Adam Schiff

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. I yield the gentleman 30 additional seconds.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, at this time it is my great pleasure to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 381) honoring and recognizing the dedication and achievements of Thurgood Marshall on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this resolution commemorates the life and work of Thurgood Marshall on the 100th anniversary of his birth, which was July 2, 1908. I commend the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) for his leadership in allowing us to recognize an American whose life work was marked by the principles of justice, equality, and freedom, and I am pleased to cosponsor this legislation. It is hard to know where to begin in reciting Justice Marshall's accomplishments. While best known for breaking the color barrier on the Supreme Court, Justice Marshall is honored because he was an expert jurist who worked on behalf of all Americans. Born 100 years ago in Baltimore, Maryland, and with just one generation between him and slavery, Thurgood Marshall experienced its legacy of segregation and racist hatred in his own time. Rather than allow that legacy to defeat him, however, he dedicated his life to removing its stain from our society. His courageous determination propelled him to success in the classroom, in the courtroom, and on the bench. When he was denied admission on the basis of race to the University of Maryland's School of Law, he attended Howard University's School of Law and graduated first in his class in 1933. When he challenged the separate-but-equal status quo in his capacity as legal director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the NAACP, from 1940 through 1961, he won 29 out of 32 cases before the Supreme Court, the most Supreme Court cases won by any attorney. Later, as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 1961 to 1965, he would author 112 opinions, with not one of them being overturned. Thurgood Marshall would continue his service to this country in two very distinguished capacities. He served as the first African American Solicitor General, from 1965 until 1967. That year, he was appointed associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, the first African American Justice, where he served until he retired in 1991. While Justice Marshall is best known for his lead role in the cases culminating in the 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which laid the foundation for the dismantling of Jim Crow segregation, he fought racial segregation in every aspect of society, and this pursuit for a fair and just America made him one of the Nation's best advocates of civil rights. In Chambers v. Florida, he challenged a biased criminal justice system. In Shelley v. Kraemer, he challenged discrimination in housing. And in Smith v. Allwright, he challenged inequitable voting practices. Finally, in commemorating Justice Marshall, we acknowledge not just a good lawyer and judge, but a good man who reminded us that ``in recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.'' Thurgood Marshall should be remembered as an individual who raised the morale, spirit and conscience of this country and who tirelessly fought social injustice throughout his life. I ask my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution that calls upon us to recognize the important legacy of Thurgood Marshall, a man who challenged and inspired Americans to live up to the principles and ideals on which this country was founded. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their eloquent words, and I join them in urging the passage of this resolution recognizing a genuine American giant. I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I would now be delighted to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois, Danny Davis. (Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, at this point I would like to yield 1 minute to the majority leader of the House of Representatives, the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas and I thank the Speaker as well as the work of Mr. Cannon of Utah. I urge passage of the bill. As we have seen most recently in the actions and inactions by the FDA dealing with the salmonella incidents, or whether it is the Consumer Product Safety Commission and some of the issues involving manufactured products from other countries, the regulatory process is extraordinarily important in protecting the American people. Congress is doing its best to oversee these agencies, but we can use the assistance of this important conference, and I join my colleague in urging passage of this bill.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how many more speakers my colleague from Texas has remaining.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 3564) to amend title 5, United States Code, to authorize appropriations for the Administrative Conference of the United States through fiscal year 2011, and for other purposes.

