Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1378, to designate the new courthouse at 333 West Broadway Street in San Diego as the James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United States Courthouse.

The bipartisan bill before us today has been a long time coming. I'm particularly grateful for Scott Peters's hard work to bring interested parties together and craft a bill that all San Diegans can be proud of.

When we first reached out to the community, San Diego's leaders made it clear that there are no two figures more deserving of this honor than Judges Carter and Keep. The support was overwhelming.

Judges Carter and Keep were truly trailblazers in their field, and worked tirelessly both on and off the bench to better the San Diego community.

Judge Carter was the driving force behind the creation of the Southern California District, allowing the people of San Diego access to the federal court system.

Fittingly, once the Southern California District Court was established, Carter became its first Chief Judge.

Judge Carter also founded the Federal Defenders of San Diego and was instrumental in the creation of the University of San Diego Law School.

He is remembered by those who knew him as a giant of his time, a man whose service was an example for all those who followed in his footsteps.

For her part, Judge Keep was instrumental in opening up the San Diego legal field to women.

She graduated valedictorian at San Diego Law School at a time when only 5% of lawyers were women!

Judge Keep began her career as a public defender, and went on to serve as the Southern California District Court's first female Chief Judge.

Judith worked closely with the San Diego Community Foundation and the Armed Forces YMCA, and both she and James served as role models and mentors to countless young attorneys and judges in San Diego.

In addition to honoring Judges Carter and Keep, this bill will rename the Federal Judicial Center after the late Judge John Rhoades. Judge Rhoades spent over 20 years as a distinguished U.S. District Judge in San Diego. It is only fitting that the judicial center bear his name.

Judges Carter, Keep, and Rhoades were instrumental in shaping the San Diego legal community into what it is today. I can think of no better tribute to their service than to name this courthouse and judicial center in their honor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Carl Levin and Howard ``Buck'' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015.

As the ranking member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, I am pleased that this bill includes a number of provisions that continue our commitment to our Armed Forces. I certainly want to thank Chairman Joe Wilson for working with me in a bipartisan manner to support our servicemembers and their families. I would also recognize and thank our retiring chairman, Buck McKeon, and, of course, Adam Smith, the ranking member, for their leadership.

I am pleased that the final agreement continues the committee's focus on sexual assault. These provisions include requiring the judicial panel to assess the impact of using mental health records by the defense in preliminary hearings and a comparison between the civilian use of mental health records in civilian criminal proceedings; requiring the Secretary of Defense to consider the victims of sexual assault's preference regarding whether the offense should be prosecuted by court-martial or in a civilian court; and requiring performance appraisals of a commanding officer to include whether the officer has established a command climate in which allegations of sexual assault are properly managed and victims feel free to report a sexual assault without fear of retaliation.

Mr. Speaker, the agreement also includes several health care provisions that continue to improve the mental health of the force. Although the agreement includes a modest, one-time change to the TRICARE pharmacy copay rates and a decrease by 1 percent in the housing allowance, it does not include the full savings proposed by the Department of Defense. As a result, the Department will need to address the savings it already took in the fiscal year 2015 budget.

As Mr. Smith has pointed out, the discussion on compensation that led to this agreement is a beginning to the conversations we must have. As we look to the next Congress, I hope that the results of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission due in February 2015 will inform this important discussion. We all know these are difficult times, particularly with full sequestration ahead in FY16. Ignoring the issue will only lead the Department to take significant cuts to end-strength and readiness. These difficult decisions will need to be made in order to sustain our all-volunteer force.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday a reporter asked me to comment on whether Speaker Boehner will be able to make his mark in the next Congress, with the largest House majority for his party since 1929. My thoughts: stand and deliver. If the Speaker wants to work, there is nothing stopping him. Democrats stand ready to work with him to tackle many of the challenges facing American families.

In many ways, our economy has shown incredible resilience of late. GDP and job growth are up, but, unfortunately, many still don't feel like things are getting any better. It is long past time that we come together and enact policies that will help hardworking families instead of pandering to special interests.

