Adam Schiff

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment, and I want to share a slightly different perspective on it. I served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles for 6 years. In 1987, when I started in the office, the office had a guideline where we wouldn't take a case for prosecution involving less than a kilo of cocaine. Now, that didn't mean that it didn't get prosecuted. It did mean that it was referred to the district attorney's office, but we just didn't have the resources to go after every cocaine case involving less than a kilogram. A couple of years later into my tenure in that office, we had to raise the guideline to 5 kilograms because we had so many 1 kilogram cases, and we couldn't even handle those prosecutions. I don't know what the policy is now, whether it's 10 kilograms or 20 kilograms, but the reality is we have very finite resources within the Justice Department to prosecute drug cases. Then, of course, the funds for drug prosecutions have to compete with the funds for terrorism cases and carjacking cases and bank robberies and T-Chek thefts or whatnot. We are in a limited resource world, and I don't think it's a good use of our Federal law enforcement resources to be prosecuting medical marijuana cases in States that have legalized medical marijuana. On the priority list of Federal law enforcement priorities, that ought to be near the very bottom. At a time when we can't even keep up with the more serious narcotics cases and when we have so many other unmet needs in the Justice Department, this is not where we should be putting our resources, and I urge support for the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the gentleman's amendment. Turtle-excluder devices are already required in other shrimp trawl fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic to reduce sea turtle bycatch. In many cases, fishermen have reported actually preferring the use of TEDs in their trawl nets because when they are used properly, TEDs allow up to 98 percent of turtles to escape from trawl nets while retaining up to 97 percent of target shrimp catch. TEDs also provide other economic benefits to fishermen. Again, when installed properly, they can prevent other species bycatch and unwanted marine debris from entering the trawl nets, thereby increasing shrimp catch efficiency and the quality of their shrimp catch. TEDs can also cut down on unwanted debris which can damage and increase the drag in fishing nets, causing fishermen to incur other costs. At this stage, NMFS is merely proposing this rule and will provide ample opportunity for public comment, including public meetings before any final regulation is in place; and, therefore, I urge defeat of the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment, which provides that none of the funds in the SCAAP program can be used in contravention of existing law. This amendment is like several others we've considered today that simply say either the obvious, which is, Federal funds can't be used in violation of Federal law, in which case the amendment is unnecessary and accomplishes nothing; or, the amendment seeks to go beyond existing law and set new policy, in which case the policy that it would set is one that is disadvantageous to States and local law enforcement. State and local community safety policies prioritize budgetary and law enforcement resources according to community needs while still permitting Federal immigration enforcement to take place. In many cases, such local laws support community safety by encouraging citizens who are crime victims or witnesses to come forward and work with police regardless of their immigration status. These local policies don't interfere with Federal enforcement. In fact, a 2007 Justice Department audit of such laws found that in each instance where cities were so-called ``sanctuary cities,'' the local policy either didn't preclude cooperation with ICE, or else included a policy to the effect that those agencies and officers must assist ICE or share information with ICE as required by Federal law. That year, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff testified before Congress: I'm not aware of any city, although I may be wrong, that actually interferes with our ability to enforce the law. The amendment, if it went beyond the mere statement that you can't spend Federal funds in contravention of Federal law, might deny funding to already cash-strapped police departments. For these reasons, we urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SCHIFF. I appreciate that. And that's absolutely correct. If the Justice Department determines in its view, just as you and I must, that something is constitutional and must be defended or something is unconstitutional and cannot be defended, then we have to follow through with those obligations. But I don't think it's our position to defund the Justice Department when, in the good faith execution of its oath to uphold the Constitution, it is defending a law that this Congress has passed.

Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Chair, I rise in strong opposition to the amendment and urge my colleague to withdraw the amendment and work with us on this issue. As a former U.S. attorney, I have the greatest respect and support for loan-forgiveness programs of this nature. It is absolutely a worthwhile cause. But the Mars program was devastated by the administration's budget. This is one of the crown jewels of planetary science. In fact, the whole planetary science budget was decimated by the administration in its proposal. Thankfully, through the work of the chairman and the ranking member, the planetary science budget has been restored, and part of what has been taken out of the Mars program has been restored. Nevertheless, the Mars program was cut by hundreds of millions, and we have a long way to go to have a healthy Mars program. As we speak, one of the most difficult missions ever undertaken, the Mars Science Laboratory, is on its way to the Martian surface. This will be path-breaking in terms of its scientific return. This is an area where we are second to none in the world. No one else has the skills to enter the Martian atmosphere, descend, and land on Mars. That is an incredible talent pool that can make that possible. At a time when we have to go hat in hand to the Russians to get a ride to the space station, but we are still the unquestioned leader in planetary science, with the Mars program leading the way, we do not need to decimate the Mars program further. Thanks to the work of Chairman Wolf and Ranking Member Fattah, we are on the path to restoring this great program so that we can continue on the road that we're on where we are tantalizingly close now to finding the building blocks of life on another planet, and this is what is at stake. So while I sympathize with the desire of the gentleman from Massachusetts to plus-up the program that he supports--and I support it, too--the offset would be devastating, devastating to the brilliant people that work in this area, devastating to all those around the country that love planetary science and that are going to be watching breathlessly on August 5 as Curiosity lands on the Martian surface and sends back new information about one of our neighbors in the solar system. I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment. I urge us to continue to push the envelope of our understanding of the universe. And we just simply cannot choose this as an offset, such a valuable national treasure as the Mars program. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment and move to strike the last word.

Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Chair, I'm not sure that I understand the basis of the amendment that we should defund the Justice Department from any effort to defend a law if the polling indicates that it is unpopular at the moment. The polling on the health care reform law has varied since its enactment. At times it has enjoyed majority support; at times it has enjoyed minority support. Almost entirely throughout the period since its passage, if you ask people whether they support the components of the health care reform law, Americans overwhelmingly say that they do. But, nonetheless, is this really the basis that we want to make whether we can defend the constitutionality of a law, and that is: What do the polls say? If so, then perhaps we ought to broaden the gentlewoman's amendment to say that, whenever a law is unpopular in the country, we should refuse to allow the Justice Department to support its constitutionality. In fact, many of the laws that we pass here are not always popular. Sometimes they're the right thing to do, and sometimes they're the hard thing to do. I would imagine that some of the decisions that we make on the debt ceiling and other things, if we put them to a poll, would be very unpopular but, nonetheless, necessary. Are we going to say that because they're unpopular at the moment that they're, therefore, for no other reason, unconstitutional? I don't think so. We have a Justice Department that studies the constitutionality of laws to determine, in their best judgment, whether something is consistent with the Constitution, and I don't think we want to be in the business of telling the Justice Department not to defend a law because of what a particular poll might say. With that, I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHIFF. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I'll be very brief. I just want to say that I concur with my colleague's points, to a point. As my colleague acknowledges, we take an oath to defend the Constitution. The administration, the executive branch, also takes an oath to defend the Constitution. Effectively, what this amendment would do is say we are going to defund the Justice Department's ability to undertake and fulfill its oath to defend the Constitution. If the Justice Department disagrees with some Members of Congress about what their oath to the Constitution requires, we are going to defund their ability to follow through. I don't think that's really where we want to be because, plainly, the Justice Department feels the law is constitutional. They believe it's their obligation to uphold the Constitution. And to say that we're going to defund their ability to follow through on that, I don't think that is good policy. On that basis as well, I would urge a ``no'' vote

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. I thank the gentleman. I just want to conclude by saying I look forward to our continued work on this bill, and I appreciate the great cooperation between the chair and ranking member, and I have respect for all the members of the committee.

