Floor Statements

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

Mr. Chairman, let me first start off by commending Representative John Sarbanes for H.R. 1 and everyone who has worked on behalf of this historic bill.

Today I rise in support of amendment 12 to H.R. 1. Last term, I introduced what is known as the SWAMP FLYERS Act to make sure that government officials don't abuse taxpayer funds for their luxury travel preferences. We did not get a vote on this bill last term. I am very pleased that now I am going to be able to offer it as an amendment to

Mr. Chairman, I want to note that a number of these Cabinet officials defended the use of luxury travel preferences by saying that their travel was approved.

So, clearly, there is not enough in the law to stop this abusive behavior of taxpayer funds. Again, if you just look at the abuse of travel, we know we can stop it. There is no justification for it.

Mr. Chairman, I request that my colleagues vote for this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

In closing, this is a commonsense amendment. I appreciate, again, the historic nature of H.R. 1. Preventing travel abuse by Cabinet officials is something that we can all support on a bipartisan basis.

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

Madam Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the life of Mr. Alan Canter, who passed away on January 25, 2019 at the age of 82. Alan's stewardship of his family's restaurant in California's 33rd Congressional District, Canter's Deli, was crucial in making it a fixture in Los Angeles culture and a gathering place for people of all ages and degrees of fame.

Born in Los Angeles on May 2, 1936, Alan started out as a mechanic, with a love for racing cars and tinkering with new ways to drive faster. However, on the advice of his newly pregnant wife, Alan turned to the restaurant business in the 1950s, just as the deli expanded from its original Boyle Heights location, opened in 1931, to the Fairfax district.

Though he started as a pickle packer and delivery boy, Alan eventually took over his family's deli and dedicated nearly every waking minute over the next six decades to his customers, sometimes working 18-hour shifts in a day. Alan took on all of it, even the seemingly menial tasks, like cutting fruit, pickling, selecting ingredients, and tending to the kitchen equipment.

Alan's mechanical expertise, learned from his years racing and fixing cars, kept the place running even when a machine acted up. As the family patriarch for so many years, Alan taught his children how to run the business just as his father taught him.

Canter's Deli, ``the soul of Fairfax Avenue,'' served not only its neighbors, but also post-concert crowds, musicians, actors, and even presidents. Additionally, his selflessness and humor touched all who encountered him.

Alan is survived by his wife; son, Marc; daughter, Jacqueline; and five grandchildren. I hope that Alan's family takes comfort in knowing that his family's legacy will live on in the memories of all the customers he served and the high standards he worked so hard to establish.

Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Engel for his leadership.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this resolution. I want to commend Congressman Khanna for offering it. It is another step in years of pressure that Congress has put on the executive branch to get us out of this bloody war in Yemen.

In 2015, I wrote a letter to the Pentagon about what was then a little-known war in Yemen, asking why the U.S. was involved in war crimes committed by the Saudis in Yemen.

I previously served in Active Duty in the military. It was clear to me that what the Saudi jets were doing in dropping bombs on innocent civilians was a war crime.

In 2016, I introduced legislation to limit the transfer of air-to- ground munitions from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia. And then, working with other Members such as Representatives Pocan and Welch and others, we were able to cause the Obama administration to stop a shipment of air- to-ground munitions to Saudi Arabia.

In 2017, I worked with Representative Ted Yoho, and we helped insert language into the NDAA requesting the administration to certify what the heck it was doing in Yemen.

And then last August, I wrote a letter to the Pentagon inspector general asking for an investigation of whether U.S. personnel were aiding and abetting Saudi war crimes in Yemen.

I am very pleased that a few months later, in November of last year, the Trump administration announced it was going to stop the U.S. refueling of Saudi jets in Yemen.

Now we need to pass this resolution as another step in increasing the pressure on the administration to get us out of the war in Yemen.

It is not a partisan issue. This started under Obama's watch, continues under Trump's, and at the end of the day, war crimes and humanitarian catastrophes are not partisan issues. Every Member of Congress should vote for this.

