Julia Brownley

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to H.R. 1947. It will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. My amendment is a straightforward improvement that I believe both sides can agree is absolutely necessary. First, the amendment would protect homes and businesses nationwide from devastating fires by funding wildfire suppression, personnel and firefighting equipment. Second, the amendment will help create jobs and small businesses throughout rural America and will provide safe drinking water to these communities as well. Mr. Speaker, I proudly represent Ventura County in California. In May, we had a dangerous wildfire that burned over 24,000 acres. It threatened homes in Camarillo, surrounded Cal State University at Channel Islands, and burned parts of Naval Base Ventura County. As the Springs Fire raged, we looked for help from the brave men and women serving as firefighters, not only from my district, but throughout California and the Western States. Due to their tireless efforts, homes and businesses were saved, and not one life was lost. Following the Springs Fire, I had the opportunity and occasion to thank the firefighters in my county. They showed me the real time computer equipment they used to successfully fight this fire. With this equipment, firefighters could predict the direction of the fire and the terrain they would face next in real time. They asked that Congress make this lifesaving communications equipment available to firefighters across this great Nation. This is precisely the type of equipment my amendment would help provide along with aerial tankers and other firefighting aircraft. So many Americans rely on the selfless help of firefighters across the Nation, most recently and courageously in fighting the recent fires in Colorado that have caused so much damage and loss of precious lives. Our firefighters put their lives on the line, and we owe it to them and to our communities to provide adequate resources for fire suppression, personnel and state-of-the-art equipment. My amendment would also support three critical rural development programs: water, waste disposal and wastewater facility grants; emergency and imminent water assistance grants; and rural business opportunity grants. These grants help to provide critical water supplies to rural areas experiencing drought or other disasters. They also promote sustainable economic development, create jobs and build stronger communities. Not only would these programs help in Ventura County, which was recently declared a rural disaster area by USDA, they would help in districts across the Nation suffering from similar and tragic hardships. I came to Congress not to engage in partisan bickering but to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to solve the many critical challenges facing our Nation. Partnering with the States and our local communities during natural disasters and with communities that lack critical resources in difficult economic times is both a moral and economic imperative of this body. It is with this in mind that I ask my colleagues to support this important amendment to help fight wildfires and to support our communities when they need it most. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule and urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question and ``no'' on the rule. I'm very disappointed my amendment was not made in order, a solution that was both simple and responsible. It would restore desperately needed SNAP funding, protect the vital programs ranchers and growers rely on, and end welfare for Big Oil and responsibly reduce the deficit. By ending wasteful tax breaks for Big Oil, my amendment would help more than 68,000 families in Ventura County and families across the country struggling to keep food on the table without cutting programs that California ranchers and farmers depend on like agricultural research, disease and pest control, rural development, and conservation. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question and ``no'' on the rule.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. When will the House consider legislation to address the veterans' --

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Madam Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize one of my State's most important agricultural assets--the California avocado. This June, during the peak of the avocado growing season, we celebrate California Avocado Appreciation Month. California avocados are both an economic driver as well as a healthy sodium- and cholesterol-free food option. Throughout California, family farms produce 90 percent of the Nation's avocados, and many of these farms and avocado groves are in my home in Ventura County. Growers in Ventura County are leading the way in avocado agriculture, and they are true stewards of the land. It is this stewardship and their hard work that makes the future of the California avocado so bright and Ventura County one of the most beautiful places in the country to live and work. I look forward to joining my colleagues to further strengthen this important economic driver for California and for our country.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman of Massachusetts for yielding. It has already been stated--but it is worth repeating again--in 2012, 26,000 servicemembers were sexually assaulted. If only one servicemember was assaulted, that is one too many. Sexual assault in the military is intolerable--period. It is a terrible entrenched cultural flaw of our military that allows victims to be abused without accountability or justice. While there are a number of legislative proposals to address this issue, the consensus is clear: we need a fail-safe solution that increases transparency and accountability so that the military no longer is a place where sexual assault is tolerated. I am pleased that H.R. 1960 takes steps to improve the military justice system. However, I do believe the bill does not go far enough. We must do a better job.