Dennis Cardoza

Mr. CARDOZA

Mr. CARDOZA. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. CARDOZA. I yield the gentlelady an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my friend and colleague from North Carolina (Mr. Miller), a sponsor of the bill.

Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, I am the last person to speak, and I would like to reserve to close.

Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Texas for engaging with us this morning on a very constructive debate. However, we have serious disagreements on what this bill should look like. Madam Speaker, in the last 18 months, the foreclosure crisis has not improved in our districts. And in most places, in fact, it has become significantly worse. In 2009, millions of Americans will default on their mortgages, and millions more will see their home equity drop precipitously. All of us know the potential consequences of this crisis. And for far too many of us, including those in my district, we are well acquainted with the depths of despair and destruction the foreclosure crisis has been inflicting on us. Still, in spite of all the signs, small businesses that have closed on Main Street, foreclosure signs lining the neighborhoods, the unmistakable despair in the neighborhood coffee shops, I do believe there is reason for hope. The fundamentals of our economy and the spirit of the American people are simply too strong to throw in the towel because it may be an easier path. It is not time to give up. Rather it is time to redouble our efforts, strengthen our resolve, and focus not on what we have done, but what we will do to turn this economy around. If we do just that, I have no doubt we will overcome whatever challenges we may face, and we will fix this problem of foreclosures with the economy and the mortgage crisis. I urge all my colleagues to support taking another step forward to stabilizing our housing market and helping our economy recover once and for all. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule and on the previous question. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. CARDOZA

Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my good friend, the gentleman from Colorado, for yielding me the time. Madam Speaker, it is with the greatest pleasure and absolute tremendous pride that I rise today to recognize the first full senior class to graduate from the University of California at Merced. Throughout my career in the legislature in California, and today as a Member of Congress, UC Merced has remained a top priority of mine. In fact, the entire community embraced this project and worked tirelessly for its creation. Unemployment and poverty rates in the San Joaquin Valley continue to substantially exceed California averages, and high school graduates from the Valley have historically enrolled in the University of California system at about half the rate of graduates from other parts of California. Building the first UC campus in the San Joaquin Valley in Merced increases educational access and opportunity for the Valley's students and enhances job opportunities, new business development, and economic growth throughout Central California and, in fact, our State. When my dear friend and founding chancellor, Carol Tomlinson-Keasey, was given the daunting task of building UC Merced, she rose to the occasion and she began to plan for a campus that would be infused with her personal strengths of unwavering commitment, innovation, and academic leadership. I believe Carol is watching today, and I wish her my best. Carol worked collaboratively with government officials, the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and the UC Board of Regents to develop support for the campus and to secure needed funding and authority to develop the campus. Carol often said UC Merced would transform the lives of students in the San Joaquin Valley. Today is a testament to her vision and evidence to this transformation. UC Merced has built its reputation as the most ethnically diverse institution in the UC system, as well as being the Nation's first major public research university built in the 21st century. The class of 2009 has played an integral role in UC Merced's success. Whether they were building a student government from scratch or creating numerous clubs or assisting in groundbreaking research, every one of these students has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in academics and a passion to lead the community in the 21st century. At UC Merced, we call them the pioneers. The best example of the spirit of these students is in their recent campaign to have First Lady Michelle Obama deliver their commencement speech. Through their own determined efforts and with steadfast perseverance, the student body flooded the First Lady's office with valentines and letters asking her to come to Merced. And their hard work paid off when the First Lady recently announced that she would attend the May 16 graduation to give that commencement speech. These passionate students have helped put Merced on the road to opportunity and promise to inspire the educational dreams of young people throughout the Central Valley for generations to come. I urge my colleagues to join me in celebrating and honoring the historic achievement of UC Merced's first full graduating class, the Class of 2009. I would also like to take a moment to thank the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, Mr. Miller, as well as his staff, for their hard work, which has made the dream of college a reality for so many students across the country. I ask my colleagues to join me in support.

