Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of House Resolution 1050 and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the matter just considered.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor Darrell Cortez, a 30-year veteran of the San Jose Police Department on the occasion of his retirement.

Darrell Cortez began his tenure with the SJPD shortly after receiving his degree in Administration of Justice from San Jose State University in 1978. In his capacity as a Peace Officer, Darrell has worked the Field Training Officer Unit, Narcotics Covert Investigations Unit, and Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force. Darrell also served on the Sexual Assaults Unit, Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement, SAFE, the Red Car Rapist Task Force, and the School Liaison Unit, and was additionally assigned to State Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement.

Officer Cortez's commitment to serve and protect has remained constant throughout his career. Just last week he responded to a call regarding an apparent suicide. With days left before his retirement, Darrell came upon a woman who had stopped breathing as the result of the suicide attempt. Despite her initial unresponsiveness, Darrell was able to resuscitate the woman, saving her life.

In addition to his official duties, Darrell volunteers for a better world.

Darrell Cortez is the California State Chapter president of the National Latino Peace Officers' Association having served this organization, both in the founding Santa Clara County Chapter and Statewide, in several capacities on the executive board. Either under his leadership or with his involvement, the NLPOA has raised more than $100,000 to fund their scholarship program. These funds support not only undergraduate students but also graduate students seeking an advanced degree in professional schools. Scholarship recipients have gone on to serve this nation in many capacities. In fact, a member of my staff is a grateful past beneficiary of one such scholarship.

When Darrell was assigned to the Community Services Division of the San Jose Police Department, he took this opportunity to not only protect and serve the residents of San Jose, but to protect and serve their future by working closely with youth in local schools. Of particular focus were the children of Horace Mann Elementary School. He had, all too often, seen acts of violence or threats in the schools.

Darrell feels strongly that if some kind of positive intervention is made at an early age during the lives of these children, then they would be able to contribute to the future of our society.

Darrell Cortez's efforts to bridge the divide between law enforcement and communities of color were a natural result of profound pride in both his Mexican heritage and in being a peace officer. He always strives to be the best in both his work and his community service.

In recognition of his good work, Darrell Cortez has received numerous commendations and resolutions. But perhaps most importantly, he has earned the respect and high regard of a grateful community.

Great acts of service often require great sources of inspiration. Fortunately for Silicon Valley, Darrell finds such inspiration in his family. His father, Tomas Cortez, served this Country honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. Darrell's mother, the late Aurelia Quihuis Cortez, is remembered by Darrell as a steadfast matriarch and one of the original ``Rosie the Riveters.''

Darrell is devoted to his wife of almost 30 years, Alicia Cortez, and is the proud father of Ricardo, Emilio, and Lorena.

It is a great honor to thank Officer Darrell Cortez for his service and congratulate him as he begins this new and well deserved chapter in his life. I am proud to call him friend.

Madam Speaker, last week I was unavoidably absent due to the health condition of a family member in California. Had I been present I would have voted:

Thursday, December 10, 2009: rollcall No. 952 ``yea''; rollcall No. 953 ``yea''; rollcall No. 954 ``no''; rollcall No. 955 ``yea''; rollcall No. 956 ``no''; rollcall No. 957 ``yea''; rollcall No. 958 ``yea''; rollcall No. 959 ``yea.''

Friday, December 11, 2009: rollcall No. 960 ``yea''; rollcall No. 961 ``no''; rollcall No. 962 ``yea''; rollcall No. 963 ``yea''; rollcall No. 964 ``yea''; rollcall No. 965 ``no''; rollcall No. 966 ``no''; rollcall No. 967 ``no''; rollcall No. 968 ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, after careful consideration of House Resolution 867, I joined 22 other Members of Congress in voting ``Present'' on November 3rd. This resolution denounces the ``Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict,'' also known as the ``Goldstone Report,'' and calls on the President to oppose any further consideration of the report.

While I agree that the Goldstone Report is biased, in my view, the harsh tone employed by both this resolution and the U.N. does nothing productive for the ultimate goal of peaceful reconciliation, and this entire discussion suffers as a result. There are some conclusions in the Goldstone Report itself worthy of our consideration and H. Res. 867 does all parties a disservice by ignoring that fact.

