George Miller

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, along with my wife Cynthia, my sons George and Stephen, I rise today to join with the citizens of my hometown, Martinez, California, to mourn the death of our friend and neighbor Kathy Radke. Kathy was a friend in the best sense of the word, and she was a neighbor in the largest sense of the word: she worried about us, inquired after us, and supported us as individuals and as families. Kathy, along with her husband Ted, brought a vision of community that would be supportive of children, families, and our elderly. Hers was a vision that included environmentally sound policies to make our city safer and our community a more enjoyable place to live. Time and again she was successful in realizing this vision, as she moved through Martinez as a parent, as an elected official, as a volunteer, and as an organizer. We were all shocked and saddened to learn of her serious illness last year and her passing last week. It's difficult to think of our town without Kathy's caring, her vision, and her drive. Now along with Ted and her sons HT and Dylan, we will all have to work harder to maintain and grow the many gifts she left for us. We all are going to miss her and the strength of her spirit. I know that my colleagues will join me in celebrating the life of Kathy Radke, and expressing our condolences to her family and her many friends. I want to draw my colleagues' attention to an article in the Martinez News-Gazette about Kathy and her great legacy, and I ask unanimous consent that the full article be printed in the Record. [From the Martinez News-Gazette, Feb. 10, 2011] Kathy Radke: Environmental Champion, Civic Leader, Cherished Friend to Many (By Greta Mart) The woman largely responsible for protecting Mt. Wanda from development, conserving the Franklin Hills as open space and galvanizing community support for Alhambra Creek died this week: Kathy Radke passed away on Monday from pancreatic cancer. She was 71. During her two terms on the Martinez City Council, Radke focused on water quality issues and worked to bring cleaner water to Martinez residents. Later, the geriatric peer- counseling program she created became a model for others around the state. Another late career change saw her becoming licensed as a conservator, managing financial and health matters for elderly patients. On Wednesday, her son Dylan Radke, currently the chair of the Parks, Recreation, Marina and Cultural Commission, spoke about his mother's life and touched on the many roles Kathy played in the civic life of Martinez. Born in December of 1939 and raised in Chicago, Kathy was the middle of three sisters. Her father Otto ran a family beer distributing business, said Dylan, and she attended the Chicago Commercial High School, graduating at age 16. For a few years Radke worked for the American Medical Association in Chicago and then New York City as an executive secretary until she volunteered for the newly-established Peace Corps. The Peace Corps took her to rural Guatemala, where she taught nutrition and trade skills. When her stint was up, she moved to San Francisco and enrolled at San Francisco State to earn a B.A. There she met Ted Radke, who was a fellow student and served as a teaching assistant for one of Kathy's classes. The two were married and she dropped out when the pair moved to Martinez and had their first child, Harold Theodore III in 1969. Asked the reason his parents chose Martinez, Dylan said it was a combination of his paternal grandparents living here and his father securing a job at what was then called the Abandoned and Abused Children's Center, across from the County's Juvenile Hall. Dylan was born in 1971, at a time when Ted was mounting his first political campaign. Kathy was the key staffer on Ted's campaign for City Council, which he won. Ted served for one term on the Martinez City Council before being elected to the Board of the East Bay Regional Park District in 1977, a position he still holds. ``During that same time, both my parents helped found the Contra Costa Ecology Action,'' said Dylan. ``They were trying to draw attention to environmental issues; how pollution, poor air and water quality affect health. It was an environmental advocacy group.'' Ted left county social services for a teaching position at Contra Costa College while Kathy worked as a secretary for the Martinez Unified School District and subsequently the local electrician's union. Ted's campaign had apparently inspired Kathy to public service, as she was elected to the City Council in 1982 and served for two terms. She ran for Mayor in 1984, but lost to Mike Menesini. ``Although the office is non-partisan, my mother would not be ashamed to be identified as a Democrat. She was really into water quality; it was a hot issue then due to the proposal of the Peripheral Canal idea. She was also dedicated to maintaining Martinez's small town character,'' said Dylan. ``Mom was active in trying to protect the Franklin Hills [from development] and same with Mt. Wanda. She worked with George Miller to get Mt. Wanda to become part of the John Muir National Historic Site.'' Former Council member Peter Langley said this week that he and Kathy were very close friends when they served together on the Council. ``We were both on the water subcommittee and what we were trying to do was get better water quality for Martinez,'' said Langley. ``Kathy was very much an environmentalist. One of the issues was a development in the Alhambra Hills, which is still before the City Council and we turned down several proposals for the Franklin Hills. South of Highway 4 where Alhambra Valley Road shoots off from Alhambra, there is a place where there is a sort of natural entrance to the hills, a canyon, and there was a guy who wanted to put a development there,'' which Radke opposed. Langley said that one couldn't dislike Kathy Radke. ``She had a