Mr. SCHIFF. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Federal regulation process is one of the most important ways by which our Nation implements public policy. Each year, agencies issue thousands of regulations to promote safety in our lives, from the food we eat, to the cars we drive, to the air we breathe. Although regulations play a critical role in protecting so many aspects of our daily lives, there is no independent, nonpartisan entity that Congress can rely upon to help us ensure that these regulations are working as intended. The Administrative Conference of the United States was just such an entity, a public-private think tank that provided invaluable guidance to Congress about how to improve the administrative and regulatory process. First authorized by President John F. Kennedy, the Conference made numerous recommendations over the course of its 27-year existence, many of which were enacted into law. The conference was last funded into in 1995. H.R. 3564, the Regulatory Improvement Act of 2007, would reauthorize it for 3 years. Some might ask why we are reauthorizing an entity that has been out of existence for so long. Let me mention three important reasons. First, the Conference can save taxpayer dollars, in fact, millions of dollars. When it was in existence, it helped agencies implement many cost-saving procedures and make numerous recommendations to eliminate excessive litigation costs and long delays. Just one agency alone, the Social Security Administration, estimated that the Conference's recommendation to change that agency's appeal process yielded approximately $85 million in savings. Indeed, Justice Stephen Breyer testified before the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law about the ``huge'' savings to the public resulting from the Conference's recommendations. Justice Antonin Scalia likewise agreed that it was an enormous bargain. Second, the Administrative Conference promoted innovation among agencies. For example, it convinced 24 agencies to use alternative dispute resolution for issues concerning the private sector. The Conference also spearheaded implementation of the Negotiated Rulemaking Act, the Equal Access to Justice Act, and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, governing consumer product warranties. The Conference played a major role in encouraging agencies to promulgate smarter regulations. It did this by working to improve the public's understanding and participation in the rulemaking process, promoting judicial review of agency regulations, and reducing regulatory burdens on the private sector. Third, and perhaps most importantly, Congress needs the conference. Experience with the Congressional Review Act proves that there are limitations in Congress' ability to provide aggressive oversight of the regulatory process. Congressional recognition of the Conference's significant contributions to the regulatory process is probably best evidenced by the fact that legislation assigning responsibilities to it continues to be introduced in nearly every Congress, including the current one. The Congressional Research Service advises that reactivation of the Conference now would come at ``an opportune time,'' especially in light of efforts by the White House to augment its involvement in the regulatory process. There are few entities that have enjoyed more bipartisan support than the Administrative Conference, and understandably so. It is all about promoting good government. I commend my colleague, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, Chris Cannon of Utah, for his leadership in continuing to pursue reauthorization of the conference. Last October, the House passed this bill on suspension by voice vote without amendment. The Senate late last month finally acted and passed the bill with a small amendment which essentially reauthorizes the Conference at a level of funding in the amount of $3.2 million. I urge my colleagues to concur in the Senate amendment so we can send this bill to the President. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 231) to authorize the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program at fiscal year 2006 levels through 2012.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Criminal History Background Checks Pilots Extension Act of 2008 will allow a simple 6-month extension to the National Child Safety Pilot Program passed as a part of the PROTECT Act of 2003. I am proud to sponsor the House version of this bill. The Senate has already taken up the legislation by unanimous consent, so if the House votes to pass this bill, as I hope it will, it will go to the President to be signed into law. We're fortunate to have millions of Americans who generously give their time and energy to volunteer and mentor children. In 1986, as a then young lawyer, I volunteered as a Big Brother for a 7-year-old in the Greater Los Angeles area. That relationship has been one of the most rewarding and enduring that I've ever had. It also taught me firsthand the trust that we place in the adult in a mentoring situation. It's important that we protect children by taking reasonable and practical steps to help guard against the chance that a convicted child abuser or sex offender might conceal his or her past and place our children at risk. Since 2003, and earlier, States have been authorized to access national fingerprint-based background checks through the FBI on behalf of youth-serving organizations. Unfortunately, as of today, only one- third of States have the infrastructure in place for a youth-serving organization to get a background check from the FBI in an affordable and timely manner. In passing the PROTECT Act, Congress acted in response to the need to protect children from predators who could gain access to children under the guise of volunteering. Mentoring groups, large and small, want access to the information they need to protect children, and the pilot has been extremely successful in providing that access through a fee- supported system at no cost to taxpayers. The pilot demonstrated that there was a clear need for this program to protect children. Six percent of checks conducted came back with serious criminal records, in many cases records that would have not turned up through a search of a State database or through a name-based commercial search. We have cases from around the Nation in which applicants for volunteering positions with children were sex offenders, repeat felons, and child abusers. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reviewed files in which an applicant had a criminal record in four States, including a conviction for murder, which they didn't reveal to the organization. Losing access to these checks would be disastrous for hundreds of small, community-based mentoring organizations. Due to the success of the program, we have extended the pilot twice before. It is now set to expire July 31 unless we extend it again. This bill would provide a 6-month extension to give us all time to work on an appropriate permanent bill that protects our children, while also protecting the privacy of potential volunteers. I am proud to sponsor, along with my colleague, Mr. Rogers of Michigan, the Child Protection Improvements Act, a bill which would do just that. We will continue to work with stakeholders and the Judiciary Committee to put in place a permanent system of protection. The pilot program has demonstrated that youth-serving organizations correctly want to watch out for children and want access to affordable, accurate and prompt background checks to help them do so. We need to keep the pilot program in place while we develop the permanent bill. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1182) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that American flags flown on Federal Government buildings and on Federal property be made in the United States.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor James F. ``Jim'' McNulty upon his retirement as chief executive officer of Parsons Corporation, headquartered in Pasadena, California. Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, Jim attended the United States Military Academy at West Point where he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in engineering and was commissioned as an Army second lieutenant in the field artillery in 1964. Jim's 24-year career in the Army included a variety of training, research and development, and project management assignments. He was trained and qualified as a paratrooper, as a ranger, and as a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, and he served two tours of duty in Vietnam. During his three years of service in Germany, he was a unit commander and an operations officer in a nuclear capable Pershing missile battalion. While in the Army, he earned masters degrees from Ohio State University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow. Additional assignments included work as a research associate at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Deputy Director of the Office of Military Application in the U.S. Department of Energy, Systems Manager for the deployment of the Pershing II missile system, and program manager for the ground based laser system for the Strategic Defense Initiative. In 1988, Mr. McNulty retired from the Army as a colonel and joined Parsons as a project manager in the Washington, DC, office. Two years later he was appointed vice president and manager of Parsons' Washington operations, and in 1992, he was promoted to senior vice president and relocated to Pasadena to assume the position of a division manager. In January 1996, Jim became a group president and in April of that same year, upon the untimely death of the then Parsons CEO, he was named as the successor chief executive officer. In 1998, he assumed the additional role of chairman of the Parsons Corporation board of directors. In May 2008, Jim relinquished his role as chief executive officer while retaining his position as the chairman of the Parsons board of directors. Jim's volunteer participation includes serving as a trustee of the Linsly School, in Wheeling, West Virginia, and as a member of the boards of directors of the Greater Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the California Science Center and the Los Angeles Sports Council. He is the past chairman of Town Hall Los Angeles and a previous member of the board of trustees of Pomona College. A long-time supporter of the Pasadena POPS Orchestra, Jim is also involved in the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, United Way, and numerous other Pasadena and Los Angeles civic and philanthropic organizations. It is my great pleasure to recognize the extraordinary achievements of James F. ``Jim'' McNulty and I ask all Members to join me in thanking him for his service to our community and to our country.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained, due to a personal family matter, and unable to be present for votes on June 23, 2008 and July 8, 2008. Had I been present on June 23, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of rollcall Nos. 438, 439, and 440. Had I been present on July 8, I would have voted ``yea'' on each of rollcall Nos. 471, 472, and 473.