Janice Hahn

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of Gail Mayfield Hamm. Gail was a pillar of strength within San Pedro, California. She loved children, and for over three decades, she was a respected elementary school teacher at Barton Hill Elementary. She was also a long time volunteer at the Toberman Neighborhood Center, which offers beneficial programs to community including youth mentoring, a food pantry, legal services, and gang intervention. In fact, Gail was one of the founding members of the philanthropic Toberman Auxiliary, which raises money through a gift shop to fund Toberman programs. Despite being so active in her neighborhood though, she cherished her time with her own family comprising of three surviving children, nine grandchildren, and six great grand children. I had the honor of working with Gail while on the Los Angeles City Council and I found her dedication and good nature to be inspiring. Mr. Speaker, ask that all the members of the House join me in a moment of silence to commemorate the life of Gail Mayfield Hamm.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, April has been designated Minority Health Awareness Month, and I want to shine a spotlight on a crucial minority women's healthcare issue--the alarming mortality rate of African- American women from breast cancer. In the last few months, both the New York Times and Los Angeles Times featured articles about the disparity in mortality rates between African-American and white women with breast cancer. The New York Times wrote ``After her doctor told her two months ago that she had breast cancer, Debrah Reid, a 58-year-old dance teacher, drove straight to a funeral home. She began planning a burial with the funeral director and his wife, even requesting a pink coffin. . . `I was just going to sit down and die.' '' That is heartbreaking. Much progress has been made over the last two decades to increase awareness, screening, and treatment of breast cancer, but unfortunately this progress has not been made for all women. In the 1980s, the mortality rate for African-American and white women were nearly identical. Today, shockingly, African-American women are 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. Much of this difference results from a lack of screening, access to life-saving treatments, and quality of treatment. Additionally, the higher difference in the death rate from breast cancer varies by region. In my city of Los Angeles, sadly, an African- American woman with breast cancer is 70 percent more likely to die than a white woman. This is not true in other cities, such as New York, where the disparity is nominal. Clearly, this demonstrates that public health improvements can be made to improve the survival rates for African-American women. Therefore, I am introducing a resolution to highlight the high mortality rate for African-American women confronting breast cancer. My hope is that this resolution will bring awareness to this injustice to ensure that quality screening and treatment is available for all women, regardless of race. This is an issue of life and death and we must take every action available to ensure that every woman has access to the resources and treatment she needs to survive.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Frankie Powell Neal. Frankie was a loving woman and a devout Christian. She was dedicated to serving others in all aspects of her life. For over 30 years, she cared for our veterans as a nurse at the Long Beach Veterans Hospital and Harbor UCLA Medical Center. Frankie was also the matriarch of a great family that includes three children, eight grandchildren, and ten great grandchildren. I have the distinguished honor of having a strong relationship with her son, Long Beach City Councilman Steve Neal. I know that she would be proud of his achievements and service to the great residents of the community in which he serves. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all members of the House join me in a moment of silence to commemorate the life of Frankie Powell Neal.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Madam Speaker, we know that when women succeed, America succeeds; but, unfortunately, our mothers, daughters, and sisters are not succeeding when women, on average, earn just 77 cents to every dollar that a man makes, and one in three women and their families are living on the brink of poverty. Across the Nation, women are facing unprecedented economic insecurity. Pay inequity, combined with the lack of affordable child care or paid family leave, means women are burdened with an unfair disadvantage and struggle to support their families. Pay discrimination means that African American women are expected to earn just 64 cents to every dollar earned by a White man, while Latinas earn just 54 cents. Yesterday, I was proud to join President Obama and Lilly Ledbetter at the White House to mark Equal Pay Day. We witnessed the President sign two critical executive orders that will empower women to fight pay discrimination. It is a simple principle: equal pay for equal work. I was disappointed that our Senate colleagues failed to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and address this situation. I urge them to reconsider addressing the injustice of paycheck discrimination.