Mr. CARDOZA

Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Randy Siefkin, a long time political icon of Modesto, California. Randy has spent a majority of his days as a Professor of Political Science at Modesto Junior College, but behind the scenes he has proven effective in getting countless candidates elected to local office. Randy Siefkin's first hint at political interest may have been in 1952, when at age 10 he helped arrange an ice cream hour for Dwight D. Eisenhower. He furthered his hunger for politics by working on campaigns for Nixon and Rockefeller--and eventually made a career by steadfastly serving as Professor of Political Science at Modesto junior College from 1970 to 2001. From that day in 1952 right up to this very hour, Randy is actively collecting political buttons from every corner of the earth. Thirty one years of educating students left little time for much else, but somehow Randy managed to devote himself to a number of community groups and civic organizations. Ranging from serving on the Board for the Muir Trail Girl Scouts to directing the Modesto Film Society to participating with North Modesto Rotary, Randy has shown a genuine devotion to his community. Politics and civic duties have not only been a passion for Randy, but his family is equally devoted to giving back as well. Randy Siefkin is married to Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Susan J. Siefkin and they have two children--Nelson, a Cultural Resources Specialist for the National Park Service, and Kristen, a Public Relations professional. Madam Speaker, it is an absolute honor to share a little bit about Randy Siefkin and to thank him for his selfless devotion to his family, his community, and his country.

Mr. CARDOZA

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

Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, my amendment addresses a grave concern in California with the San Joaquin Valley water quality. Water is the basic necessity of life. Without clean, available water, we can't produce, grow, play, work and in fact even live. It is important to research and preserve our resources, and my amendment focuses on the vital water resources of California. Every year, the snow pack in the Sierra Nevada slowly melts and flows down the mountain, providing clean, reliable water year-round to our farms, homes, businesses and municipalities. But now global warming threatens this natural system and threatens the health of our families. As the atmosphere warms, the snow pack melts too quickly to use and we lose the vital components of life. For 50 years, visionary leaders harnessed Mother Nature and brought water from the mountains down into the valley to meet the needs of a thriving and growing State. Our economies flourished under that water system and it was efficient and it was the pride of the West. But recently our State has more than doubled in population and we have done little to keep pace with this growth. In fact, instead of keeping pace with the growth, we have actually lost significant amounts of our water supply. It is therefore even more important today to support this amendment as we desperately search for good water that can continue to nourish our crops and feed our children. I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARDOZA. I thank my colleague and dear friend from Texas. I also want to thank the staff of the committee and the chairman of the committee for working with us to make this amendment possible on the floor. Mr. Chairman, I look forward to the passage of this amendment and to greater availability of clean water in California. I yield to the chairman, the gentleman from Tennessee.

Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman and I appreciate his input. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARDOZA

Mr. CARDOZA. I rise today to remind my colleagues that the housing crisis continues to devastate across this country. My constituents in Merced, California, near my hometown of Atwater, are suffering from 19.9 percent unemployment, the highest rate of foreclosures in the Nation, and a 70 percent loss of their home equity over the last 3 years. They have seen their community banks fail and their businesses on Main Street close their doors for good. Simply put, the Central Valley is experiencing an economic tsunami that will leave the Central Valley struggling for many years. That is why I'm working on legislation to devise an Economic Disaster Area designation--so places like my district, whose communities have been disproportionately affected by the country's recession, can receive additional Federal funding they need to keep from falling off the maps. I'm asking my colleagues to support me in my efforts to create this Economic Disaster Area designation and to help my constituents and the entire Central Valley recover from this economic downturn.

Mr. CARDOZA

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

Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of my amendment. My amendment allows the Secretary of the Treasury to exempt community bank TARP participants from compensation standards established by the Secretary as long as they have not received more than $250 million in TARP funds and as long as doing so is consistent with the intent of this bill. The community banks were not the bad actors that led to the collapse of our credit markets, and we need them to be a part of the solution to our economic recovery. They are known for their prudent lending practices and their commonsense compensation policies, which is why the vast majority of them remain well capitalized and ready to lend. By painting community banks with the same brush as the financial institutions that abused the trust of the taxpayers and their shareholders, we are unfairly adding to the regulatory burden of these community banks, and we run the risk that they will drop out of the Capital Purchase Program. I do not support outrageous bonuses that were paid out of TARP funds to irresponsible executives. But I also do not support burdening community banks with overbearing regulations that are in response to actions made by the larger institutions. My amendment will make sure this doesn't happen by allowing the Treasury Secretary to concentrate his efforts on where the problem existed in the first place and not in our community banks. It will also encourage the participation of more community banks in the Capital Purchase Program and will enhance their role as leaders in the economic recovery. I want to thank Chairman Frank for working with me to craft this amendment and to support my efforts to protect community banks from unfairly burdensome regulations.