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman. That will be the last of my perseverance, Mr. Chairman. The strength of nuclear forensics depends on the strength of our database. That material can come from many nations, some friendly, some unfriendly, and the individual recipes are closely-held secrets. However, little of the information needed for nuclear forensics is of direct use to our adversaries, and in the case of our allies, the risk of not sharing the data and failing to discover a security breach is much greater than sharing the information. Thus, the bill asked the President to negotiate agreements with other nations to share information on the make-up of their nuclear materials. We can come to bilateral agreements with our allies or sign multi- lateral treaties through the IAEA. We can even begin the database with just civilian reactor materials where information security is less of an issue. But we must get started now. The National Technical Nuclear Forensics Center should play a key role in the negotiations since in the end, the data we obtain must be the data that the experts need. Nuclear terrorism is a threat of paramount danger and uncertain probability. As communications and transportation bring us ever closer to our friends, they bring our enemies closer as well. This modest but effective bill will help keep us safe as we navigate the years ahead. Again, I want to thank Chairman Thompson for his leadership and the chairman and ranking member of the subcommittee for their assistance and sponsorship, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. SCHIFF. I thank the chairman of the full committee for his leadership on this issue and for his indulgence of my perseverance. I'm very grateful that the bill moved so quickly and for his support of it. I also want to thank the chairman of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, Science and Technology, Jim Langevin, for his leadership, and also thank the Ranking Member Mr. McCaul. I really appreciate all of your help. It's been a bipartisan effort from the very beginning, and that's the way it should be. Through this legislation, we're taking an important step to prevent nuclear terrorism, and I appreciate, again, all of the work of the committee and staff. Nuclear terrorism is the preeminent threat of our time. Many countries around the world now have access to technology that was once the realm of only a few. Just last week it was reported that an advanced nuclear weapon design was found on a computer connected to one nuclear smuggling ring, and that was the one mentioned by my colleague, Mr. Langevin. Illicit nuclear material has been intercepted in transit many times since the Cold War, and the material we catch is probably just a small fraction of the total amount trafficked. The President and Congress have recognized that a nuclear attack on the United States is the most important national security threat facing our country. In the ongoing effort to strengthen our border, this Congress has made it more difficult to smuggle a nuclear weapon into the United States. But with thousands of miles of borders to secure against weapons just a few feet in size, we cannot simply play defense at the border. We must also prevent the weapons and materials that lie in storage around the world from falling into the wrong hands. During the Cold War, we deterred the Soviet Union with the threat of nuclear retaliation. Unfortunately, the decentralized flexible terror networks that we face today are not as easily deterred. Osama bin Laden has termed the acquisition of mass destruction a religious duty. And there is no question that using such a weapon against America is consistent with the group's contempt for human life. The Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act is designed to help shut down trade in nuclear material by deterring those parts of the trafficking network susceptible to deterrence. If we identify the source of nuclear material, then when we intercept it in transit, we can hold responsible those who created it and shared it with terrorists or rogue nations. In the aftermath of an attack, God forbid, this capability would also help determine the identity of those responsible. Nations, companies, and individuals could be dissuaded from proliferating knowing that their malfeasance could be traced back to them. The first part of this bill expands our ability to determine the source of nuclear material by strengthening our nuclear forensics capability. Nuclear forensics is the study of the chemistry and physical properties of nuclear material that give it a particular signature. Scientists and engineers skilled in the field can also use information from the packaging and accompanying materials to pinpoint a source. But acquiring, analyzing, characterizing, and attributing samples is a complicated process. Though we have the capability to perform each step, our expertise is split between the Departments of Energy, Defense, Homeland Security, and State. This bill authorizes a national technical nuclear forensics center in the Department of Homeland Security. The center will coordinate the various agencies and ensure that a sufficient combined response is present whenever nuclear material is intercepted or used in a weapon. It will also advance the science of nuclear forensics bringing in new radiochemists and physicists into a rapidly aging workforce and funding research on new methods to identify materials from around the world. But this bill also has another purpose. As with fingerprints or DNA, the strength of nuclear forensics depends on the strength of our database. Nuclear material can come from many nations, some friendly and some unfriendly.