Mr. SCHIFF. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Chair, I rise in reluctant opposition to the bill. But at the outset, I want to acknowledge the extraordinary work done by our chairman, Mike Rogers, and our ranking member, Dutch Ruppersberger. These two gentlemen have changed the nature and culture of our committee, made it far more productive, and they've done great work getting us to this point. And I want to acknowledge that at the outset. There's still work to be done in two areas principally, and I want to talk briefly about that. Even before I do that, I want to acknowledge why we're here. We do ourselves, I think, a disservice when we talk about a cyberthreat. That sounds like something that may come in the future, something to be concerned about that might take place down the line. We're under cyberattack right now. This is not speculative. This is not intangible. This is happening right now. This needs to be dealt with, and we do need a sense of urgency. But there is a distance yet to go, and in two areas in particular. One is, when we gather cyberinformation and we share it between companies or between the government and companies, as we must do, we want to make sure that we minimize any unnecessary invasion of privacy of the American people. We can do both, and we have to do both. We need to protect ourselves from cyberattack, and we need to protect and preserve the privacy rights of the American people. I think the bill needs a requirement that personally identifiable information be minimized to the maximum extent practicable. All we're asking for is what can reasonably be done. We're not asking for the private sector or the government to do the impossible, but we should require of our government that they minimize personal information that is shared to protect us from cybercrime. That's the first thing. The second item that really needs to be incorporated in this bill that my colleague, Mr. Thompson, will talk about as well is the need to protect critical infrastructure. That is a big missing piece in the bill, and I understand from my colleagues that it's not within the Intelligence Committee jurisdiction. That's correct. But as we saw from the Rules Committee, they're more than capable of incorporating things from more than one committee's jurisdiction in the rule, as we see in a rule that incorporates student loan interest and a bill on that subject with a bill on cybersecurity. There is nothing preventing the Rules Committee from bringing into the discussion today and allowing amendments on critical infrastructure. The absence of those two big pieces makes it impossible for me to support the bill today.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in reluctant opposition to this rule and to the underlying bill in its current form. I greatly appreciate the nonpartisan work on the issue by Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Ruppersberger. They've worked in a refreshingly collaborative fashion on this bill and on the work of the Intelligence Committee, generally. Yet, I find I cannot support the bill in its current form due to my concerns about its impact on civil liberties and the privacy of Americans. While amendments were submitted to the Rules Committee that would address these issues, including an amendment I jointly submitted with Ms. Schakowsky and Mr. Hastings, none of these amendments were made in order in this rule. I share the view of the sponsors of the legislation that cybersecurity is a serious issue that requires congressional action. I also believe that information-sharing is an important piece of responding to the cybersecurity threats, though it is, by no means, sufficient alone without other elements such as hardening critical infrastructure against cyberattacks. I'm disappointed in the rule because the problems with the bill are eminently fixable and, in fact, multiple amendments, including my own, were submitted that would improve the bill. Yesterday afternoon, the White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy saying the President's senior advisers would advise him to veto the bill if it came to him in the current form because of the lack of protection for civil liberties. As the administration's statement said: ``Cybersecurity and privacy are not mutually exclusive.'' I believe we can and must protect ourselves from cyberattack and that we can and must preserve our privacy. This is eminently doable, but we are not there yet. My amendment, which was not made in order, would have accomplished four tasks. First, it would have made DHS, a civilian agency, the primary coordinating agency for information-sharing. Second, it would require rules to minimize the sharing of personally identifiable information. The amount of personally identifiable information shared would be the least amount needed to combat the cybersecurity threat, and no more. Third, it would narrow the uses of cybersecurity information to cybersecurity purposes, specific national security threats, and certain other serious crimes. And, finally, it would more specifically define cyberthreat information to make sure that we don't sweep up information we don't intend to and don't need. In conclusion, amendments like this one would have improved the bill and better balanced the need to protect ourselves against cyberthreats with the equal imperative of preserving the privacy of the American people. I am disappointed that the House won't have the opportunity to vote on those amendments; and, as a result, I urge a ``no'' vote on the rule.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from the House on April 24, 2012 due to important commitments in my district. On rollcall 178, had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on H.R. 2157, to facilitate a land exchange involving certain National Forest System lands in the Inyo National Forest.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent from the House on April 16, 2012 due to important commitments in my district. On rollcall 152, had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on H.R. 3001, the Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Celebration Act. On rollcall 153, had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on H.R. 4040, providing for the award of a gold medal on behalf of Congress to Jack Nicklaus in recognition of his service to the Nation.