Mike Thompson

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Tala De Wynter, who has been a pioneer in the Napa County community and is being honored today at the Napa County Hispanic Network 25th Anniversary Gala. De Wynter was born and educated in Lima, Peru. She has resided in Napa since 1965 with her husband and two children. Since coming to Napa, De Wynter has invested her time in helping others, in creating opportunities and bridging the communication gap in the Latino community. In the 1970s, the Napa Valley was in need of inexpensive healthcare for farm workers and the low-income community. De Wynter, along with other community members established Community Health Clinic Ole. What started off as a small clinic in Rutherford has generated six sites, with six full-time doctors, 10 mid-level providers, and this year it received 1.3 million dollars from Auction Napa Valley. Continuing the tradition of providing for others, she served as the director of El Centro de Informacion (The Center for Information). The Centro was viewed as a controversial organization for providing services exclusively to the Spanish speaking community. De Wynter and other Latino activists also realized the need to support young Latinos in their quest for higher education, and in 1984 they founded the Napa County Hispanic Network. The Hispanic Network is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and will award 25 high school and college students with a $1,000 scholarship. De Wynter also started the first immigration consulting business in Napa. She was also the coeditor of Noticias Bilingues del Valle, the Spanish section of the Napa Valley Register and served as the editor of the Spanish language newspaper, Tiempo Latino. De Wynter was also the first Latina woman to be elected to public office in Napa County when she was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Napa Valley Unified School District in 1975. Madam Speaker and colleagues, Tala De Wynter has earned the respect of her colleagues and community. Through visionary leadership and persuasion Tala De Wynter has created pathways for other leaders in the community to follow. For these reasons and for the lasting impact Community Health Clinic Ole and the Napa County Hispanic Network continue to have in Napa County, it is appropriate that we honor Tala De Wynter.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mark Teeters, who is being honored as the Napa County 2009 Teacher of the Year. Mr. Teeters is entering his ninth year as Director of Choral Activities at Vintage High School in Napa. He also serves as chair of the Vintage High Visual and Performing Arts Department. Under his leadership, the Vintage High School choir has ascended to elite status, winning gold medals at competitions around the world. They are a fixture at community events and contribute greatly to the cultural and artistic vitality of the Napa Valley. During the past 4 years, they have performed two extremely well-received musicals: Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. As a lifelong Napan, Mr. Teeters not only uses his considerable talents to serve his students, but the community at large as well. He serves as Music Director at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Napa and co-conducts the Napa Valley Chorale, a local community choir. A great teacher can have an impact on a young person that lasts forever. All of us can remember a teacher that has had a profound influence on our lives. Mr. Teeters has had this impact on hundreds of his students and is a sterling example of the best his profession has to offer. Under the constant specter of budget cuts to art and music programs, Mr. Teeters works tirelessly to ensure music education continues to play an important role in the life of his students. Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize Mark Teeters for the leadership, guidance and inspiration he has provided to hundreds of young people throughout his career. I join the entire community in thanking him for his service and wishing him continued success.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleague, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, to honor the 100th anniversary of the Sonoma City Hall. This iconic building has long stood as a symbol of the unique community that is the city of Sonoma. City hall sits in the center of the 8-acre Sonoma Plaza, the largest town square in the State of California. Dedicated on September 7, 1908, the city hall was built using local basalt stone and originally designed with 4 identical facades, allowing merchants from any side of the square to boast that city hall faced their business. Surrounding the city hall on Sonoma Plaza are many historical buildings, including the Mission San Francisco Solano, Captain Salvador Vallejo's Casa Grande, the Presidio of Sonoma, the Blue Wing Inn, the Sebastiani Theatre, and the Toscano Hotel. Not far from city hall, on the northeast comer of the plaza, John C. Fremont led the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846, which would lead to California becoming the 31st State 4 years later. The plaza has been a National Historic Landmark since 1960 and still serves as the town's focal point, hosting many community festivals and drawing tourists all year round. In honor of this anniversary, city of Sonoma Historian George McKale has organized a commemoration committee to help celebrate this event with the community. Over the last year, members of the committee have arranged for a photo exhibition, as well as sponsoring a poster contest for local students, a lecture series, and a historic quarry hike, all to honor Sonoma's City Hall. Madam Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we acknowledge the 100th anniversary of Sonoma City Hall. In years to come, this beautiful and historic structure will continue to be one of the most memorable images of the city of Sonoma to residents and visitors alike.