Jackie Speier

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. I thank the gentleman. Well, Madam Chair, with that, I thank my colleagues for recognizing the importance of this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Chair, last Friday, the President signed Executive Order 13669, which amended the Manual for Courts-Martial. This order delivers a significant blow to an already broken military justice system that will further revictimize servicemembers brave enough to come forward and report that they have been sexually assaulted. Specifically contained in this executive order is a provision that makes Military Rules of Evidence 412 admissible in article 32 preliminary proceedings. This particular rule of evidence outlines when previous sexual history is admissible in court-martial proceedings and is currently applied to make all sorts of demeaning and irrelevant innuendos about a victim's previous sexual history admissible in courts-martial. Now, mind you, rape shield laws have been passed by virtually every State in the Union, and the question I have is why should servicemembers be considered second-class citizens in this country? Shockingly, this order doubles down on this harmful rule and allows the sexual history to be admissible in preliminary hearings. What is even worse, under the order, the convening authority will be able to read and consider evidence deemed inadmissible by the article 32 hearing. The military has clearly learned nothing from the Wilkerson case in Aviano, Italy. You maybe remember that General Franklin, the convening authority, justified overturning a court-martial jury that convicted Wilkerson of having sexually assaulted a woman, and even though he was convicted by five colonels, peers of his, the general was able to look at inadmissible evidence that the judge had ruled out of order and consider that in overturning the decision. This amendment will prohibit funds to implement the component of Executive Order 13669 to prevent this harmful and wrongheaded provision to go into effect. This order usurps and reverses the progress that, in fact, this Congress has been making in reforming article 32 proceedings, and I hope my colleagues will support the amendment.

Ms. SPEIER. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Ms. SPEIER. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Ms. SPEIER. I have an amendment at the desk, Madam Chair.

Ms. SPEIER. That is correct.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the world's longest running musical revue that is politically incorrect, brilliant and hilarious. Beach Blanket Babylon has drawn sold-out audiences in its hometown San Francisco for 40 years and isn't showing any signs of slowing down or getting old. The New York Times is right to call Beach Blanket Babylon ``no less a part of San Francisco than the Golden Gate Bridge or Coit Tower.'' Every performance of Beach Blanket Babylon takes the audience on a fast-paced journey around the world with Snow White on her search for Prince Charming. She encounters an always-changing cast of characters from politics and pop culture. Everybody who is anybody has been on stage: President Barack Obama, the Queen of England, Lady Gaga, Tina Turner, Prince, Hillary Clinton, Justin Bieber, Elvis and da Mayor Willie Brown have all endured sarcastic interpretations of current events. I fell in love with the show the first time I saw it, in part, of course, because of the outrageous hats. These creations range from a giant heart made of red curls to the Skyline of San Francisco with a growing Transamerica Pyramid to a five tier wedding cake. Balancing those heavy and top-heavy sculptures is no easy task for the performers. They wear braces on their hips and shoulders to distribute the weight. The mechanical hats are so heavy that they are attached to stands that roll on the stage and are hidden in the costumes of the performers. I was told by a secret source that auditions for Beach Blanket Babylon are ``the craziest thing ever.'' They start out innocent enough: sing a song, say for example Stand by Your Man. Next thing you know, you'll be asked to sing it with a French bulldog accent or the personality of the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz. The late Steve Silver, with his sense for the absurd and whimsical imagination, was the genius who gave birth to Beach Blanket Babylon in 1974. The show grew out of street performances in North Beach, the famous Italian neighborhood of San Francisco. Since Silver's passing in 1995, his widow Jo Schuman Silver has produced the show and continued his vision and legacy. In 1983, Beach Blanket Babylon did a command performance for the Queen of England and Prince Phillip at Davies Symphony Hall. In 1988, the de Young Museum presented an exhibition of 15 years of Beach Blanket Babylon hats and costumes. On the 20th anniversary, BBB performed at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House and today, on the 40th anniversary, BBB is giving a special performance at San Francisco City Hall featuring current Mayor Ed Lee, former Mayor Willie Brown, former Secretary of State George Schultz and his wife Charlotte Schultz as Wonder Woman. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor the 40th anniversary of Beach Blanket Babylon, a San Francisco institution that has sharpened the minds and provided hearty belly laughs for over 6 million fans during 15,000 performances. I have enjoyed the show more than a dozen times and will continue to be a regular at this unique San Francisco theater experience. May it last for at least another 40 years!

