Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment seeks to provide additional funding for the Veterans Transportation Program, which would provide additional resources for the Highly Rural Transportation Grants, Beneficiary Travel, and Veterans Transportation Service.

A major challenge facing veterans across the Nation, including the central coast of California, is the lack of access to transportation when trying to get their medical appointments. This is especially prevalent in districts like mine, where veterans don't live in close proximity to a major VA medical center.

Available local transportation to health appointments at the local community-based outpatient clinic is a constant challenge, as there are an insufficient number of buses and drivers. Currently, there is only one bus serving my district, and this one bus must make six stops before reaching the VA hospital in Los Angeles. Once there, veterans only have a short window of time to attend to all their appointments before needing to rush back to the bus to catch their transportation home.

In many cases, with these time constraints, veterans are unable to fit all of their necessary appointments into one day, and must again struggle with transportation to get back to the hospital.

Passage of this amendment would provide more transportation solutions for our veterans, allowing them to get to their medical appointments on time and receive proper medical care without the fear of being left behind, unable to get back home.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I would just appeal to my colleagues that ``thank you for your service'' is just not enough anymore for our veterans. We need to step up. We need to make sure that they know we are here and we have their back when they need the services at the end of their tenure in the armed services.

Mr. Chair, this is an important amendment. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Chairman Thornberry and Ranking Member Smith for their bipartisan leadership, and the Armed Services Committee and the Rules Committee for bringing my amendment to the floor.

My amendment is simple. It not only urges the Department of Defense to pursue more innovative measures to train servicemembers, but also to train them in a more cost-effective manner.

This amendment urges DOD to transition training manuals, emergency guidance, and other training publications to applications on mobile telephones to enable interaction and improve and update the training experience for servicemembers. It provides a cost-efficient mechanism for less printing and less distribution costs while making the materials more readily accessible.

The Air Force has already started utilizing such applications, and my amendment would urge the Secretary to utilize such technology throughout all the services.

Mr. Speaker, this week marks 3 years since the Refugio/ Plains pipeline failure spilled more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil along the Gaviota coast in my district. Black oil slick coated our beaches and marine life, costing over $96 million to clean up and hurting our local economy.

That spill occurred 3 years after Congress unanimously passed the Pipeline Safety Act of 2011. This law directed PHMSA to update key pipeline safety standards, requiring the installation of automatic and remote control shutoff valves, including leak detection technology.

However, nearly 7 years later, 20 of the pipeline safety directives in that legislation have not been enacted. During the Plains oil spill, it took operators over 2 hours to find the source of the leak.

Yesterday I joined Senator Feinstein, directing the agency to answer why these requirements have not been implemented to date to ensure we are improving pipeline safety.

Mr. Speaker, on April 16, 2018, I missed votes in the House in order to attend funeral services for my late brother.

Had I been present, I would have voted: AYE on Roll Call No. 140--the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act, H.R. 146; and AYE on Roll Call No. 141--the National Memorial to Fallen Educators Act, S. 167.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the life of John Richard Schmidhauser. Mr. Schmidhauser was born in the Bronx, NY. He lost his father when he was a teenager and lived through the Great Depression with his mother in Maryland, an experience that shaped his work ethic and created a lifelong support for issues related to social justice.

Following his high school graduation, Mr. Schmidhauser enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the outbreak of WWII. He worked as a Communications Officer and French hornist in the ship's band and, following VJ-Day, as a member of the occupying force in Japan.

He later enrolled in college under the GI Bill and earned a BA from the University of Delaware and a MA and PhD from the University of Virginia, in Political Science, with honors. Mr. Schmidhauser also served as a professor at the University of Iowa, where he was highly respected and admired amongst students.

Mr. Schmidhauser produced groundbreaking scholarly work on the U.S. Supreme Court. He authored numerous books and articles on the judiciary and public and constitutional law. He was active in politics and public service throughout his life and was known by many as a pioneer in his field.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to join with the nation and the Schmidhauser family in celebrating this special life, which ended peacefully on February 21, 2018.