Madam Speaker, I rise to remember and celebrate the life of Mr. David Arian, a tireless defender of the rights of dockworkers and an invaluable member of our community. Over the course of his remarkable career, Dave rose to be the International President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and later served on the Los Angeles Harbor Commission.

Born and raised in San Pedro, California, Dave began working on the docks of the Wilmington waterfront when he was only 18 years old. Dave became involved with International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and served three terms as local president before being elected as the International President. Despite reaching the highest office of the union, Dave always described himself as a ``rank and filer,'' and maintained his open and down to earth demeanor.

After his retirement, Dave was appointed to the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, where he used his decades of expertise to reduce air emissions and set a record for cargo volume. Dave served on the commission until his death, all the while fighting for what was best for the dockworkers and maintaining a vision of the port's future.

Dave is survived by his children, Sean and Justine, his sister Laraine, five grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Dave is also remembered by countless friends and colleagues on whom he left a lasting impression.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member

McCaul for his support of this legislation and I thank Chairman Engel for his leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my legislation, H.R. 328, which will strengthen cybersecurity at the State Department. This legislation is known as the Hack Your State Department Act. It is introduced with my colleague, Ted Yoho of Florida, and has received strong bipartisan support, and that is because there is no such thing as Republican cybersecurity or Democratic cybersecurity; it is just cybersecurity, and we are behind.

American institutions are under constant attack from criminals, from foreign intelligence services, and from everyday hackers. That is why last term, I was very honored to have introduced legislation known as the Hack DHS Act, along with Senators Maggie Hassan, Rob Portman, Kamala Harris, and Congressman Scott Taylor. That legislation was signed into law last month.

This legislation focuses on the State Department. It is something that we need to do, because we know that the State Department over the years has faced mounting cybersecurity threats from both criminal enterprises and state-sponsored hackers.

In 2014, for instance, the Department was infiltrated by Russian hackers and had to temporarily shut down its email system.

Last year, the State Department suffered another breach of its email system, exposing the personal information of a number of its employees.

As a recovering computer science major, I recognize there are improvement tools at our disposal to improve cybersecurity that the State Department has not yet adopted, and one such tool is exactly what this bill will do.

This bill does primarily two things. The first is to establish what is called a vulnerability disclosure process, which sets clear rules of the road so, when people outside the Department discover vulnerabilities on Department systems, they can report it in a safe, secure, and legal manner, with the confidence that the State Department will actually fix the problems. We cannot afford to allow vulnerabilities discovered in the wild remain known to hackers but unknown to the Department. This should be an easy fix.

The second step is to actually pay vetted, white hat hackers to find vulnerabilities. The Department of Defense proved the success of the bug bounty program back in 2016. Over a 24-day period, the Pentagon learned of and fixed over 138 vulnerabilities in its systems. The DHS is now also going to start this very same program. Hopefully, the State Department will be able to do this, as well, when this legislation is signed into law.

Let me conclude by saying that, today, with H.R. 328, the House of Representatives is taking these recommendations to heart and helping to improve cybersecurity at the Department of State.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of my friend, Barbara Yaroslavsky, who died on December 26, 2018, at the age of 71.

Barbara dedicated her life to public service, activism, and supporting her community in as many ways as she could find.

Born in Los Angeles on August 9, 1947, Barbara was raised with the belief that community involvement was the key to making a difference in the lives of those around her. She took a special interest in education and healthcare issues, championing the welfare of children and families.

She also actively participated in the Jewish community, sitting on several boards at the Jewish Federation of Greater L.A., and ensuring the Jewish community's voice was heard in government and policymaking.

Additionally, Barbara volunteered with many nonprofit organizations. She served on the L.A. Commission on Community and Family Services, the California Board of Registered Nursing, the Advisory Board for L.A.'s Best, and Friends of the Saban Community Clinic. She was also a past chair and member of the California Medical Board.

Barbara and her future husband, Zev Yaroslavsky, met while he was a hall monitor at the L.A. Hebrew High School, and she was at the front desk of the American Jewish University. They married in 1971, 4 years before Zev was elected to the L.A. City Council. Zev then vacated it to run for the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, where he served for many years.

Barbara is survived by her husband, Zev, two children, David and Mina, and four grandchildren.