Mr. SCHIFF

Mr. SCHIFF. I thank the gentleman from Illinois for yielding, and I want to thank him, Mr. Waxman and the staff on the committee for working with me on this legislation. I'm proud to stand here today to honor a well-respected and dedicated leader from the San Gabriel Valley. Mr. Chi Mui was a beloved member of the Asian American community in Southern California, and the mayor of the city of San Gabriel, where he dedicated himself to improving the quality of life for his neighbors, community and country. I can't think of a more fitting tribute to such an exceptional man than naming the post office in San Gabriel, the town where he touched so many lives, in his honor. Chi Mui's story epitomizes the American dream. Born in Toisan, China, Chi Mui was a man of humble origins whose early experiences enabled him to relate and connect to the Asian community in California. After spending many of his early years in Hong Kong, Chi moved with his parents to New York City's vibrant Chinatown in 1963, at the age of 10. Chi spoke Cantonese with his parents, who were a seamstress and a cook, but quickly immersed himself in the language of his new home. As a new immigrant, he remembered feeling like an outsider on the edge of society, and found refuge, his own oasis in the New York Public Library, where he broadened his mind and developed a lifelong commitment to supporting public libraries. His time reading and studying in the library served him well as he continued his schooling, graduating cum laude with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Polytechnic University in New York in 1980. After attending New York University, he moved west and began his distinguished career in public service. In Los Angeles he served as deputy to one of our colleagues, Lucille Roybal-Allard, and later to California State Senator, Richard Polanco. As their deputy, and in his own time, Chi began working to better the lives of immigrants in the region. Chi Mui's immigrant roots and experiences gave him a special insight and the wisdom and ability to connect with generations of people who came to this country for a better life. Chi was a key player in the development of 600 units of affordable and senior housing in Los Angeles' Chinatown, and taught citizenship classes to help hundreds of legal residents become U.S. citizens. In 1999 he led an alliance of community leaders, neighborhood groups and businesses to save 50 acres of open space known as the ``Cornfield'' in downtown Los Angeles. This land became California's first ever urban State park, and is now known as the Los Angeles State Historic Park. An avid runner and an athlete, he cared deeply about improving recreational facilities and opportunities for youth in the urban area of Los Angeles, and helped obtain $35 million in State funding in 2001 for recreational facilities and activities in the new Los Angeles State Historic Park. Chi also helped expand the capacity of the Alpine Recreation Center, which doubled in size due to his efforts. He volunteered his time to coach youth at the Alpine Center where he taught teamwork and sportsmanship. He also founded and co-founded the Los Angeles Chinatown Athletic Association Volleyball Club and created a night basketball program for at-risk youth. Youth are still benefiting from his legacies. Both programs are still going strong today. Chi Mui's experience as an immigrant and his close ties to his Chinese heritage led him to be active in the Chinese American community in the L.A. area. In recognition of his leadership, he was elected President of the Los Angeles Chinese American Citizens Alliance twice. The Alliance was founded in San Francisco in 1895, and advocates for equal political, economic and educational opportunities for Chinese Americans. Chi believed in working together with everyone, and often brought different cultures and races together to work on common problems. While he was close with the Chinese American community, he also worked hand in hand with the Indochinese and Chinese-Vietnamese communities, and he was an important link between the Asian American community in San Gabriel and all other residents where he served on the San Gabriel City Council. Chi Mui was one of only a handful of first-generation Chinese Americans to successfully run for office when he was elected to the San Gabriel City Council in March of 2003. He made history as the first Asian and Chinese American City Council member and mayor since the City of San Gabriel's incorporation in 1913. Remembering how important library access was to him, Chi was a devoted member of the Friends of San Gabriel Public Library, and led the effort to open the county public library in San Gabriel on Saturdays to provide more services to residents and students without increasing costs. However, his personal passion on the City Council was the ``greening'' of the community, and he worked tirelessly to preserve the quality of life that San Gabriel residents value. A long-time advocate of parks and open space, Chi Mui helped the city obtain funds for the master plan and redesign of Vincent Lugo Park, and successfully pushed for additional trees and greenery on neighborhood streets. For several years, Chi fought a courageous battle with cancer, during which he continued his work for the residents of San Gabriel. On April 27, 2006, at the age of 53, Chi passed away with his wife Betty and a few close friends at his side. He was greatly loved by the City of San Gabriel, and those who knew him saw his commitment to making the city a wonderful community for life-long residents and new commerce as well. I greatly enjoyed the chance to work with him during his tenure on the city council and know I speak for a great many when I say how much we all miss him. People around the country recently finished celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month which ended on Saturday, May 31. Asian Americans have touched many lives around the country, and Chi Mui is no exception. It is fitting that we pass this legislation, H.R. 5477, which will add yet another Asian American name to a very short list of post offices honoring this important community. Chi Mui will never be forgotten by those who knew him. He had a profound effect on the people of southern California and the City of San Gabriel. Future generations will recognize his good work in our community as we preserve his memory and rename the San Gabriel post office in his honor. I thank again the gentleman from Illinois.