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleague Rep. Lynn Woolsey to honor a local hero from Santa Rosa, CA. Benny Friedman, a beloved philanthropist and the founder of Friedman's Home Improvement, passed away on July 9, 2008, at the age of 90, after a life that touched and inspired many. ``If we don't have it, you don't need it,'' the famous Friedman's slogan, is typical of Benny's way of doing business--with both humor and the needs of his customers in mind. And profits from the business were used to enhance the community through promotion and support of local organizations. Born in 1918 to a Russian Jewish family that had fled the pogroms, Benny worked hard throughout his youth. After his father's death, he left high school to support the family, learning about the hardware business by working in Mike Cohen's store. In 1940, he married Rosemary Zittin, a Russian immigrant, and shortly thereafter enlisted with his brother Joe to fight in World War II. After the war, the brothers purchased a junkyard in Petaluma and were later joined by their younger brother Harry. Over the decades, the business grew, thanks to the brothers' philosophy of working hard and treating everyone, customers and employees, with fairness and respect. During this time, their children and grandchildren joined the business, and today there are stores in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, and Ukiah. Benny retired 20 years ago but continued to delight family, friends, and community with his warmth, humor, and good spirits. His wife Rosemary died in 2001, and in 2006, he married Irene, whom he had met at the senior lodge where they both lived. In Santa Rosa, Benny will be remembered as the co-founder of the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, now one of Sonoma's County major venues. With his wife Rosemary and brother Joe, he built the Friedman Center, a community hall at Congregation Beth Ami. He donated generously to other local causes, giving back to the community which had enabled an impoverished immigrant to achieve success for himself and his family. Benny is survived by his wife Irene, his brother Harry, his children Bill Friedman and Debbie Chapman, four grandchildren and eight great- grandchildren. Madam Speaker, Benny Friedman's life is an example for all of us that hard work, honesty, and caring for others lead to success. But Benny went far beyond that in giving back to this community and to all who knew him. I will miss Benny, but I am thankful to have had the opportunity to be one who knew him.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, together with my colleague Lynn Woolsey, I rise today to congratulate the more than 10,000 members of the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. Named after Sequoia sempervirens, the Coastal Redwood, whose greatest forests are along the North Coast, the Chapter remains true to the visionary environmental ethic of Sierra Club founder, John Muir, striving daily to preserve and protect our lands, waters and wildlife. The Redwood Chapter, founded in 1958, is one of the earliest regional entities of the Sierra Club. With six local Groups in nine Northwestern Counties, it is a potent force for the environment. Over the years, the Redwood Chapter has marshaled grass roots forces to focus on forest preservation, protection of our spectacular coast, free-flowing rivers and verdant watersheds, sustainable growth management, endangered species protection, and the multifaceted challenge of global climate change. The Chapter played a strong supporting role in Sierra Club national initiatives to protect national environmental treasures like the Grand Canyon while safeguarding our water and air, and battling environmental rollbacks. Within the Chapter's 25,000 square miles, it has been particularly effective, playing major roles in the creation of the Redwood National Park, design and construction of the Coastal Trail, designation of Federal wilderness areas, including the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel, Snow Mountain, Yuki Sanhedrin, Cache Creek, King Range and Cedar Roughs Wildernesses; designation of numerous State and Federal designated Wild and Scenic Rivers, including portions of the Smith, Klamath, Gualala, Black Butte and Eel Rivers; preservation of the 7,400 acre Headwaters Forest; implementation of conservation management strategies on public lands; and development of recovery strategies for endangered and threatened species, including the marbled murrelet, the spotted owl and coastal salmon. In recent years, legislative achievements include the passage of the Cache Creek Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (2005). I am especially grateful for the Redwood Chapter's support for my Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act, which was enacted in 2006, and Congresswoman Woolsey's Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection Act, which was passed by the House this year. Members of the Redwood Chapter have also had a profound influence on local politics and policies, through its participation in initiatives to protect open space and agricultural lands, create trails and community separators, protect coastal forests, provide new low carbon transportation alternatives and promotion of smart growth management and climate protection. The Club also has played a vital educational, service and recreational function. Over the past half century thousands of people have participated in the Chapter's ``Outings'' programs, which includes over 6,000 hikes, nature walks, backpacking journeys, canoe trips within the Chapter and elsewhere in California, as well as hundreds of trail building projects and other service activities. Madam Speaker, it is difficult to imagine what this area would be like without the Redwood Chapter's passionate resolve to protect the land and life that sustains us. What if there was no wilderness retreat in our coastal headlands? What if our cities were merged in endless sprawl? What if our pure rivers and streams were diverted, degraded and disrespected? We can be thankful that is not the case, and largely because the members of the Redwood Chapter have been such effective advocates for the environment. So today, Congresswoman Woolsey and I congratulate the members of Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club on their achievements in their first fifty years. And we look forward to the Chapter's continued active participation in public policy debates and to hearing their member's loud, clear, reasoned voice for a healthy, vibrant, natural world.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today, together with Representatives Miller, M. Speier, Matsui and Lungren, to mark the 100th anniversary of the University of California, Davis. In the past 100 years, UC Davis has emerged from an agricultural outpost into one of the world's premier research universities, and along the way it has provided a first-rate education for generations of students, including several of my colleagues here today. UC Davis touches and transforms everything that matters to us as human beings--our health; the economy; what we eat and drink; the ways we live and work together; how we find meaning through art, music, and literature; and our understanding of the natural world. UC Davis is a leading institution of education and innovation whose impact is felt around the world. UC Davis was founded as an agricultural extension of the main University of California campus at Berkeley to address a lack of in- state educational opportunities for students of agriculture. Governor George Pardee signed off on the expansion in 1905, and Davisville was quickly selected as the location where the campus opened to 18 students in 1909. Women joined the student body in 1914. In 1959 the Regents of the University of California elevated UC Davis to a general campus