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I am joined in making this amendment by my colleague from Michigan (Mr. Benishek). This particular amendment addresses the issue of veterans in this country who are living on the edge, the 1.4 million veterans who are living in poverty, the 900,000 who are on food stamps. We do know there is a backlog that exists, even now, with veterans' disability claims from 572,000 currently around the country, some waiting as long as 200 days. This amendment is going to make them eligible for SNAP benefits under the disabled category, which will, for all intents and purposes, allow them to access food that is prepared and also deduct medical expenses for their status. Filing for SNAP under the disabled status can provide much-needed assistance with minimal cost. For a veteran with war-related mental or physical injuries, this small amount of help can make an enormous difference. Again, I want to thank Congressman Benishek for his cosponsorship of this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, as my colleague said, this is truly a simple amendment that holds our poor veterans harmless while we deal with the dysfunction in the VA. It is a compassionate and appropriate action by this House. I urge its passage. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I, too, have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. I would hate to think that we will have one of these resolutions on the House floor week after week because we choose to do nothing. There are 32 people who will die today due to gunshot wounds, and there are 32 who will die tomorrow and 32 the next day. We seem to somehow be inured to what is going on around us. Let us respect those who have died and those who have been injured, and let us take steps to do something this year. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H. Res. 608, introduced by Congresswoman Lois Capps, which is a bipartisan resolution to offer condolences to the Isla Vista and University of California, Santa Barbara communities, to mourn the victims and offer support to their families. It condemns the senseless rampage and urges a dialogue on ``the Nation's mental health care system, anger, firearms laws, harmful attitudes towards women.'' The resolution honors law enforcement and emergency personnel for their response to the attack and continues the commitment of ``working to help prevent tragedies like this from happening again.'' The rampage and mass shooting that left six UC Santa Barbara students dead and 13 others injured in Isla Vista on May 23 was perpetrated by a deeply troubled man, with violent tendencies, who planned for months to kill as many as he could before the tragic day unfolded. Despite warnings from his parents to police and a subsequent law enforcement check a few weeks before the murders, Elliot Rodger was able to cleverly ward off police by passing off the warnings as a ``misunderstanding.'' Police said, later, that Rodger did not meet the criteria for an involuntary hold. He legally purchased more than 400 rounds of ammunition and three semiautomatic pistols over the course of months before his rampage. In the months leading up to the shooting, Elliot Rodger posted numerous videos and comments on social media sites detailing his frustrations with women and his hatred of them. He made such comments as: My orchestration of the day of retribution is my attempt to do everything in my power to destroy everything I cannot have. All of those beautiful girls I've desired so much in my life, but can never have because they despise and loathe me, I will destroy. He said he would also eliminate the men who had better luck with women than he did. Rodger, distressingly, joins a long list of mass killers that have haunted this country in recent years at grim scenes, including Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, Aurora, Tucson, a Walmart in Las Vegas, and now in Oregon, just minutes ago. Rodger shares three common denominators with these other mass murderers: easy access to guns, a history of mental illness, and clear warning signs that he wanted to carry out violent acts. Together, the five lone killers left a staggering 82 people dead and 114 others injured and scarred. The Sandy Hook killer had serious mental health issues. The man who shot Representative Gabby Giffords had dropped out of school after his college required a mental health evaluation. The Virginia Tech killer had been investigated by the university for stalking and had been declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice. The Isla Vista shooter also had a long history of mental illness. What it is going to take, colleagues? Like many other mass shooters, he showed clear signs that he was extremely dangerous and planned to kill, but these five massacres are only a fraction of the mass shootings Americans have endured in a short span. Between January 2009 and September 2013, there were 93 mass shootings--almost two per month--that occurred in 35 States, in a nearly 5-year period. Is the problem too many guns? Is it mental health? Is it guns in the wrong hands? The answer to all these questions is yes. We know what needs to be done. We may not agree on every solution to reduce gun violence, but Americans, outraged by our inability to get anything done on this issue, are waiting for us to come to our senses and to act. The threshold for taking someone against their will for psychiatric evaluation needs to be reviewed. Police need better mental health training. It must become easier to intervene when there are risks. The prevailing majority of individuals with a mental health problem aren't violent, but we should have the tools to respond to the smaller number who show clear violent tendencies and evidence that they are preparing to act on it. Richard Martinez, the father of slain 20-year-old Christopher Michaels-Martinez, tearfully pleaded for people to stop feeling sorry for him after the massacre. His words ring in my ear all the time: I don't care about your sympathy. I'm going to ask every person I can find to send a postcard to every politician they think of with 3 words on it: not one more. People are looking for something to do. I'm asking people to stand up for something. Enough is enough. One more mass killing is too many, and Congress is culpable for not taking action. We say never again, but it sounds like an empty promise because we do nothing. I thank Congresswoman Capps for offering this thoughtful and important resolution. We need to do so much more, and her bringing this resolution to our attention gives us the opportunity to draw together and, hopefully, to come up with something to do. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend, Mrs. Capps, for her strong message. I yield 5 minutes to my good friend and colleague from California (Mr. Honda).

