Tony Cárdenas

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 602, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, did you know that a child in the United States can go to jail just for skipping school or running away from an abusive home? Did you know that the United States is the only country in the world that locks up kids for life without the possibility of parole, when nearly three in ten of those kids did not actually commit the crime and may not have been there at the time that someone was hurt? For years we have been funding a juvenile justice system that is robbing children of their future and wasting billions of taxpayer dollars every year. Today experts, academics, police departments, police chiefs, and sheriffs agree that we must change that system. President Obama designated October as Youth Justice Awareness Month because it is time to stop wasting billions of dollars on a system that doesn't make our communities safer and is destroying a generation of our children. This week I introduced two bills to make sure kids don't get put in jail for dumb reasons and to fund evidence-based intervention and prevention programs. We must do better. We must not give up on our children.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, I feel compelled to take this opportunity to remind us how great we are as a country, but also to remind ourselves that we are as great as we are as individuals collectively that make our country so great, a country where anyone can practice whatever faith they choose to practice. You can come to this country from whatever part of the world and start anew and perhaps reach heights that you could never dream of in other places. We still are the greatest nation on the planet. I am compelled to say these words because far too often I see, almost everywhere I turn, where people want to leave this country. They talk about how we are not great and how we need to get back to greatness. We have never lost that greatness. I think it is really important for us to understand, as Members of Congress, that our responsibility is to guide this country and to legislate and to make decisions, but to always keep in mind those fundamental responsibilities that we have held true for so many hundreds of years in this country and that we are blessed to be the greatest nation on the planet. The only way that we can do that is if we take our personal responsibilities to heart and exercise that every single day.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, I come here to remind us how diverse our country is and how beautiful it is that we have been celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month for the last 30 days. I just wanted to take the opportunity to remind everybody that when we do things like that, it is not to talk about how we are different or separate. No, it is to talk about how alike we are and to talk about how wonderful and great our country is. The tapestry of people that come from all over the world come here to start a new life, come here to create opportunities, perhaps not for them, but for the next generation. Together, we have created the greatest country that this world has ever known and has ever seen. From Europe, from the Americas, from Africa, from Australia, from all parts of the planet, people come to this country for a better life and a second chance. I hope and pray that in these Chambers we can live up to the responsibility of holding true to the values of America and holding true to our responsibilities as a legislative body of this country to create and pass laws to make sure that everybody can continue to have those opportunities for generations to come.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I announce that Al Piantanida passed away on August 31. He was a veteran but, more importantly, a good American. Al is what I would call the perfect constituent, the perfect friend, and the perfect neighbor. Al would come to his elected officials' offices all the time and let us know what was going on in the community and what was going wrong in the community, but never once--never once--did Al complain. He always said: How can I be part of the solution? To me, that is not only a good person, but that is what makes America great: human beings who have the time and the resources to give of themselves and are not there to complain but are there to make sure that their neighborhood, their community, and their country are a better place. We are going to miss Al. He was a selfless individual and someone who was always giving of himself, and he always was creative in making sure that he was part of the solution and was always there for his community in every way possible. Al was a personal friend. I met him through my responsibility as an elected official in the community, but I grew to love him as a person and to appreciate him very much. We are going to miss you, Al, but you will never be forgotten.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, at this point, I reserve the balance of my time so that Congressman Guthrie can speak first.