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year during the month of March, we pay special tribute to the accomplishments made by our Nation's most distinguished women. Today, I pay tribute to Carolyn Ingram Seitz of Altadena, California. A zoning and planning consultant who has worked on many projects in Altadena for the last two decades, Carolyn moved to Altadena in 2000. Not long after she moved into Altadena, Ms. Seitz became involved in the community, advocating for community safety, and working with the Altadena Sheriff's Department and community members on neighborhood nuisance and other issues. She worked with her neighbors to form a neighborhood watch, and helped other neighborhoods prepare and be organized for cataclysmic events or natural disasters. Carolyn has also assisted with organizing Community Emergency Response Team, CERT, trainings, which offers drills, trainings and refreshers throughout the year. She is the Altadena Sheriff's Station CERT Coordinator, a member of the Regional CERT working group and sits on the Los Angeles County Operational Area Disaster Corps Volunteers Advisory Council. When the Station Fire occurred, Ms. Seitz worked tirelessly for many hours to ensure that the community had updated information on the fire, and the probable impacts caused by the rain that would result in flooding and mudflows. Carolyn was appointed as the Chairwoman of the Altadena Sheriff's Community Advisory Committee in 2007. In 2010 she brought together the California Highway Patrol, American Red Cross, Pasadena Police Department and community members to a successful Neighborhood Watch Conference, which she organized at Loma Alta Park in Altadena. Along with her extensive volunteer work with the Altadena Sheriff's Department, Carolyn contributes many hours to organizations such as the Quality of Life Center, Inc., Mentoring and Partnership for Youth Development, the Altadena Chamber of Commerce and the Central Altadena Little League. Recognized for her work in improving sheriff-community relations, Ms. Seitz has also been honored with the Altadena Chamber of Commerce's Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award in 2010. I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an outstanding woman of California's 29th Congressional District, Carolyn Ingram Seitz.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year during the month of March, we pay special tribute to the accomplishments made by our nation's most distinguished women. I stand today to pay tribute to Kay Mouradian, EdD, of South Pasadena, California, who has provided the Los Angeles Community Colleges with strong leadership and dedication for many years. Attaining a B.S. from Boston University, an M.S. from University of California, Los Angeles, and an Ed.D. from Nova Southeastern University, Dr. Mouradian served the Los Angeles Community Colleges as Professor of Health and Physical Education, and advocated in the California Teachers Association for the importance of physical education in California Community Colleges. In addition to her love of education and advocacy for health, Dr. Mouradian is also a very accomplished author. Dr. Mouradian researched yoga in India for several months for her dissertation. She has published articles about yoga for magazines, with two much admired articles titled: Increasing Body Awareness through Yoga's Relaxation Technique and Developing a Competency-based Syllabus in Yoga for the Community College Curriculum. Kay's efforts did not stop there, as she also published a guide for yoga instructors who taught at the community colleges. In addition, Dr. Mouradian is planning to write books tailored to help people who want to and are interested in retaining a quality body, primarily during their elder years. After several health crises, Kay's mother asked her to write about her life. This opened a new chapter for Kay. Kay extensively researched the Armenian Genocide of 1915 by reading numerous books and traveling to Turkey. There, she visited the town where 25,000 Armenians, including her mother and her family, were ordered to leave their homes at the time of the Armenian Genocide. She journeyed through the deportation path, where over 2,000,000 Turkish Armenians had to march for countless miles through the desert. Her findings and experience led her to write A Gift in the Sunlight, An Armenian Story. I ask all Members to join me in honoring a remarkable woman of California's 29th Congressional District, Dr. Kay Mouradian, for her exceptional service to the community.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year during the month of March, we pay special tribute to the accomplishments made by our nation's most distinguished women. Today, I pay tribute to Gretchen Robinette, a tireless volunteer, advocate, and remarkable woman of California's 29th Congressional District. Born and raised in South Pasadena, California, Gretchen graduated from South Pasadena High School, attained a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. Gretchen served in the Peace Corps as an English language teacher in Malaysian Borneo for two years, along with her husband, Vic Robinette. Ms. Robinette was a teacher and librarian throughout most of her professional career for South Pasadena High School, Rio Hondo College in Whittier, and San Luis Obispo High School. Her commitment to education is also reflected through her willingness to be involved in school issues. She assisted in bringing the South Pasadena High School Library online, contributed her time to help design the school's library when it was constructed, and served in the Academic Senate at Rio Hondo College. Upon her retirement from teaching a decade ago, Gretchen joined her husband's CPA firm, where she holds the position of Office Manager. Ms. Robinette has also served the community beyond the realm of education; a fact that she attributes to her years of service in the Peace Corps. She serves on the Board of Directors for the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation, chairs the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce Legislative Affairs Committee, in addition to serving as a Chamber of Commerce Ambassador. A co-founder and former president, she currently serves as a Board Member for Women Involved in South Pasadena Political Action, WISPPA, an organization that works to improve integrity, accountability and transparency in the city government of South Pasadena. Past volunteer activities include serving on the South Pasadena Public Library's Board of Trustees and the Board of South Pasadena Beautiful. I ask all Members to join me in honoring an outstanding woman of the 29th Congressional District, Gretchen Robinette, for her extraordinary service to the community.