Judy Chu

Ms. CHU

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5610, the Independent Living Centers Technical Adjustment Act. This bill addresses an issue brought to our attention by a number of States that are at risk of having to reduce services for adults with disabilities. Authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Independent Living Center program serves adults with disabilities by providing an array of independent living services, including the information and referral services, independent living skills training, peer counseling, and individual and systems advocacy training. This program is administered by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, which allocates Federal funds to the centers based on a formula in an established State plan. Under current law, Centers within a State must first receive funds at the level they received in the previous year, and absent sufficient funding, they must receive the same proportional amount of the total they received the previous year. The Independent Living Centers were provided additional funds through the stimulus package passed by Congress in 2009. States were given maximum flexibility for determining the allocation of these funds among the centers in their States. Several States opted to distribute these temporary funds using a formula different from their base formula. As a result, some Centers received a proportionally larger or smaller allocation than they did in previous years. This one-time change in the allocation of funds made sense because of the challenges State economies were facing. At the same time, current law did not envision this one-time increase in funding. And, in fact, the Rehabilitation Services Administration is required to allocate 2010 funds based on a Center's total proportional allocation for 2009 and the additional funding a Center received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA. This requirement may result in some Centers losing up to 35 percent of funds as the total proportion a Center received may be less than they received in the prior year. The Independent Living Centers Technical Adjustment Act will allow States to request that ARRA funds not be included in determining their center's previous year allocations. That way, the temporary funds provided under ARRA do not permanently change the Center's base allocations. This is a complex but necessary fix to protect services for so many people with disabilities who benefit from the work of the Independent Living Centers. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Miller for introducing this important legislation, and I urge support of this technical change to ensure Independent Living Centers can continue the important work for people with disabilities in our communities. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CHU

Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, when you buy a car, you expect to put a key in the ignition and go. When you eat at your favorite restaurant, you expect a memorable meal. When the California Public Employees' Retirement System invested in mortgage funds with AAA ratings, it expected a safe, steady return. Instead, it lost $1 billion when subprime mortgages, which were hidden in the funds, unraveled--wiping out the pensions of millions of public employees and leaving taxpayers high and dry. The Wall Street reform bill ensures this won't happen again. It ends taxpayer bailouts. It lets investors know what they are buying, and it makes sure banks are never too big to fail. That is why I am backing this bill, and am helping those 1.6 million California retirees and countless others across America. A vote against this bill is only a vote for the big banks that got us in the mess in the first place.

Ms. CHU

Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a great loss to our community, Mr. John Delloro, who passed on the morning of June 5, 2010, at the young age of 39. My heart goes out to his wife, Dr. Susan Suh, their two young children, Mina and Malcolm, and the rest of John's family and friends. Delloro was an extraordinary citizen, a powerful advocate for social justice in Los Angeles, our Nation and beyond. He helped improve the lives of many people in his short yet fulfilling life, becoming a nationally recognized labor leader, educator, organizer, teacher and mentor well before the age of 40. A Bruin through and through, John earned his master's degree in Asian American Studies and his bachelor's degree in Psychology at UCLA. He worked as a lecturer at UCLA's Asian Studies Department for three years, inspiring countless students to become involved and active in their community. During his tenure as a faculty member at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, Delloro helped groomed a new generation of union leaders, teaching classes in politics and labor, labor leadership and strategic planning for labor unions. John will always be remembered as a tireless advocate for working men, women and families. He served as manager of the southwest California area of the 90,000 member SEIU Local 1000, the Union of California State Workers and as staff director for the acute care hospital division of SEIU Local 399. He was a dedicated labor leader, spending countless hours organizing workers of all backgrounds, from cooks in Las Vegas to court employees in Los Angeles. He was also a leading advocate for his own Filipino American and APA community, co-founding the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California and serving as National President of the Asian Pacific Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO, the largest and only national organization dedicated to representing the interests of Asian Pacific American working families. I urge all my House colleagues to join me in honoring my friend John Delloro for his remarkable service and contribution to our country. He has made a true impact on lives of many, and will be sorely missed.