This election saw the worst voter turnout in 72 years because Americans didn't think we could get anything done for them. Let's show that we can. I hope we will use the remaining weeks in this Congress to show that we are capable of delivering results to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 512, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my strong opposition to two pieces of legislation that were brought before the House on August 1st, 2014. H.R. 5272 and H.R. 5230 are partisan bills that do nothing to fix our broken immigration system. Rather than effectively addressing the situation at the border or the larger failures of our immigration system, the House majority has chosen to penalize children by removing trafficking protections for child refugees from Central America, and preventing the administration from deferring the deportation of DREAMers.

Deporting hardworking, law-abiding people who were brought here as children will not make our country safer or more prosperous. Our resources are limited, and the administration must have the ability to prioritize the deportation of those who are a threat to our country. Furthermore, we will not solve the crisis at our border without seriously investing in our immigration courts and addressing the violence and poverty in Central America that are causing these children to flee. H.R. 5272 and H.R. 5230 are not sincere attempts to address these issues, and although I was not able to vote on these bills, had I been present I would have voted ''no'' on both.

I would also like to express my strong support for H.J. Res. 76 to provide $225 million in emergency funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. The Obama Administration requested the additional funds to help Israel replenish the scores of missiles it is using to defend its civilian population from Hamas rocket attacks. As the author of the Iron Dome Support Act, which authorizes further assistance to Israel for Iron Dome, I support emergency spending to provide additional resources for the missile defense system, which has saved countless civilian lives. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes'' on H.J. Res. 76.

Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to recognize Tom Hom, a man who has made it his life's work to better the city of San Diego. As the American-born son of Chinese immigrants, Tom saw firsthand the discrimination that Asian Americans experienced in the U.S. in the early 20th century as his parents worked tirelessly to build a better life for their twelve children. Despite immense obstacles, Tom rose to success, all the while giving back to his family and his community.

In 1963, Tom Hom was elected to the San Diego City Council, becoming the city's first minority councilmember, and he went on to serve in the California State Assembly. As a councilman, and later as a businessman, Tom helped reinvigorate downtown San Diego, transforming our skid row into the vibrant Gaslamp Quarter that now draws businesses and visitors from around the country. He was instrumental in founding the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, which documents the culture and contributions of our city's Chinese-American community, and he remains an influential figure in the San Diego business and philanthropic communities.

Tom's vision and hard work have shaped San Diego into the city it is today, and his generosity and humility in the face of such success are inspiring. Tom Hom's journey from Chinatown to the California statehouse truly embodies the American Dream.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution of the House ``expressing the sense that the United States

Postal Service shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all.''

Many do not realize that the Post Office is already in the process of phasing out door delivery service, the heart of its customer experience.

And that if some in Congress had their way it would be eliminated entirely!

In my home state of California, residents in newly planned communities are already witnessing the end of traditional mail delivery.

Instead, residents are being forced to resort to so-called cluster boxes--centralized curbside locations many of which are in unsecure locations and poorly maintained.

Just last month local residents from a community meeting in my district adopted an official neighborhood resolution calling on Congress to address this pressing issue.

I have heard stories from dozens of my constituents about cluster boxes being stolen or damaged and having to wait months to raise enough money to replace them.

Americans have benefited from door delivery service ever since the time of the Civil War.

But now some in Congress, in a short-sighted attempt to cut costs, are pushing through a radical overhaul of the Post Office without even considering the consequences.

Studies have shown that in today's digital age it is people with disabilities and the elderly that rely most on postal mail more, especially for prescription medicine.

Yes it is these very groups that would most be hurt by the sudden forced adoption of centralized cluster boxes.

And businesses all across the country, especially startups will be forced to close up shop since there will be no way to guarantee the security of their delivery.

All this just for short term cost cutting--which will do nothing to address the long term solvency of the Post Office.

And we already know that nobody wants these changes. In 2013, USPS offered voluntary cluster box conversions to businesses and only .8 percent signed up.

What business could survive by constantly looking for ways to reduce customer satisfaction?

Or by finding ways to devalue the very service, door delivery, it is known for?

But that is what the proponents of such radical postal reform efforts have in mind.

