Loretta Sanchez

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, as a conferee and senior member of the House Armed Forces Committee, due to unforeseen health complications, I was unable to sign the Conference Report to H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act of FY2013 on December 18, 2012. If I had the opportunity to sign the Conference Report to H.R. 4310, I would have signed it.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about World Alzheimer's Action Day and am thrilled to see this disease receiving the attention it deserves. I look forward to the day when a cure can become a reality for millions of Americans and their families who are living with Alzheimer's disease. There is still much to be done to eradicate this disease, but today we can say we have the first ever National Alzheimer's Plan, which is a step in the right direction. Throughout my time in Congress, a cure for Alzheimer's disease has been a top priority on my agenda. As a member of the Alzheimer's Congressional Task Force, I will continue to work with my colleagues and advocate for research that will lead us to a cure. As some of you may know, my father suffers from Alzheimer's so this fight is personal to me. Thank you to all of you who are taking part in the fight against Alzheimer's. By working together, we can and will end this disease.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, in celebration of Taiwan's National Day on October 10th, fondly referred to as Double Ten Day. Since its formation, Taiwan has rapidly industrialized and now boasts the 19th largest economy in the world. Taiwan remains important to the United States in its advocacy of fair democratic values across the world and its success in sustaining a dynamic multi-party system revealing its commitment to protecting political rights and freedoms. In troubled times such as these, it is also gratifying to know that there are countries that continue to put forth efforts that provide constructive solutions for highly divisive issues. Instead of exacerbating tensions with China, Taiwan has pursued positive relations with China by promoting economic trade. Taiwan has continued to maintain its own independent and democratic form of government, vibrant culture, and booming commerce. Once again, I would like to share in Taiwan's celebration on their National Day.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Thank you to Chairwoman Ros- Lehtinen and to Ranking Member Berman and to the committee for bringing this resolution to the House floor. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan is a democracy activist, and he's also a member of a democracy activist organization here called Viet Tan. On April 17 of this year, an American citizen--yes, Dr. Nguyen is an American citizen--was arrested at Saigon Airport by the Vietnamese authorities, and he was charged with terrorism for 4 months for possessing educational documents on leadership skills and on nonviolent political activism. How can possession of educational documents be considered terrorism? Last month, the Vietnamese Government decided to change Dr. Nguyen's crime from terrorism to subversion, despite having no grounds for either one of those two things. Democracy activists such as Paulus Le Son, Ho Duc Hoa, Dan Xuan Dieu all have been detained under article 79, which penalizes ``carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people's administration.'' When you're charged with article 79 in Vietnam, it carries a maximum of the death penalty. Father Nguyen Van Ly; Nguyen Van Hai, more commonly known as blogger Dieu Cay; and Phan Thanh Hai are all charged, for example, with article 88, which penalizes conducting propaganda against the state. And that carries a maximum sentence of 12 years. So what does House Resolution 484 do? It addresses these very vague national security provisions, and it calls on the Government of Vietnam to cease abusing provisions such as articles 79 and 88. Using those articles to arrest peaceful democracy advocates, I believe, is blatant human rights violations. Vietnam is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil Rights and Political Rights. However, Vietnam has yet to become a responsible member of the international community. Consistently, the Vietnamese Government has denied its citizens the freedoms of religion, of opinion, of speech, of assembly, of the right to counsel, of a fair trial. How does this government expect to gain the respect of the international community when they refuse to treat their citizens with the same respect? House Resolution 484 condemns the Government of Vietnam for its continued crackdown against democracy activists and calls on Vietnam to repeal articles 79 and 88. It also calls for release of all political prisoners, writers, and bloggers that the only thing they've asked is to have a more open process, to have some civil rights, to have some human rights, to be able to discuss with each other a new way forward. As Americans, we pride ourselves on being a country that stands by freedom, by liberty, and by justice. And as Members of this United States Congress, we have a responsibility. Other countries are watching us. We have a responsibility to stand up and to take steps and to say enough is enough. As the Government of Vietnam continues to criminalize individual rights, as it criminalizes basic freedoms, I believe this is an indication that Vietnam is not interested in being a responsible member of the international community. We, the United States, need to examine our economic and our military relationships with Vietnam. We must insist on changes to human rights in that country. I urge my colleagues to vote for House Resolution 484 to protect the rights and the freedoms of the citizens of Vietnam; and in doing so, we protect the rights and freedoms of every citizen in this world.