Mr. Speaker, this week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its latest budget projections predicting that the Republican tax plan will add a stunning $1.8 trillion to the deficit.

It turns out major tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans do not pay for themselves. With their tax scam cutting revenue and exploding the deficit, Republicans have now set their sights on crippling Social Security retirement and Medicare health insurance programs that millions of Americans rely on.

They shamelessly proposed a balanced budget amendment to distract from the reckless deficit spending, but I am here to say that the public is smarter than they think. They recognize this is just the next step in their plan to cut programs that strengthen retirement security and ensure healthcare access.

I voted against this foolish budgeting proposal, and I urge my colleagues to commit to responsible bipartisan spending reform.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Every year, we dedicate the month of March to give special recognition to the accomplishments and sacrifices made by America's women. I consider it an honor to highlight the extraordinary women who are making a difference in my District. I would like to recognize one outstanding woman Deanna Cantrell, of San Luis Obispo, California.

Deanna has served as the San Luis Obispo Chief of Police since January of 2016, making her one of less than 2 percent of female police chiefs in the nation. Before joining our Central Coast community, Deanna spent 21 years with the Mesa, Arizona Police Department where she held a variety of impressive positions. Since arriving in San Luis Obispo, Deanna has made immense strides in encouraging community engagement, particularly among marginalized groups. She started the PACT, a group comprised of local action groups such as Women's March SLO, RACE Matters SLO, Hispanic Leadership Council, the LGBTQIA community and more. She's assigned officers to various specific populations to be the liaison that supports those communities and enhances partnership and communication.

Deanna also started PEACE, a series of community workshops to increase understanding between PD and law enforcement. Additionally, she was invited to be a speaker at the inaugural Women's March in San Luis Obispo where she made the community feel both heard and protected.

Those who know her describe Deanna as someone who shares herself as a person, role model, and friend by visiting schools, sitting on panels, and always saying yes when called upon for support. She exemplifies the kindness, warmth, determination, intelligence, and caring we hope to see in every person in uniform. Deanna's tireless service to our district makes her someone who all young women and men can look up to with admiration.

I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 24th Congressional District, Deanna Cantrell, for her incredible service to her community. We thank Deanna for her service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Every year, we dedicate the month of March to give special recognition to the accomplishments and sacrifices made by America's women. I consider it an honor to highlight the extraordinary women who are making a difference in my District. I would like to recognize one outstanding woman, Becky Jorgeson, of San Luis Obispo, California.

Becky Jorgeson is an outstanding activist who is working establish sustainable community villages of tiny homes for chronically homeless people with little or no income. She is the Founder and President of Hope's Village of San Luis Obispo, which aims to provide safe, healthy and drug-free communities where people who are homeless can live in dignity and peace.

Through Becky's ``RVs for Veterans'' program, 74 motorhomes, travel trailers and fifth wheels have been passed on to local homeless veterans getting them off the streets and into their own tiny homes on wheels. 734 showers have been given through her mobile ``Showers of Hope'' program; and numerous sleeping bags, tents, tarps, blankets, jackets and food have been passed out down by the creek and on the streets of San Luis Obispo through their outreach program.

Becky also has worked closely with educators and students to bring more homes to those in need. She collaborated with the Cal Poly Construction Management department to build and donate two ``cabins on wheels'' for their soon to be community village. Currently, Nipomo Tech High School is building another tiny home for Hope's Village, and Cuesta College will begin building in the Fall.

Becky's work to support the homeless population of San Luis Obispo has been a tremendous asset to members of the community in need. I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 24th Congressional District, Becky Jorgeson, for her incredible service to her community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Every year, we dedicate the month of March to give special recognition to the accomplishments and sacrifices made by America's women. I consider it an honor to highlight the extraordinary women who are making a difference in my District. I would like to recognize one outstanding woman, Gloria Soto, of Santa Maria, California.