Furthermore, such changes will end the equal mail delivery system we have now for everyone.

Forced adoption of cluster boxes and a ``delivery tax'', whereby only the wealthy will have access to door delivery, will create a two-tiered system breaking the fundamental unity that has always been central to the Post Office's mission.

I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting this effort to help preserve door delivery for all.

Mr. Speaker, the recent revelations of corruption and scandal at the VA have cast a dark cloud over a Department that should be held to the highest possible standard.

We cannot forget the cost of war does not stop when the last bullets are fired. We have an obligation to make sure that every last veteran gets the care and benefits that he or she earned on the battlefield.

The compromise that is before us today is an important step forward. It provides emergency funding for access to timely care and invests in the VA's long-term capacity to address veterans' needs, but still, there is more to be done.

I regularly meet with young veterans in San Diego who are having trouble adapting to civilian life. These are some of the brightest, hardest-working men and women in the United States, and yet they often find it hard to prove that the skills they developed in the military have prepared them for work or school.

To help them, we need to take a broader look at the challenges veterans face entering the workforce, getting an education, and managing their finances as they transition out of the service.

I certainly look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that our veterans have the tools they need to succeed. It is the least we can do.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring up H.R. 851, the Bring Jobs Home Act, to jump-start the middle class, instead of this partisan lawsuit, which we don't need, attacking the President.

Mr. Speaker, right now students all over America are enjoying their much-earned summer vacation. We all know the enormous pressures today's youth face, and it hardly seems they get a chance to breathe anymore. Yet students all across the country are attending college in record numbers.

That, unfortunately, is where the good news stops. As our college students settle into their internships over the summer, many are running into old classmates who recently graduated, and all of them are asking the same question: How do you live with such debt?

We face a student debt crisis of truly mind-blowing proportions, but instead of working to give middle class families a fair chance at making college affordable, some of my colleagues are arguing over what to sue the President for.

Later today, we are going to vote for a tax credit--it is unpaid for--and that will barely make a dent in what is quickly becoming the economic challenge of our era. I ask my colleagues, all of us who are talking often, constantly about the need to care for future generations, is this really the best we can do?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the service of Dr. Jon Nachison, Ph.D., or Dr. Jon, as he is fondly known, co-founder of the National Stand Down for Homelessness. After twenty- seven years of continuous service as director, Dr. Jon is finally ``standing down.''

Dr. Jon began Stand Down in 1988 when, as Clinical Director of Psychological Services at the Veterans Village of San Diego (then known as Vietnam Veterans of San Diego), he and the Director at VVSD, Robert Van Keuren, convinced the City of San Diego and other community stakeholders to support a new program to address the needs of homeless veterans Through his perseverance, and despite initial community resistance, San Diego embraced what has become an annual event, incorporating as many as 3500 community volunteers who return faithfully year after year. In tribute to his original creativity, over 200 other communities nationwide have adopted the model that Dr. Jon first introduced and perfected.

The term ``stand down'' refers to a military command to move oneself out of a war zone (the streets, in this case) to a safe place to regroup. By design, Stand Down borrows from a long history of therapeutic communities and recreates a bivouac setting of military tents and military organization. Over a three day weekend, it recreates a sense of prior military identity and begins to restore a sense of self-worth. Showers, clean clothes, basic medical care and social services renew the veterans' faith in change being possible. Dr. Jon wants participants to regain the sense of competence and empowerment they had known during their years of military service. The isolation and stress of homelessness recedes amongst friends.

Stand Down becomes a transformational experience and Dr. Jon's energy, vision, and unwavering commitment have been the cornerstone of this program. That he has created a program to address two national problems, homelessness and the successful societal reentry of our returning veterans, establishes him as a treasure, not only for San Diego, but for our Nation. I rise to honor Dr. Jon for his many years of creative service.

Mr. Speaker, the San Diego and Mid City communities, particularly my neighborhood of Kensington, lost one of its most energetic and inspiring residents. Dale Larabee was a dedicated athlete and family man known for his leadership in the legal community and loved for his involvement in countless endeavors.