Mr. CARDENAS. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first thank my colleague from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie). It has been a pleasure and honor to serve with him on this bill. It is really important for us to understand how monumental this moment is. This isn't the biggest bill in the world. But, yet, at the same time, if you are a small business in the United States of America and you have 1 to 50 employees or now even 1 to 100 employees, this bill hopefully will help affect your business and your employees in a way that is better. I rise in support of H.R. 1624. I truly appreciate the willingness to work on a bipartisan bill, as demonstrated today, which is going to positively impact so many communities across the country through the small businesses it will affect. H.R. 1624, the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act, introduced by my colleagues, once again, Mr. Guthrie, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Sinema, and myself--two Republicans and two Democrats is a true bipartisan effort--would stop a potential health insurance rate shock by allowing States to determine the appropriate size of their small group market. As a former small-business owner myself, I recognize the struggle there is to live out the American Dream. I know how difficult it can be when a specific sector of small business is affected by regulations and laws created by local, State, or Federal governments. I have seen the impact in neighborhoods throughout my district when a small local business opens their doors or closes their doors. Their supply chain is local. Their employees have a vested interest in their success. Their customers treasure the connection a small hometown business brings. I know I echo the view of the entire U.S. House of Representatives when I applaud these small businesses, the risks that they have taken, and the celebration of their successes. The Affordable Care Act isn't perfect. By no means is the Affordable Care Act perfect. But I am grateful for all the benefits that the law has provided since its enactment. Today more than 16 million Americans have gained access to affordable health insurance that did not have it before enacting the act. My district is one of only two districts in the United States to see a double-digit increase in insured residents since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act is the biggest change to American health care in the past 70 years. It brings down costs, covering more Americans and making dozens of other crucial changes to how our Nation views health care. However, no law is perfect. When it was first created, Social Security didn't cover agricultural and domestic workers. Medicaid didn't begin to cover mammograms until 1991. Even with these fundamental programs of our Nation's safety net, improvement and compromise was necessary to lead to more perfect laws. While certain States, like California, have decided to move forward with the expansion, this bill still provides States the flexibility to ensure market stability for small businesses across the country. I appreciate the bipartisan effort to bring this bill to the floor. I look forward to advancing the PACE Act and continuing to build on a record of working together in a bipartisan fashion. I was just sharing a moment with my colleague from Kentucky, Congressman Guthrie, in talking about how proud I am of this moment and how much I appreciate his willingness to reach across the aisle and work with us to make sure that we bring a fix--not the biggest fix, but a fix--that will help American businesses and American workers across this country. It is an opportunity for us to work together. But, more importantly, it is an opportunity for us to do the job that we were elected to do: to put aside partisan bickering, to make sure that we look at what is best for America, try our best to bring a bill to the floor through both houses, and, hopefully, get the signature of the President of the United States. Again, it was due to this bipartisan effort that I think that what I just described is going to happen. Come January of 2016, it is going to be a better place for all of us--for our businesses and our workers-- because we were willing to work together. Once again, it is not the easiest thing to do, but it is something that, unfortunately, is far too rare. I hope that this is the beginning, the beginning of many of us working together and making good things happen for America and its Territories. I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 1624. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, it is with profound sadness that I rise to honor the life of my good friend and community leader, Albert ``Al'' P. Piantanida, who passed away on Monday, August 31, 2015. Al was not only a great friend to me, but a leader in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. Al's dedication to his neighborhood and the surrounding community will be noticed by future generations. Al was a proud Vietnam War Veteran, serving for three years. Al shared his familiarity and experience as a member of my Veterans Advisory Committee. He was also a proud member of the American Legion Post 817 in Panorama City. While born in East St. Louis, Illinois, Al made his home in Arleta, California for more than thirty years. Al believed that building a better world begins in one's own back yard. Al's intrinsic motivation was to inspire others to become involved in the community. Al was the perfect constituent. He not only engaged his elected representatives, he offered his service and personally invested in finding solutions to the issues facing the community. He was the perfect American. He was an active member of his community, serving diligently as the President of the Arleta Neighborhood Council for three years as well as President of the Village Green East Home Owners Association. Al was the founder of the Arleta Community Watchdogs Organization and member of the Arleta ``Looky Loos'' Neighborhood Watch Group for over twenty-five years. Al was always there and involved, actively participating in community events, projects, and programs. Al had a lifelong commitment to public service and improving the Northeast San Fernando Valley. Al's dedication went beyond his own neighborhood. He was an active member of the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill and Mission Division Community-Police Advisory Boards, the Police Foundation, and Valley Traffic Advisory Council. He devoted his life to the betterment of the students and less fortunate--actively participating in food banks, senior centers, and schools. His tireless efforts were recognized when Al received the 2011 Pacoima Spirit Award for community activist of the year. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Albert ``Al'' P. Piantanida. Although Al is no longer with us in person, he will always remain in our hearts and memories. His legacy will continue for future generations.