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Madam Speaker, yet again, we have been presented with a budget that stands at odds with the morality of this Nation. The Ryan budget attempts to balance our budget on the backs of the middle class and low-income families while bowing to special interest groups and giving billionaires unnecessary tax cuts. This out of touch budget leaves hardworking families in my district in California and across this country in the cold by cutting more than $135 billion from the food stamp program. Paul Ryan's budget also eliminates the Affordable Care Act and breaks our promise to seniors by fundamentally ending the Medicare program as we know it. With one in three women struggling on the brink of poverty in this country, this budget would effectively push them over the edge. Americans deserve better. The Congressional Progressive Caucus' Better Off Budget, in stark contrast, restores critical social safety nets such as SNAP benefits and unemployment insurance, programs that many American families rely on to make ends meet. This budget also protects and strengthens Medicare and Medicaid without cutting benefits for our seniors. It is a budget I stand by because it is right for the country, for working families, for seniors, and for our future.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Garamendi, thank you for yielding. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to discuss the importance of an amendment that I offered to this bill, but withdrew it because of jurisdictional concerns. In exchange for dropping this amendment, the language was supposed to be included in a manager's amendment, but, unfortunately, the suspension calendar precluded this from happening. It is my hope that, with the help of the chairman, this issue will be taken up during the conference with the Senate. Under current law, port authorities are required to develop port security plans which are then submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard for review. However, ports are not required to address cybersecurity in these plans. Without a requirement, many of our ports have not addressed this issue, creating a gap in our Nation's port security. Last July, the Brookings Institute released a report stating our Nation's port cybersecurity awareness is remarkably low. Without requiring ports to address this vulnerability, we risk exposing our Nation to a disruption that could devastate our economy and grind the flow of commerce to a halt in a matter of days. That is why I offered an amendment to this bill that would have required that ports address cybersecurity in their port security plans that they submit to the Coast Guard every 5 years. Unfortunately, this language was not included in the final bill, and it is my hope that it is put in the bill during the conference as it was intended. By requiring every port to begin to address cybersecurity in their port security plans, we can help avoid a potentially devastating attack that would leave our Nation's freight network crippled beyond repair. I appreciate the chairman's willingness to work with me on this issue, and I look forward to his support in trying to address this issue in conference.

Ms. HAHN. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of Celes King IV, who passed away in San Diego. Celes King was an independent and steadfast man of great fortitude. He was the first son of the prolific Civil Rights leader and successful bail bondsman Celes King III, from whom he drew much inspiration. However, rather than merely live in the shadow of his father, his entrepreneurial spirit drove him around the country to start and operate businesses. Upon his parents' passing, Celes returned to Los Angeles and passionately carried on his father's great work. Despite losing a leg to diabetes, Celes drove his car to Sacramento every week during the state capitol's legislative sessions to advocate for the advancement for his hometown. His leadership abilities then led him to become the President and CEO of the King Central Development Foundation, and the Phoenix Alliance. In 2003 he was appointed to Congress of Racial Equality of California, the organization his father started nearly forty years ago. Celes served there until his passing. It was an honor to have a significant Civil Rights leader like Celes King IV living in the City of Angels. His legacy lives on and continues to inspire. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all members of the house, join me in a moment of silence to commemorate the life of Celes King IV.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, far too many women face financial pressures simply due to outdated policies that hamper their opportunities for success. I recently hosted an event in Los Angeles with Congresswoman Roybal- Allard and Congresswoman Napolitano to discuss women's economic agenda. Over 200 women showed up to talk about this. We heard from women like Sonia and Caryn. Sonia has been a hotel worker for 9 years, barely making it on minimum wage, while balancing her work with the needs of her three young sons. Without paid medical and family leave through her employer, whenever one of her boys was sick, she had to stay home without pay. For mothers like Sonia, we must increase the minimum wage and ensure employers provide paid family and medical leave for all of our families. Caryn's life has turned around after she was finally able to access affordable child care in San Pedro, after struggling to balance taking care of her daughter as a single mom and building a future. Because of that she has already earned an associate's degree and is now studying for her bachelor's degree. The success of our Nation relies upon the economic security of these women because when women succeed, America succeeds.