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the achievements of VietBao Daily News. They are celebrating their 20th anniversary in the Vietnamese American community. For 20 years, VietBao Daily News has served its readers with comprehensive news, current affairs, as well as information from the broader community and from Vietnam. VietBao Daily News is also a venue for the Vietnamese people to preserve the Vietnamese language and cultural values through the Writing on America Award initiative. This is a writing competition that they hold every year that allows the Vietnamese American community to write short stories about their experiences, whether their experiences are those of coming over from Vietnam or of their experiences here. They judge it. They have winners. Then they make a compilation of these written stories. It's for the archives. It's for the future. It's for their community to understand where they come from. It's also for the broader American community to understand. So I would like to congratulate all of the winners and the participants of the 2012 Writing on America and Teen Writing awards for submitting so many incredible stories, some of which I have had the opportunity to read. Again, congratulations to your staff and for your dedication towards the community on this 20th anniversary.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, over two thousand years ago, the Greeks began a series of competitions that would develop into an international tradition of incredible scale. The Olympic Games serve as an opportunity to demonstrate athletic and mental ability, strength, and spirit for both individuals and nations. The Olympics bring millions of diverse people together, all with one hope: to see their country win. For our Nation, the Olympic Games help us to find our common ground and allow us to come together to support the young men and women who represent our great country. I am honored to recognize the outstanding individuals from Orange County that will represent our Nation this summer in London, England. For their patriotism and excellence in athletics, I'd like to recognize JW Kumpholz (Water Polo), Courtney Mathewson (Water Polo), Lauren Wenger (Water Polo), Samuel Mikulak (Gymnastics), Tyler Clary (Swimming), Kate Ziegler (Swimming), Russell Holmes (Volleyball), David Lee (Volleyball), Paul Lotman (Volleyball), David Smith (Volleyball), Donald Suxho (Volleyball), Brian Thorton (Volleyball), David McKienzie (Volleyball), Clay Stanley (Volleyball), Sean Rooney (Volleyball), Danielle Scott (Volleyball), Jordan Larson (Volleyball), Matt Anderson (Volleyball), and Reid Priddy (Volleyball). We are all proud of you. Thank you again, and good luck to each of you. Bring home the gold for Team U.S.A.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate recently appointed President Mildred Garcia of the California State University system's Fullerton campus. President Garcia currently serves on the Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, and she was appointed to that by President Obama. Previously serving as the 11th female president for California State University, Dominguez Hills, President Garcia became the first Latina president within the California State University system in 2007. She began her career as an educator. She's still an educator, still teaching at Cal State, Fullerton, while having the presidency, also. She is a scholar. President Garcia focuses much of her research on fairness for higher education policy and practice, and she has authored many books on this subject. I wish her great success in her new position and, again, congratulations, Millie.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my Republican colleagues to move beyond the attacks on health care for Americans and to move forward by getting our country back to work. The majority thinks that it's a badge of honor to claim that it will have had 31 votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act. I completely disagree. They will have voted 31 times to strip patients of basic protections. They will have voted 31 times to reverse the progress made by the Affordable Care Act, including protecting up to 17 million children who now have coverage even if they have preexisting conditions. In fact, the 31st vote that we will take is nothing more than a reaction to Chief Justice John Roberts' opinion that the law is constitutional. Yet the GOP continues to dispute this. Let's move on. If they were serious, they would have presented us with a plan 31 votes ago to help us fix any flaws that this law may have. So I plead for the 31st time: let's get back to work.