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, watching the news lately, it is nothing but Donald Trump and his baseless rhetoric. He has attacked a war hero, but first attacked an entire country of people. Donald Trump is trying to get into the White House, but it looks like he has already infiltrated Congress. This bill on the floor of this House today has Donald Trump written all over it. This Donald Trump bill treats people like criminals who haven't even been arrested yet. Congress doesn't need to tell our local police and sheriffs how to keep us safe. Decades of research shows that this kind of bill will only make our neighborhoods less safe. The safety of our families should not be a pawn to please Donald Trump. Republicans should work to fix our broken immigration system that will make our neighborhoods safer and supercharge our economy. I stand with the Major County Sheriffs' Association and the Fraternal Order of Police and oppose this bill.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague for yielding me time. Thank you for your wonderful work always on these issues. Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is a failure to communicate, a failure to communicate our priorities, but, more importantly, as legislators, a failure to work on compromise. California is currently facing a historic drought. We can no longer take water for granted. Every single Californian has been forced to examine how much we truly depend on clean, reliable water in our everyday lives. Cities, residents, and businesses around the State are cutting back, but it is not enough. Unless the Western United States experiences significant rainfall in the near future, we will see ghost towns in extreme hardship for the most at-risk populations of our State. While much of the coverage in the media has been on brown lawns across the State and the rationing that is going on, the real impacts threaten the lives of hard-working families throughout our State. Take a trip through California's Central Valley. There you will see the gravity of the situation. You will see unemployment rates double or triple the national average, forcing families into makeshift dwellings that remind us of the Hoovervilles during the Dust Bowl. These families aren't thinking of their brown lawns. They are thinking of the fact that they have lost their home. These families want their jobs back. They want to go to work so that they can feed their children. This bill and the various Democratic alternatives are works in progress. We have to find a solution, but this bill is not it. If we are serious about facing the challenges our constituents sent us here to solve, I am ready and willing to work with you, and with you, to make the necessary, tough decisions and compromises. I look forward to working with Mr. Costa, whose district is facing the most significant impacts, and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to craft a stronger bipartisan and bicameral solution. We have no choice but to find better ways to capture and transport water in all parts of the State to meet the needs of the people and our economy while protecting the environment and delicate species. We must not use this time of need as a way to pick partisan fights. We have to find legislation that protects our environment while we also protect California families. Lives are at stake. Ladies and gentlemen, we need to come together and work together.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 1031--a bill to protect thousands of American jobs by preventing the Export-Import Bank from shutting down.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Adel Hagekhalil, Assistant Director for the City of Los Angeles' Bureau of Sanitation, on his election as President of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). The Bureau of Sanitation is responsible for operating and maintaining one of the world's largest wastewater collection and treatment systems. Over 6,500 miles of sewers serve more than four million residential and business customers in Los Angeles and 29 contracting cities and agencies, treating an average of 550 million gallons of wastewater each day of the year. Adel is a dynamic leader who has shown an unparalleled ability to collaborate and bring diverse interests together for a common cause-- strengths ideally suited for the NACWA Presidency. During this transition year for NACWA, Adel's steady leadership style will help ensure that the Association will build on its 45-year record of being a dynamic and forward-thinking environmental organization. Beyond his wealth of environmental, engineering, and management expertise, Adel utilized a collaborative approach to watershed-based solutions that garnered broad support among the public, business, elected officials, regulators and policymakers. He moves the needle in the right direction, is results-oriented, and gets the job done. Adel is also a staunch and effective advocate for investing in our nation's aging and often deteriorating water infrastructure-- investments that convey both environmental and economic benefits and help communities across our great nation create jobs, grow, and thrive. Adel believes that great communities must better understand the true value of water and deserve first-class, sustainable water infrastructure. Under Adel's direction, the City of Los Angeles prepared an award- winning Water Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) for the year 2020 which relies on public input and participation and integrates water supply, water reuse, water conservation and stormwater management with wastewater facilities planning through a regional watershed approach. He has managed the City's collection system maintenance upgrade efforts resulting in over 83 percent reduction in sewer spills and over 70 percent reduction in sewer-related odors. Adel's work on Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) reduction has cut FOG- related spills by 90 percent. More recently, he led the development and adoption of a Low Impact Development Ordinance for the City of Los Angeles that focuses on rainwater harvesting and runoff management for new developments and redevelopments. In addition, he was instrumental in the successful development and adoption of a 10-year financial plan including the necessary rates adjustment to support the renewal of the City's clean water systems. Adel is currently leading the City of Los Angeles' Green Infrastructure program where stormwater is managed through regional and distributed solutions that provide multiple benefits while improving the quality of life in LA's neighborhoods. In addition, he is leading the development of the One Water Plan for Los Angeles for the year 2040 to manage water holistically while reducing consumption, increasing water reuse and reducing dependence on imported water, a critical need in the City's efforts to confront drought conditions. Adel has more than 26 years of experience in the clean water industry and has published numerous technical papers and participated in various technical conferences and committees. In addition to his service to NACWA, The Bureau of Sanitation is a founding member of the U.S. Water Alliance, and Adel is a proud member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, the American Public Works Association, and the Water Environment Federation. Adel has received many awards at the local, state and national levels. These include the inaugural U.S. Water Prize, Heal the Bay's ``Walk the Talk Award." L.A. Water Keeper's ``Making Waves Award,'' and the American Academy of Environmental Engineers Grand Award for Planning. More important to Adel than these professional accomplishments is his family. Adel is a devoted husband and father, married to Lubna Farsakh with whom he is raising three beautiful children, Jana, Jad and Dareen. Once again, I wish to congratulate Adel Hagekhalil on his election as President of NACWA. As he has done for the residents of the San Fernando Valley and the City of Los Angeles, I am sure he will lead the organization down a road marked by innovation, collaboration, progress and success. Best wishes on future endeavors.