Ms. CHU

Ms. CHU. Thank you, Congressman Garamendi, and thank you for bringing this very, very important order to the floor tonight. I would like to focus for a moment on the oil spill and its impact on the victims. Kim Tran doesn't know how he will pay this month's car insurance, and he has got no idea how he will take care of his mortgage, but what he is most in the dark about is when he will be able to get back in the water and start working again. Kim is a deckhand on a commercial fishing boat which is stationed near Buras, Louisiana, in Plaquemines Parish. He is part of a close- knit community of Vietnamese and Cambodian shrimpers whom the gulf oil spill has hit particularly hard. Many of them came to the gulf coast in the 1980s as war refugees from Vietnam. They did well. It is estimated that the Vietnamese Americans own between one-third and one-half of all of the fishing vessels on the gulf coast. After Katrina, they were one of the first groups to rebuild, but figuring out how to recover from the recent manmade disaster has been difficult. You see, for many of these fishermen, language is a barrier as bottomless as the Deepwater Horizon's well. Because English isn't essential for fishing, many have never learned it, so they rely on interpreters to help them cross the language barrier. It takes 14 words to translate the word ``dispersant'' into Vietnamese--and don't even get me started on what to do with acronyms like ``EPA.'' So not only have these fishermen lost their normal sources of work, but they have been locked out of the cleanup effort, too. Many have even had problems filing basic claims for lost income. These Vietnamese fishermen are just one group affected by the tragic gulf oil spill. Indeed, this spill has devastated lives up and down the gulf coast. It is the biggest environmental disaster in our Nation's history. Yet Congress is working hard to repair the damage that has been done. I've joined in the effort to secure $85 million in emergency funding to assess and respond to damages from the oil spill. This money improves the Federal response and guarantees compensation to out-of-work fishermen, but we know that is not enough. I am proud also to sponsor a very, very important bill on the Judiciary Committee. This bill is called the SPILL Act. It fixes our outdated liability laws, and it ensures that we can hold those who caused this spill accountable for the damage that they have done, but we know that's not enough either. So I've cosponsored the bill to impose a moratorium on new drilling off the western coast of our country. The suspension is a great step forward to ensuring that a disaster like this never happens again. And even then, it's still not enough. Indeed, the only solution to this disaster, the only thing that truly makes sense, is to finally end this country's addiction to oil. For decades, oil companies and lobbyists killed energy reform to keep their profits. For decades, our dependence on oil has hurt our economy and put the security of our country and our environment at risk. For decades, we knew that offshore drilling was just a disaster waiting to happen. Well, the news is that it has happened. And the Gulf oil spill shows that it's time to take back control of our energy policies--with clean power made right here in America. We will never be able to undue this spill. As much as we wish it didn't happen, we can't pretend it never did. If we do, Kim Tran's worries about his car and house payments will only be afterthoughts because his town of Buras, and countless others like it along the Gulf Coast, will just disappear. But we will not let that happen. Join me and make sure that these fishermen, these people, these families haven't suffered in vain. And let's make sure we clean up this spill, hold those who caused it accountable, and make sure it never happens again. Together, we will end our addiction to oil and create a better, cleaner future for our country.

Ms. CHU

Ms. CHU. Madam Chair, the Small Business Lending Fund Act is critical to helping small businesses across the country and is, therefore, critical to helping people because small businesses create more jobs than anyone else. Small businesses sustain their communities. Our amendment ensures that we don't leave minority business owners behind. Minority businesses need every opportunity to grow, create jobs, and contribute to their community. But there are barriers. Our amendment makes sure that bank lending plans, outreach, and advertising are culturally and linguistically appropriate for diverse sets of businesses. This provision is essential for the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities because government programs can miss important details when they don't account for cultural and linguistic differences. Take the Census Bureau, for instance, which provides so many funds for our communities. Earlier this year, they mistranslated parts of the Vietnamese census forms. The forms used a phrase connected to the previous governmental regime which meant ``government investigation'' in place of the word ``census.'' Clearly this was no minor gaffe. The language in this amendment ensures that future outreach doesn't repeat these mistakes, that is, excluding deserving businesses from great opportunities. But it's not just minority businesses that need access to this program. Minority-owned banks also deserve the right to compete. That's why our amendment makes sure such institutions receive consideration during the program's implementation. Minority-owned banks play a vital role in the Asian Pacific Islander and minority business development endeavor; and together they enhance the country's economic recovery and long-term growth. Minority firms currently provide nearly 5 million steady jobs but could potentially create over 11 million more. Our amendment helps them do so. I ask my colleagues to support this amendment because it eliminates obstacles in the way of our Nation's minority businesses and facilitates their growth during these very tough economic times.

Ms. CHU

Ms. CHU. The author Robin Cook wrote that ``education is more than a luxury. It is a responsibility that society owes to itself.'' Our country far too often neglects this duty. Every year, nearly 750,000 American teens become pregnant. Every year, 70 percent of these new teen mothers drop out of school. Every year, the lack of services to keep low-income parents in school focuses this problem on our Nation's most underprivileged communities. That's why I have introduced the Teen Parents Graduation and College Act. This bill would fund grants to help teen parents finish high school and college. It would provide tutoring and child care and counseling to help them succeed. It would let teen parents and their children lead better, fuller lives. This basic support is the least we owe our young people. Together we will ensure that the beginning of a new life doesn't mark the end of an education.

