Ed Pastor

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. I also rise in opposition to the amendment and oppose the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment. This account renews long-term housing assistance contracts and the number varies from year to year. The amount needed to renew these contracts depends on how many agreements HUD entered into years ago, not the number we renewed last year. Reducing the funds in this account will threaten the viability of these units if the funding is not preserved. I oppose the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. I move to strike the last word.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I am in agreement with Chairman Latham that this is an authorizing issue, and it would cause great damage, especially to those contracts that are already in place, and for that reason, I am in opposition to the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. I rise in opposition to the amendment. MAP-21 required the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to review whether the minimum insurance requirements for trucks and buses were sufficient. This would freeze insurance claims at the current level. DOT is conducting a rulemaking to further evaluate the appropriate level of the financial responsibility. We ought to let the process go forward. I oppose the amendment and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio).

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. I agree with the chairman's interpretation of the amendment because public authorities have their own employees which they hire and are not HUD employees. They receive money from HUD in grants, but that does not make the public authority employees HUD employees. And as I understand the amendment as read and explained, this amendment would only affect HUD and its employees, and it is too broad. It would not meet what the inspector general was trying to do in trying to limit public authorities from hiring outside counsel. So I rise in opposition to the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chair, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment. The amendment prohibits HUD from implementing a new rule that was published in the Federal Register on July 19, 2013. The rule provides more data to local communities to comply with the Fair Housing Act and carry out their duties under the Fair Housing Act. The rule does not change the statutory obligations of communities. It does not create social engineering, but rather asks for a more comprehensive report. The Fair Housing Act has been law for the past 45 years, and this rule does not change that law. This rule simply provides communities with more data to comply with their existing duties under the law. I support fair housing, and I oppose the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Grayson).

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham).

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 178 & 179--I missed votes due to weather delay at airport. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing a small business owner from Arizona's Seventh Congressional District who has left his indelible mark on the Phoenix Metropolitan Area through his much-beloved ``Johnnie's Chicago Red Hots'' restaurant. Chang Duk Huh, also known as ``Johnnie,'' was born in Seoul, South Korea, on February 25, 1953. The eighth of nine children, Chang immigrated to the United States in 1976. By 1978 he and his wife, Hae, settled in the greater Phoenix area where the couple raised their two daughters. Chang and Hae purchased ``Johnnie's Chicago Red Hots'' in August of 1985 from its original owner, Johnnie Dieffenbach. In business now for nearly three decades, Johnnie's restaurant is best known for its 100 percent Vienna beef, Chicago-style hot dogs- complete with mustard, onions, neon relish, tomatoes, pickles, celery salt and sport peppers-encased in a steamed poppy seed bun and served with a side of homemade French fries. The dogs have been featured in a variety of local news publications over the years, including The Arizona Republic and the Phoenix New Times ``Best of'' issue. What started out as a tiny three-table restaurant with a handful of bar stools became a Phoenix mainstay that has been frequented by many prominent community figures such as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Phoenix Suns Coach Jeff Hornacek, and sports executive Jerry Colangelo. What really defines the heart and soul of this small mom-and-pop shop, however, has been its loyal patrons through the years. Chang and his wife, Hae, take great pride in their product (Chang has eaten a hot dog for lunch every day for almost 30 years), and the couple has a strong love and appreciation for their customers. They have strived to provide quality food and great service with a smile. They have found great joy in making their customers happy. I have been one of those happy customers, not just because of the quality food and service, but also because they have allowed me, as their Congressman, to watch them grow their restaurant into a well- respected and thriving eatery. Small businesses are the heart of America's local economies and they are critical for our Nation's strength. Immigrants have especially driven entrepreneurship and job creation throughout the country, and Chang and Hae are a perfect example of this. After nearly three decades in business, the establishment sadly closed its doors on February 27, 2014. In recognition of their success, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Chang Duk Huh and his wife, Hae.