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule. Here are the facts, Members: We have a crisis in the military when it comes to sexual assault cases. We have a 50 percent increase in the number of persons filing claims for sexual assault in the military as a result of the most recent study. Here are the facts, Members: There are more than 200 Members in this House right now who support taking sexual assault cases out of the chain of command, and yet we do not have the ability to have a vote on the floor of this House on whether or not Members of this House support taking sexual assault cases out of the chain of command and putting them in the hands of a chief prosecutor, who has legal training. Members, the elephant is in this room. It is time for us to have the guts to stand up and be counted on whether or not we want all members of the military to be safe or only those who do not file claims for sexual assault.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Thank you to the ranking member and to Chairman McKeon for this opportunity. Mr. Chairman, I just want to highlight three amendments that have been accepted en bloc. One is the public release of substantiated reports of misconduct. These reports that show substantiated misconduct by the highest-ranking officials in the Department of Defense are only released when there is a leak or there are tips to reporters. It is incumbent upon us to make sure that the public knows when the Department's highest level officials commit misconduct and shouldn't depend on leaks for accountability. The second amendment is a significant amendment for women-owned businesses in this country. For 20 years now, we have set a governmentwide goal of 5 percent. For 20 years, we have not met that 5 percent. This particular amendment takes away the extra obstacle that is imposed on women-owned businesses and not on others when sole-source contracting is provided. The third amendment provides for breast cancer research. The Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee has recommended prioritizing prevention and intensifying the study of chemical and physical factors. This amendment urges that implementation. A 2009 study at Walter Reed Medical Center found that breast cancer rates among military women are significantly higher--in fact, 20 to 40 percent higher--than they are in women in similar age groups. This is also a problem at Camp Lejeune, where we found that 85 men also were impacted by breast cancer because of contaminated drinking water.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 22nd anniversary of the Taiwanese American Cultural Festival that will be held on May 10, 2014 in San Francisco. The festival brings together an estimated 8,000 people from all over the world to enjoy delicious Taiwanese food, be entertained by world-renowned Taiwanese American performers and to experience the vibrancy of Taiwanese culture. The festival highlights the national celebration of Taiwanese American Heritage Week during the month of May, as proclaimed by former President Bill Clinton in 1993. Since its inception, it has grown into a landmark event for the Bay Area recognizing the contributions of Taiwanese Americans. Taiwanese Americans are firmly woven into the fabric of our community and serve our country on all levels of government, from being members of the President's Cabinet, to highly respected business leaders and locally-elected officials. Scholars and leaders such as former U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California Goodwin Liu, Academy-Award winning director Ang Lee, co- founder of Yahoo Jerry Yang, and Jeremy Lin who became the first Taiwanese-American in the NBA, have all made lasting contributions to our society and share the spirit of the Asian American Pacific Islander culture. The Taiwanese American population has grown significantly since the 1970s and brought large numbers of physicians, health professionals, scientists and professors to the United States. In the late 80s and 90s, the Silicon Valley tech boom drew even more Taiwanese immigrants. Of the between 500,000 to one million Taiwanese Americans living in the United States, 49% live in California, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. As the representative of one of the largest Asian American populations in the country, I've experienced first-hand the warmth, generosity and inclusiveness of the AAPI community. Every year, the Taiwanese American Cultural Festival enhances social interactions and cultural exchanges and strengthens the partnership between the United States and Taiwan. The festival is entirely organized, run, and funded by volunteers and non-profit organizations, in particular the Taiwanese American Professionals--San Francisco (TAP-SF) and the Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California (TAFNC). Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me in honor of the 2014 Taiwanese American Cultural Festival. May it continue to bring joy and cultural enrichment to our community for decades to come.