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to bring real comprehensive immigration reform to this House floor. This week, the House will consider the ENFORCE Act, which would effectively force the deportation of our Nation's Dreamers. The Dreamers are the young people of this country, children of immigrants who were brought to this country when they were very young and have grown up loving this country just like you or I. Forcing the President's hand in this way is yet another way of placing politics ahead of people. The President has granted deferred action status for so many of these Dreamers because of the inaction of this House. Now my Republican colleagues are trying to take away the President's ability to help these young Americans; young Americans such as Laura Nunez, a Dreamer whom I met last month when my office helped her to obtain her deferred action status. Her family came to the United States from Mexico when she was just 7 years old. Today, Laura lives in Wilmington, California, and continues her education at LAUSD. America is Laura's home, and she is just one of 1.4 million Dreamers who need action from this House, not more politics. Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues, please, let's do real comprehensive immigration reform now.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduced the ``Brownfield Redevelopment and Economic Development Innovative Financing Act of 2014,'' legislation that will help redevelop large brownfield redevelopment projects that have the potential to create jobs, provide affordable housing opportunities and transform regional economies. Across the country, from Baltimore to Los Angeles, there are large redevelopment sites that communities have identified as the economic development futures of their regions. Older manufacturing sites, retired steel mills, automotive legacy sites and landfills within communities are in need of transformation. These sites, known as brownfields, are untapped resources that, when environmentally remediated and redeveloped, will address tax base shortfalls, provide affordable housing, create jobs, attract new businesses as well as unify communities with planned sustainable development that will meet the needs of a changing economy and a growing population. For instance, in my district, the city of Carson provides a shining example of how large brownfield properties can be redeveloped and transformed into successful redevelopment projects. In 2003, using $90 million of redevelopment funding, Carson invested in the cleanup of an 160 acre site along the 405. Immediately, the private sector matched the city's funding and the project moved forward with the cleanup of the site. The project, called The Boulevards, is set to finish construction in 2016, and will have two hotels, retail space, affordable housing, office buildings, restaurants and movie theatres that will raise an estimated $107 million in property tax revenues over the next 30 years. The Boulevards is a great investment for Carson and for the region and will ultimately end up paying for itself. What's changed for Carson, like most communities, is that they do not have another $90 million dollars to quickly redevelop their other large brownfield projects. Unfortunately, there is no current federal funding or financing mechanism to support and leverage local and private sector resources to move large brownfield redevelopment sites forward. While Title I of the 1949 Housing Authority Act used to provide a line of federal credit to local communities to undertake major redevelopment projects during the 1970's, this was later replaced with the current Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program administered by HUD. And CDBG funds are currently stretched too thin to be able to adequately address the needs of large scale redevelopment projects. Additionally, private lenders are hesitant to loan money for these projects since the extensive remediation and clean up of these sites means investors aren't going to begin seeing returns for possibly a decade or longer. That's why I have introduced the The Brownfield Redevelopment and Economic Development Innovative Financing Act of 2014. This bill creates a pilot program that re-establishes a partnership with communities by providing the HUD Secretary the authority to guarantee the repayment of principal and interest on loans made by lenders to local governments for large brownfield redevelopment projects. By providing a federally backed loan guarantee for brownfield redevelopment, this will eliminate traditional lending risk and thus attract private resources for projects that otherwise wouldn't have received funding. At the same time, this bill grants local governments enough time to remediate and develop their properties so they won't need to begin making loan repayments until they start receiving revenue. These tools will provide communities with the ability to make an immediate and long term economic impact on their region and will be the drivers that help move our national economy forward. That is why this bill is supported by public and private stakeholders alike, including, Weston Solutions, CH2M Hill, Parsons Brinckerhoff, the American Council of Engineering Companies, Smart Growth America, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, the National Brownfield Association, the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties, and the city of Carson, California. By providing a platform for partnerships and innovative financing tools, we will finally arm communities with the necessary tools to fully plan, invest and develop their futures.