Mr. CARDOZA. I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. CARDOZA. I thank the chairman for his leadership on this and for his help crafting this amendment. I thank his staff for the same.

Mr. CARDOZA. I have no further speakers, Mr. Chair. I reserve to close.

Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, just today, the New York Times reported that four small banks were returning our TARP funds because of the onerous regulations they find themselves having to comply with. If we apply the same regulations to small banks that we do to the big ones, more community banks will opt out of the TARP program, and I think to some disadvantage to districts like mine that are suffering so badly. My amendment will make sure that they can take TARP funds and still not have to deal with some of these regulations. I think that's a positive movement in the right direction. I actually thank Mr. Bachus for saying that this was a step in the right direction, and I enjoy working with him and my colleague from Georgia. I urge the adoption of this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARDOZA

Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues that the housing crisis continues to devastate communities across the country. By all measures my district has been among the hardest hit by the foreclosure epidemic and the recession. Constituents in Merced, California, near my hometown of Atwater, are suffering from 19.9% unemployment, the highest rate of foreclosures in the nation, and a loss of 70% of their home equity over the last three years. They are experiencing an economic tsunami that will leave the Central Valley struggling for many years to come. I am working on an effort to devise an Economic Disaster Area designation. So places like my district, whose communities have been disproportionately affected by the country's recession, can receive the additional federal funding they need to keep from falling off the map. The future of my constituents and my district is in jeopardy. That is why I am asking my colleagues to support me in my efforts to create this Economic Disaster Area designation and to help my constituents and the entire Central Valley recover from this economic downturn.

Mr. CARDOZA

Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from California, Ms. Matsui and I also thank her for her passion and dedication to increasing our country's commitment to community service and volunteerism. Mr Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule and the underlying bill, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act. As we all know, our country is at a significant crossroads of the likes we've never known. And my own district has been hit like no other. My district is saddled with the nation's highest foreclosure rates and drops in home equity, unemployment rates approaching 20 percent, my dairy farmers are in crisis, and we have the worst drought in a century. There is an unmistakable feeling of despair in every coffee shop I visit. My constituents are hurting and need help getting through this economic crisis. But beyond the housing, infrastructure, and other assistance to stimulate my district's economy, we will surely benefit from the countless Good Samaritans who are willing to answer our country's call to service and help communities most in need. To that end, I proposed two amendments to ensure that the hardest-hit areas of the country such as mine would not be overlooked. All told, my amendments added home price declines as an eligible criteria; defined ``severely economically distressed areas'' to include staggering foreclosure rates, home price declines, and unemployment rates; and most importantly, waived the matching grant requirements in economically distressed areas where it is impossible to raise any local funding. And thanks to my good friend from Texas, Mr. Cuellar, the ``distressed areas'' definition was further expanded to include areas that lack basic needs such as water and electricity. Together, these changes put the hardest-hit districts such as mine on the volunteer map. And it will give us the ability to enlist a cadre of willing volunteers to provide my constituents and my community with the support and assistance they need to overcome these trying times. I would like to thank my friend and fellow Californian, and Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee Mr. Miller--and his staff--for supporting my proposals and including them in the manager's amendment. Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that these are tough times for our country. But with opportunities like this where we can tap the American spirit, promote community service, and come together to give those in need a hand up, I know we will be able to rebuild our communities, recover from this economic disaster, and come out stronger at the end of the day. The material previously referred to by Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida is as follows: At the end of the resolution, insert the following new section: Sec. 2. Upon adoption of this resolution, the House shall, without intervention of any point of order, consider the bill (H.R. 1577) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to pursue every legal means to stay or recoup certain incentive bonus payments and retention payments made by American International Group, Inc. to its executives and employees, and to require the Secretary's approval of such payments by any financial institution who receives funds under title I of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The bill shall be considered as read. All points of order against the bill are waived. Notwithstanding clause 1(c) of rule XIX, the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill to final passage without intervening motion except (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Financial Services; and (2) one motion to recommit.