very sunny personality, very warm,'' he said. Dylan Radke said after his mother left the Council, she returned to finish her Bachelor's degree at Cal State Hayward. She went on to earn a Master's in Human Development and started working on a second Master's in Public Health when she was recruited by Contra Costa County to do geriatric social work. When he was on the Board of Supervisors, now-Senator Mark DeSaulnier proposed creating a senior peer counseling program and asked Kathy Radke to head it up. ``The program was very successful and become a model for others,'' said Dylan. ``She set up a fabulous peer counseling program that's been copied elsewhere,'' said Radke's friend Harriett Burt. In the mid-90s, Radke was appointed to the John Muir Health Board of Directors and ran for Board of Supervisors, but was defeated by Gail Uilkema. After retiring from her County position a few years ago, Radke started a new career by obtaining her license as a fiduciary conservator. ``Conservators are people who manage the care for people who are unable to do it, older adults who no longer have the capacity to manage their financial affairs,'' said Dylan. ``Conservators are court-appointed and Mom would essentially make sure they are being seen by doctors and bills are being paid, it enabled them to continue to live longer in a home environment.'' In the late '80s, Kathy and Ted Radke helped found the Friends of the Alhambra Creek organization. ``There was concern over the accumulation of debris and trash in the creek and with more development in [Alhambra Valley], also watershed issues. [The founders] were primarily trying to restore the creek to a natural flow and making sure it was healthy for fish, turtles, and of course, beavers,'' said Dylan Radke. ``[Kathy], along with Igor Skaredoff and Jane Moore, those three would organize creek cleanups because they saw the creek as vital to the downtown and [Alhambra] valley ecosystem.'' ``The first time I met [Kathy], Shirley [his wife] and I went to a slide show by the Friends of Alhambra Creek. Several members had hiked to the source, in Briones, and took pictures. That's when we joined FAC, circa 1990,'' Skaredoff said Wednesday in a telephone interview. ``We hit it off and started doing things together like surveys and creek cleanup. Kathy and I designed a little brochure [about the creek]. Kathy also created a creek protection ordinance for the City of Martinez that is still in the General Plan. It's a great legacy from her; it's actually written into the General Plan how to protect [the creek].'' Turning to the more personal attributes of Radke, Skaredoff described Kathy as possessing a great sense of humor. ``Always she could find something to laugh about, something positive. Whenever you were around her you always felt better, she had that way about her,'' said Skaredoff. ``She was a vital force. I'm very happy I met her and our community was so much better off with her in it.'' Jane Moore also became close to Radke after joining the Friends of Alhambra Creek, and later worked on Radke's campaign for the County Board of Supervisors. ``I've been meaning to look up the definition of this word, although it's usually used in a negative way, because Kathy always comes to mind when I hear it: instigator. She was an instigator in the best sense of the word, in the way she got ideas going, got people interested in ideas, instrumental in showing people how to use their best potential,'' said Moore. ``I wouldn't be doing the work I'm doing without her, she inspired me to get my degree. The loss of Kathy Radke is a huge loss to Martinez and Contra Costa County. She was pivotal in so many people's lives, programs and services. She was an incredibly important person, giving and generous.'' Another friend who had known Radke for many years, Sheila Grilli, said described her death as ``such a loss.'' ``We were political cohorts: I ran for City Council when she ran for Mayor. She was fair and well liked, and a happy person. We traveled together a couple of times a year to Mexico and Hawaii--and she was easy to get along with, energetic and open to suggestions. It's hard to imagine that someone as dynamic and interesting is gone,'' said Grilli. Dylan said traveling the world was one of his mother's passions. ``She couldn't do it enough, she been all over the world,'' said Dylan Radke. ``She also loved to camp, especially with the family, and she loved to garden.'' Anyone who has visited the Radke home was witness to Kathy Radke's passion for gardening. When he was young, Dylan said his parents maintained huge planters for kitchen garden crops; about 15 years ago, Kathy transformed the back yard into an Asian-themed wonderland. Besides raising their two biological children, Kathy and Ted Radke served as foster parents to three children. Trying to remember all of his mother's accomplishments, Dylan added that Kathy was also a licensed social worker on top of all her other achievements. ``She passed the social work exam right after I passed the bar,'' to practice law, said Dylan. Dylan's wife Deidre Seguenza said Wednesday afternoon the family had set a date for Kathy's funeral; it will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at St. Catherine's in Martinez. ``She will be greatly missed,'' said Seguenza with heartbreak in her voice.