ``Alcalde,'' or ``Alcaldessa'' when referring to a woman, is the Spanish word for ``mayor.'' While the Alcalde was the primary civil authority during the Spanish colonial period in California, in modern times, it is an honorary title bestowed upon invaluable members of the community.

Ms. Waldron has lived in Sonoma for 12 years, where she has given back to the community as a leader and member of community organizations. She is the president of the Vintage House board, a non- profit organization that promotes the well-being of elderly citizens by encouraging independence and involvement in community life. Ms. Waldron also serves as the interim president of the WillMar Family Grief and Healing Center, which provides support to families grieving the loss of a loved one or living with family members with a life-altering illness. Outside of her leadership roles with these non-profit organizations, Ms. Waldron serves as a board member of the Sonoma Community Center and Kiwanis of Sonoma Plaza.

In addition to her involvement in community organizations, Ms. Waldron works to raise awareness about organ donation. Herself a double transplant recipient, Ms. Waldron speaks to schools and organizations honoring donors and stressing the importance of organ donation. Ms. Waldron also works to recognize donors through her ``LifeStar'' program, which gives donors hand-made silver LifeStar pendants in appreciation for their gift of life.

Mr. Speaker, Marcie Waldron is a beloved and vitally important member of the community and it is appropriate that we acknowledge her today as Sonoma's Alcaldessa for 2015.