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and recognize Jackie Jenkins of Westminster, California, who was recently selected as one of the California School Employees Association's (CSEA) top five Members of the Year. She will receive the award at the 86th Annual CSEA conference later this year. Mrs. Jenkins has served the Westminster School District for over 25 years as a parent, through the PTA, in many classified positions, and currently as the School Office Manager at the largest elementary school in the district. Throughout her career, Mrs. Jenkins has exemplified professional service to parents, students, and staff. Not only does she expertly manage the school's office, but she is a mentor to others and her high standards of service are an example for other classified employees in the school district. Mrs. Jenkins also consistently brings out the best in each and every student. She listens to them read, encourages to them to be better classmates, and even helps students carefully place their first lost tooth in a special container. It's clear to everyone she encounters that Mrs. Jenkins is a sensitive and caring confidant to all. In addition to being a consummate office manager, Mrs. Jenkins serves as the CSEA President. In this role, she has motivated others to serve in CSEA and built the capacity of the organization so it can continue to ensure the success of every student in the school district. According to her school principal, Linda Reed, and her many supportive colleagues at the Westminster School District, Mrs. Jenkins is a positive person that has a great sense of humor, and always encourages everyone to be the best they can be. Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues will join me in congratulating Mrs. Jenkins on this award and thank her for her humble service and dedication to ensuring that our children receive a rich and rewarding education.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss my vote on H.R. 436, the Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2011. As many of my colleagues know, I helped lead the charge throughout the 2010 healthcare debate to ensure the medical device industry was not overly burdened by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). During negotiations on the final healthcare bill, I made it a point to argue that overly taxing the medical device industry would stump innovation, affect patient care quality and burden an already struggling job market. When we came together to discuss health care reform, we agreed that it was necessary for everyone to contribute in order to ensure a successful outcome. That is why I fought tirelessly, within my own caucus, to make sure the bill was responsible in the way Congress paid for the legislation. As we approach the 2014 deadline of final implementation for ACA, many uncertainties have arisen from both the general public and business community. The Republican Majority has addressed this growing concern with an onslaught on key revenue provisions of the ACA. In fact, they have paid for those repeals by targeting programs from those individuals who need ACA the most. For that reason, I was forced to vote against H.R. 436, which CBO estimated, if enacted, could remove over 350,000 individuals off of health care. Given that many of my constituents rely on the health care benefits provided by the ACA, I could not support this bill as written. However, as the full implementation moves forward, I will continue to monitor the effects of this legislation on the medical device industry. If the capacity that is anticipated to flood the markets does not become realized, I am ready and willing to work with the medical device industry to unburden them of any unnecessary taxes, while responsibly ensuring that the rest of the ACA moves forward.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, my amendment is simple. Let us combat human trafficking and child exploitation. My amendment would take $40 million from the Detention and Removal Operations and transfer those funds to the Office of Investigations to support antichild exploitation and trafficking initiatives. ICE is one of the key global partners aimed at dismantling criminal infrastructures engaged in child exploitation. These special agents are in many countries throughout the world and in the United States, and I have had the opportunity to meet with them overseas where child exploitation is rampant, such as in Thailand and Cambodia. That is why I would like to increase the funding to combat child exploitation, and I am requesting $40 million be transferred to them. The funds are coming from an account that is $70 million over the President's budget. I didn't even take all of that excess. I'm just asking for $40 million, leaving roughly $30 million over the President's budget in ICE Detention and Removal Operations. With women and girls accounting for over 80 percent of the people trafficked throughout the world, including within the United States, this issue is something that is very close to my heart, and I have been a vocal advocate to stop and combat sex exploitation trafficking. My district represents the largest Vietnamese population in the world outside of Vietnam. The fact is that most of the human trafficking victims originate from Asia. I have a responsibility to the people I represent to seek out ways to ensure that ICE can combat child exploitation globally since it impacts us locally. In fact, in Cambodia, brothel owners pay traffickers anywhere from $350 to $450 for each attractive Vietnamese virgin 16 years or younger. Nonvirgins and those considered less