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the staff and volunteers of Samaritan House in San Mateo, California, who for 40 years have given shelter and dignity to individuals and families in need. Samaritan House is a haven and lifeline for more than 12,000 members of our community, providing shelter, food, clothing, health care, worker resources and counseling services for low income families. Today, the dedicated staff of 77 and over 2,000 volunteers serve 145,000 meals a year, serve 10,000 people a year at two clinics, counsel 500 people a month and have 90 shelter beds to house the homeless. In 1974, Samaritan House was created by Cora Clemons, a public health nurse, in partnership with the city of San Mateo. It was a referral agency for people with basic social services. In 1985 John Kelly, a Catholic priest for 25 years, became the executive director and earned the nickname ``Father of Samaritan House.'' Under his leadership for 14 years, the agency was transformed and vastly expanded. It merged with the Hospitality Family Kitchen, which had been established by concerned citizens a year before, and started providing direct services, including food, clothing and a new Thanksgiving program. Shortly after that, the food pantry opened and then Samaritan House moved into two mobile units on Humboldt Street in San Mateo. With the expansion, Samaritan House was able to help more people and also grew its number of volunteers. In 1989, it hosted its first Volunteer Community Recognition event. In 1990, San Mateo High School students helped propel the food program to its next level by launching the annual food drive. With the food program well established, Samaritan House focused on expanding its services to include medical care. The Free Medical Clinic opened in a few rooms at Samaritan House in 1992. In 1998, the Breast Care program was created and in 2001, the second Free Medical Clinic opened on 5th Avenue in Redwood City. In 2004, the first Free Medical Clinic moved to a new facility on West 39th Avenue in San Mateo. Samaritan House started offering services to the homeless in 1987. In 2000 it opened Safe Harbor Shelter on property next to San Francisco International Airport. The facility was renovated six years later and now offers 90 emergency shelter beds. In 2009, Samaritan House moved into its current home on Pacific Boulevard. The facility has a state-of-the-art industrial kitchen and food pantry, clothing distribution center, case management and counseling services and administrative services. It's a magnificent home for an organization doing magnificent work. All of the services at Samaritan House are free, but clients are held accountable and have to demonstrate that they are making progress in finding jobs, housing and becoming self-sufficient. While there are emergency assistance programs to help families in crises, the ultimate goal is to help them to help themselves by empowering them with financial education, asset building, income tax assistance, enrollment in benefit programs, and counseling. From 2001 to 2013 Kitty Lopez led Samaritan House as its executive director. Always with a smile on her face, she placed Samaritan House on a solid footing, expanded its efforts to help those in need and kept operations orderly and safe. In June, Bart Charlow will take the reins as the new CEO and will continue the legacy of this outstanding non- profit organization. The success of Samaritan House is also due to the superb guidance of the board of directors: Board President Patricia Hsiu, Jay Strauss, Mollie Marshall, Timothy K. Roake, Ralph Armeio, Todd Barrett, Maude N. Brezinski, Lucretia-del J. Broussard, Joan Cassman, Nisha Chaudry, Richard L. Davis, William S. Freeman, Robert Grassilli, Natashia Lopez-Gomez, J. Frank McCabe, Alex Moldanado, Allison Nuschy-Lenat, Judi Powell, Carl A. Serrato, Jason Ting, Trisha Vicario and James Whitehead. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor the 40th anniversary of Samaritan House in San Mateo, California, an institution that has lifted up thousands of residents and put them on a path to hope, independence and productivity.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. I thank the ranking member for his leadership and for the opportunity to say a few words here on the floor. Mr. Speaker, I am not here to defend Lois Lerner today, but I am here to defend the Constitution and every American's right to assert the Fifth Amendment so as not to incriminate themselves, and every single Member of this body should be as committed to doing the same thing. I am also here to defend the integrity of the committee and the rules of that committee. Lois Lerner pled the Fifth Amendment before our committee, and she has professed her innocence, pure and simple. Thirty independent legal experts have said that the proceedings were constitutionally deficient to bring a contempt proceeding. They were constitutionally deficient because the chair did not overrule Ms. Lerner's Fifth Amendment assertion and order her to answer the questions. And as long as that deficiency is there, there is no reason to move forward with that effort today. But let's move on to the bigger picture: Every single 501(c)(4) that was in the queue before the IRS could have self-certified; they didn't even need to be in that queue. So whether or not there was a list of progressive organizations and conservative organizations that they were using to somehow get to the thousands of applications that they had, they could have moved aside and self-certified. There have been 39 witnesses before this committee. There have been 530 pages of documents. There is no smoking gun. But the other side is locked and loaded. They are just shooting blanks.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Chairwoman, I have an amendment desk.

