Jared Huffman

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Patricia Kendall, who was recently honored as the San Rafael Citizen of the Year, an award she richly deserves. Patricia Kendall has been a longtime resident of San Rafael and well known for her community and civic involvement. She was trained as an emergency room nurse, and her community service began 35 years ago when she participated in the formation of Marin County's ``911 Paramedic Program.'' Through the years, Pat has continued to support this program as a member of the Emergency Medical Care Committee. Pat has served on many boards and committees for non-profit organizations and special projects. She has been a leader in our community, including as board chair of the North Bay Leadership Council, board treasurer of the Marin Agricultural Institute, board vice-chair of Lifehouse, board member of the Marin County School-to- Career Program, and leadership posts with the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce and the Pickleweed Community Center. One of the founding members of the Healthy Marin Partnership, Pat has been the driving force in shaping its upstream lifestyle model focusing on prevention of associated tobacco and high-risk alcohol use, unhealthy eating, and inactive lifestyles. This Partnership has served as an incubator for other community collaborations including the County's Wellness Collaboration, Canal Community Gardens, and Children's Health Initiative. Mr. Speaker, Patricia Kendall's hard work and her leadership are felt throughout our region, and we thank her for her commitment to health initiatives and community service. I urge my colleagues to join me in extending our congratulations for her selection as San Rafael's Citizen of the Year.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, last week, in a Friday afternoon announcement designed to bury the news, the State Department released a very troubling supplemental environmental document regarding the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that would undo the progress our country has been making in recent years in showing leadership on climate change, in reducing gas emissions and transitioning to a clean energy economy. Unfortunately, environmental protection seems to be a ``foreign'' policy to our State Department. But even this pro-industry report cannot gloss over the fact that Keystone XL would unlock development of some of the dirtiest, most climate-damaging fuel on Earth, and it would lock the United States into deeper dependence on expensive tar sands fuel that would take this country in the wrong direction for our environment and our economy. Just this morning in the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, we heard about the enormous potential for wind energy to generate jobs and also cost-effectively improve energy independence. Other forms of clean energy hold the same promise. Madam Speaker, it's time to get serious about climate change and clean energy job creation. Importing dirty, expensive tar sands fuel is the wrong way to do that.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my grave concerns over the Republican substitute to the Senate-passed Violence Against Women Act. The Senate passed this bill with overwhelming bipartisan support, including a majority of Senate Republicans. But apparently, leadership in the House has decided that this law should protect only some women. The substitute that we're being asked to vote on excludes LGBT victims. It weakens protections for women on college campuses, Native American women, and immigrants. As a father of a young daughter and a husband, I cannot begin to understand why we would gut commonsense protections for women or why we would pick and choose the type of women that we want to protect from violence. A few minutes ago, we swore allegiance to this flag and to a Republic that stands for liberty and justice for all, not for some. In fact, Americans have long fought for equality for women and protecting all women from violence. The Violence Against Women Act has been an important part of that arc of our history. It's not something that should be politicized or used for political games. Let's vote against this substitute.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I'm honored to represent the Second District of California, which spans from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border. Mine is a district with hundreds of miles of pristine coastline, with numerous rivers, and coldwater fisheries, with ancient forests and redwood trees, with cities located right up against San Francisco Bay. It's a district where unique climatic factors have combined to create some of the world's greatest wine appellations. And we know, in the Second District of California, that we cannot wait to address the threat of climate change. On the State level, I have fought to defend and successfully implement California's world-leading greenhouse gas reduction law for the past 6 years, but that is not enough. We need leadership here at the Federal level. If we fail to act, Mr. Speaker, the livelihoods of fishermen, crabbers, foresters, farmers and others in my district are going to suffer great harm. The cost of Congress continuing to bury its head on the issue of climate change is simply too great. And so I am proud to be joining other colleagues, with Chairman Waxman, in the Safe Climate Caucus, and to take this cause to the national level.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate San Rafael, California, resident Miriam Lawler on the occasion of her 90th birthday on January 30, 2013. Miriam Lawler is a native Californian, born in Los Angeles on January 30, 1923. She attended Santa Monica College and moved to San Francisco where she worked for the San Francisco Chronicle. Miriam went on to obtain her bachelor's degree from Dominican College and studied Spanish at the College of Marin. During WWII, Miriam met William Lawler during his shore leave from his Navy destroyer. They married and settled in San Rafael, California, where she still lives today. Miriam has two sons: Martin and William Jr. Always active in politics, Miriam worked on the presidential campaigns of Adlai Stevenson, John F. Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy. In Northern California, she also was involved in helping launch Clem Miller's successful congressional election. Throughout her life, Miriam has advocated for social justice and civil rights, has assisted children with learning disabilities, and has volunteered to help children learn to read. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, it is appropriate that we honor Miriam Lawler as she turns age 90 for her inspirational and prolonged civic engagement.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate Novato resident Patricia (Patty) Bennett as the 2012 Citizen of the Year for the Town of Novato located in Mann County in Northern California. Patty's enduring service to the town is marked by her quiet presence and many positive outcomes. As a local community activist committed to the growth and care of the Novato community, Patty has been serving on various committees around town for many years. Since 2004, Patty Bennett has served on the board of the Novato Youth Center (NYC), where in addition to her duties as Vice-President of the NYC Board and chairperson of the Development Committee, she founded and co-chairs their biannual fundraising event Cruisin' the Classics. Patty's strong compassion for working parents motivated her to join NYC board of directors in 2004 to help make accessible quality childcare for these parents. Among her many contributions as a director, Patty played a critical role in transitioning the leadership of the NYC after the retirement of an Executive Director who served 23 years. Patty's dedication to Novato has remained constant though the years. She currently serves as Treasurer for ``Novato 2010--Celebrating 50 years'' Birthday Celebration Steering Committee and has worked for many years on the Coordinating Committee for the Paint the Town Red event. She is also an Elder at the Presbyterian Church of Novato and has served as President of the Parent Teacher Association for Pleasant Valley Elementary School and on Leadership Councils for Novato Unified School District schools including Pleasant Valley Elementary, Sinaloa Middle and San Marin High School. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, it is appropriate that we honor Patty Bennett for her exceptional community service and civic engagement, commend her generosity of spirit and extend to her our congratulations for her selection as the 2012 Citizen of the Year.

Mr. HUFFMAN

Mr. HUFFMAN. ``The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session.'' Article II, section 3: ``He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; ``He may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper.''