Mr. CARDOZA

Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on this momentous occasion of honoring a great man, John Dingell. And as we do so, I remember another colleague who is no longer with us, Bob Matsui from California, whose wife, Doris Matsui, so ably serves with us today in remembering the work he did on the bill to establish reparations and to make sure that we never forget what happened in the past. President Roosevelt was a great President. He led us through a great war. But he did not do so without making some errors. Mr. Speaker, as it has been said, February 19, 1942, on that day, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 setting in motion the forced relocation of 120,000 Japanese Americans. As a result, on May 7, 1942, all persons of Japanese ancestry were ordered to leave their homes and property, their farms, and take with them only what they could carry and report to a designated assembly center before 12 o'clock noon on Wednesday, May 13. This order was issued by the U.S. War Department and posted to telephone poles, store windows, placed across lawns of Japanese American's homes in Merced County, in my home city and throughout the West Coast. Nearly 4,700 Japanese Americans from over seven counties reported to a structure that had been built in just 11 days at the Merced County fairgrounds in my district. They entered the assembly center not as Japanese Americans but as prisoners. Families were searched for weapons and surrounded by barbed wire. Armed guards watched over them as they settled in to makeshift housing. Mr. Speaker, no one had ever been accused of any crime, yet they were detained for over 131 days. Among the victims of this unconscionable act was a young child and his family, someone very familiar to this Chamber, as has been mentioned. He was born of Japanese ancestry. His name is Congressman Mike Honda. And his family were among those assembled at the fairgrounds in Merced before taken to a more permanent internment camp in Colorado. There were hundreds of other of my friends that I have gotten to know over the years, also, that lost their farms from Livingston, California, from so many areas throughout the Central Valley. And it just pains me to remember how they lost so much during this relocation. Each year, the Japanese American community comes together for a Day of Remembrance to reflect on the events that took place and to educate the community on the need to remain vigilant in protecting America's values of equality, justice, due process of law and fundamental fairness. This February 21, the Merced Assembly Center Commemorative Committee will unveil a memorial on the fairgrounds to remember this time in our Nation's history and the unjust hardships faced by so many of our brothers and sisters. Mr. Speaker, I can also tell you that in that event there will be a lot of people thinking about our U.S. Constitution and reaffirming our devotion to it. To my friend and colleague, Mr. Honda, I want to say, I'm sorry this took so long. I have served with you for over 12 years. You have been my friend all that time. And I am just glad that we can honor you in this way now. To my friends back home in the Merced area and in the Nissei farming community, I want to say I'm sorry it took so long, but I am so proud that I am the person who is able to do this. You are truly great mentors to me and great friends to our community. Mr. Speaker, there is no better time to come together as a community, to heal the wounds of our past and to reaffirm our commitment to preserving the fundamental values of our great Nation than today. I wish my friend, Bob Matsui, was here to pass this bill with us.

Mr. CARDOZA

Mr. CARDOZA. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, House Resolution 108 provides for the consideration of Senate bill S. 352, the DTV Delay Act. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill except for clause 10 of rule XXI. Finally, the rule provides for one motion to commit with or without instructions. Madam Speaker, under current law, all full-power TV stations will stop their analog broadcasts on February 17, 2009, and broadcast only digital signals. That means on February 18, millions of American households that have an older television and have not obtained an analog-to-digital TV converter box will suddenly have a blank TV. Survey data released by the Nielsen Company reveals that as of January 2009, 6.5 million American households were completely unprepared for transition to digital TV, meaning every TV in their home will be blank on February 18. And for a host of reasons, the Federal Government's efforts to help people buy the necessary converters--a disproportionate number of whom who are seniors, low-income households, and those in rural areas--have been insufficient. Madam Speaker, too many Americans are at risk for losing their television service, and we need a one-time delay to get ready for the digital TV transition. The bill before us today, S. 352, the DTV Delay Act, is very simple. It postpones the date of analog-to-digital television transition for 115 days from February 17, 2009, to June 12, 2009. This will provide additional time to get coupons for the digital TV converter boxes to millions of American households that are at risk of being without television service. This bill unanimously passed the Senate despite being unfortunately blocked by the House Republicans last week. It was supported by the Obama administration, the FCC commissioners and has been endorsed by numerous groups, including the AARP, Consumers Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the Coalition of Organizations for Accessible Technology, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the National Emergency Number Association, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Association of Broadcasters, AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless, Univision, ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. Madam Speaker, I would close by adding that this has not been an ideal transition to digital television, and this is hardly a perfect solution to the problem. But make no mistake, without this critical delay, millions of Americans may no longer be able to watch their television on February 18; and punishing consumers is surely not the way we fix this problem. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. General Leave

Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 108.