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Madam Speaker, this month we join together as a nation to celebrate Women's History Month. We pay tribute to the generation of women whose courage, perseverance, and leadership have helped build our great Nation--from everyday working mothers to women like civil rights icon Rosa Parks and labor activist Dolores Huerta. Our journey would not be possible without these great women and so many others who proudly took the seat at the table and at the front of the bus to chart the way for our Nation's progress. But, while progress has been made in gender equality, we still have a lot more work to do when two-thirds of the minimum wage workers are women in this country and nearly one-third of families headed by a single female are living in poverty. Instead of simply using Women's History Month to highlight the contributions of women leaders, let's take this opportunity to examine the current challenges facing our mothers, our sisters, and our daughters and ensure that these women have workplace protections such as equal pay, affordable child care, and medical leave. Our success as a nation hinges on the success of women, because we know that when women succeed, America succeeds.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, the Federal minimum wage has failed to keep up with the cost of living, leaving far too many families on the brink of poverty. For millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet on the current minimum wage, times have gotten harder and harder. Increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour would be especially important for the thousands of working women currently trying to pull their families out of poverty. Two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women. Nearly a third of the families headed by a single female are living in poverty. This is wrong. No mother who works hard at a full-time job to provide for her children and family should be living in poverty. Our success as a nation hinges on the success of women. When women succeed, America succeeds. That is why I have just signed a discharge petition to bring a bill to this floor so that we can vote on raising the Federal minimum wage to $10.10 for all hardworking Americans, including our mothers and daughters. I think it is time. Let's give America a raise.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Madam Speaker, every February we have the opportunity to celebrate Black History Month by honoring the great achievements and contributions of African American leaders who have courageously pushed boundaries and moved our country forward in the name of justice and equality. It is an honor for me today to mention some of the great leaders from Los Angeles who have made Black history: Tom Bradley, from Los Angeles, the first African American to be mayor of Los Angeles; great leaders like Merv Dymally, the first African American Lieutenant Governor of California; Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, the first African American woman to chair the House Administration Committee; Aja Brown, the first African American female mayor of Compton; and my colleague, Congresswoman Karen Bass, the first Black woman to be speaker of any State legislature in U.S. history. This year is the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act, but this milestone should be a reminder of the work that still needs to be done. We can't forget that, for many Americans, the promise of civil rights and equality remains unfulfilled. So, today and every day, let us reaffirm our commitment.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Madam Speaker, this is the third month that my colleagues and I have asked that unemployment benefits be extended to help our communities. Those benefits expired on December 28, and more than 1.7 million Americans, including 263,000 in California alone, have already lost access to these benefits, and another quarter of a million will be hit by the end of the month if we don't act. Madam Speaker, if we act now, we can still help our friends and our neighbors who are trying to support their families as they find a new job instead of taking away what may be the only way they can afford food. There are more than 1 million Americans trying to do just that, and we should do everything we can to help them return to the workforce. Previous Congresses have extended unemployment benefits time and time again with bipartisan support. Why is it that a program that we know helps members of our community and strengthens our economy is suddenly disposable? Let me remind you that these are unemployed workers who deserve our help. I hope that we are allowed to vote on this bill and extend this vital economic lifeline.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, the Federal minimum wage has remained the same for 4 years and has failed to keep up with the cost of living. According to the recently released Shriver Report, nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women, and 42 million American women either live in poverty or are right on the brink of it. This is wrong. No one who works hard at a full-time job to provide for their children and family should be living in poverty. Today, with one in five children in America still living in poverty, we must act and pass the Fair Minimum Wage Act, which would increase the Federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour for American workers over the next 3 years. This modest increase would raise the wages of approximately 30 million Americans and bring over 4.5 million people above the poverty line. Increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour will not only put more money into the pockets of those in need, but it will infuse an additional $51 billion into our economy. Mr. Speaker, this will not be a job killer; it actually will help to create 140,000 new jobs. Our success as a Nation hinges on the success of women. When women succeed, America succeeds.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Thank you. I appreciate you taking this first hour tonight to focus on women and jobs. It is certainly an issue that we women are very aware of and have worked on a lot in our jobs, in our districts, in our homes, but it is nice when our men are enlightened.