beautiful are trafficked for about $150 apiece. I am asking the chairman to join me in this outrage that these things still happen in our modern world, and more often than not, they occur in our own districts here in the United States. The only way to eradicate child exploitation is to stand together to protect every child's right to be free from victimization. We can all work towards eliminating child exploitation by ensuring that we have people who combat this and by putting this money into this account. We need to give those people on the front line the tools to stop this. I thank the chairman for the time, and I ask him to support my amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment to increase funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration's defense nonproliferation program by $16 million. This is a small restoration of funds, and it would restore the Global Threat Reduction Initiative to our fiscal year '12 levels. It's really just a small increase in funds, but it will go a long way, in particular for the President's top national security priorities. The $16 million would come from the Department's administration account. Specifically, this $16 million transfer would restore half of the funds that had been cut from the Global Threat Reduction Initiative to counter the risk of nuclear terrorism. The danger that nuclear weapons and materials might spread to countries that are hostile to us or to terrorists who want to use these against us is one of the gravest dangers that we have to the United States. Nonproliferation programs are one of the least expensive ways, and they're critical for U.S. national security, and they must be a top priority. It's our line of first defense. It is the most cost-effective way to achieve the most urgent of goals, which is securing and reducing the amount of vulnerable bomb-grade material. The funding for the Global Threat Reduction Initiative specifically supports securing vulnerable nuclear material around the world in 4 years, in order to prevent this deadly material from falling into the hands of terrorists who are intent on doing us harm. And let me give you a specific example of why this is so important. Increasing the funds would help accelerate the conversion of research reactors and the removal of vulnerable highly enriched uranium. The need to accelerate those important efforts can be seen, for example, in the example of Belarus, which had enough HEU for several nuclear weapons, and agreed, in 2010, to give up this material. Now, the NNSA cleaned out a portion of that material; but in 2011, Belarus reneged on its agreement because it was angry at the imposition of U.S. sanctions on that regime. There is still a significant amount of highly enriched uranium that sits there in Belarus. It could have been cleaned out by the NNSA if it had had 5 more months before Belarus said no. This illustrates why it's so important for us to put the money in to go and clean these places up before people decide or new regimes come in and all of a sudden we can't get to what is very dangerous materials for us. We can't squander the opportunities to move forward on this urgent priority. The 9/11 Commission and the Nuclear Posture Commission noted that the addressing of this issue is important. This is a grave danger, with the Nuclear Posture Commission warning that ``the urgency arises from the imminent danger of nuclear terrorism if we pass a tipping point in nuclear proliferation.'' I urge support for a very modest increase of $16 million that will significantly help us reduce the dangerous delays to these very important nonproliferation programs. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the achievements of Asian and Pacific Americans and their invaluable contributions to the American family. It is a privilege to represent an extremely diverse district in Orange County, where many Asian Pacific Americans call home. As a Member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, CAPAC, I am a proud co-sponsor of House Resolution 621, recognizing May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It is also a time to honor the rich traditions and immense contributions Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have made to our nation. May is also Older Americans Month, a time where we recognize older adults and show our appreciation for their guiding wisdom and commitment to our communities. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge an extraordinary APIA community member from Orange County for his distinguished contributions to enhancing the moral fabric of my district, the state of California, and our country. Mr. Pu Hwi Cho has been an active and dedicated community leader in Orange County for over 30 years. Mr. Cho proudly served during the Korean War and continues to be an active member of the Korean American community by volunteering for a number of nonprofit organizations that assist Korean immigrants through the U.S. citizenship process. Through his tireless efforts, Mr. Cho has encouraged many Korean American seniors to be active members of their community through civic participation.