I hope that Barbara's family takes comfort in knowing that her memory will live on in the lives of people she helped throughout her life.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to offer my condolences to the families of the three individuals whose lives were cut tragically short because of gun violence in my district.

Last Friday, a senseless shooting at a bowling alley in Torrance claimed the lives of Michael Radford, Robert Meekins, and Astin Edwards, while injuring four others.

Gable House Bowl, where the mass shooting took place, is a staple in my hometown. It is a place where I have visited; where my kids have celebrated birthdays; where folks in my community go to spend quality time together, and it should have been a place last Friday where people of all ages could have had fun safely.

My heart aches for the victims' families who lost their loved ones in a senseless, preventable manner. I am also dismayed that our community now joins an ever-growing cohort of communities touched by mass shootings.

Gun safety reform is a complicated task, but I am grateful that the House, now under Democratic leadership, is taking this challenge on. Yesterday, we introduced H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, which is an excellent place to start addressing gun safety reform. We must continue to push for sensible gun safety measures.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the people of Taiwan as they celebrate the 107th anniversary of its National Day on October 10, 2018.

We just celebrated the 39th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) this past April. The TRA was intended by Congress to endure an important relationship between close friends and allies. I am heartened by the strengthening of ties that have taken place since the enactment of the TRA, notably Taiwan's admission to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program in 2012. Travel from Taiwan to the United States has since increased by 50 percent.

Our close ties are underscored by our shared commitment to democratic values. With the success of its sixth direct presidential election in 2016, Taiwan continues to serve as a beacon of vibrant democracy in the Asia-Pacific region. There are now 150 sister cities between the United States and Taiwan. In 2017, Taiwan became the third in East Asia and twelfth worldwide whose passport holders are eligible for the U.S. Global Entry Program. In addition, Taiwan is the United States' seventh largest source of international students. Correspondingly, many of our students participate in study abroad opportunities in Taiwan.

The United States has also forged an important bond with Taiwan in commerce. In 2017, trade in goods between the United States and Taiwan exceeded $68 billion, making Taiwan the United States' 11th largest goods trading partner. Just this past September, Taiwan sent an agricultural trade mission to the United States in pursuit of $300 million worth of soybeans purchases.

I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating our friend, Taiwan, on this significant occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Engel for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 5433, the Hack Your State Department Act, that I co-authored with my friend, Ted Yoho of Florida.

Over the years, the State Department has faced mounting cybersecurity threats from both criminal enterprises and state-sponsored hackers. In 2014, for instance, the Department was infiltrated by Russian hackers and had to temporarily shut down its email system.

Just last week, the State Department suffered another cybersecurity breach that exposed the personal information of a number of its employees.

As an agency with a critical national security role, we must do more to protect the State Department's cybersecurity. If there is any doubt that diplomatic cables cannot be sent to Washington securely or if sensitive diplomatic subjects are revealed, it jeopardizes the whole operation.

As a recovering computer science major, I recognize that there are proven tools at our disposal to improve cybersecurity that the Department has yet to adopt. One such tool is to enlist the help of America's top security researchers to find weaknesses in our cybersecurity. This legislation will bring that tool to the State Department after it has been proven successful in both the private sector, as well as at the Pentagon.

My legislation will do two things. The first step of this bill is to establish what is called a vulnerability disclosure process, which sets clear rules of the road so that, when people outside the Department discover vulnerabilities on Department systems, they can report it in a safe, secure, and legal manner with the confidence that the Department will actually fix the problems.

We cannot afford to allow vulnerabilities discovered in the wild remain known to hackers but unknown to the Department. This should be an easy fix.

The second step is to actually pay vetted white-hat hackers to find vulnerabilities. The Department of Defense proved the success of their bug

bounty program back in 2016. Over a 24-day period, the Pentagon learned of and fixed over 138 vulnerabilities in its systems.

A 2017 report to the President on Federal IT modernization stated: ``Agencies must take a layered approach to penetration testing. . . . At a bare minimum, agencies should establish vulnerability disclosure policies. . . . Agencies should also identify programs that are appropriate to place under public bug bounty programs such as those run by the Department of Defense or GSA.''