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate the third anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, otherwise known as the DACA program. Today is also another day of mourning Congress' failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform. DACA is working; 640,000 DREAMers are already part of our American fabric and are contributing to our economy every day thanks to DACA. In fact, this summer two DACA beneficiaries are interning in my office--Monica moved from Jalisco, Mexico, when she was 7. Her father was deported, but she worked hard and will graduate this fall from Cal State University Northridge with a degree in political science. DACA allowed her to get her driver's license so she could work to pay for her education. Stephanie was born in Mexico City, moved to Santa Barbara when she was 10, and is pursuing a degree in political science at the University of California Los Angeles, UCLA, and is researching the economic impact of DACA. Thanks to DACA, every day DREAMers like Monica and Stephanie help drive our Nation's economy forward.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Madam Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to my colleague and friend Congressman Scott's amendment and to encourage this body to restore critical funding for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. This existing appropriations bill decimates funding for title II State formula grants and title V local delinquency prevention programs which are essential investments that are proven to reduce crime. This amendment would provide $69,515,000, the equivalent of less than 1 percent of the Federal prison budget, which is a small investment when you consider the cost of incarcerating a youth is an average of $88,000 per year. That is hundreds of dollars a day to incarcerate a youth. Evidence-based alternatives to incarceration for youth costs as little as $11 per day. These proven juvenile crime prevention methods cost pennies compared to the incarceration of our young people. Members from both parties have espoused the importance of investing in our children. Conservative organizations have been among the loudest advocates for reforming our criminal justice system--in particular, for our youth--to move from an incarceration-based system to one that funds proven research-based alternatives to putting behind bars America's children. There is a bipartisan consensus on this, ladies and gentlemen. While this amendment will be withdrawn, I hope we can work together to fund these critical programs to give our children the opportunity to be productive members of our communities, reduce crime, and save billions of tax dollars going forward.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Madam Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

Mr. CARDENAS. Madam Chair, I am here to present my amendment.

Mr. CARDENAS. Madam Chair, I rise today to speak in support of my amendment to H.R. 1560. I applaud the managers of this legislation for all of their hard work. I understand the difficult balance that must be struck in this important debate, and I thank the committee for the opportunity to have my amendment considered today. Madam Chair, this amendment will protect national security by starting from the ground up in protecting our smallest of businesses. Cyber attacks are a real threat to our economy and national security. Hackers will look for the most vulnerable in the supply chain to exploit their security. This is why we must make sure any legislation related to cybersecurity places small businesses at the forefront of our security planning. By doing this, we will be protecting customers and businesses up and down the supply chain, which will defend our economy, as a whole, from being attacked. The amendment will ensure that the SBA will assist small businesses and small financial institutions in participating in the programs under this bill, and it will make sure the Federal Government performs outreach to small businesses and to small financial institutions. This is a commonsense provision that addresses the issues that are critical to ensuring the security of our cyberspace and of our economic well-being now and into the future. Small businesses are increasingly becoming the target of cyber criminals as larger companies increase their protections, so we need to arm them with the information and technical assistance they need to create effective plans to thwart these attacks and intrusions. On a personal note, I once owned a small business myself. I left my bigger, corporate job to start a small business in my local community and employ people I grew up with. Washington is a faraway place for many small businesses in our country. The laws here can seem disconnected. The issues can be brushed off as someone else's problem. That is why it is essential that, today and moving forward on all of these cybersecurity debates, that we make sure we have programs in place to work with and to educate our small businesses and that we understand that, every time one of these small businesses is successfully attacked and breached, it is a possibility that it could go under, losing those local jobs. I think this is a commonsense amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARDENAS. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 861, the clean Department of Homeland Security funding bill that would keep the Department open so it can carry out its mission of keeping the American people safe.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, I offer today my full support for H.R. 1020, the STEM Education Act of 2015. In an increasingly technology- based world, businesses and other organizations continue to invest in, and rely heavily upon, information technology (IT) to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and safeguard information. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the high tech industry will be among the fastest growing industries in the coming years. We must do more to ensure that our youth are properly prepared and educated to compete in the job market of the future, so that the United States can continue to be an international innovation leader. Unfortunately, our education system has been slow to adapt to the growing demand for computer scientists and software engineers. By 2020, there will be an estimated 1.4 million computer programming jobs, with only 400,000 American computer science students to fill those jobs. With globalization increasing competition for high paying jobs, I cannot stress enough the importance and value of a strong and innovative computer science education in today's economy. Computer programming jobs are growing at twice the national average rate of job growth and computer science remains one of the highest paying college degrees, more than doubling the national median annual wage. These jobs also provide Americans with a living-wage and an opportunity to be financially secure. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage in 2010 for computer programmers was $71,380 while the median annual wage was $33,840 for all workers. I support H.R. 1020, because it continues the push for STEM programs to better prepare our youth for the computer programming jobs of the future so that the United States can continue being a world leader in innovation.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, I am compelled to call attention to the irresponsible actions of my Republican colleagues. Holding the Department of Homeland Security and our national security hostage is reckless and irresponsible. This politically motivated action puts the physical and economic safety of our people and of our country in jeopardy. The Republicans claim that they have already passed a bill. Well, on a technicality, they might be right, but when you look at it, they have not, and they have been acting irresponsibly. More than 130,000 agents and officers from the Border Patrol, the TSA, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service will continue to work despite having their livelihoods denied them. Not only is this endangering our national security, this is directly harming the men and women who have sworn to protect all of us. How can we treat those so disgracefully who serve our Nation? What message are we sending to the American people? I implore my Republican colleagues to put aside their personal politics and consider what is best for our country and our people. We have 15 days left. Let us pass a clean Department of Homeland Security funding bill to protect the safety of our Nation and to respect the people who have sworn to serve us.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly oppose H.R. 596, a bill to deny access to health care to tens of thousands of Americans with preexisting conditions. Americans should know that these same fear-mongering comments were made when Congress created Medicare. Today, we have millions of grandmothers and grandfathers who would not be alive today had Congress abandoned this critical lifesaving law. I am proud to have supported the Affordable Care Act last year in the San Fernando Valley which I represent. My office helped experts sign up over a thousand families. Family after family sat there, nervous at first, but after realizing that now their family could afford to see a doctor, I personally witnessed tears of joy. Republicans need to stop playing games with people's lives. The Affordable Care Act saves lives. ObamaCare never existed. ObamaCare is just a form of a lie. Americans need to learn that the Affordable Care Act is not what people call ObamaCare. Millions of people will be alive today and tomorrow, and we just have to look at history in Congress to know that fear-mongering should not intimidate elected officials.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak in support for increased funding for Alzheimer's research. There is no other way to put it: Alzheimer's is a terrible disease. It destroys your memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest of tasks. In the United States, more than 5 million Americans currently have Alzheimer's, and about half of those with the disease do not know they have it. In fact, every 67 seconds, someone in this country develops Alzheimer's--a staggering statistic, no doubt--but by 2050, it will be every 33 seconds. To make matters worse, Alzheimer's is the only cause of death in the top 10 in America without a way to prevent, treat, or slow the progression of the disease. In other words, there is no cure. It should not be a surprise that Alzheimer's is the most expensive disease in America. In 2014, caring for people with the disease and other dementias will cost the United States an estimated $214 billion. Medicare and Medicaid spending will shoulder the majority of the care cost, an estimated $150 billion this year alone. This means that roughly 1 in 5 Medicare dollars are spent on someone with Alzheimer's. And unless something is done, the costs of Alzheimer's to Americans will total $1.2 trillion, in today's dollars, including an over 500% increase in Medicare and Medicaid spending on Alzheimer's. Congress has already taken action to address this very serious issue. Specifically, Congress unanimously passed the National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) in 2010, calling for the creation of a National Alzheimer's Plan. That plan has resulted in some notable accomplishments, including the NIH creating a blueprint for Alzheimer's research. However, for the progress this disease requires, scientists need additional funds to carry out the blueprint. While Congress provided a much needed addition of $100 million in Alzheimer's research, a chronic underinvestment in Alzheimer's research persists. Congress must continue its commitment to the fight against Alzheimer's by increasing funding for Alzheimer's research in Fiscal Year 2015 by $200 million. Democrats and Republicans alike should be united in tackling Alzheimer's. After all, it is a disease that affects individuals regardless of party preference, a disease that affects our very own constituents and loved ones, and a disease that we, as elected officials, have a responsibility to do something about.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the retirement of an incredible man and a dear friend, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Nash. As presiding judge of the juvenile court for more than 16 years, a total of 29 years on the bench, his retirement is a huge loss for the community and for the Los Angeles judicial system. During his tenure, he brought numerous changes to the juvenile court: the creation of a drug court in both delinquency and dependency courts, the development of protocols to foster communication and coordination between the courts, and simple changes such as lowering the judge's bench so that children in his court could better participate in the proceedings. While I know Judge Nash will always continue to be a champion for children and families, I want to thank him for his distinguished career and congratulate him on his well-earned retirement.