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Mt. Diablo Unified School District, Board of Education Member and former President, Richard ``Dick'' Allen and congratulate him as he approaches his well-earned retirement. Mr. Allen's career in public service demonstrates his lifelong commitment to the students, parents, staff and communities of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, MDUSD, and I am grateful to him for his service to my constituents. For the past 55 years, Mr. Allen has been an excellent teacher, mentor, respected collaborator, student advocate, leader and school board member. He has no doubt nurtured hundreds of students as they developed their skills to become productive leaders and citizens. Mr. Allen's dedication is evidenced in the Dick Allen Award which was named in his honor. This award was established in 2006 to recognize someone or a group of people who have contributed above and beyond to the alternative education students and programs of alternative high schools in MDUSD. The first award was presented to Mr. Allen as he was the original administrator of alternative education programs in the MDUSD and a strong supporter of alternative education in general. This is just one small example of his remarkable leadership and dedication to excellence in education. As Mr. Allen retires, I am pleased to have this opportunity to thank him publically for his service. Our children, their families, and our entire community have benefitted immensely from his work. His is a lasting legacy and I join with his family, colleagues, and friends in congratulating him on a long and highly successful career and wish him a happy and healthy retirement.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, last night, President Obama said that the U.S. stands with the people of Tunisia and supports the democratic aspirations of the people. That has not always been true, however. We've stood for far too long with the undemocratic and the dictatorial Ben Ali, the President of Tunisia. And it is time that we stand, as the President said, with the people of Tunisia now and support their democratic aspirations. The U.S. gets another chance to stand with the democratic aspirations of another people, the people of Egypt, against the autocratic, dictatorial, and undemocratic leadership of Hosni Mubarak. For too long, the U.S. has stood against the people of Egypt seeking a more democratic country and a more democratic government. Every election has been rigged by the Mubarak government, and the state emergency power laws have been extended so that people would be rounded up so his viable opponents would be thrown into jail and political parties would be outlawed. The time has come to stop this. The time has come for the United States to tell the Mubarak government that this election has to be free and open. The sole purpose of the election cannot be to pass on a great country to the son of the current leader in spite of the democratic aspirations of the Egyptian people.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield myself 4 minutes. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 2, the Republican Patients' Rights Repeal Act. The question is just simply fundamental here, whether or not people will be able to have control over their health care needs and their health insurance needs, or whether or not we will go back to the chaos of the previous system that is dictated by the insurance companies where people are thrown off of policies willy nilly, where people are not reimbursed for costs willy nilly, given excuses, paperwork back and forth, where young people are thrown off their parents' policy when they graduate from high school, and whether or not they will have insurance or not, or whether people will have the freedom to make the choices, to have insurance that will cover them, that will get rid of the preexisting conditions that eliminate their coverage, that will get rid of the lifetime caps so that those people who contract cancer or other chronic diseases find out they have run out of insurance at the exact moment they need it. No longer will that be the case under the current law. Now, the choice is to repeal that law and to make it more difficult for small businesses to provide insurance. Since the enactment of the tax credit under this law, we now see that hundreds of thousands of employees have been extended health insurance by small businesses employing 50 workers or less because of that tax credit, a tax credit that is scheduled to increase. So we already see the hundreds of thousands of employees that did not have access to insurance because they worked for small businesses today have insurance. That's not the reporting of the government. That's the reporting of the health insurance companies where people and businesses are making applications for insurance. So what we see now is young people are once again covered and can have the security that they will have health insurance while they go to school or while they start a new job that may not have health insurance with that coverage. We now see that people who may have had a bout of cancer early on know that that will not disqualify them from having insurance as they go out and continue to work to provide for their families. We now see that after 2014 when people change their jobs or they lose their jobs, they will have insurance so they will not have to go to the poor house because of the insurance costs that they will not be able to provide for because they are unemployed. They will not be locked into a job that they don't want. They will be able to be entrepreneurial and go out and seek a new job knowing that they will have health insurance. That's the certainty of this legislation. We can now choose the chaos of the current insurance system. We can choose the chaos of people getting a letter saying you no longer have insurance, getting a letter saying your child is no longer covered, getting a letter saying your premium is up 59 percent, as they did last year in California. We have seen health insurance premiums jump dramatically over the cost of living over the last decade and over the last decade have seen more and more businesses shed coverage for their employees. The Republicans want to believe that there is certainty in that. The Republicans want to believe that that's a comfort to the American working family. The Republicans want to believe that that's a comfort to grandparents who see their grandchildren thrown off their