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year during the month of March, we pay special tribute to the accomplishments made by our nation's most distinguished women. Today, I pay tribute to Joanna Vargas of Alhambra, California, an accomplished woman who has brought multi-generations together and joy to the lives of many, through her extraordinary vision for the arts. Born and raised in Alhambra, Joanna is a graduate of Alhambra High School and opened her first dance studio at the age of 26. Joanna's passion for the arts has been evident throughout her career. She is the creator of an astounding number of projects and has an exhaustive list of accomplishments. Joanna has launched various dance companies for adults and teens, created Alhambra's Monthly Mosaic Art Walk, Jayvee Dance Center, the Annual Maxt Out Dance Competition, ``Streetease Fitness and Dance'' classes and instructional DVDs, and the Alhambra Hot Spot, which is home to an annual art event that celebrates music, dance, art and fashion. She is also the Chief Executive Officer of Dance for Peace Charity, a non-profit she established two years ago. In addition to her projects, it is noteworthy to mention Ms. Vargas's unparalleled service to the community. Joanna is a Board Member of the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce, a member of the San Gabriel Chamber of Commerce, charter member of the Rotary International New Generation Club, and President of the City of Alhambra Downtown Business Association. Joanna is a charitable woman who gives back to her community through her invaluable service. She has awarded scholarships to deserving underserved teens and children, and to people who have the desire to further their dance training. I ask all Members to join me in honoring a remarkable woman of California's 29th Congressional District, Joanna Vargas, for her exceptional service to the community.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Every year during the month of March, we pay special tribute to the accomplishments made by our nation's most distinguished women. Today, I pay tribute to Denise Houlemard Jones of Pasadena, California. A brilliant businesswoman with many years of experience, Denise is a Management Consultant at DMJ Consulting Services, a business she started, where she provides advisory services to companies, colleges, agencies and individuals. She received a B.A. in Sociology and Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a MBA from the University of Southern California. It is noteworthy to mention Denise's unparalleled volunteer service to the community, which includes an impressive list of accomplishments. She has been a member of the Los Angeles Chapter National Black MBA Association, National Association of Female Executives, Pasadena Talks, Points of View Committee, Women At Work Young African American Women's Conference, Black Women's Forum, City of Pasadena Intergroup Relations Advisory Committee, and the City's Recreation Commission, among others. Ms. Jones has also been involved with the Community Health Alliance of Pasadena, CHAP, serving as a founding member, acting as President several times, and currently serving on the Marketing Committee. Presently, Denise is a member of the National Council of Negro Women, Saint Andrew Catholic Church, YWCA Pasadena--Foothill Valley, American Association of University Women, City of Pasadena Northwest Commission, and the Pasadena Delta Foundation, Inc., where she is a founding member. Along with being a successful career woman, Ms. Jones has devoted countless hours of her time volunteering for the Alkebu-lan Cultural Center, American Institute for Cancer Research, Foothill Unity Center Food Pantry, and the Latino History Parade and Jamaica. She is also an annual fiesta volunteer at Saint Andrew Catholic Church. Some of the honors Ms. Jones has received include the National Merit Award, the William L. Blair Award for Service and Leadership, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Leadership Award, the YWCA Women of Excellence Award, and the Women In Action's ``Wind Beneath Wings'' Award. I ask all Members to join me in honoring a remarkable woman of California's 29th Congressional District, Denise Houlemard Jones, for her outstanding service to the community.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year during the month of March, we pay special tribute to the accomplishments made by our Nation's most distinguished women. I stand today to pay tribute to Diane Gin of Monterey Park, California. Not only has Diane raised an incredible and successful extended family, she has also dedicated her life to improving the lives of the families around her. Diane grew up in Los Angeles, and attended California State University, Los Angeles, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development. Since then, she has amassed an astounding thirty-five years of experience in the classroom, and is currently a 4th grade teacher in the City of South Gate at State Street Elementary School. Ms. Gin has proven herself to be a leader outside of her own classroom, exemplifying a true dedication to improving the lives of our youth. She has served as President of the Mark Keppel High School PTSA, and President of the Alhambra PTA Council for the