within the University of California system. This allowed the campus to develop as an institution in its own right, growing into new fields and developing its distinctive identity. Today, the campus is the largest in the system at over 5,300 acres and is internationally renowned for its beautiful layout, the extensive bike paths, arboretum and the art that enhances it throughout. In 1966, the university affiliated with Sacramento County Hospital and within two years the first students were admitted to the UC Davis School of Medicine. The UC Davis Medical Center is consistently recognized as one of the top-50 hospitals in the Nation, and it serves as the region's trauma center. In addition, the hospital's cancer center, children's hospital and M.I.N.D. Institute for neurodevelopmental disorders are leaders in their respective fields. As a research institution, UC Davis remains the most vibrant and productive agricultural research university in the United States, but it has expanded far beyond these roots. The faculty and administration are committed to providing a rigorous, attentive and research-oriented campus that has created a world-class learning environment. Each year, the campus welcomes a diverse and talented group of students, and it remains a popular college destination for students from California and beyond--for the 2008 entering class, UC Davis received over 42,000 freshman applications, a 15 percent increase. With a student body of over 30,000, and 178,000 alumni, UC Davis has had a wide-spread impact on life in our state. In 1996, the university joined the prestigious Association of American Universities, representing the top 62 research universities in North America. Research funding, most of which is competitively awarded, has risen to $600 million annually, including a remarkable 15 percent jump over the past year. UC Davis's faculty regularly collaborates with leading researchers and scientists around the world. Recently, the university signed a partnership agreement to collaborate with Chilean universities on research in viticulture and enology, a major industry for California. The faculty maintains active research programs in a wide variety of fields with importance to the state and nation, including 1,500 researchers working on a range of environmental issues and over 100 engaged in cutting edge discovery and innovation in the transportation and energy sectors. The work of the university has long been sustained by generous philanthropy from alumni and others supportive of the university's mission. Donors have established more than 100 endowed chairs at UC Davis. Recent gifts have included $100 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to launch the new Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing; a $10 million gift from alumnus Maurice Gallagher and his wife Marcia to fund a new building (Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. Hall) and an endowment for the Graduate School of Management; and $35 million from Margrit Mondavi and the late Robert Mondavi to help establish the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. Excellence in women's and men's athletics has long been a proud tradition at UC Davis. For its thorough dominance of college athletics at the NCAA Division II level, Davis was awarded the Sears Cup for best Division II athletic program in six of the first eight years the award was given. At the Division II level, UC Davis won multiple national championships including basketball, softball and tennis. In 2003, UC Davis undertook the rigorous process to move its athletic programs to Division 1. In 2007, the Aggies gained full Division I status after completing the probationary study-period and they now compete against the finest athletes in the nation. Undoubtedly, the most exciting times in this transition were the series of upset victories over ``the other farm'' in a variety of sports including football, basketball, soccer, wrestling and baseball. Madam Speaker, at this time it is appropriate that we recognize and congratulate the University of California, Davis, on the occasion of its centennial. Over the past one hundred years, the university has been of incalculable benefit to the State of California and our nation with its accomplishments across all the fields of human endeavor. As an educational institution, UC Davis is rightly counted among the finest in the country and generations of students have benefited from the wisdom and guidance of its faculty. I know that the university will continue into its next century as it finished its first: a dynamic institution for education and research, and a true source of pride for Californians. I ask you to join me in thanking all the students, staff, administrators and faculty, past and present, for their accomplishments and continued hard work.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. I thank the gentleman, Mr. Edwards. I would just remind everybody that these veterans are sick today, they are dying, they need the medical care that they deserve and the medical care that they earned. I appreciate your willingness to work with us on this. I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for all your work on this bill and all that you have done over the years for both veterans and those currently serving in the military. I value greatly all the work that you have done. But as Mr. Rehberg said, 45 years ago, the Department of Defense began more than 50 chemical and biological weapons tests on U.S. servicemen without their knowledge. The government called these top secret tests Project SHAD. For the next 40 years, the Department of Defense denied Project SHAD even took place. Ten years ago, I was able to prove that in fact they did take place, and the DOD said they only used simulants and at no time were these veterans exposed to anything harmful. Finally, after 3 more years of work, the DOD admitted they used live and extremely dangerous agents, such as Vx nerve gas and sarin. More alarming than the lies and the coverup, we are not giving these veterans the care they need and deserve today. A recent Associated Press article revealed that only 6 percent of claims made by Project SHAD veterans and other veterans involved in these secret government tests have been accepted by the VA. That is only 39 out of 641 claims. These brave men served our country and they served it with distinction, and in return they were unknowingly used as human guinea pigs by their own government. Now they are denied care. The extension of treatment authority would go a long way towards increasing the VA's dismal record in helping our veterans exposed to these harmful agents, a record that the veterans service associations in this country have called shocking, disgraceful and disappointing. I hope that the chairman can assure me that he will work together with us to find the appropriate vehicle to extend this important provision.