Today, with H.R. 5433, the House of Representatives is taking these recommendations to heart and helping to improve cybersecurity at the Department of State.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Representative Yoho for partnering with me on this important legislation. I would like to thank Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel, and their staff for moving this bill through our committee.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise in remembrance of Brian Lewinstein, who served as an intern in my district office from December 2015 to March 2016. Brian was a bright young man who assisted my office's casework operations, conducted research for my staff and helped organize a constituent issue survey for thousands of my constituents.

Brian planned to devote his life to social justice, equality, and civil rights. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles and would have started his second year at UC Berkeley School of Law this fall. After interning in my district office, Brian went on to intern at the Congressional Management Foundation in Washington, DC. Brian also worked as an intern in juvenile defense at the East Bay Community Law Center in Berkeley helping at-risk youth; he hoped to start a career in public interest law helping people in underserved communities.

Everyone in my district office who worked with him spoke of his intelligence, work ethic, and professionalism, in addition to those who knew him outside the office for his sensitivity, compassion, and humility. His efforts helped ensure that my constituents received assistance from federal agencies and helped me hear directly from them about their policy priorities.

Brian is survived by his parents, Marc Lewinstein and Felicia Lewinstein, and his sister, Jenna Lewinstein, who was his first and biggest fan. I want to thank Brian for his service to California's 33rd Congressional District and commitment to making our society more equal and just. Though Brian was taken from us too soon, I hope that his family is comforted in knowing that Brian made a difference in his community helping those in need. May he rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Mrs. Rickey Bloom, who passed away on July 19, 2018 at the age of 103. Rickey's long life saw her play an integral role supporting her family and helping her community.

Born Ann Rickey Goldstein in Salem, Massachusetts in 1915 to Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, she graduated high school, trained as a bookkeeper, and completed multiple Elderhostel programs, which aim to provide older individuals with opportunities to travel in an educational setting. Rickey was a bookkeeper for her parents' grocery and deli, where she met her future husband, Aaron Bloom, who was employed there as a box boy. They married on April 30, 1945.

Bookkeeping stayed an important part of Rickey's life; she was bookkeeper for the Law Offices of Richard Bloom in addition to bookkeeper and operator for Beth Jacob Congregation gift shop in Beverly Hills. Deeply involved in her community, Rickey was a long-time volunteer with her husband at Cedars Sinai Health Center. She also co- founded with her husband ``Etta,'' a nonprofit that served people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and provided support for their families.

Rickey is survived by her four children: Stuart, Bruce, Lydia, and Richard; 11 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. I hope that Rickey's family shares comfort in knowing that her contributions to our community will endure for years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in remembrance of young Lucas Soares Smith. I have had the honor of knowing Lucas and his family. Life doesn't always allow for the time allotted and Lucas departed this world suddenly and unexpectedly. But within that short span of fifteen years, Lucas--the beloved son of the family--made an impression on this world.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, his family moved to Seattle, Washington where Lucas sang for the church choir, and played baseball and soccer. Lucas even earned himself a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. His family then moved to Redondo Beach, California when he was twelve. Lucas participated in activities such as surfing, swimming and Junior Life Guards. Lucas was a student at South High School in Torrance, California where he ran for Track and Field as well as Cross Country.

His most passionate undertaking was his service as a Cadet Technical Sergeant in the Beach Cities Cadet Squadron 107 of the Civil Air Patrol at the Torrance Airport. Lucas was posthumously awarded the Red Service Ribbon for two years of being a cadet member in good standing. He loved to fly and constantly reminded his parents that one day he would become a pilot.

Lucas is survived by his father, Philip Smith and his mother, Marianna Smith and his younger sister, Julia Smith and their dog Rocky. In memory of their son, his parents would like to say, ``Above the clouds and over our heads is where our dear son felt most at home. It is where we hope he finds his peace and continues to fly like a bird.''

Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, after reading these quotes, it seems like one thing is pretty clear--our colleagues across the aisle have forgotten how Congress works.

I did know that. It is called congressional oversight authority.