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to the fiscal year 2014 Homeland Security appropriations bill that will provide $97.5 million for the Port Security Grant Program. I offer this amendment in conjunction with my colleague and friend, the gentlewoman also from California. I represent Port Hueneme, a critical west coast commercial port and home of Naval Base Ventura County. The presence of the naval base makes the port a potential target of those who seek to do our Nation harm. I believe we must do more to protect Port Hueneme and other ports across this great Nation from potential threats. The Port Security Grant program is a critical component of our strategy to protect our Nation's critical infrastructure against risks associated with potential terrorist attacks. The vast majority of critical U.S. maritime infrastructure is owned and/or operated by State, local, and private sector maritime industry partners, which is why this State and local grant program is so critical. The funds that the program makes available to non-Federal entities are intended to improve port-wide maritime security risk management, enhance awareness, support training and exercises, and support port recovery capabilities. Grant recipients must use funds to address vulnerabilities in port security and support the prevention of, detection of, response to and recovery from attacks involving improvised explosive devices and other nonconventional weapons. My amendment simply ensures that the Port Security Grant program will be funded at $97.5 million, which is at the same level as the previous fiscal year. This program is a critical Homeland Security initiative for Port Hueneme in Ventura County and ports across our great country. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. I have an amendment at the desk, Mr. Chair.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Chairman, this bill is one of the most important that the House will consider all year. It provides critical funds for military training facilities, improves living conditions for our troops and their families, and addresses the needs of our Nation's veterans. As ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health, however, I wanted to bring your attention to a serious issue. As you know, the advance appropriations process ensures that the VA health care funding is not delayed by Congress' failure to pass the appropriations bills on time. For the past 3 years, the GAO has been required to review the accuracy of the administration's projections for advance funding for veterans' health care programs. The report helps Congress evaluate VA projections for advance appropriations and ensures the VA receives the funding needed for veterans' health care. Unfortunately, this GAO reporting requirement is scheduled to sunset on September 30. I believe this requirement should be extended, and a number of veterans service organizations have expressed concerns about this issue as well. As the bill moves forward, I ask the committee to review this issue and continue the reporting requirement. On another note, one of our most important obligations is to ensure adequate training and support of our troops. That is why one of my first stops as a Member of Congress was to Naval Base Ventura County. For fiscal year 2014, the Navy has requested funding for several important projects at Point Mugu and Port Hueneme, including military housing, training, and maintenance facilities. This bill provides funding for base infrastructure improvements, but it is a decrease from last year and also below the DOD request. On behalf of my constituents serving at Naval Base Ventura County, I would like to express my hope that these reductions do not come at the expense of the much-needed infrastructure improvements at Point Mugu and Port Hueneme. As a VA committee member, I am also pleased that H.R. 2216 funds veterans' benefits and programs. It provides $43.6 billion for VA medical services to serve about 6.5 million veterans. It supports mental health care services, suicide prevention activities, traumatic brain injury treatment, homeless veterans' programs, and rural health initiatives. It continues work on an integrated DOD-VA electronic health record system, the paperless claims process system, digital scanning of health records, and transparent reporting on our progress with the claims backlog for VA benefits. Finally, it funds construction and renovation of hundreds of VA health clinics, medical residences, and nursing homes. Support of our servicemembers, veterans, and their families is of the highest importance. However, we must be mindful of the entire budget picture. Like many of my colleagues, I am concerned that we are operating under inadequate discretionary budget caps that will not allow us to provide sufficient funding later in the appropriations process for programs that are important to middle class families and seniors, such as education and health care programs. While this bill is not perfect, it does provide critical funding for our Nation's military construction projects and for our Nation's veterans, and I intend to support the final passage of this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, as Ranking Member of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health--and an original co- sponsor of the bill--I would like to express my wholehearted support for H.R. 671 and to urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this critical legislation. I would also like to thank my colleague from Maine for introducing this important bill. It is absolutely intolerable for any servicemember to be subjected to sexual assault while serving in our nation's armed forces. It is also unacceptable that veterans are being denied treatment at the VA because they don't have adequate proof that the assault happened. Under existing VA policies, a lack of military documentation and inconsistencies among VA regional offices have resulted in veterans, like Ruth Moore, being denied disability benefits. For 23 years Ruth was told by the VA that she did not provide enough evidence proving the assault happened. Instead of receiving the high quality VA care and benefits she had earned immediately upon separation, she had to fight and wait for over two decades for benefits. Again, I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 671 to correct this injustice.