Ed Pastor

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, first of all, congratulations on your retirement and the best of luck. I thank you for your friendship while I served in Congress. I stand in support of this bill, and I want to congratulate both my dear friends, the ranking member, Nita Lowey, and the chairman, Harold Rogers, for working many hours on this bill. I am very happy that as we are about to close this session, that we are working on a bill that will keep our government funded and bring some tranquility to the economy of our country for the remainder of fiscal year 2015. I thank them for doing fine work. Over the past 23 years that I have had the honor of being in Congress, for 21 of those years I served on the Appropriations Committee. It was a great opportunity for me and an honor for me to serve with various members on Appropriations to do the best we could to serve our country. Many of us would not have been able to produce the bills and provide for the services without the staff on both sides of the aisle that worked on these appropriations bills. So today, I want to congratulate the current chairman, the ranking member, and thank Chairman Tom Latham for the work he did on the Transportation-HUD bill. And also, it is time for me to thank all of my colleagues for their help and service that they have given this country and the kindness they have shown to me.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments and the impact of Helios Education Foundation on the success of all students in Arizona and Florida. I also want to congratulate Helios Education Foundation on celebrating 10 years of changing lives and strengthening our communities through education. Helios Education Foundation was created in 2004 through the sale and conversion of Southwest Student Services Corporation led by a visionary President and CEO, Vince Roig, and Board of Directors. At the time of the sale, Southwest Student Services was the eighth largest holder of federally-insured student loans in the country. The net proceeds of that sale were used to create the Foundation's initial endowment of $525 million. Since that time and in perpetuity, the Foundation has and continues to be focused on its ultimate goal of creating opportunities for every individual in Arizona and Florida to succeed in postsecondary education. Helios is investing its knowledge, expertise and resources to advance student academic preparedness and to foster college-going cultures in both states. It's through a decade of strategic partnerships and investments that Helios has identified Early Grade Success, College and Career Readiness, and Postsecondary Completion as the three most critical reform priorities needed to ensure student success. In Early Grade Success, Helios is working to ensure that all children enter kindergarten prepared to succeed and read at grade level by the end of third grade. In College and Career Readiness, the Foundation strives to ensure that all high school graduates are prepared to enter the workforce or credit-bearing college courses. And, the organization's work in Postsecondary Completion is focused on helping more traditionally underserved students access, persist and attain a high- quality postsecondary certificate or degree. Helios Education Foundation believes that education is an investment and not an expense and has invested over $155 million in educational initiatives across the full education continuum. To that end, the Foundation has supported the college-going aspirations of more than 135,000 students, provided more than 8,000 scholarships for postsecondary education and provided professional development and training for more than 16,000 educators. Through these and future investments, Helios is laying the foundation for the ongoing economic viability of our communities and paving the way for our students to compete and succeed in a global workforce. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Helios Education Foundation for serving our communities, and in particular, I commend its Founder and Chairman, Vince Roig, for his passion and commitment to this work. In addition, I congratulate Helios Education Foundation's Board of Directors and Staff for the tangible and critical impact the Foundation has had over the past 10 years. Most importantly, I am excited about the long-lasting and transformative change Helios Education Foundation will have on our community in perpetuity through education.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 445 and 446, I was delayed at the office. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Bertha Sepulveda for the honor she is receiving from the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and for her work in serving our community. I first met Ms. Sepulveda when she was my sister's roommate at Arizona State University, and I observed her dedication firsthand when she worked for Maricopa Integrated Health Systems (MIHS) and I was on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. Ms. Sepulveda's leadership and community service career spans over four decades and includes her work as co-founder and President of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Valle del Sol-Phoenix Chapter, as well as her role as co-founder of the Mesa Association of Hispanic Citizens in Mesa, AZ. In tribute to Ms. Sepulveda, for this and for her many years of selfless dedication to improving the health and well being of our community, an annual scholarship is being established in her honor by the National Hispanic Nurses Association. This scholarship will be known as The Bertha Sepulveda Community Service Scholarship and will be awarded to students who show exceptional community involvement, continuing her passion and legacy of serving our community. Early in her career, Ms. Sepulveda served in the United States Air Force, and the Arizona National Guard as a Flight Nurse and First Lieutenant. It was during her service that she developed strong leadership skills as she provided nursing care to patients in the Air Force, in the United States, and abroad. As Senior Vice-President for Marketing and Business Development MIHS, Ms. Sepulveda led strategic planning and outreach, including development of a strong network of community partnerships. During her career at MIHS, she also held the position of Director of Ambulatory Care, where she managed 13 outpatient health centers in Maricopa County and all outpatient clinics at Maricopa Medical Center. Ms. Sepulveda retired from MIHS in 1997, after 28 years of service and dedication. She went on to give six more years of service as Director of Special Projects with Mesa Community College. Ms. Sepulveda has worked as a Public Health Nurse, Outpatient Nurse, Administrator, Senior Executive, Leader, Mentor and Educator. It is without a doubt that Ms. Sepulveda has had a great impact on the health care of the Hispanic community and the uninsured. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in acknowledging Ms. Bertha Sepulveda for receiving this recognition from the National Hispanic Nurses Association in honor of the program development and community service she has performed during her long career, and for her contributions to the health and well being of the Hispanic community in Arizona.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. RV 405-RV 406-- missed due to weather delays; had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Republic of Azerbaijan on its commemoration of Republic Day, a remembrance of an extremely important event in Azerbaijani history. When the Russian Empire collapsed in 1917, it brought chaos to the region. On May 28, 1918, the Muslim National Council adopted a Declaration of Independence, and established an independent Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in the southern and south-eastern Caucasus. Along with the establishment of this Democratic Republic, Azerbaijan adopted several laws, the most famous among these was the establishment of the right to vote for women, a full year before it was adopted in the United States. Azerbaijanis also received the rights to assembly, speech, and religion. This new and leading democracy flourished until it was crushed by a military attack of the Soviet Union in April 1920, and all government institutions of Azerbaijan were abolished. Sadly, it took another 71 years of Russian repression until Azerbaijan could, once again, establish an independent Democracy. Today, we remember the courage and foresight of this independent Democratic Republic and we wish them well for the future.