Ms. SPEIER. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Lowey).

Ms. SPEIER. Madam Chair, I rise today because many Americans think Congress has unchecked power. They think we know how to make laws but don't know how to follow them. They think of us not as the House of Representatives but as the House of Hypocrites. I have spent a lot of time here on the floor speaking about sexual harassment and the epidemic of rape in the military and on college campuses. It is just as important that we bring the same scrutiny to our own House. The American people expect us to conduct ourselves in a manner befitting the responsibilities and duties that we hold as Members of Congress--not as if we are freshmen in a frat house. While they are the exception, not the rule, it is an embarrassment to this institution that some Members have ``sexted'' teenage pages on the floor. It is unacceptable that others have groped and inappropriately touched their staff members. This behavior is illegal and unacceptable in the private sector, and it is illegal and unacceptable here. This is not a Democratic issue, and this is not a Republican issue. This is a House issue. Just recall former Congressman Bob Filner. He pled guilty to charges of felony false imprisonment for sexually harassing a former aide in the San Diego's mayor's office. When Mr. Filner was ranking member on the Veterans' Affairs Committee in the House, he allegedly sexually harassed several female members of the Armed Forces who were rape survivors. But none of the women ever said a word while Mr. Filner was still here--not one. If you work for a private company in my home State in California, it is likely you have had several hours of sexual harassment training to identify and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace because it is the law. It is also the law in California that State legislators and their staff participate in a mandatory sexual harassment training every year. But that is not the case here in the House. In fact, congressional Office of Compliance staff say that when new Members go through their 3-day training, they are mostly counseling empty seats by the end of day 3. Sexual harassment training is already mandatory for the executive branch agencies, and it has proven to result in a significant reduction in the number of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims. But this training for Congress is only voluntary. The congressional Office of Compliance provides sexual harassment training to offices, but it is not typically requested until after an office reports an incident. It is time we take advantage of the valuable training the office provides. My staff and I actually have taken this 1\1/2\ hour training, and as much as I know about sexual harassment, I learned additional things during that training. Madam Chairwoman, my amendment is simple. It appropriates $500,000 in additional funds to the Office of Compliance to be used to enhance sexual harassment training programs by implementing a Web-based platform. These funds will also be used for outreach to inform House office employees what their rights are, the various forms sexual harassment takes, and where to go if they experience sexual harassment. It is time to send a new message: that we are here to serve and that we are not above the law. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SPEIER. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Mary Ellen Benninger who has volunteered her time and talents to our schools in Hillsborough, California for decades. She is being honored tonight as the Citizen of the Year by the Associated Parents Group. Mary Ellen's dedication to our schools and our community is an inspiration to parents, teachers and students alike. Her leadership and contributions have made Hillsborough's schools the best they can be for our children. Mary Ellen started to volunteer when her children attended South School and then Crocker Middle School. For the last eight years she served on the Hillsborough City School District Board of Trustees where her board colleagues lovingly call her MEB. She was board president from 2008-2010 and has served on the Citizen Oversight Committee, Bond Finance Committee and as Trustee Liaison to Hillsborough's School Foundation during her tenure. Wherever Mary Ellen gets involved, her leadership helps set the direction of the organization or initiative she takes on. While on the HCSD board, Mary Ellen simultaneously served as a Hillsborough Recreation Commissioner from 2005-2007 and on the Hillsborough Schools Foundation from 1999-2013. She also volunteered for the South School Parent Group Board, the Hillsborough Little League and Concours d'Elegance and was deeply engaged in passing Measure