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my condolences to the people of Azerbaijan who, on January 20, remember ``Black January.'' On January 19, 1990, the Soviet Union declared a ``State of Emergency'' in Baku and other parts of Azerbaijan, in an attempt to suppress further movements towards independence. In the middle of the night and into January 20, some 26,000 Soviet troops moved into Baku brutalizing and randomly killing the civilian population as they proceeded. Over one hundred Azeris were killed and up to 800 were injured. This brutality, far from crushing the Azerbaijani spirit, steeled their resolve and on October 18, 1991, the Azerbaijan Parliament declared the country's independence, which it retains today. Azerbaijan had always shown a special desire to be independent. With the fall of the Russian Empire in 1918, Azerbaijan declared its independence and granted voting rights for women, a full year before American women were enfranchised. Today, Azerbaijan is the only former Russian Republic which does not have foreign troops stationed on its soil. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the events of ``Black January'' and the Azeri determination that led to the independent Republic of Azerbaijan we know today.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to pay tribute to a Phoenix community leader and businessman, who for 20 years now has given back to his community by providing complimentary breakfasts to thousands of individuals at his McDonald's restaurant on Thanksgiving Day. Mr. Julian Nabozny, a native of Argentina whose family moved to Chicago when he was 13, went to high school and college in Illinois and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He became a high school teacher, mainly so he could pursue his first love--soccer--but soon learned he could not survive on a coach's salary. When he learned McDonald's was looking for prospective Hispanic owners, he took a shot and worked his way up from three establishments in Chicago to now owning five restaurants in Phoenix. Since he moved to Phoenix in the early 1990s, Mr. Nabozny has built his restaurants to offer more than just a family experience; they have become local community centers. Besides providing thousands of free breakfasts on Thanksgiving Day, his McDonald's stores have provided free community resources, such as information about health insurance, immigration laws, or free mammograms. He has become a trusted leader whose voice lends help to important causes in the Hispanic community. He was recently honored as the 2012 Man of the Year at ``La Noche de Amistad (The Night of Friendship)'', an event organized by Phoenix 1190 AM Radio and Mujeres Unicas, a Spanish-language radio program, for donating much of his time and personal finances to help those less fortunate. In 2000, he won the National Restaurant Association's Cornerstone Humanitarian Award. In addition, Mr. Nabozny has been a member of the McDonald's Board of Directors; president of Chicago McDonald's Hispanic Owners Association; treasurer, vice president, and president of the national McDonald's Hispanic Owners Association; chair of the company's Hispanic Marketing Committee; a leader in McDonald's Hispanic Scholarship Program; and is a member of the company's Arizona Board of Directors. He is also the Arizona/Nevada representative to the McDonald's National Hispanic Board of Directors. As he has grown his business, Mr. Nabozny has built his restaurants to reflect the diversity of the neighborhoods in which they are located. He features Aztec-inspired artwork and a Talavera mosaic from Puebla, Mexico in his Phoenix restaurants, among other cultural features. Mr. Nabozny has said that he believes God saved his life three times on separate occasions. Those incidents reinforced his drive to help those who are less fortunate. By providing free Thanksgiving Day breakfasts and other resources to the Phoenix community, he has provided physical nourishment, and in many cases, spiritual nourishment, to thousands of his fellow human beings. I have had a longstanding friendship with Mr. Nabozny and I admire him greatly. Therefore, on the occasion of the 20th year he plans to provide free Thanksgiving breakfasts, and to show him our deep appreciation, I ask my colleagues today to help me pay tribute to my friend and a great community leader, Mr. Julian Nabozny.