Ms. HAHN. Good for them. I think, as Jan Schakowsky talked about, Nancy Pelosi and Rosa DeLauro, we have had this incredible campaign called When Women Succeed, America Succeeds. The point is it is good to help women in this country because this will really help America to succeed. And we no longer have the kind of families that many of us watched on television in the fifties. In fact, the American family has permanently changed, and women head up more families on their own. More than half of the babies born to women ages 30 and younger are born to unmarried women--by the way, most of them White. We have got women who are heading their families. We have got women who are trying to take care of their families. They are now the sole breadwinners in their family. They are not necessarily the second income or the income that helps out with the man having the major income. The statistic, I think, out of the Shriver Report that was really eye-opening for me, when we talk about the minimum wage, is that two- thirds of the workers who earned a minimum wage in this country are women. And if we could raise this minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, how many more women that would lift out of poverty. And not just the women, their families. We have too many families, children, who are living on the brink, and this is so important. To talk about women wanting sick days, it is unbelievable to me how many women who work in these minimum wage jobs don't get sick days. Do you know how many women have the painful choice of either putting their sick child on the bus to go to school or staying home and losing a day's wages to take care of their sick child because we don't have the kind of child care in this country that can accommodate children who are not well enough to go to school? We have women choosing between missing a day's work--possibly if they have too many of those, they are going to lose their job--or putting a sick child on the bus to go to school. We need to raise the minimum wage. We need to have affordable child care. We need to make sure that women have sick days that they can use either for themselves--mostly it is never for yourself when you are a mother. You forgo being sick as a mother and you spend those days for your children. How many women are taking care of their parents? Even though many women have brothers in the family, it usually falls to the woman to take care of her parents when they become ill or need help being taken care of. We have got to really focus on women making sure they have good jobs. By the way, our women veterans--our women veterans in this country-- have the highest unemployment rate. That is terrible to think that our women who have put their lives on the line for this country come home and cannot find good jobs to take care of themselves or their families. I am glad we are doing this tonight. I think it is an important message. I think the Shriver Report that was just released really sheds light on how many women in this country are near or on the brink of living in poverty. Thank you for doing this tonight.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, last month, many of us stood here and pleaded with Speaker Boehner to act to extend unemployment insurance for 1.3 million hurting Americans, including over 213,000 in California alone. Everyday Americans, people like Vincent, who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, will be devastated if we do not right this wrong. Vincent is 57 and worked at Bank of America in my home State of California. He says that he has interviewed with other organizations since being laid off but that he has not found a job. He has not given up, but Vincent worries that he may have to start sleeping in his car and going to food pantries since losing his unemployment benefits on December 28. Mr. Speaker, we have the ability to help these people. Congress has extended unemployment insurance time and time again with wide bipartisan support because it was the right thing to do. As human beings and as legislators, we must do that again. Earlier, many of us stood with President Johnson's daughter Lynda Johnson Robb as we marked the 50th anniversary of President Johnson's declaration of an unconditional war on poverty; and in this ongoing war on poverty, extending unemployment benefits to Americans who have lost their jobs is one of our greatest weapons.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, many of us are congratulating each other over this bipartisan budget agreement, but I want to remind us that there is still some unfinished business that we need to take care of. Unemployment is still a very real issue for our Nation and for our communities; and in my district, unemployment is as high as 16.9 percent, twice the national average. If we fail to take immediate action and we allow this emergency unemployment insurance to expire, just in California 214,800 people alone will lose their benefits by December 28 and an additional 325,800 unemployed California workers will lose their benefits in the first 6 months of the year. This is really unacceptable. A failure to extend this critical lifeline to those in need would not only be a devastating blow for millions of American families already struggling, but it would hurt our own recovery of our economy. Now is not the time to pull the rug out from under millions of Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Speaker Boehner, I urge you to do the right thing and not adjourn this House without extending Federal unemployment insurance for millions of Americans.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, the clock is ticking with just 8 legislative days left this year, but I believe there's still time to bring comprehensive immigration reform to this floor for a vote. There is an incredible group of people that are fasting on the National Mall as a plea to us to pass some form of comprehensive immigration. Today marks day 22 of their fast, but their faith and commitment to change keeps them going. These men and women are sacrificing their health, and do you mean to tell me that we can't find the humanity and compassion to pass a comprehensive immigration bill, Speaker Boehner? Are you kidding me? This isn't who we are as a nation. Cesar Chavez and Mahatma Gandhi called fasting a fervent prayer, but we must do our part on behalf of the families who have been hurt by this delay of comprehensive immigration reform. I'm standing with these courageous people and immigrant families all across this Nation in demanding a vote on an immigration bill. Let's stop this shameful delay and bring a bill to this floor for a vote by the end of the year.