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Chairman, I would like to yield to the gentleman from Montana.

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word and engage in a colloquy with Chairman Edwards, Congressman Rehberg and myself.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Vine Village of Napa County on the occasion of their 35th anniversary. Vine Village has done visionary work to provide people with developmental disabilities a comfortable place to call their home. Thirty-five years ago, Grace Kerson, George Kerson and Dante Bagnani looked around at the options they had for their developmentally disabled children: virtual isolation in an independent living situation, or institutionalization. They concluded that there had to be a better way; that people with developmental disabilities could have a comfortable home that allowed them social interaction and the same quality of life as their non-handicapped peers while still meeting their care needs. The fruit of their ingenuity and compassion is Vine Village in Napa, California. Today at Vine Village, 19 developmentally disabled adults live full-time on a beautiful 25 acre ranch in the Cameros region amongst the animals and vineyards. They also maintain a day arts and recreation program that can be attended by any developmentally disabled person in the community. The Kerson family remains the main benefactors of Vine Village. Grace and George's son, Michael and his wife, Nancy have directed Vine Village since 1973, and their daughter, Saanen, joined the staff in 2007. Debbie Kerson remains a resident. Madam Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we thank the Kerson family and everyone at Vine Village for the remarkable work they have done for our community. Only through the hard work and generous contributions of countless members of our community has this program thrived for the past 35 years, and I know that we will see much more progress in the years to come.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule. The trigger is an arbitrary way to try and reform Medicare. Moreover, no hearings were ever held to determine whether the trigger was set at the right level of general revenues. The trigger was literally added in the back room during conference on the Medicare Modernization Act. It wasn't in the House bill. It wasn't in the Senate bill. The chief actuary from the nonpartisan Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services testified before our committee that the trigger is judgmental, not scientific. He said there is no analytical rationalization for setting the trigger level funding at 45 percent. This trigger is politically, not policy, based. We need to focus on system-wide issues to address costs in both private insurance and Medicare. The trigger is no substitute for real reform. We have taken important steps in this Congress to assure Medicare solvency. The CHAMP Act, which was passed last year by the House, included significant Medicare cost savings and extended the solvency of the hospital trust fund. The bipartisan Medicare bill, the bill that became law after we overrode the President's veto, extended that solvency of Medicare and pushed back the date the trigger is pulled, while providing $18 billion in beneficiary improvements for seniors. I urge everyone to support this rule change so we can continue to work towards real reform in the next Congress.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Volker Eisele, who is being honored as the Napa County Farm Bureau's 2008 Agriculturalist of the Year. I have had the honor for the past 10 years to represent in the U.S. House of Representatives the Napa Valley, an area known throughout the world for its immense beauty, environmental consciousness and bountiful agriculture. Were it not for the tireless efforts of Mr. Eisele, Napa Valley as we know it today would simply not exist. Since arriving in the Napa Valley, Volker Eisele has dedicated his life to protecting its rich agricultural tradition. The timeline of his community involvement reads like the history of preservation in Napa. In 1974, he joined Citizens' Council for Napa Tomorrow, the group that passed Napa County's 1 percent growth measure, Measure A, in 1980. In 1977, he joined the board of what is now Greenbelt Alliance, which has become one of the preeminent Smart Growth organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has also served on the boards of directors for the Napa County Farm Bureau and the Napa Valley Grapegrowers. During his term as President of the Farm Bureau, he led the effort to create the 160 acre minimum for agricultural, watershed and open space land. From 1989 through 1990, in what was perhaps his crowning achievement, he led the campaign to pass Measure J, Napa County's revolutionary land protection measure. Today, he is organizing the campaign to renew Measure J, which will protect Napa Valley agriculture for fifty years. Mr. Eisele has been a preeminent activist in Napa Valley for more than thirty years, but he has also led by example. He planted the first entirely organic vineyard in Napa in 1975, and practiced sustainable farming long before it became widely accepted. He has maintained an enduring reverence for the land that serves us all so well, respecting animal habitat and riparian corridors. As a result, his Volker Eisele Family Estate wines reflect the best that Napa has to offer. Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize Volker Eisele for his many years of leadership. The Napa Valley and the entire environmental movement owe him an enormous debt of gratitude.