Gloria Soto was born and raised in the Santa Maria and Guadalupe areas of Santa Barbara County. She comes from an immigrant family who instilled the value of hard-work and determination, and made numerous sacrifices to ensure she would have a chance at a better life. Gloria took advantage of every opportunity and graduated from Pioneer Valley High School, Allan Hancock College, and then from Bradman University all while working full time.

Gloria started out as an educator about 6 years ago where she built up educational programs from Lompoc to Paso Robles. She initiated Young Advocates groups in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo that encourage young people to speak up for reproductive rights. Gloria now works in the development department of Planned Parenthood of the Central Coast where she strives to protect and expand access to reproductive health care in her community. She also educates donors about the importance of their continued support.

In addition to her work for Planned Parenthood, Gloria also serves on the board of Future Leaders of America where she volunteers hundreds of hours training youth leaders and directing week-long youth leadership camps. She is also a board member of the Fund for Santa Barbara, a member of the Activist-Led Grant Making Committee, and a key organizer for the Latino Legacy Awards in Santa Maria.

Gloria's contribution to social justice for a more just community are immeasurable, she is not afraid to get her hands dirty and understands the importance of taking leadership roles in organizations so they can better serve our community. She is a champion for youth, immigrants, and women, and we are lucky to have her in our district.

I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 24th Congressional District, Gloria Soto, for her incredible service to her community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Every year, we dedicate the month of March to give special recognition to the accomplishments and sacrifices made by America's women. I consider it an honor to highlight the extraordinary women who are making a difference in my District. I would like to recognize one outstanding woman, Beth Farnsworth Ward, from Santa Barbara.

Beth Farnsworth Ward is an Anchor and Reporter for KEYT NewsChannel 3 in Santa Barbara. When the Thomas Fire broke out in December of 2017 and rapidly spread through two counties, Beth stepped up and took the lead covering the disaster and its aftermath, working tirelessly to bring important stories and up-to-date news to affected residents.

Beth provided vital TV news information for our community as evacuations and alerts came out from county officials. Her outstanding leadership and tireless work to help residents navigate information, warnings, and updates ensured residents all throughout the Central Coast were well-informed during the largest wildfire in California history and her work to keep residents safe cannot be understated.

She stepped up once again in January, when the deadly mudslides left many in Montecito in need of resources and information. Beth's tireless devotion, from telling compelling and hard-hitting stories from the field to delivering timely news on set was invaluable to our community as we joined together as a community to recover from two of the worst natural disasters our community has faced.

I am honored to recognize Beth for her commitment to our news operation and the residents of Santa Barbara county. Her news coverage is exemplary of the importance of journalism and local reporting to our community's safety and security.

I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 24th Congressional District, Beth Farnsworth Ward, for her incredible service to her community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Every year, we dedicate the month of March to give special recognition to the accomplishments and sacrifices made by America's women. I consider it an honor to highlight the extraordinary women who are making a difference in my District. I would like to recognize one outstanding woman, Dr. Amy Alzina, from Montecito.

In her first year as principal/superintendent of Cold Spring School in Montecito, Dr. Alzina has had more to deal with than many principals will have to handle in a lifetime. Fortunately, her incredible spirit and strong leadership has been woven into the fabric of the school since she arrived.

Cold Spring School was particularly impacted by the aftermath of the Thomas Fire and subsequent mudslides, which devastated Montecito and took the lives of twenty one individuals. When Cold Springs School was forced the school to close for nearly six weeks and took the lives of two students, Dr. Alzina was a calming voice and a beacon of information for the students and families ensuring families felt understood and supported.

From meeting with families who lost their lo ved ones, to hosting school-wide movie nights so parents could have time to themselves knowing their children were safe, Dr. Alzina gave the community comfort and security during an incredibly difficult time. Her leadership and compassion was instrumental to helping Montecito recover from the devastation.

I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 24th Congressional District, Dr. Amy Alzina, for her incredible service to her community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the work being done by First 5 San Luis Obispo County for families on the central coast.