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Madam Chair, I also agree with the chairman for the reasons he stated. I rise in opposition to this amendment. It would dismantle Amtrak, the only resemblance of a rail system that we have in this Nation. Obviously, we need to work with them, so that Amtrak becomes more efficient, but this amendment would dismantle it, and for that reason, I oppose the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment. It would allow transportation agencies to advance construction projects through the use of local workers. Every year, cities and local communities must contribute their own resources in the form of a local match for projects that receive Federal funds. At a time when many communities are still struggling from the economic distress, it is understandable that these local agencies would want transportation dollars to benefit local workers and benefits businesses. It will help ensure construction and operation jobs contribute to the local economic development within the cities and towns where the transportation projects exist, instead of outsourcing jobs to other countries or States. Madam Chairman, I support the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Madam Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment. This Amtrak route, the Sunset Limited, runs through 8 States, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and if we start picking lines, individual lines in terms of terminating, what we begin doing is a downward spiral for the demise of Amtrak. So, for the reasons that I want to ensure that my colleague from Texas, his constituents are able to travel on this line, as well as the ones from Arizona, I rise in opposition. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Madam Chairwoman, I also rise in strong opposition to this amendment. First of all, this amendment violates a collective bargaining agreement that has been negotiated by the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies within the Department of Transportation and HUD. For example, there are three groups at FAA that utilize official time: air traffic controllers, the inspectors, and the technicians that repair the air traffic control system. Official time has been helpful in allowing controllers and technicians to participate in workgroups with the FAA management team to advance NextGen technologies, which all of us are supportive of. It is critical to modernize our air traffic control system. I oppose this amendment because it would violate collective bargaining contracts, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Madam Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment. This amendment solves a problem that does not exist. Currently, the FHA requires a Social Security number and legal citizenship for all insured loans. FHA does not allow for individual taxpayer identification numbers to be used for mortgages. What this amendment does is create uncertainty in the FHA underwriting process. It would allow FHA to use individual taxpayer identification numbers only with loans on investment properties. The FHA has already addressed this issue, and this amendment would create unintended consequences. I oppose the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. I rise in support of this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Madam Chair, I oppose this amendment. Again, the levels provided for salaries and expenses at HUD in the base bill are insufficient. As it is, the funding level in this bill will require HUD to furlough its personnel in these offices for up to 90 days. Nearly all will be under a hiring freeze. This amendment would increase the number of furlough days required and would lead to reductions in force. At these levels, HUD's ability to carry out its mission would be jeopardized. I oppose the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Madam Chair, I oppose the amendment. The levels provided for salaries and expenses at HUD in the base bill are insufficient. Many offices will need to furlough or terminate employees to make these levels work, and this amendment would aggravate this problem further. As it is, the funding level in this bill will require HUD to furlough its personnel in this office for 12 days. This amendment would increase the number of furlough days required. At these levels, HUD's ability to carry out their mission would be jeopardized. I oppose the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Madam Chairman, we rise also in opposition to this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PASTOR of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, just to remind my colleagues, this bill is $1.8 billion below the 2014 bill in spending. We had a number of our colleagues speak about the lack of funding for their particular programs, and throughout this evening, we are going to have other speakers talk about the lack of funding and programs. This amendment would cut programs in transportation and housing, without any thought to the relative merit of the programs contained in the bill, so for that reason, I would oppose this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.