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, together with my colleague Lynn Woolsey, I rise today to recognize my good friend, Bob Jehn, who retired from public office on July 4, 2008 after serving 14 years on the city council of Cloverdale, California. During Mr. Jehn's tenure on the council, he served four times as its mayor. He was also a three-term member of the board of directors on the League of California Cities, past chairman and the longest serving member of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, past chairman and member of the North Coast Rail Authority and Chairman and member of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit Authority. He was the driving force behind the establishment of Cloverdale River Park, a 70-acre public access area along the Russian River, and led the successful effort to secure a permanent conservation easement for 250 acres of hillside overlooking Cloverdale. His other civic duties included service on the Cloverdale Planning Commission and former Chair of the Cloverdale Economic Development Commission. He was an active member of the Cloverdale Rotary Club, the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce, the Cloverdale Historical Society and the North Coast Association of Health Underwriters. He was honored by his community as volunteer of the year in 1994. Mr. Jehn and his wife of 30 years, Nancy, moved to California in 1977 and to Cloverdale in 1990. He is a graduate of the University of Texas and a Navy veteran, serving aboard the USS Force, MSO 445, an ocean mine sweeper, from June 1963 through May 1965. Mr. Jehn plans to devote his time and his energies to his health insurance business and to his family, focusing and doting on his three grandchildren, Grace, 8, Billy, 6 and Sophia, 3. Madam Speaker, Bob Jehn, has been an exceptional public servant. He has served the people of Cloverdale and Sonoma County well and it is fitting at this time that we honor him today and wish him well as he enters the next phase of his life.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. I want to thank both Chairman Reyes and Ranking Member Hoekstra for their leadership and making sure we had a good bipartisan bill that benefits the people of this great country, the staff that worked so hard to make this happen on both sides of the aisle, and, in particular, the ranking member of my subcommittee, Mr. Rogers, for working together to make this a good bill. Human intelligence, or HUMINT, is one of the most difficult but effective means of understanding our adversaries' plans and intentions. This bill adds funds improve HUMINT collection on counterterrorism and other critical national security challenges. It also adds HUMINT resources for global challenges, such as the political and humanitarian crisis in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The events unfolding in those regions demonstrate that we must always have the resources to understand these threats. The information we collect, however, is only useful if analysts translate it into actionable intelligence for policymakers and law enforcement. For that reason, this bill provides resources to improve intelligence analysis across the entire intelligence community. It also authorizes additional personnel to support State and local law enforcement so they can better address the challenges of border security, counterterrorism and infrastructure protection. And the bill also calls for fiscal restraint. As Mr. Rogers mentioned, since its creation in 2004, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has grown into a bloated bureaucracy that hinders, rather than facilitates, intelligence complexes and analysis. This bill adds an amendment that Mr. Rogers and I introduced in committee that prevents further growth in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Finally, Mr. Chairman, this legislation provides critical intelligence resources for our troops and strengthens oversight of intelligence support to the military. Many of us have visited our troops in Iraq, and we have seen firsthand that good intelligence saves American lives on the battlefield. This bill will greatly improve our intelligence capabilities and enhance our national security. I urge all my colleagues to support it. In closing, I too want to add my name to those who are very appreciative and thankful for our friends, Mr. Everett and Mr. Cramer, who did a great job on the committee. They were a pleasure to work for, they are fine Americans, and we are going to miss them.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lt. Dane R. Hayward on the occasion of his retirement as Commander of the Clear Lake Area Highway Patrol. Lt. Hayward has served his community and the State of California honorably for over 30 years. Lt. Hayward received his A.A. in Auto Technology from Ventura Community College, his B.A. in Police Science/Psychology at Lavern University and his M.A. in Counseling from the University of San Francisco. Lt. Hayward has had an illustrious career in public service. He has implemented progressive solutions that have saved countless lives in Lake County, part of California's 151 Congressional District. He helped secure a 2003 Pedestrian Corridor grant which has resulted in zero pedestrian fatalities to date. He was able to get SR-53 and SR-20 controlled, which has also led to zero fatalities since, and the signal he was able to install at Highland Springs lowered fatalities by 50 percent. He has built the force by establishing a Senior Volunteer Program and an Explorer Program, supplementing his officers on patrol. Lt. Hayward served as a motorcycle officer in the Central Los Angeles and West Valley offices in southern California. He then went on to become a Sergeant in south Los Angeles and Ventura and a Lieutenant in Baldwin Park, West Valley, and Clear Lake before earning the Commander position. Lt. Hayward is known as a generous, diligent and committed public servant who never hesitates to answer the call of his community. Among many other affiliations, Lt. Hayward is a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the National Rifle Association, a member of Ventura County Peace Officers Association, and a member of the California Peace Officers Association. On top of all that, Lt. Hayward has been a peer support counselor for the CHP from 1990 to the present. Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is appropriate at this time that we thank Lt. Dane Hayward for his years of dedication and service on behalf of Lake County and the citizens of California. He has been a role model for anyone who wants to give back to his or her community. I join his wife Phill, their son Dane Jr., and daughter Nicole in thanking Dane and wishing him a lifetime of fulfillment.