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Joseph Anthony Gatto, a tireless educator and community artist who passed away, at the age of 78. Born in Pueblo, Colorado on December 22, 1943, Joseph soon came to call California his home as World War II provided a large migration of workers to settle in the West Coast. Officially settling in East Hollywood, Joseph graduated from Fairfax High School where he excelled both academically and athletically. After turning 18 years of age, Joseph enlisted in the United States Army where he was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington. Upon completion of his service to the military, Joseph returned to Los Angeles and graduated from California State University, Los Angeles and continued his education earning a Master's from Cal State LA and another Master's from Pepperdine University becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. During his career he worked multiple jobs tirelessly as he was not only an educator in high schools during the day, having never missed a day of work during his 47 years, he also was a University professor on the weekends at Cal State LA and California State University Northridge. All a while serving as an assistant to his brother a concession manager at Dodger Stadium. In 1968, Joseph met his wife with whom he had three wonderful children; Nicole, Michael--a California Assemblyman, and my friend, Marianna, each of whom went on to do great things in their own right. Joseph was awarded the ``Bravo Award'' as California Arts Teacher of the Year, in 1986. He was also honored consecutively at the White House by former President Ronald Reagan in 1988 and again in 1989 by former President George H.W. Bush. Following his success, he was honored yet again in 1990 as the California and Pacific Region Art Educator of the year. Joseph wrote many books throughout his life, many being used as classroom textbooks from Canada to Texas. He will be remembered as a father, friend, and as an outstanding educator in his community. He will be missed by many. Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members of the House to join me in a moment of silence to commemorate the memory of Joseph Anthony Gatto.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, even with the difficulties of the health care Web site, we are seeing great things coming out of this Affordable Care Act. Across the country, millions of people who lacked affordable health care options yesterday are checking out their new options today. This law is working. I continue to hear scores of success stories from California. Marilynn, who is a breast cancer survivor, was paying nearly $1,300 a month for her Anthem Blue Cross policy. Through Covered California, she is saving now more than $500 a month. Although the healthcare.gov Web site has had its problems--that we are fixing--know that the California exchange has become a model for the rest of the country. Early enrollment results demonstrate that Covered California is working and people are signing up. We led the Nation in our readiness for this new law, and newly released numbers show that 131,000 Californians have already enrolled in new quality health plans on Covered California, more than any other State exchange. Rather than rooting for its failure, let's work together to make this a reality for all Americans.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, following one of the worst natural disasters to hit landfall, we stand as a world community in support of the people of the Philippines. Last week, Typhoon Yolanda tore through the Philippines, tragically taking thousands of lives and leaving millions without food, water, or shelter. The road ahead will be difficult, but the resilient spirit of the Filipino community far and near will overcome this challenge. As the representative of one of the largest Filipino communities in the United States, my heart goes out to the families in my communities whose loved ones suffered through this dreadful storm. My office is working to connect families with the State Department to help them locate and get news about their loved ones. I am pleased by the significant humanitarian efforts from both my home district and around the world. We are a Nation founded and guided by the principles of humanity. We must not forget our brothers and sisters in the Philippines, for far too many are still without food, water, and shelter. If the infrastructure is down, come on. Let's start thinking outside of the box and do everything in our power to provide food and water and critical support today.

Ms. HAHN

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, the Affordable Care Act is more than a Web site; it is affordable, quality health insurance made available to everyone. While my friends on the other side of the aisle like to keep talking about bad stories, there are some good stories about the Affordable Care Act, and I have one of them. It is Sarah and Joe, parents of two small children from Los Angeles, who have been working very hard every day to provide for their family while they were paying a high health care premium every month. Just last month, they were paying $1,259 a month for COBRA. Last week, they got on the exchange, and they enrolled in a Blue Cross Silver 70 plan and are now paying more than $400 less a month--less a month. Sarah shared with us: We are a family of four with two young kids. Regular access to doctors is a must for us. This plan does that. The recent problems people have encountered on the Web site are unacceptable, and they are being fixed. Let's not allow these temporary glitches to overshadow the life-changing benefits that the Affordable Care Act is bringing to millions of American families like Sarah and Joe.