parents' policies. That's not a comfort. What is a comfort is the freedom to know that never again will you have to contest the arbitrary rulings of an insurance company about your preexisting conditions, about the coverage of your child's health care. Never again will you have to contest whether or not you will get help paying for your pharmaceuticals if you are a senior. Never again will you have to pay for preventive medical checkups to try to keep you healthy if you are a senior. That's the certainty that this legislation presents. Last night I had a telephone town hall meeting with over a thousand seniors in my district, and all of them--almost all of them, I would say there were three or four in the call--almost all of them wanted the certainty of knowing they were going to get help with their pharmaceutical payments. They struggle with the doughnut hole. They were appreciative of the $250 check they got last year, and they were appreciative of the help they were going to get paying for their pharmaceuticals this year. That's the certainty that we ought to reject by rejecting repeal of the health care act.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews). (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey), a member of the committee.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa), a member of the committee. (Mr. HINOJOSA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield myself 30 seconds. I would just say to the gentleman from Tennessee it is universally recognized that there was no worse-designed health care plan than TennCare; that all you did was extend the benefits and no cost containment and no pay-fors, and it damn near bankrupted the State. It is also recognized that nowhere have health care costs gone up faster than in the private sector, much faster than Medicare because, once again, there is not much in the way of cost containment. You just reimburse people for the cost. This legislation has cost containment, and that is why CBO says, if you repeal it, you will drive up the short-term deficit to $30 billion and long-term deficit to $1.2 trillion. That is the difference. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy), a member of the committee.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. May I inquire of the Chair how much time is remaining?

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt), a member of the committee.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), a member of the committee.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), a member of the committee.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a member of the committee, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney). (Mr. TIERNEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hirono), a member of the committee. (Ms. HIRONO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews). (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Can I just say to the gentleman from Minnesota, I think I'm starting to understand the physician shortage in the country; most of them are in the Congress, apparently.

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise with my colleagues Congressman John Garamendi, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Congressman Jerry McNerney, and Congressman Pete Stark to recognize East Bay Regional Park District General Manager Pat O'Brien and congratulate him as he approaches his well-earned retirement. Mr. O'Brien's career in public service demonstrates his lifelong commitment to the citizens and communities of the East Bay. We are grateful to him for his service to our constituents. Mr. O'Brien held his first park and recreation job at the age of 13, giving swimming lessons and performing maintenance at a local salt water swimming club. After serving in the U.S. Army, he came back to California where he worked at Southgate Recreation and Park District in the Sacramento area. From 1980 to 1988, he served as Southgate's general manager prior to taking on the same position with the East Bay Regional Park District. For the past 22 years, he has guided the largest regional park agency in the United States, with nearly 108,000 acres of parklands spread across 65 regional parks and over 1,100 miles of trails in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Approximately 14 million visitors a year from throughout the San Francisco Bay area and beyond take advantage of the vast and diverse District parklands and trails. During his tenure, the district has acquired over 40,000 acres of new parklands, adding 17 new parks, doubling the size of 12 existing regional parks, and adding more than 200 miles of new regional trails. He has attracted more than $105 million in matching funds--including this year's historic $10.2 million Tiger II award. He has successfully secured stable funding through ballot measures and by creating assessment districts, and refinanced existing district bonds at lower rates, saving taxpayers over $14 million. Every community in the East Bay has received at least one park, recreation or community center project funded through his efforts. His dedication to serving the public through the parks and recreation procession is the legacy he will leave behind. His career has been guided by the desire to make substantive contributions to society and to people's lives. His firm leadership has helped to preserve the priceless heritage of our region's natural and cultural resources--open space, parks and trails--and to set aside park areas for enjoyment and healthful recreation for current and future generations. Mr. Speaker, we invite our colleagues to join us in honoring General Manager Pat O'Brien for his dedicated service to the people of California and the Bay Area. We are pleased to join with his family, colleagues, and friends in congratulating Pat on a long and highly successful career and wish him a happy and healthy retirement.