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Point Arena on the Mendocino Coast in Northern California. Located along magnificently rugged headlands overlooking the Pacific Ocean to the west and bordered by redwood forests to the east, California's sixth smallest city (current population 501) is precariously ``surrounded'' by the San Andreas Fault and watched over by the stately Point Arena Lighthouse. Self-described as a ``town of booms and declines'' Point Arena has survived three major fires and fueled a variety of enterprising possibilities. Historical anecdotes trace its heritage from the native Pomos to traders, lumberjacks and sea captains, from oil drillers and bootleggers to hippies and nuclear energy protestors. Prior to 1906, Point Arena was the ``busiest town between San Francisco and Eureka.'' More than 200,000 board feet of lumber came from the town mills. Point Arena was the main shipping port for agricultural products on the south Mendocino coast. After the earthquake in 1906 every brick building collapsed and every chimney and timbered dwelling came down. In the meantime, William Hanon, the editor of the town newspaper, the Point Arena Record, was elected to a term in the state legislature. While there he saw money and services handed out to incorporated cities and wanted Point Arena to get a share. Due to his foresight and persistence tiny Point Arena became incorporated July 6, 1908. By 1910 more than two dozen saloons graced the dirt road next to the headlands overlooking the Pacific. Until 1912 horse-drawn stagecoaches brought visitors and provisions. The main source of supplies, however, was the SS Sea Foam until it sank off the coast in 1931. A fire, started at the Grand Hotel on July 2, 1927, wiped out the town once again. By the 1930s Point Arena was rebuilt and many art deco and arte moderne remnants still stand downtown. Since then roads have been paved and the scenic Coast Highway One turns into Point Arena's Main Street. The pier has been revitalized with restaurants and inns and harbors a small fishing fleet. Main Street sports historic facades, coffee shops, bars and a theater as well as a new public kiosk describing Point Arena's status as a California Coastal National Monument gateway. Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing the city of Point Arena for a hundred years of determination and success. I would also like to salute the energetic and conscientious city council, which chose ``Still Crazy After all These Years'' as the motto for its centennial. And for their new colorful city seal featuring the indigenous Point Arena Mountain Beaver.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of the late Robert Mondavi, a founding father of the American wine industry. Mr. Mondavi was born to Italian immigrants in June 1913. He graduated from Stanford University and joined his family in running Charles Krug Winery in my hometown of St. Helena. Nearly three decades later, he founded the Robert Mondavi Winery to make his dream of creating world-class California wines a reality. Only a few years later, he released a Cabernet Sauvignon that opened the eyes of the world to the potential of the Napa Valley region. He went on to create the first French-American wine venture, the first of many international partnerships. His work made him known throughout the world as a premier winemaker and businessman. His pursuit of excellence and passion for winemaking could be found in every sip of a Robert Mondavi vintage. Through innovation and determination, he redefined American wines and helped propel the birth of one of our Nation's fastest growing industries. Robert Mondavi's leadership is irreplaceable. But to me and many others, he was best known--and loved--as a dear friend, a pillar of the community, and a much-admired philanthropist. I was fortunate to know Mr. Mondavi my whole life. I grew up with his children and I later worked with him on issues important to the wine community. Of all his accomplishments, it was his commitment to our community that I found most awe inspiring. A lifelong student himself, Bob established the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science at the University of California at Davis so that future generations could continue improving his craft. He also established the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for Performing Arts at UC Davis. He was a leading force in the creation of Copia: The American Institute for Food, Wine, and the Arts in downtown Napa. He helped found the Napa Valley Wine Auction, which raises millions of dollars to help many of our local charities. He was also a strong and steady voice for the conservation of our farmlands. Mr. Mondavi's legacy, can be found throughout the world. But it is most treasured at home. My district would not be what it is today without him. I will miss him greatly. My thoughts and prayers are with Margrit, sons Tim and Michael, daughter Marcia and his entire family. Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that this resolution serves as a tribute to the unparalleled life of Robert Mondavi.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and also for his leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, today's vote is about maintaining access to health care for seniors and people with disabilities. Although this bill stops cuts to physician payments, it is not about how much we pay doctors. This bill is about access to health care for patients, people that need medical attention. The data are convincing. Over 60 percent of California physicians would leave Medicare or stop taking new Medicare patients if these cuts are implemented. In rural California, like rural America, we are already facing a physician shortage crisis. The impact on seniors would be devastating if Medicare beneficiaries lose access to thousands of physicians in California because of this cut. Fortunately, we can prevent those cuts and further strengthen Medicare through expanded preventive health services, enhanced low income protections and other improvements to help people in need of care by passing H.R. 6331. There may not be bipartisan support in this House for this bill, but there is bipartisan support across the country for this bill. I urge everyone to vote for it.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Monsignor John Brenkle on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his ordination. Monsignor Brenkle has been a pillar of the community in my hometown, St. Helena, California, for 25 years. Monsignor Brenkle has had a long and distinguished career in the church. He attended St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California, and was ordained on June 14, 1958 through the Archdiocese of San Francisco. He received his Doctorate in Canon Law from The Catholic University of America in 1962. He served as Chancellor of the Diocese in Santa Rosa until 1971, followed by two years of teaching in Zambia. He came to the Napa Valley in 1979 as Parish Administrator at Our Lady of Perpetual Health in Calistoga before being assigned as Pastor of St. Helena Catholic Church in 1983, where he has been ever since. Monsignor Brenkle stands out in the larger Napa Valley community as an example of the best aspects of his faith. He serves on numerous local boards, including Catholic Charities, the Board of Directors of Justin-Siena High School, Catholic Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Napa Valley, California Human Development Corporation and the St. Helena Mayor's Multi-cultural Committee. Monsignor Brenkle never fails to answer the call for the working poor and less fortunate in our community. He is a champion for Napa Valley farm workers and low-income individuals. He was a driving force to create a successful farm worker program for day laborers, and helped establish low income housing at three major sites in the Valley. Father Brenkle also founded a Hispanic Scholarship Program which has raised tens of thousands of dollars over the years. Father Brenkle continues to be a significant advocate for worker's rights and social justice, particularly in hospitals and vineyards throughout the region. Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is my distinct pleasure to congratulate Monsignor John Brenkle for his 50 years of service to the Catholic Church and the people around him, and to thank him for his innumerable contributions to our community. I join all those whose lives he has touched in wishing him many more years of fulfillment.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding and also thank you for your great work on this bill, Mr. DeFazio, and thank you especially for paying for the bill. Mr. Speaker and Members, county governments don't receive property tax for lands owned and controlled by the Federal Government. However, they are obligated to provide services in those areas. The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act was created to compensate local governments for the tax exempt status of the public lands within their county. If we fail to reauthorize this important program, teachers will be laid off, kids will be short-changed on their education, and county roads will go unmaintained. In my district, over 1.2 million acres are controlled by the Federal Government. The National Forest Service land in my district is twice the size of the State of Rhode Island, and every acre, every acre is exempt from property tax. In one of my counties, 40 percent of the roads are within the National Forest. So that county is responsible for maintaining the roads that run through the very property that is exempt from the taxes that pay for our roads. It's unconscionable for the Federal Government to walk away from this obligation to rural local governments. Rural counties have no other options. We have made a commitment on this issue. Now let's live up to our word.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Richard R. Niemann on the occasion of his retirement from the Napa Valley Unified School District after 39 years of teaching. Richard will be truly missed by his friends, colleagues and most of all, his students. Mr. Niemann received his B.A. in History and Business Administration from Fresno State University and went on to graduate studies in International Relations at the University of the Americas in Mexico City in 1969. His love for learning led him to get his teaching credential from Fresno State University in Standard Secondary-History, Economics, Political Science, and Business. In 1976, Mr. Niemann received a Life Administrative Credential in Education and his M.A. in History from Sonoma State University in 1981. Mr. Niemann has devoted his life to the education of others and has greatly influenced many of the students and faculty members he has worked with. He is not only a phenomenal educator, but a sterling role model for the community. Among many other achievements and activities, Mr. Niemann was co-chair of the NVUSD Educational Plan Committee for the new American Canyon High School from 2005-2006. He also coordinated National History Day for Napa County Schools, with more than 2,000 students participating annually from 2000-2004. Mr. Niemann has reached out to get others involved, serving as a delegation leader for the ``People to People'' Student Ambassador Program. The program attracted participants from Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, and Australia. He has been a mentor teacher, track coach, and has always made himself available after hours to work with parent volunteers. Mr. Niemann strives to not just teach history, but to experience it. He has traveled to 49 countries on six continents. He has consulted with educators and observed schools in Mexico, Fiji, Russia, Germany, Japan, Central America, South Africa, India, Kenya, Thailand, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize Richard R. Niemann for his many years of service to the Napa Valley, and to thank him for his contributions to the community. I join his wife, Marsha, his children, and our colleagues in wishing him the best as he enters this new phase of his life.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the all too short lives of Keith and Jaynie Paulson, Vince Whiteley, and Jennifer Drake, residents of my district, who died tragically in a small plane crash on May 23, 2008. The epitome of the all-American family, Keith and Jaynie Paulson moved to the village of Albion on the Mendocino coast in northern California in 1976 and immediately became an integral and respected part of the community. A former high school science teacher from the Bay Area, Keith originally planned to develop hydroponic greenhouses. Once he purchased a tractor, he was hired to do jobs for neighbors and then through word of mouth he found a niche digging trenches and installing underground utilities. In 1977, Paulson Excavating was born with Keith at the helm and Jaynie the chief financial officer. By 1981, the company had grown to the point of bidding on jobs in and outside of Mendocino County installing telecommunications components and doing projects for public agencies including cities, counties, special districts and the State. Their workforce grew from a core of 15 to as many as 75 employees. Known and respected by their peers for exemplary business practices, the Paulsons were also beloved by colleagues and neighbors on the Mendocino coast, where their roots were deep. They raised two children, Amy and Brian, and were involved in their school, sports and other extra curricular activities. Bryan continues the work of Paulson Excavating. Amy is mother to the 3 Paulson grandchildren: Lincoln, Jackson, and Anna. Jaynie served on the Mendocino Unified School District Board from 1991 until 2004. Keith also served