B. At St. Bartholomew's Catholic Church, she was a Catechism teacher for ten years. I feel fortunate to count Mary Ellen as a friend and am a long-time admirer of her lasting contributions to our community. She is altruistic, passionate, intelligent and has an extraordinary memory. Her superb service has not gone unnoticed. She received the Eric Award and the South Hillsborough School's Outstanding Service to Youth Award. Mary Ellen was born in Seattle, Washington. She graduated from Mayo High School in Rochester, Minnesota in 1975 and earned her BA in Economics from Stanford University in 1979. She had a successful career in retail management for 16 years. In 1986, she married her freshman dorm sweetheart, Tom Benninger. Six years later they moved to Hillsborough and raised their two children Will and Claire. When Mary Ellen is not giving her time, she enjoys tennis, skiing and hiking. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor Mary Ellen Benninger whose big heart runs over with love for all children in our tony town of Hillsborough. Winston Churchill once said, ``We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.'' Mary Ellen has made an exceptional life for herself benefitting our entire community.

Ms. SPEIER

Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Li Moon, an outstanding educator with the Hillsborough City School District for 22 years, who has changed the lives of hundreds of children, including my own daughter. Mrs. Moon is being honored with the Community Care Award from the Associated Parents Group. Mrs. Moon is a Resource Specialist and the Data Advisor at North Elementary School. She served as Teacher-in-Charge for twelve years. I can say without fear of contradiction that she is one of the most effective, empathetic and innovative educators I have known. She believes that all children can succeed and will not stop until she finds what will make a student succeed. Her patience and compassion are inexhaustible. Li Moon, a native of New York City, was a University Scholar at New York University. She received her BA in English in 1971, graduating cum laude and earning a membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Society. While teaching at Rivendell School, a small alternative school in San Francisco, she attended San Francisco State University, graduating in 1991 with her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, MA in Special Education and Educational Therapist Certificate. The following year she started her teaching career at North School as a Resource Specialist, simultaneously continuing her private practice as an Educational Therapist for several years. She has also taught several courses and led numerous workshops in the Special Education Department at San Francisco State University and has been a Guest Lecturer at UC Berkeley Extension. Mrs. Moon has a long and impressive list of training and credentials, including a Behavior Intervention Case Manager Certificate (BICM), Autism Authorization Training and English Language Development (ELD) and Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) Certification. Her professional development includes training through Intel Math, the Columbia Math Camp, summer institutes at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (including Data Wise), IEP Skills Facilitation, TEACCH, Schools Attuned Profile Advisor training, Lindamood-Bell Phonological Sequencing Training, Project Read Phonology and Junior Great Books Discussion Leader Training. She received her Board Certification in Educational Therapy in 2001, is a former editor of The Educational Therapist and is currently the Chair of the San Francisco Association of Educational Therapists Study Group. As you can surmise from this list, Mrs. Moon is always working on improving and expanding her skills so that she can use them to make her students thrive and succeed. Her talents have not gone unnoticed in our community. Mrs. Moon deservedly received the school district's TONY and Teacher Leadership awards in 2001. Mrs. Moon and her husband of 40 years, Jason Stillwater, live in San Francisco. They have four children--Zachary Howard, Randall Conner, Moonwater and Tai Stillwater--and six grandchildren. In her spare time, Mrs. Moon enjoys reading, yoga, traveling and playing the flute. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to honor Li Moon, who has dedicated her life and career to make Hillsborough's school the best they can be for our children. Plato once said, ``The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life.'' Mrs. Moon has put hundreds of men and women on the path to success. My daughter today is a vibrant and successful sophomore, thanks in part to Mrs. Moon, an exceptional teacher and human being.