I stand to endorse their Children's Bill of Rights. This document serves as a guide well beyond San Luis Obispo County that every lawmaker in this Nation should work toward, especially the right to visit a doctor to help children stay physically and mentally healthy.

This week marks the eighth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act that covers 1 million children through the State and Federal marketplaces. The ACA also made significant investments in our Children's Health Insurance Program.

I urge my colleagues to continue to work together to strengthen this legislation. By controlling the cost of prescription drugs, ensuring cost-sharing reduction subsidies, and adding a public option to bring down the cost of health insurance plans, we can ensure that we continue to raise healthy children.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan Gun Violence Restraining Order Act.

After the Parkland, Florida shooting tragically took the lives of 17 students and educators, students across the country have stood up and said: Enough is enough. They have demanded that Congress act to prevent these horrific acts of violence.

Since Parkland, NRA officials, Republican lawmakers, and even the President have repeatedly said that we need to disarm individuals who pose a threat to themselves or their community--those posting on social media or telling friends and family that they plan to take lives with a gun.

GVRO laws do just that. That is why California passed these protections after the shooting at UCSB's Isla Vista. And now Florida is considering similar legislation in the wake of the Parkland shooting.

Only a handful of States currently have legal processes to temporarily remove those firearms. The GVRO Act encourages other States to follow their lead to empower family members or law enforcement officials to petition a judge to temporarily remove firearms from an individual in crisis. No one law will be a panacea, but that is not an excuse for inaction.

Since its introduction, the GVRO Act has gained significant support from my colleagues in the majority. Madam Speaker, we are calling on Speaker Ryan to bring the bipartisan GVRO Act to the floor for a vote. Our children's lives depend on it.

Mr. Speaker, last December, the Thomas fire raged through Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, eventually becoming the largest wildfire in California's history. Our heroic firefighters left their families behind during the holiday season to fight tirelessly on the front lines, saving homes, businesses, and lives.

A few short weeks later, our first responders were called back into action when heavy rains brought debris flows that tragically claimed the lives of 23 people in Montecito. As residents were evacuating, these brave firefighters ran towards the disaster without a second thought, pulling people out of the mud and debris for days afterward.

I would like to thank all our first responders who so bravely answered the call of duty in these difficult conditions.

Mr. Speaker, with us here today are firefighters from IAFF Local 2046, CAL FIRE Local 2881, and the Ventura County Professional Firefighters Association, and the California Professional Firefighters.

I thank them all for their unparalleled level of service to keep our loved ones on the central coast safe.

Thank you for your service.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Shimkus for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago, Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced its

decision not to relicense the two nuclear reactors at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in San Luis Obispo County. The plant has been a key economic engine in my district, employing around 1,500 people and powering more than 1.7 million homes in central and northern California.

As our community works together to mitigate the economic impacts of this closure, I am committed to helping secure the central coast's dominance as a hub for renewable energy development. That is why I am introducing legislation later this month that creates renewable energy incentives to offset the loss of jobs and revenue resulting from the Diablo Canyon closure.

In addition to economic stability, our community also needs certainty of responsible management and safe storage of nuclear waste after the plant's closure. The Diablo Canyon Power Plant was built against a seaside cliff near Avila Beach, where it was discovered that its reactors are in proximity to earthquake fault lines. Without a long- term solution, Diablo Canyon would become a de facto storage facility for radioactive nuclear waste and would hinder our ability to repurpose any of the scenic coastline where the power plant currently sits.

Currently, spent nuclear fuel sits across 39 States in 121 communities, including San Luis Obispo County.

We need a permanent geologic repository to store waste that will last far beyond our lifetimes. Congress must establish responsible interim storage solutions, while continuing to work towards establishing a safe and secure national repository for spent fuel.

H.R. 3053 is a good bipartisan solution to establish a process and outline next steps for interim and permanent storage solutions. With the impending decommissioning of Diablo Canyon, it is vital that we act to find a storage solution. I will continue to work to grow business in our area, remove spent fuel safely, and keep our communities safe and thriving as the Diablo Canyon decommissioning moves forward.