But Congressman Gallego, why haven't we seen more of these checks and balances in action?

That is why we would like to enter into the Record Article I of the United States Constitution.

Okay, so lesson one, Congress can actually pass legislation.

No. You just need 218 votes in the House and 51 votes in the Senate.

Almost anything. As Speaker Ryan has stated, he thinks we need legislation to prevent the separation of families, of kids who were ripped away from their parents by the Trump administration. We agree. Democrats have introduced the Keep Families Together Act. That has not gotten a vote, and we think we should have a vote on that bill.

In addition, there are numerous pieces of legislation that can make our economy better, that can help our healthcare, make sure that we deal with the opioid crisis, and numerous pieces of legislation such as investing in infrastructure, none of which has gotten a vote so far.

We could do that, too.

There are several pieces of legislation as well that the Republican- controlled majority will not let us have a vote on.

Exactly. It is called the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, which has both Republican and Democratic support in both the House and the Senate.

That is a great question. That is why we are here today, to explain to America that the majority is recessing for 5 weeks without completing its work on behalf of the American people. That is shameful.

Another thing Congress gets to do is, we get to hold hearings. The Judiciary Committee, on which I sit, has not held a single hearing on any of the issues that are important to Americans. Instead, we have done two hearings on whether groups like Diamond and Silk get enough Facebook likes. We also held a hearing on-- are you ready for this? Hillary Clinton's emails.

It sure seems that way.

The other thing the Constitution gives us a right to do is to issue subpoenas.

It is very simple. It is a document that will require a witness to show up before a congressional hearing or to produce documents to congressional investigators.

It sounds a little complicated.

Can you explain how it works?

Ah, so what that means is Congress could actually subpoena the translator who was in the private 2-hour meeting between the President and Vladimir Putin of which Americans have no idea what was discussed.

Let me give an example of why that is bad for our country. Recently, the Russians attacked a U.S. general. Congressman Gallego and I both served on Active Duty in the military, and they are criticizing this U.S. general for allegedly not doing something that was discussed in that private, 2-hour meeting. It is certainly possible the U.S. general was wrong. It is also possible the Russians were making stuff up. We have no idea.

Congress needs to exercise its proper oversight authority so we understand what is happening between the United States and the Kremlin.

I agree with you.

Why don't we now move on to our last lesson.

Okay. So just to recap, Congress can pass legislation, we can hold hearings, we can issue subpoenas, and now we can request investigations.

So what can Congress do with these inspectors general?

Ah, so, for example, we request an inspector general to look into Wilbur Ross's alleged insider trading. We can request an inspector general to look at all their waste, fraud, and abuse of various Cabinet officials in Trump's Cabinet of corruption where they are spending large amounts of taxpayers' money on luxury private travel.

We could do that, right?

But, again, let me just remind people that my committee that I sit on, the House Judiciary Committee, actually did exercise that power, and they used that

power to look into, again, ready for this? Hillary Clinton's emails.

The last time I checked, Hillary Clinton is not President, nor is she running for President. It is another example of the Republicans in this House who are focused on the past. Democrats are focused on the future. We want to reduce healthcare costs, address the opioid epidemic, invest in infrastructure to increase wages, and get corruption out of government.

It is really simple. At the end of the day, Congress should not be going on recess before we do the important work on behalf of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am opposed in its current form.

Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended.

As a veteran, I am pleased to offer this amendment, which increases funding for peer-reviewed traumatic brain injury and psychological health research to $150 million for fiscal year 2019.

It is imperative that we prioritize and commit to medical research to address battlefield wounds.

Funding for traumatic brain injury and psychological health research, including research on PTSD, suicide prevention, and other mental health conditions resulting from military service, has always been the highest priority for the Defense Health Program, and prior funding levels have reflected this priority.

By increasing funding for traumatic brain injury and mental health research by $25 million, this will ensure that this research program remains the Defense Health Program's highest priority.

Just last week, the VA released its latest national suicide data report. It is very depressing. The tragic figures remain unchanged. Twenty veterans and servicemembers commit suicide every day. These suicides can result from untreated mental health conditions and even can be caused by traumatic brain injury.