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, today I congratulate Mr. Denny Zane and Move LA, as the 2013 recipients of the John Leighton Chase Legacy Award from the Westside Urban Forum. Move LA received this award for its advocacy for transportation development in the Los Angeles region. Mr. Zane, the Executive Director of Move LA, garnered this award for his positive contributions to the Los Angeles region over a period spanning more than three decades. This award's namesake, John Leighton Chase, passed in 2010. He had been a renowned West Hollywood urban designer, writer and advocate of civic spaces and vernacular architecture (which is focused on local needs, reflects local traditions and is constructed with local materials). The Westside Urban Forum, that bestowed this deserved award on Mr. Zane and Move LA, has for over twenty years been a prominent organization dedicated to land-use issues impacting the west side of Los Angeles. Mr. Zane has been a persistent advocate in the Los Angeles region for ``smart growth'' in local development and for bringing best practices to local communities, with a focus on soliciting broad input from varied constituencies, protecting local jobs, generating local revenue and limiting adverse traffic impacts. In 2007, seeking to support development of a robust Los Angeles regional transit system--a goal that had been announced already by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaragosa--Mr. Zane, a former Mayor of Santa Monica, succeeded, with the help of the Annenberg Foundation, in bringing together a powerful coalition of major local stakeholders, including business, labor, environmental, and political leaders and in forming Move LA. In 2008, Mr. Zane and Move LA impressively led a successful effort to achieve the required two-thirds majority vote favoring a local tax measure that is expected to generate for regional transportation development in excess of $40 billion over 30 years. Mr. Zane served the public in many ways as Mayor, as a City Councilmember, as the director of the local Coalition for Clean Air, as a local teacher and now in his role with Move LA. His resolute commitment to public service has strengthened our community and for that we owe him our heartfelt gratitude. I have personally known Mr. Zane for many years and am most pleased to join the Westside Urban Forum in honoring Move LA for its contributions to regional transportation and Mr. Zane for his legacy of successful community activism.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Last week, Ventura County endured one of the largest wildfires in our county's history. The Camarillo Springs wildfire burned over 28,000 acres, damaging some homes and buildings and threatening many neighborhoods in Ventura County. I rise today to thank more than 1,800 firefighters and first responders who worked around the clock to control the blaze and who, in so doing, saved every single life and prevented the potentially massive destruction of personal property. Despite high heat, dry temperatures, and very windy conditions, firefighters in Ventura County joined others from throughout the State to successfully contain the fire quickly and without any loss of life. I am so proud of our first responders and of our brave firefighters. All of Ventura County is so very grateful for their heroic dedication to our continued safety.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate one of Ventura County's most distinguished school districts, Oak Park Unified School District, for winning the Sustainability Award from the U.S. Department of Education. Oak Park Unified was one of just 14 school districts in the entire Nation to receive this award, which recognizes schools and school districts for their exemplary efforts in reducing energy usage, promoting better health care, and providing better quality environmental education to their students. Oak Park Unified Elementary School students are taking produce from their school garden and greenhouse to a local free clinic where they explain the impacts of diabetes to their patients and how to grow and enjoy healthy foods. Last year, another team of students sponsored the district-wide Week of Whales and won the Presidential Environmental Youth Award. I am so honored to represent the Oak Park Unified School District and am proud of their dedication to sustainability and to protecting the environment.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, today, I congratulate Yvon Chouinard, the 2013 recipient of the Los Padres Forest Watch Wilderness Legacy Award. Mr. Chouinard started out as a self-taught blacksmith, selling aluminum pitons for mountain climbing out of the trunk of his car. The only pitons available at that time were made of soft iron, placed once, and then left in the rock to rust. In Yosemite, multiday ascents requiring hundreds of placements had left these once-smooth majestic surfaces scarred and pocked. Aluminum pitons revolutionized the sport, preventing further damage and preserving awe-inspiring peaks across the United States. This past year, the company Mr. Chouinard founded, Patagonia, Inc., grossed $414 million dollars in sales. As his business expanded to outdoor gear and clothing, Mr. Chouinard has brought these same ethical principles to bear by using recycled