I got to know Dale years ago through soccer when he coached my son. I was struck by his ability to bring out the best in every child, and to control competitive parents and keep them at their best, as well. I looked forward to those games not only for the chance to watch my son play, but because seeing Dale inspire and cheer on the children was always a delight.

Dale did so much. As an attorney, he loved to fight for the underdog, and made a name for himself representing workers in employment discrimination cases. Those who worked with him knew Dale as a brilliant and fiery trial lawyer who was never afraid to stand up to bullying corporations.

Dale lived in Kensington for over 40 years and never stopped working to make his neighborhood a better place for everyone, right down to volunteering every month to clean up litter on the streets. A lifelong athlete, Dale could always be found training for his next marathon or triathlon, and he brought this passion for sport to the Kensington Social and Athletic Club, which he founded.

On those rare occasions when he wasn't hiking, biking, or swimming, Dale wrote a regular local interest column for the San Diego Uptown News, and organized the annual Kensington Memorial Day Parade and Miracle Mile Relay. Dale also found smaller ways to brighten up the neighborhood, establishing a Little Free Library on Adams Avenue where children and adults alike could feed their love of reading. You can't walk the streets of Kensington without seeing some reminder of Dale's love for his community.

Dale Larabee was a beloved husband and father, with a deep dedication to bettering his community and fighting for the little guy. His passing is a terrible loss for his wife Diane, his sons Joel and Jeff, his daughters-in-law Tonya and Taylor, his grandchildren Aidan, Madden, Shane, Hanley, and Hollace, and all those who were lucky enough to know him. He will be greatly missed.

Mr. Speaker, last week, we learned that employers added 1.4 million jobs in the first 6 months of this year. That is the strongest 6 months for growth since 2006, and it is great news for many American families, but there is more we can and that we should be doing.

The other day, I was fortunate enough to attend the White House Summit on Working Families, where business leaders, advocates, legislators, and Americans from all walks of life all came together to discuss issues facing working parents.

Mr. Speaker, the American workforce has changed dramatically in recent decades, and the workplace must change with it. More and more women are now the primary breadwinners for their families, but they still lack the support they need to balance work with their responsibilities at home.

Sadly, instead of considering initiatives to improve the lives of working families and of strengthening the middle class, this House is stuck playing politics. This week, the House majority announced plans for a 3-week process to sue President Obama--no word yet on what they plan to sue him for.

The American people deserve better. We need to move ahead on the issues that concern the American people.

Mr. Speaker, with the stroke of a pen, President Obama will extend workplace protections to 14 million LGBT Federal contractors.

Thankfully, LGBT San Diegans are already protected by State law, but this is not the case for all Americans.

I applaud the President for doing the right thing. Now it is time for Congress to end discrimination for all workers.

California and 17 other States have shown that these protections aren't just the right thing to do, they are good policy and good business.

Discrimination has no place in government. Discrimination has no place in the work place.

It is past time for Congress to listen to the American people. The Senate has already passed the Employment Nondiscrimination Act. Let's bring ENDA to the floor and pass it today.

Mr. Speaker, there has never been any question that Tony Gwynn was a great hitter, but probably the second most talked about aspect of Tony Gwynn was his laugh.

On Monday, we lost a great leader both on and off the field. Tony Gwynn passed away--surrounded by family--at age 54. We lost that great laugh.

Tony was described as a person who, after spending a few minutes with him, you felt better than you did before. Part of it was his laugh. He displayed that in playing baseball, as a teacher, and in his charitable work with his wife, Alicia. There was a special quality about him.

Tony turned down lucrative offers, offers that others might have picked up, but he turned those down to remain a San Diego Padre, and in this time of sports trades, that is a big deal.

It was not surprising that, after his playing days, he returned to his alma mater, San Diego State University, to teach and coach Aztec baseball--to be a mentor.

One of his students plays not too far from this Chamber at Nationals Park. Pitcher Stephen Strasburg played for Tony, who he described as a father figure.

Tony Gwynn leaves a lasting impact in San Diego. His loss is being felt throughout the community. We see that in the collective grief and celebration of his life.