Since 2000, almost 380,000 servicemembers have been diagnosed with TBI. Many of these servicemembers and veterans will need lifelong healthcare as a result of this injury. And these numbers do not capture the number of servicemembers, many of whom are now veterans, who may have sustained multiple TBIs that can lead to permanent brain injury, the early onset of Alzheimer's disease, and CTE, which can cause permanent memory loss and even suicide.

These wounded warriors need cutting-edge treatments that will address this signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We are seeing already the results of this research. Funding for DOD TBI research has resulted in improved treatments and diagnostic tests that clinicians can use to treat servicemembers when they sustain a traumatic brain injury.

Clinicians know from this research program that it is important to immediately test and treat TBI when it occurs. As a result of research, clinicians now know that it is vitally important to prevent the chance that a servicemember will sustain another TBI before the servicemember has healed from their first.

Investments in this research will pay dividends in the future so that our servicemembers and veterans receive the world-class care they need, and that must be made a top priority.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on making TBI research a top priority.

I am going to conclude by noting that we are soon going to be heading off into our July 4th recess. As we sit here today, there are still thousands of babies and kids ripped away from their parents by the Trump child separation policy who have not been reunited. That is evil and it is shameful. No Democratic bills have been brought on this floor to resolve that. Have a nice vacation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the retirement of Ramona Cortes Garza, who served as the Executive Director of State Government Relations for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). During her 30 years of service with UCLA, Ramona used her experience and expertise to be a true advocate and leader for the University as well as a compassionate ambassador to the community.

Ramona's professional career at UCLA began in 1988, where she served as the Director of Outreach Programming within Public Affairs for the UCLA Alumni Association. After only two years in that role, she was promoted to Director of Community Outreach. Three years later she became Director of Community Relations. During her time at the UCLA Alumni Association, she founded the Summer Youth Employment and Training Program (SYETP), where she worked to help teens in under- served communities of Los Angeles obtain summer jobs at UCLA. SYETP is a federally-funded program by the Jobs Training Partnership Act through the City of Los Angeles. Through this program, youth are given the opportunity to gain invaluable work experience as well as educational enrichment. Additionally, Ramona spearheaded the Community Directory Initiative, which gave people access to the considerable resources that UCLA has to offer.

Ramona transitioned to UCLA Government and Community Relations after over a decade at the UCLA Alumni Association, where she served as the Executive Director of State Government Relations for two decades. She formed essential relationships that helped advocate for the University to get their state priorities fulfilled including getting critical funding through the state budget. Ramona also led her team in hosting candidate forums and legislator visits to campus, coordinating district office meetings with legislative staff, and organizing advocacy days in Sacramento with legislators where she stressed the impact of their funding decisions on UCLA's future. She empowered student interns to help organize events, including advocacy workshops and panels covering various issues affecting UCLA, and tirelessly dedicated her time to mentor others, sharing her wisdom, knowledge, skills and expertise.

Ramona also worked to establish the Cesar E. Chavez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at UCLA throughout her career. What started out as a small research center has grown and flourished into a nationally-recognized department that studies the historic experiences and cultural traditions of Los Angeles' largest and most prominent demographic. The Department has also been essential in fortifying the University's relationship with the Mexican-American community, which is integral to the history and future of my district.

Ramona was a recipient of many university achievements and awards, including the ``Woman of the Year'' award by the Los Angeles County Commission for Women for her advocacy role on behalf of higher education.

Outside of her work with UCLA, Ramona still found time to help her community as an Educational Advisory Board member of the Hispanic American Committee for Educational Resources (HACER) of the Ronald McDonald House Charities, which gives young people the opportunity to pursue higher fields of study regardless of financial circumstances.

Ramona's legacy is marked by the enduring and meaningful relationships she forged with the community, legislators, external organizations, student interns, fellow staff members, and campus departments for the benefit of the students, faculty, and alumni of one of the world's leading research universities and through the work of those she mentored.

After retiring, Ramona will continue to be an active member of the community and an advocate for those that are underserved in education. I wish Ramona and her family many years of happiness and good health.