Ms. CHU

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, in 1970, Dr. Jack Tiller traveled to a convention in Canada with his wife and daughter. Tragically, their plane crashed, leaving behind his children, George and Diana. George went to Wichita. He cared for a sick grandmother and orphaned nephew when they didn't have anyone else. He planned to be a dermatologist. Instead, he took over his father's general practice when he saw that local patients didn't have anyone else. Soon after, women asked him if he would do what his father did. They were desperate women who needed reproductive control over their lives. George said yes. Now you know why George Tiller began the career that cost him his life, because he decided he would be there for women facing a crisis when they didn't have anyone else.

Ms. CHU

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Ms. CHU. I now yield 3 minutes to the author of this resolution, Representative Farr, the gentleman from California.

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California, Representative Farr.

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I'm happy to rise in support of House Resolution 1330. This measure recognizes June 8, 2010, as World Ocean Day. World Ocean Day offers the opportunity to celebrate the wonders of the underwater world and look carefully at our interactions with the sea. The timing of this measure is critical. Today we find ourselves in the midst of the worst ocean oil disaster in our Nation's history. With our addiction to oil jeopardizing the vibrant and economically vital marine life of America's seas, we are being reminded daily of the often-forgotten value of these resources and our responsibility to protect them. The world's oceans cover more than 70 percent of our planet's surface, and the rich web of life that they support is the result of hundreds of millions of years of evolution. Great human civilizations, from the Egyptians to the Polynesians, relied on the sea for commerce and transport. And now, in the 21st century, our fate is as tied to the oceans as ever. We still rely on fish for a significant portion of our daily protein needs. And more than $500 billion of the world's economy is tied to ocean-based industries, such as coastal tourism and shipping. But all is not well in the sea. Increased pressures from overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and introduction of invasive alien species have combined in recent decades to threaten the diversity of life in our oceans. The first observance of World Ocean Day will allow us to highlight the many ways in which oceans contribute to society. It is also an opportunity to recognize the considerable challenges we face in maintaining the capacity to regulate global climate, supply essential ecosystem services, and provide sustainable livelihoods and safe recreation. As the oil continues to spill into the gulf, it is time to recognize a World Ocean Day and take the first critical steps to saving this vital resource. House Resolution 1330 was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from California, Representative Sam Farr, on May 5, 2010. The measure was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which ordered it reported favorably by unanimous consent on May 20, 2010. The measure has the support of over 50 Members of the House. I thank the gentleman from California for introducing this measure, and I'd also like to thank Chairman Towns and Ranking Member Issa for their support for the bill. I urge my colleagues to support this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1330) recognizing June 8, 2010, as World Ocean Day, as amended.

Ms. CHU

Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I also urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. CHU

Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. CHU

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the author of this resolution, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster).

Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I now yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, it is my great privilege as a member of the California delegation to rise in support of H.R. 5278. This measure designates the United States postal building located at 405 West Second Street in Dixon, Illinois, as the ``President Ronald W. Reagan Post Office Building.'' President Reagan hardly needs an introduction on this floor. Many of those who knew President Reagan referred to him as ``the Great Communicator.'' Thus, it is very fitting that we commemorate his legacy through the naming of this post office. The son of a shoe salesman, Ronald Reagan was born in Illinois in 1911. He was a construction worker, a lifeguard, radio announcer, and actor. After serving in the Air Force, he returned to acting before successfully running for California Governor, despite never having held public office before. President Reagan successfully obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, and increase employment. His contributions on behalf of freedom around the world are unparalleled since the end of World War II. There is no more Cold War. There is no more Berlin Wall, and it was because of the leadership of President Ronald Reagan. He was instrumental in bringing the breath of freedom to millions of people around the world who had spent decades under the yoke of tyranny. President Reagan left a lasting imprint on American politics, diplomacy, culture, and economics. As a California resident, I am honored to support H.R. 5278. It was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from Illinois, Representative Bill Foster, on May 12, 2010. The measure was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which ordered it reported by unanimous consent on May 6, 2010. The measure has the support of the entire Illinois delegation. I thank the gentleman from Illinois for introducing this measure, and I would also like to thank Chairman Towns and Ranking Member Issa for their support for the bill. I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.