Mr. CARDENAS

Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, today, I want to talk about the United States economy. I want to talk about the number one thing that politicians talk about when they ask you to support them when they are on the campaign trail, and that is that we want to put America to work. I know what it is like to put America to work because I am very proud to say that, before I got elected to office, my full-time job was to put Americans to work. I owned a business, and there were dozens of families who depended on me as the leader of that business, as the owner of that business, to make sure that we were successful. So I had to do my job so that dozens of people could go to work and do their job. Every year, millions of Americans go to the polls and hope and pray and think and expect that their elected people are going to focus on putting America to work. But unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, the leadership of this House under Speaker John Boehner has been delinquent in doing one simple thing, and that is to focus on bills that create jobs. In some cases, it is bills that move government out of the way to make sure that people can put people to work in private industry. In some cases, it is about changing laws that are broken and old and just don't work for today's economy, changing those laws to make sure that Americans can go to work. Democrats have made jump-starting our economy a priority, and I believe in that priority. Since I have been elected to Congress, I have been fighting for that priority to try to get bills heard in our committees that will create jobs, that will move America forward, and that will move Americans who are hard-pressed and want to get off of the unemployment lines back into work. I have been trying to get them through committee and eventually to the floor of this House so we can have the debates and we can cast our votes for America. Unfortunately, those bills just languish, sitting somewhere in the corner, and don't see the light of day. For example, the biggest bill to ever pass either the House or the United States Senate since this 113th Congress has come into session was a bill that was passed by the United States Senate with bipartisan support. There are 100 United States Senators, ladies and gentlemen, and 68--Democrats and Republicans--voted ``aye,'' voted ``yes,'' voted affirmatively for that bill. If this House would have taken up that bill, or H.R. 15, a bill that looks just like it, that would have boosted our economy. Ladies and gentlemen, you hear people all the time right now today on the campaign trail saying, ``Reelect me,'' or, ``Elect me,'' and they are talking about the economy and talking about deficit reduction. That one bill was analyzed by a third party. It was not analyzed by the Democrats, not analyzed by the Republicans, not even analyzed by the Independents. It was analyzed by a third party whose job is just to call it like it is. That bill, if passed by Congress and put on the President's desk, would give us an opportunity to have a deficit reduction of at least $900 billion. But that bill doesn't see the light of day--not in this House. That bill has not been taken up in this House. Speaker John Boehner has said over and over: I'm not going to take up that bill. I'm not going to take up that issue. I'm not going to support the American economy with that bill. I'm not going to do the right thing by America and give the economy of the United States of America the biggest boost we could ever see coming out of the actions of the United States Senate and this House of Congress. It has been sitting here in this House in the corner collecting dust while too many Americans are having their unemployment run out, while too many Americans are losing their homes, while too many Americans are telling their children: I'm sorry, son, we can't afford to continue to send you to college. We don't have any money because we don't have a job. The United States economy can do better, but unfortunately, it is because this Congress chooses not to do the right thing that the United States economy moves along slowly, picking up just a little bit. That is not good enough. That is not right. What I am doing here at this moment tonight and the reason why I came to this floor, the reason why I asked the Speaker to give me some time to speak on an important issue--the economy of the United States of America--is because it tears me apart to know that the lack of leadership in this House and the lack of leadership of Speaker Boehner is crippling our economy. We have $900 billion of deficit reduction wrapped up in one bill, and that bill has sat in this House and has not heard a debate in any committee. It has not heard a debate on the floor of this House. The people that you elected have not had an opportunity. The 435 Members of the United States Congress have not had an opportunity to stake a claim on whether or not they believe that we ought to put Americans to work, that we ought to get out of the way and fix a law that is broken, a law that does not work, a law that should have been changed a long time ago; but we can change it at any moment on any given day in this House, and this Speaker refuses to allow that to happen. What is going on right now in the United States Congress is just like what happens in your home or sometimes in a workplace. Let's say you have a family and everybody in the family has been assigned their chores, their responsibilities. Let's say you have a workplace where everybody has their job duties and their titles. In the United States Congress, we have our chores and we have our responsibilities. Our job is to pass laws to help America move forward and to make sure that all the different dynamics of the number one economy in the world can flourish. That is our job. But the United States Congress, this House, has refused to do its job. What is going on is just like that example I gave you. Let's say in your home one member of your family chooses not to do their part. You know what happens? Something good eventually happens. Somebody in that house, somebody in that home, somebody in that workplace sees that that job is not getting done, even if it is not their primary responsibility, and they think of the bigger picture. They think of the whole family, the whole house, the