and organic materials and adapting energy efficient production methods. Every year, Patagonia pledges 1% of its yearly sales to further conservation work across the globe. Patagonia's tireless commitment has proven that in business the planet does not need to be sacrificed for profit. Patagonia is an invaluable partner in the Ventura County community, working with local organizations like Los Padres Forest Watch to protect California's wild places. Shortly after Los Padres Forest Watch held its first board meeting in 2004, they received a grant from Patagonia. Since that time, Patagonia has generously given grants to support their important local forest protection work, as well as volunteering their employees, donating their products, and organizing fundraising events like the annual 5k Salmon Run. Yvon Chouinard and Patagonia have had a positive and lasting influence on the preservation of the Los Padres National Forest. I am pleased to join Los Padres Forest Watch in honoring Mr. Chouinard for his legacy of environmental activism and ensuring Patagonia is an exemplary model of environmental corporate stewardship.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the American Cancer Fund for Children and Kids Cancer Connection on the occasion of their 20th anniversary, and to recognize them for their invaluable contributions to the cancer community. The City of Thousand Oaks, in my Congressional district of Ventura County, has proclaimed April 13-20 as ``Childhood Cancer Awareness Week.'' I am pleased to join Mayor Claudia Bill-de-La Pena in thanking Steven Firestein, the founder of American Cancer Fund for Children and its sister organization, Kids Cancer Connection, for his dedication and compassion, which has helped thousands of children living with this terrible disease. The American Cancer Fund for Children and the Kids Cancer Connection provide vital psychosocial services for children undergoing cancer treatment at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles County; University of Southern California Medical Center; Mattel Children's Hospital at Ronald Reagan-University of California Los Angeles Medical Center, and other hospitals across the United States. Over the past twenty years, the American Cancer Fund for Children has given over 40,000 handmade, decorated hats and caps to young cancer patients who have lost their hair from chemotherapy and radiation. Initiatives like the Magical Caps for Kids program help lift the spirits and boost the self-esteem of children undergoing exhaustive and painful courses of treatment. The American Cancer Fund for Children also sponsors the Courageous Kid Award, which organizes ceremonies and hospital celebrations to recognize a child's bravery and determination in fighting the battle against childhood cancer. Kids Cancer Connection provides educational resources to the public and strives to raise public awareness about childhood cancer. I ask my colleagues to join me in commending Steven Firestein for his remarkable efforts on behalf of the thousands of children and families affected by childhood cancer.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, today, I pay tribute to Bruria Finkel, an award winning painter, sculptor, and installation artist. Bruria has participated in over sixty art shows in the United States and Europe. Bruria was a pioneer of the Los Angeles feminist art movement and helped found the Los Angeles Council of Women Artists (LACWA) to protest gender discrimination at LACMA in 1968. Bruria served as a founding member and Chair of the Santa Monica Arts Commission from 1982 until 1996. She founded the Arts Foundation in the 1980s, presided as Chair of the City's Rent Control Board from 1995 to 2002, and sat on many civic committees over the years. Bruria has richly contributed to shaping art in Southern California, and has been a longtime leader in making California's coast a vibrant community for artists as well as the arts. Mr. Speaker, Bruria's artistic contributions to Southern California have been an inspiration to many. She personifies how artists can shape life in a community. I am proud to have such an accomplished artist in Southern California.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. As a member of the Veterans Affairs' Committee, as an American, and as the proud Representative of Ventura County--we are home to a large naval base with a very significant veteran community--I am extremely concerned about the impact the sequester will have on our women and men and their families who have courageously served, sacrificed, and defended our country. If Congress fails to stop the across-the-board and unnecessary cuts at this moment, so many programs that help veterans--like transitioning to civilian life and finding employment--will be reduced. More veterans with less resources is unacceptable. Our brave men and women deserve better. Now is the time to be doing more, not less. For our veterans' sake, we need to come together to stop this sequester now.

Ms. BROWNLEY of California

Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, this Friday, the U.S. budget faces a round of indiscriminate and severe cuts that will hurt the middle class, compromise national security, and set back our very fragile economic recovery. I call on all of our colleagues to take immediate action to avert the sequester to prevent $1.5 trillion in reckless, unnecessary, across- the-board cuts. If we fail, my families and businesses in Ventura County will pay the price. Naval Base Ventura County in my district could be forced to furlough 80 percent of its civilian workers. Our seniors and our children could be severely impacted through cuts to Medicare, Head Start programs, and teachers' jobs. We need to stop these arbitrary and reckless cuts now and pass a balanced approach with H.R. 699. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring H.R. 699 to the floor.