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the achievements of Asian and Pacific Americans and their invaluable contributions to the American family. It is a privilege to represent an extremely diverse district in Orange County, where many Asian Pacific Americans call home. As a Member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), I am a proud co-sponsor of House Resolution 621, recognizing May as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It is also a time to honor the rich traditions and immense contributions Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have made to our nation. May is also Older Americans Month, a time where we recognize older adults and show our appreciation for their guiding wisdom and commitment to our communities. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge three extraordinary APIA community members from Orange County for their distinguished contributions that have enhanced the moral fabric of my district, the state of California, and our country. Arts and music play an instrumental role in preserving and promoting the Vietnamese American culture. I would like to honor Mr. Tu Cong Phung, a renowned musician. Composer Phung arrived in the United States in 1980, as a boat refugee from Vietnam. His romantic music captures the essence of love that has become an integral part of Vietnamese music-lovers across for over 50 years. Mr. Minh Tam Nguyen is a businessman, educator, and a veteran. Mr. Nguyen and his family immigrated to America in 1975 and began serving the community as a social worker in California. Mr. Nguyen founded Tam's Beauty Salon and Tam's Beauty Colleges and has educated over 25,000 students during his career and is proud to serve the Orange County immigrant community.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Older Americans Month. And I want to address an issue that is incredibly important to seniors, that is, caring for seniors with chronic illness and preventing unnecessary hospitalizations. Madam Speaker, skilled home care providers in my district deliver high-quality and clinically effective care. Such care enables seniors to stay in their homes, rather than costing us by putting them out of their homes and into nursing homes. Unfortunately, a narrow sliver of operators within the Medicare home health program are tarnishing the good work of these dedicated, compassionate, and skilled professionals. MedPAC has found that a small number of criminals in just 25 counties are ripping off Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers. Since we know the source of this abuse, it makes the most sense to isolate it and go after it, rather than indiscriminately cutting payments to thousands of home care providers that do the right thing by seniors and taxpayers. So let's reform the way we do this. Let's not cut off the people who do good work.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Chairman, I thank our ranking member for the time, and I also want to thank Mr. Turner, our chairman on the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, for his leadership, and all of the members who work on the Strategic Forces Subcommittee for all of their work and contributions to this year's mark. I think that there are a lot of issue areas that we can agree upon, especially in the Strategic Forces Committee, to make our Nation stronger and to really look after our nuclear arsenal. I think there are particular provisions that I really like in this bill, for example, the cost effective and accountability on some of these things. And supporting nuclear nonproliferation, for example, is a very important issue, and I think this bill does a good job on that. Maintaining a safe and secure and reliable nuclear arsenal, I think that is also important. Fully authorizing the environmental cleanup that we have to do related to these activities, that is also included in this bill. Increasing the regional missile defense systems that we have that protect our troops when they are, for example, in Europe, when they're deployed, and also our allies for the short- and medium- range missile attacks that might happen, protecting long-term and cost- effective investments in our military space assets, these are all areas that we have agreed upon. However, I am extremely concerned about some of the other issue areas where we do not agree. For example, provisions that impede nuclear weapons reductions, I think that is incredibly important to allow the administration to move forward, not only with New START Treaty, but also to look at other ways in which we can bring down our arsenal if we don't need it. The governance and management reforms that will undermine independent oversight related to health and safety, including nuclear safety.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. I thank my ranking member. These are very important to our people who work in this arena. What is their safety going to be when they're working with nuclear weapons in the complexes that we have? I think that the standards and the way, the management way that the Republicans like to do are going to probably cause some inconsistent standards in protecting our workers-- and risk people's lives, quite frankly. Increasing funding for nuclear weapons by more than $400 million over the President's budget request when our own Pentagon didn't want that, or increasing funding for the ground-based midcourse defense program by over $350 million while there are still test failures going out, when we have had 9 of 17 tests fail on us, then I don't think we should be continuing to invest in the same system. We should look and try to take care and find out what went wrong. I look forward to trying to work these things out in the conference.