This Resolution contained inaccuracies and was rushed to the floor without Congressional hearings. Investigations should be conducted before such harsh criticisms are leveled. Israel itself, a positive example of democracy in the Middle East, has previously conducted internal investigations of its military operations that were both transparent and constructive.

I have always been a strong supporter of Israel, which has long been one of our most loyal allies. I believe that we must lead in the effort of bringing peace to the Middle East, but at the same time, we must ultimately allow the Israeli people, who are committed to democratic rule, to determine their own course.

Mr. Speaker, I support the Democratic bill to let our kids in their 20s get insurance and keep healthy.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor to be able to be here today to urge passage of this bill. Especially for those of us who personally knew Cesar Chavez, it has a special meaning.

Every year in San Jose, on Cesar's birthday, we walk from Cesar Chavez School on the east side to Cesar Chavez Plaza, which is right in the heart of San Jose.

Many of his relatives continue to live in San Jose, and in fact he did his first organizing about eight blocks from my home in San Jose. So it is with a great deal of pride that people in San Jose, California, endorse and support the idea of this post office, even if it is in San Diego, not in San Jose.

We would just like to say that it is an honor to be supportive of his memory. We think of him often. He was a leader who brought people together, and I will give just one example. We have the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose that sits on the site of the Safeway that was the object of the first organizing effort on the grape boycott that Cesar Chavez led. One of the major contributors to that plaza is Safeway. So he managed actually to bring people who were in opposition together and made for a more peaceful and a more just world.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this tribute to him.

Madam Speaker, as you know, I chair the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, and Mr. Bonner is the ranking member.

I regret to report that there was a cyberhacking incident of a confidential document of the committee. A number of Members have been contacted by The Washington Post, which is in possession of a document. We don't know with certainty whether it is an accurate document, but we thought it important to state the relevance of the material.

As the body knows, under rule XVIII, the Chair and ranking member are permitted, indeed, obliged, to explore extraneous matters that come to our attention, anything from a stray newspaper article to a comment involving Members or staff, to make sure that there is nothing serious. In the course of doing that, no inference should be made as to any Member. We might have a newspaper article that we look at, there is nothing to it, but we have to make sure that that is the case.

I would yield to the ranking member for his further comments.

I would just like to note that we understand that the computer system of the committee is secure; that at any one time, as the ranking member has said, dozens of Members' names are on our weekly report, and no inference should be made as to incorrect behavior on the part of those Members.

We wanted to make sure that the body knew and that the public knew that any other inference would be a serious mistake.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 672, a bill which I am proud to cosponsor. Introduced by my good friend, colleague, and co-chair of the Vietnam Caucus, Representative Loretta Sanchez, this legislation calls on the Vietnamese government to respect Internet freedom and to release a number of jailed pro-democracy activists.

I am deeply concerned about Vietnam's human rights record, which shows no signs of improving. Just last month at its United Nations Universal Periodic Review, Vietnam rejected 45 recommendations from member states, including the release of peaceful prisoners of conscience and to lift internet and blogging controls and prohibitions on privately-owned media.

This situation is unacceptable. We need to send a message to the Vietnamese government that the United States Congress does not condone its repression of free speech and democracy. Using anti-propaganda laws to silence opposition and maintain one-party control is not democracy and should not be tolerated.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, California is in the third year of a drought. The salmon fishers are in the third year of no season. Farmers are hurting, fishermen are hurting. But this bill actually helps that problem.

I come from Silicon Valley, where half of our water comes from the Delta. I have heard the name San Francisco mentioned. They don't get any of their water from the Delta. In fact, they don't have any projects in this bill. But Silicon Valley gets half its water from the Delta, and the projects that will flow to Silicon Valley to reuse the water we have from our groundwater sources are going to free up water for the Delta. It will free up water for the farmers and for the fishermen, and I count that a good thing.

We can get bombastic here, all of us. It hurts us when our constituents are hurt. But it is important to note that this is a solution. This is a solution.

Silicon Valley doesn't have any farmers and it doesn't really have any commercial fishermen. We make chips. We also have double-digit unemployment.

So we all need to pull together here. Silicon Valley is willing to do its part to recycle so the water can flow to those in need.

I would like to just point out that although we all value San Francisco, San Jose has 1 million people, and since San Francisco really isn't part of this bill at all, perhaps we should refer to this as the San Jose Bay Area in the future. The San Jose Bay Area is willing to help out by supporting this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise this October day in strong support of and to draw attention to Breast Cancer Awareness month. According to the National Cancer Institute, in the United States, breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women.