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and contributions of the legendary Phoenix artist, community activist, and my personal friend, J. Eugene Grigsby, Jr. He passed from this life on June 9, 2013 and will be remembered at a memorial service on October 19th at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix. Dr. Grigsby was an African American artist recognized nationally and internationally as one of America's premier art educators. He was a friend and supporter who spent his life painting, educating, and working as a tireless advocate for community based art programs and social justice. Dr. Grigsby served on the faculty of Arizona State University (ASU) for 22 years, from 1966-1988. Prior to accepting that post, he had a long history in the Phoenix public school system. He was recruited to Phoenix in 1946 to establish an Art Department at the segregated Carver High School, which closed following the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education landmark decision. Dr. Grigsby then went to Phoenix Union High School where he again taught Art and served as Chair of the Art Department. He would often let his students pile into his old blue station wagon and take them on field trips to Native American reservations, galleries and even to the home of Frank Lloyd Wright. Jefferson Eugene Grigsby, Jr., was born in Greensboro, NC, on October 17, 1918. His family settled in Charlotte, NC, when he was 12 years old. Upon graduation from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, in 1938, Eugene attended the American Artists School in New York City. Thereafter, Eugene graduated with a Master's degree in Art Education from Ohio State University in 1940. While teaching at Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, he met and married Rosalyn Thomasena Marshall. In 1942, Eugene volunteered for service in World War II, serving in the European Theater under the 3rd Army's General George Patton. In 1963, Dr. Grigsby received his Ph.D. from New York University. In 1966, he was awarded the National Gallery of Art's 25th Anniversary Medallion of Merit and in 1992 was inducted into the Arizona History Makers the first year the award was presented. Dr. Grigsby was a prominent member of the National Art Education Association and was a co-founder of its Committee on Multicultural Concerns-which established the J. Eugene Grigsby, Jr. Award for Service to Education in his honor. Dr. Grigsby also served on numerous boards and professional organizations in the Phoenix community; including, the Arizona Art Education Association; President, Booker T. Washington Child Development Center; Founder and Chair, Coalition of Black Artists and Others for the Arts (COBA); Chair, ABC/Az-Artists of the Black Community; Arizona Opportunities Industrialization Center; Neighborhood Housing Services of Phoenix; the Garfield Neighborhood Association; and the ASU Performing Arts Board. Eugene Grigsby's art can be seen in private and public collections around the world, including the Library of Congress, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Phoenix Art Museum, and Arizona State University. In December 2012, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton presented the inaugural Mayor's Arts Award for outstanding visual artist to Dr. Grigsby. After his death, the Award was named in his honor. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply honored to have known Eugene Grigsby and to have had some of his artwork hang in my congressional district office. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing his many contributions to Phoenix and the global community. We have lost a great artist, teacher, mentor, community activist, and friend. I extend my condolences to his siblings, his sons, his extended family and to all in the Phoenix arts community.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Here we go again. This week, the House has considered bill after bill to fund pieces of the Federal Government. We can open the entire government if the House would simply pass the clean continuing resolution passed by the Senate nearly 2 weeks ago. Instead, we are considering a bill to fund the Federal Aviation Administration, but we are leaving many other agencies within the Department of Transportation in shutdown status. I strongly support the mission of the FAA. The controllers, technicians, and safety inspectors are highly skilled and dedicated public servants. However, I cannot support this piecemeal approach to funding our transportation system. For example, 94 percent of the Federal Transit Administration's employees are furloughed. More than 1,300 transit agencies across the country are not receiving grants for capital and operating assistance. No funds are provided for the Capital Investment Grant Program, which helps create construction jobs and relieves congestion in our major cities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's vehicle safety program is shut down. Defects in cars and trucks are not being investigated. Crash tests and safety rulemakings have been suspended. What about assistance for Amtrak? Operating and capital assistance is discontinued at a time when more than 30 million passengers rely on Amtrak to get to destinations all over this country. The Maritime Security Program gets no relief in this piecemeal approach. This program provides vital support by helping move the cargo that is necessary to support our national defense efforts overseas. Finally, the National Transportation Safety Board has furloughed most of its employees. Investigations into last week's tragic bus crash in Tennessee will go undone. Today, we reported a gas explosion in Oklahoma, which would be the responsibility of this agency to investigate. Will it be investigated? Probably not--only because of the shutdown. The reckless and irresponsible shutdown that has been masterminded by a small faction of the House is disruptive for our Nation's transportation system and for the programs that support our most vulnerable citizens. For this reason, Mr. Speaker, I would ask for opposition to this piecemeal approach to this piece of legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.