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of National Teacher Appreciation Day. Let us honor all of our teachers for their passion and dedication to educating America's future. Today, I would like to recognize Mrs. Pam Krey, a resident of the district that I represent, who has dedicated her life to education. Before launching her Anaheim Union High School District career as an administrator for 25 years, she taught at all levels in the Anaheim City School District. Mrs. Krey has said: The single most important thing we can do for our students is to create a place for high levels of learning that is safe, caring, and focused on developing the academic and social skills that can take them to whatever their goals and dreams may be. In addition to serving as principal, Mrs. Krey also served the community of Anaheim in Orange County. She's an active member of the Anaheim Police Chief's Advisory Board, the Cops 4 Kids Board, and Youth Leadership of America. She has received numerous awards throughout the years, including Teacher of the Year, Special Education Friend of Education, the Outstanding Contribution to Education Award from the Orange County Department of Education, and Disney's Community Services Award. Mrs. Krey will be retiring at the end of this academic year as principal from the very school she attended as a teenager. I encourage everyone to thank their teachers today.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the accomplishments and contributions of a visionary in higher education, Dr. James L. Doti, on the start of his third decade as President of Chapman University. Dr. Doti has devoted his academic career to Chapman University and has transformed it from a small local college to a prominent nationally ranked university. Under his leadership, Chapman University has attracted exceptional faculty and students, including international and national award winners, noted scholars, best-selling authors, highly respected researchers and world-renowned performers. Dr. Doti is an accomplished and active scholar, having published numerous articles, co-authoring two textbooks and serving as co-editor of a collection of readings in private enterprise. Among his many accolades, Dr. Doti has received the George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and has been inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. In addition, Dr. Doti has played a critical role in establishing the School of Law and the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman, both of which have achieved national distinction in their fields. I congratulate President Doti on his exemplary service to higher education and wish him continued success.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the Christening and Launch of the United States Navy Ship Cesar E. Chavez. May 5, 2012, will mark a historical tribute to Chavez as the United States Navy christens a new dry cargo, ammunition ship in his honor in San Diego, California. For my colleagues who may not be familiar with the ship's namesake, let me explain who he is. Cesar Chavez has been a symbol of civil rights and fair treatment for workers both within the Latino community, and beyond. However, he was not only a labor leader; Cesar enlisted in the U.S. Navy and proudly served his country throughout the Western Pacific. Born in the southwest town of Yuma, Arizona on March 31, 1927, Chavez was a first generation American. Like many Mexican-Americans at that time, Cesar Chavez labored in the fields of California farms where he witnessed, firsthand, the injustices and severe conditions of farm worker life. From his experiences, Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association; which later became the United Farm Workers of America. As a policy leader and advocate; Chavez impacted many lives with his commitment and dedication to the movement. Chavez empowered an entire generation and continues to inspire millions of Americans. Last year, I introduced House Resolution 404, which recognizes the service and sacrifice of Latino members of the Armed Forces as well as Latino veterans. I wish to remember these war heroes, including Cesar E. Chavez, and the stalwart and selfless service of all Latinos who served their country in the 70 years after the start of WWII. Today, we celebrate and pay tribute to Cesar Chavez, a man whom Senator Robert F. Kennedy described as ``one of the heroic figures of our time.'' Throughout this great nation; many parks, streets, schools and cultural centers have been named in his honor. In my district alone, there is Cesar Chavez Campesino Park and Cesar Chavez High School, both located in Santa Ana, California. Though not yet a federal holiday, California is proud to be one of only eight states to recognize March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day; A day dedicated to honoring a man of vision, a man that inspired hope and change, and a man whose enduring legacy will live on long past his years. Today, I applaud the United States Navy and their decision to commemorate Cesar Chavez's contributions to this great nation in such a prolific and appropriate display of the respect and recognition he deserves.

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.