It is estimated that approximately $8.1 billion is spent in the United States each year on treatment of breast cancer. However, while the rate of breast cancer diagnosis has increased, the overall breast cancer mortality rate has dropped steadily--decreasing by 1.8% per year from 1999 to 2005 among women according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This decrease in mortality rates can be attributed to a combination of early detection, expanding screening, and improvements in treatments as well as a willingness to openly discuss breast cancer. Breast Cancer Awareness month is an opportunity to help the more than 211,000 American women who learn they have this disease each year. These newly diagnosed women, survivors, their families, and all those affected will benefit from the research, education, and awareness, which increase early diagnoses and save lives that Breast Cancer Awareness month highlights.

Mr. Speaker, today I missed three rollcall votes because I was at the White House attending the Presidential presentation of The National Medal of Technology and Innovation to my constituents, John Warnock and Charles Geschke. Had I been present, I would have voted: rollcall 758: ``present''; rollcall 759: ``present''; rollcall 760: ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and accomplishments of a distinguished member of my community, the Honorable Alden Edward Danner, upon his retirement after more than 20 years of public service to the State of California and the people of Santa Clara County.

Throughout his career, Judge Danner has demonstrated public service values, adhering to the highest ethical standards, respecting the dignity and integrity of all people, and sought solutions while fostering open communication and mutual support for court clients, staff, members of the judicial branch, and justice system partners.

Judge Danner applied his expertise in the law and his commitment to the administration of justice and the independent, consistent, and impartial interpretation of the law through his participation as a member of the Judicial Council of California's Task Force on Probate and Mental Health, 1997-1998; Court Technology Advisory Committee, 1999-2005; Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory Committee, 2003-2004, and its Executive Committee, 2005-2006; and the Task Force on Judicial Campaign Finance, 2009; and as faculty for the Center for Judicial Education and Research's Probate and Mental Health Institute, 1997- 1998; and Computer Training for Judges, 1993-1998.

The California judicial branch is fortunate to have benefited from Judge Danner's distinguished service as a jurist since his appointment to the Superior Court by Governor George Deukmejian in 1989 and his subsequent election by citizens of Santa Clara County.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Danner served our justice system with distinction, contributing to the resolution of legal issues for the people of Santa Clara County as an associate and partner in private law practice from 1966-1989. Judge Danner earned a Juris Doctorate from Stanford Law School in 1965, after service in the U.S. Army from 1958-1962.

It is with great pleasure that I join in celebrating Judge Danner's life and many accomplishments. I thank him for his contributions to our region in California and to our Nation. On behalf of our community, I congratulate Judge Danner and wish him and his family well in his retirement and his future plans.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2728) to provide financial support for the operation of the law library of the Library of Congress, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, this bill is named after William Orton, a Member of the United States House of Representatives from Utah's Third Congressional District from 1991 to 1997. Bill passed away

in April of this year. Bill was a tireless advocate for the Law Library, and this legislation is a fitting way to honor his memory.

The Law Library of Congress maintains a unique and world-renowned collection. This bill will help ensure that the Law Library will have the resources needed to maintain and expand its collections while at the same time modernizing its systems. The act authorizes, number one, $3.5 million for maintaining and administering the operations of the Law Library, including the cataloging of the collections of the Law Library; two, a line item for the Law Library to ensure the autonomy and ability to improve the Law Library; and, three, the creation of the William Orton Program to provide enhanced or special services and programs for the Library and otherwise support the mission of the Law Library.

The Library may carry out the program through agreements and partnerships entered into with other government and private entities, including the American Association of Law Libraries and the American Bar Association. Donations of funds and in-kind contributions in support of the program may be accepted, and it requires an annual report.

Finally, H.R. 2728 was amended by the House Administration Committee; and during markup, we made a change in the name of the Law Library to the National Law Library to increase the role and status of the Law Library. This bill authorizes to be appropriated for the program an amount equal to 40 percent of the amount of the donations accepted by the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board in support of the program. This is a 60/40 private-public split. The Law Library is an invaluable resource both to the Congress and the Nation, and we have an obligation to future generations to provide for its continuation through the establishment of the William Orton Program.