Alhambra Unified School District, and continues to serve the PTA Council as chair of the scholarship committee, although she has no children presently attending school. In addition, Diane has served as the parent coordinator for the Orange County Dance Association. Today, Ms. Gin serves as President of the United Methodist Women at the Monterey Park Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church. She has chaired the Staff Parish Relations Committee and educational program, and currently teaches a Friday night youth group and Sunday school. Diane is also the Past President of the United Methodist Women of the Pasadena District, and has served on the Staff Parish Relations Committee for the District Superintendent of the Pasadena District. Diane continues to reach out to our youth, serving as a Girl Scout troop leader for 25 years, where she currently sits on the Gold Award Review Committee, which interviews applicants for the Gold Award. I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an outstanding woman of California's 29th Congressional District, Diane Gin, for her exceptional service to the community and to our Nation's children.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year during the month of March, we pay special tribute to the accomplishments made by our nation's most distinguished women. I stand today to pay tribute to Ellen Snortland of Altadena, California, who is an inspiring and extraordinary individual. Ellen has spent her life following a variety of passions ranging from human rights to journalism to self defense. Ms. Snortland received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Irvine in Theater and Film, and later a Juris Doctor, JD, from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. After graduating, Ellen decided that she could provide the most service to her community as an advocate for women and children, a teacher, performer and media professional. Ms. Snortland is the author of Beauty Bites Beast, which has been translated in Portuguese and Spanish, featured on Dateline NBC, and sold around the world. Ellen has also performed ``Now that She's Gone,'' a one-woman show, which is a touching piece about family and forgiveness, and in 2008, was nominated for a Pulitzer in Drama. She has performed this show in New York, Los Angeles, Kansas, and France among other cities, states and countries. She is currently a Board Member and lead female instructor for IMPACT personal safety, and teaches young boys and girls how to defend themselves from predators, both physically and verbally. She provides valuable services to our youth which they can draw from for their entire lives. Ellen's accomplishments and roles in our community are innumerable. She serves on the Board of 50/50 Leadership and Consumer Watchdog, and is the Past President of the United Nations Association, Pasadena/ Foothills Chapter. Ellen attended the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, in the year of 2001, and the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women for many years as part of the U.N. Press Corps as well as a NGO delegate. Today, Ms. Snortland is a columnist for the Pasadena Weekly and a blogger for Ms. Magazine and Huffington Post. Ellen's work has been exceptional, and has proven that one woman can truly achieve all she sets her mind to. I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an outstanding woman of California's 29th Congressional District, Ellen Snortland, for her exceptional service to the community.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History Month. Each year during the month of March, we pay special tribute to the accomplishments made by our nation's most distinguished women. I stand today to pay tribute to Debra Suh of Glendale, California, an extraordinary woman who selflessly works to strengthen our community and provide valuable resources where they are needed most. Debra worked at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles as an attorney, where she established the Asian Pacific Islander Legal Unit, geared towards increasing the low-income immigrant community's access to legal representation and services. Debra has continuously pushed to provide this population with opportunities and a voice that might be denied them otherwise. Since 1999, Debra has been the Executive Director of the Center for the Pacific Asian Family, CPAF, which is nationally renowned for its inspiring work to support immigrant Asian and Pacific Islander survivors of sexual and domestic violence. CPAF offers programs, which are imperative to women and children survivors, such as the 24-Hour Crisis Hotline, Transitional Shelter, Emergency Shelter, and Community Outreach programs. These provide a safe haven to people in need, and allow survivors to feel supported by their community. Debra is an accomplished leader and dedicated volunteer, and has always found time to volunteer for various vital organizations. She served on the Board of Directors of the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, and was Board Vice President from 2008 to 2010. She is Past President of the Women's Organization Reaching Koreans and Korean American Bar Association. Ms. Suh's efforts have not gone unrecognized. She has been awarded the Durfee Sabbatical Award and the KCET/Union Bank Local Hero Award. Currently, Debra serves as Co-Chair of the California Emergency Management Agency's Domestic Violence Advisory Council and is a member of the Los Angeles Emergency Food and Shelter Program Board, Blue Shield of California's Foundation's Strong Field Project Advisory Group, the Los Angeles County DPSS Welfare Advisory Council, and the Los Angeles City Mayor's Nonprofit Advisory Group. In addition, Debra is a tireless volunteer at the local public schools where her two children attend; she teaches art, helps raise funds, and helps in the classroom. Debra and her husband, Robin Toma, have two children, Nina Suh-Toma and Julian Suh-Toma. I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an outstanding woman of California's 29th Congressional District, Debra Suh, for her outstanding service to our community.