whole home. That person in the workplace thinks of the whole body of workers there and says: Somebody ought to take that job and get it done, even though so-and-so isn't doing their part--and that is their job. Congress is not doing its job. It is not passing this law. But you know what happens eventually? Somebody walks over there and does it themselves, even though it is not their primary responsibility. But we ought to be grateful that there are people like that in every community, in every household, in every business, in every work environment. But not in this House, not as long as John Boehner, our Speaker, chooses not to allow us to have a debate, to do our job, to have a vote. Maybe it passes, maybe it fails, but our job as Members of Congress is to legislate, put ideas, good, bad, and otherwise, before the Members of this House and vote up or down, ``yea'' or ``nay'', ``yes'' or ``no,'' to move America forward and let the votes fall where they may. There is a bill that has been languishing in this House for close to a year and a half, and the bottom line is we have not taken up our duties and our responsibilities. As a result of that, in another branch of government there is that one person--not 435, not 100--that says: I want to move the economy of the United States of America forward. I want to fix a broken system. I want to see it fixed. I want Congress to put this on my desk so that I can do my job and sign it and watch Americans go back to work. All of a sudden, the one person who says: Since you won't do your job, I will go over there and to the best of my ability, to the extent that I legally can, I am just going to have to do as much as I can, lift as much as I can and do the heavy lifting because Congress won't, and he gets criticized. That is a shame, ladies and gentlemen. That is a shame. When, in the workplace, or somebody's household, somebody decides to step over and say, you know what, since you won't do it, and it is the right thing to do, I am going to do it. And then they criticize that person. He is the bad guy. No, no, no, ladies and gentlemen. The bad guy, the bad person is the one that says, I know I have duties, I know I have responsibilities, I just don't want to do it because I can say I don't want to. And if I don't want to, it doesn't get done, at least not in this House. That is what is going on, ladies and gentlemen. The United States Congress is sitting on a bill that will supercharge the economy of the United States of America, to the tune of deficit reduction of as much as $900 billion with one bill, one vote of this House. And our current speaker, the Republican leader, does not want to let that happen. The President of the United States is another branch of government. The President of the United States is part of that balance of power. But when one branch of government is delinquent, is derelict in their duties, there comes a time where that person has to say, hey, what can I legally do? I want to step up. I want to put America to work and, as a result of that, has to take action. Now, to me, that is a duty bestowed upon every single one of us elected officials, and I am so disappointed that I got elected to a Congress that has been labeled as a do-nothing Congress. I got elected to a Congress that the statistics, not just opinions, but the facts show that this Congress has passed so few laws that people can actually legitimately say that we are do-nothing Congress. That is a shame. We have responsibilities to this country. When we act responsibly, we make our country what it is, the best country on the planet, and when that happens, the whole world is a better place. But that has not been this 113th Congress, not under this Speaker, not now. But the most important thing that I want to get across today, that could change. That could change tomorrow morning. We could have that bill on the floor of this Congress tomorrow. We could have it on this floor next week, and we can unleash what Americans go to vote for, and that is action. Let the votes fall where they may, ladies and gentlemen. Our duty, as Congress, is to hear bills on this floor, have the debate from the left and from the right, from the center and all, come one, come all, Members of Congress, and then the Speaker says, open the roll, and there go the votes, green ones, red ones, ``yea,'' ``nay.'' But just on that one bill, ladies and gentlemen, more Americans will go to work as a result of one piece of legislation than any other thing that this Congress has been poised to do in this 113th Congress. So right now, as the clock ticks, as Congress might adjourn in just a couple of weeks or so, it is going to be left for another branch of government to decide to move this economy forward, to put Americans to work. That is a shame. That is not the way it should be. That is not the way it was designed to be. But the Constitution of the United States, you have all heard it, everybody who has taken government class, it is called the balance of powers: executive branch, judicial branch, the legislative branch. But when one of those branches is derelict in their duties, as this House has been derelict in their duty to put Americans to work, it takes a committed American, it takes a brave American, to step up and say, ``I will do it''; to be careful about how it is done, to be doing it in a way that is legal and does follow the Constitution of the United States of America. But more importantly, ladies and gentlemen, to get the job done, to put America to work, to break a broken system, to break a set of laws and renew that into a law, into action that will actually put America to work and allow us to continue to be the great Nation that we have become. But, unfortunately, there is a piece of our government, this House, that is not living up to that greatness. It is not living up to its responsibilities. It is not living up to its duties, this House, this do-nothing Congress. When I say do-nothing Congress, that is so painful to me. I am the son of parents who used to wake me up, sometimes before the sun came up, to go to work in my father's business. And what my father used to tell me--I was 5, 6 years old when he had me working with him--he used to say, son, the work is not done. We have got to keep working. Sometimes, so much that my hands would bleed, and I would put on my best crying game and I would say, Dad, look, my hands are bleeding. Can I sit in the truck? My father was a handyman. We used to clean fields and clear out houses or whatever odd job that people had for us. He would take me to work with him. And I remember the first time I thought I was going to be able to sit it out and not do my part because my hands were bleeding. I had blisters, they turned into--they busted, and then they turned into blood, and I showed them to my dad and I tried to give him my best sob story. And he told me, son, the work is not done. We have got to get back to work. Now get back to work. Oh, I hated him for it. That is a leader, someone who can look someone in the eye and say, you need to be what you need to be right now. And that is someone who gets the job done, not someone who looks for excuses, not someone who tells stories, not someone who tries to get off the hook. You need to be the person that gets the job done. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Speaker, this House is not the House that gets the job done. It hurts for me to say that. I hate saying it. But sometimes the truth hurts. That is not my opinion, ladies and gentlemen. I am just restating the facts. I hated my father when he taught me that lesson. But it wasn't until I grew up, and it wasn't until I had to put food on the table for my family, it wasn't until I grew up and ran my own business, that I realized that it is not about the easy way out. It is not about quitting. It is not about being derelict in your duties. It is about accepting your responsibilities, acting out on those responsibilities, working through your responsibilities, not making up stories, not holding press conferences and hoodwinking the American public into thinking that it can't be done. No, no, no, ladies and gentlemen. We can take care of business on this floor from today to tomorrow and get a bill to the other House, or take a bill from the Senate, take it through this House and get it to the President overnight. So any time some Congressman or U.S. Senator tells you, no, no, no, there is not enough time, as long as there is at least 1 day, 1 day of legislation left--oh, as a matter of fact, both Houses have the authority to call back their entire House and say, our business is not done. We can get it done tomorrow. Call every Member of Congress, call every Member of the United States Senate to their Chamber, and say, we have got work to do. There is no time off for us. There is no time away from these Chambers, we are going to get the work done. But this House chooses not to do its job. Some people might think, well, this Congressman, this Congressman Cardenas, he is kind of talking a little strong about this House. You better believe it. We are the Congress of the United States of America. There have been moments in this House where we have been applauded by America for the kind of bravery and the kind of work that gets done in this House. That hasn't happened much lately, not in the 113th Congress. One bill, ladies and gentlemen, one bill has been sitting in this House, languishing, collecting dust, while millions of Americans are out of work. That is a shame. That is a shame. I wish there were more Members of this Congress like my father, who knew how to get the job done, who knew how to focus on the people that depended on him, who had a ``don't quit'' attitude. My father was a man of few words. Few words. But when he spoke, he was serious, he was forthright, and he got the job done. And he had the guts, he had the fortitude, he had the character to know that sometimes, when it meant him getting the job done, it meant that maybe he wasn't going to be too popular, even with his own son. I am so glad, so proud to be the son of a man and a woman, Maria and Andres Cardenas, who taught me how to go to work every single day, and whatever my duties were, whatever my responsibilities were, it wasn't about me, it was about the work that I committed to do and to get it done. Every week I leave my family in my district in California, in the San Fernando Valley, and I kiss them goodbye, and I hope and pray that they put me to work, that I get to do the work that I was elected to do. But that hasn't been happening in this House. And I am not alone, ladies and gentlemen. I talk to a lot of Members of this House and they feel the same. They want to move America forward. They want to get this economy up and running the way it should be, the way America deserves to be. This House refuses to help make that happen. Mr. Speaker, I really do hope and pray that we can put America to work, that we can pass a bill that will create $900 billion of deficit reduction opportunity. I hope and pray that we can do that. Unfortunately, it is not up to me. I am not making excuses, ladies and gentlemen. It is not up to me. I do not have the authority or the ability to put a bill in the House of Congress. I have introduced bills. That is my right--I can introduce bills, and I do do that--but the only person who has the authority to decide if a bill will be heard by this House is the Speaker of this House, and he is elected Republican John Boehner. He is the man. He is the person who refuses to put a bill on the floor of this House, so that every Member of Congress can have the opportunity to do his job and help put America to work. I am a proud American, and I am so honored and privileged to be a Member of the United States Congress, to represent the 29th District in California, the place that I was born and raised in and the community that I love. It is just a microcosm of what this great Nation is about, what it is, and my hands are tied. I am not making excuses, ladies and gentlemen. I am just telling you the truth. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Boehner, please, please put that bill on this floor. Put it in motion. Do your job, so that we can do our jobs, so that Americans can have jobs, so that we, as Members of this Congress, can put America to work. We have a broken immigration system, and one bill can fix that. We have a broken system in this country, and that one bill will put $900 billion toward deficit reduction for America. That one bill will unleash our economy and create hundreds of thousands of opportunities for Americans to go back to work. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.