Some of the organizations that are supporting this bill include the American Bar Association, the American Association of Law Libraries, and the Northern California Association of Law Libraries.

Now, why is this bill important to the point that myself and my colleague from California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren) have actually spent several years working on this? Not only is this collection unique in the United States and important to the rule of law in the United States; this collection is important to the world. And I will give you an example why. When the Taliban was finally expelled from government in Afghanistan, the people of Afghanistan looked to reinstitute the rule of law; and the only place where Afghani law could be found was in the Law Library at the Library of Congress in the United States. It was through that collection that we were able to help in that civil way in the reinstitution of the rule of law.

I would just like to say one further word about the late Bill Orton. After he left the Congress, he went back into private practice, but he always volunteered his time. He spent countless hours with the bar association and others, coming and trying to help the Law Library.

He understood that it wasn't flashy, but it was important. Actually, that's just like Bill, a guy who wasn't flashy but who was serious and did important things for his country. I can remember sitting on this floor next to then-Congressman Bill Orton, discussing the issues of the day while he had his young son Will sitting on his lap. Many times during State of the Union speeches, young Will would be there with his dad.

I hope that in addition to doing these good things through passing this bill that Will and the rest of his family can take satisfaction that Bill Orton's name will forever be associated with this Law Library, and we will always be in his debt for what he has done.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, before yielding back, I would simply thank the gentleman from California for being my partner in this effort. I thank, again, the members of the House Administration Committee for working with us. And remember, once again, our colleague, Bill Orton, who was such a fine person, who did so much in his life. I know that his sons, Will and Wesley, and his wife, Jacquelyn, were very proud of him, and I know that they will take satisfaction that his volunteerism is being recognized through this effort today.

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

Madam Speaker, as the Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, I rise today to honor the extraordinary work of Will Kempton, the current Director of the California Department of Transportation. Mr. Kempton was appointed Director in November of 2004, and in that capacity, he manages a $13.3 billion budget for the Department, oversees $10 billion for the improvement of California's transportation network, and a staff of over 23,000 employees, as well as manages the day to day operations of over 50,000 miles of highway in the State.

As Director, Mr. Kempton has provided leadership to the Department on a broad range of issues that impact transportation in the State of California. Some of his many accomplishments over the years include: helping California to rapidly obligate its share of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; overseeing the passage and implementation of Proposition 1B in 2006, which invested $19 billion into the State's aging infrastructure; and leading the Caltrans campaign to deliver 1,088 transportation construction projects valued at $11.5 billion over the last half-decade, and delivered 1,087 of them, or 99.9 percent.

After more than three decades of public service, Mr. Kempton announced that he will be leaving as Director of the California Department of Transportation at the end of July, 2009. He has honorably and effectively served the State of California in various capacities throughout his career, including serving as the Assistant Director of the California Department of Transportation in charge of Legislative and Congressional Affairs. Since joining Caltrans in 1973, Mr. Kempton has served in various management positions in the Department helping him to develop a broad understanding of transportation programs and policies at all levels of government.

Mr. Kempton is a San Francisco native, and received his bachelor's degree from the University of San Francisco. Mr. Kempton translated his knowledge of transportation programs into the production arena when, as Chair of the Santa Clara County Traffic Authority, I helped to hire him as the first Executive Director. During his assignment as Director of the Santa Clara County effort, Mr. Kempton mobilized California's sales tax programs into an effective coalition of ``self help'' counties. The sales tax program he managed is widely viewed as one of the most successful ever undertaken in California, resulting in the delivery of nearly $1 billion dollars in highway improvements in less than 10 years. He brought in our Santa Clara County ``Measure A'' program under budget and ahead of schedule.

Mr. Kempton, who now lives with his wife Beverly in Folsom, California, served on the City of Folsom's Parks and Recreation Commission from 1995 until 2003. He also served as the City of Folsom Assistant City Manager for Community Services beginning in January 2003, where he was responsible for overseeing the operations of the City's Community Development, Neighborhood Services, Parks and Recreation, Utilities, and Public Works departments.

Will Kempton and I have worked in different capacities on California Transportation projects since 1985. I have met no abler a public administrator in my career. He is, simply, the best.

On behalf of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, I would like to thank Will Kempton for more than three decades of public service in the State of California.