for a short time on the school board and was the coach of the Mendocino High School golf team. He was a member of the Albion-Little River Volunteer Fire Department for 7 years and held various officer positions. A meticulous and expert pilot for 25 years, Keith was appointed as pilot representative to the Little River Airport Advisory Committee in 2007 by the County of Mendocino. The tragedy, which took their lives, also claimed Amy's husband, Vince Whiteley, a graphic artist from Windsor and Bryan's long-time girlfriend, Jennifer Drake from Albion. The Mendocino coast community is left with a hole in the hearts of so many. Accolades and tributes to this sterling couple and their children's mates help the grieving as we try to make sense of their loss. Madam Chair and colleagues, please join me in conveying our deepest sympathy to the children, loved ones, and the community, during this sorrowful time as we recognize and honor the lives and contributions of Keith and Jaynie Paulson and Vince Whiteley and Jennifer Drake.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today along with my colleagues Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, and you as Speaker of the House of Representatives, to honor the contributions of Carroll L. Estes, PhD. Dr. Estes is one of our country's most highly acclaimed leaders in the field of aging, who has combined distinguished scholarship with a sustained commitment to public sociology. Dr. Estes was raised in Texas by her mother, Carroll Cox Estes, an artist and writer, and her father, the late U.S. District Judge Joe E. Estes. She received her AB in Sociology from Stanford University, her MA in Sociology from Southern Methodist University, and her PhD from the University of California, San Diego. Her first book, The Decision Makers: The Power Structure of Dallas, published in 1963, gained notoriety on both local and national levels at the time of President Kennedy's assassination. Over her 40 year career, Dr. Estes has been passionately devoted to improving the health and economic security of vulnerable and underserved populations, with special concern for women, older persons, and ethnic and racial minorities. Through research, teaching, and public service, she has steadfastly worked to advance the public good and the interests of America's most powerless and disenfranchised populations. She is an internationally recognized policy advisor in the field of social insurance, Social Security, Medicare, and long term care. Dr. Estes has authored and co-authored eight books and more than 150 scientific articles and coedited 15 books. Her research, including her groundbreaking book, The Aging Enterprise (1979), has contributed to understanding of the impact of social policy on the elderly. Her latest book, Social Insurance, Social Justice and Social Change will be published in 2009. Dr. Estes's current scholarship is focused on the social movements surrounding the privatization of social insurance programs for the elderly. She is also working on the missing feminist revolution in old age policy and studies of the long term care ombudsman program and access to elder mental health services. In 1979, Dr. Estes cofounded the Aging Health Policy Center, and in 1985 it was approved by the University of California Board of Regents as the Institute for Health & Aging (IHA). Dr. Estes was appointed its first director and served for nearly two decades. She was also chairperson of the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences in the School of Nursing from 1981 through 1992. Dr. Estes's service extends far beyond academia. She was a consultant to U.S. Commissioners of Social Security and the U.S. Senate and House Committees on Aging and was a member of Federal commissions, committees of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and private foundation boards. She is past president of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the American Society on Aging (ASA), and the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE), and past national vice-president of the Older Women's League. Dr. Estes is a long-time member of many advocacy organizations induding: the Gray Panthers, Responsible Wealth, the Older Women's League (of which she was national vice president). She worked directly with both Tish Sommers and Maggie Kuhn, who continue to inspire her activism. In 2006 Dr. Estes received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, where she is currently vice chair. She is also a current member of the Sonoma County Council on Aging. Most important among Dr. Estes's many contributions is that of mother and grandmother to her daughter Duskie Estes, her son-in-law John Stewart, and her precious granddaughters Brydie and Mackenzie. Madam Speaker, it is appropriate that Dr. Carroll L. Estes, PhD, is being honored at a University of California, San Francisco, symposium celebrating her 40 years of policy research and leadership in health and aging. We are grateful for her many contributions as a distinguished scholar, inspiring teacher, influential policy advisor, institution builder and advocate for the most vulnerable in our Nation.

Mr. THOMPSON of California

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I have had the honor for the past 10 years to represent in the House of Representatives the Napa Valley, an area known throughout the world for its immense beauty, environmental consciousness and bountiful agriculture. This evening, the Jack L. Davies Napa Valley Agricultural Land Preservation Fund will celebrate an act of foresight and wisdom that has helped the Napa Valley to earn its lofty reputation: the creation of the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve. In 1968, the Napa County Board of Supervisors passed Ordinance No. 274, creating the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve. The ordinance ensured that agriculture and open space were the ``highest and best use'' of our land and should be preserved for those uses. This unprecedented action revolutionized land use policy nationwide and paved the way for other landmark measures, such as measure J, to help preserve agricultural land. Among its many virtues, the establishment of the Ag Preserve proved that responsible land stewardship and a thriving economy were not mutually exclusive values; indeed, the Napa Valley owes much of its economic prosperity and special quality of life to the preservation of its agricultural and open space lands. Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is my distinct pleasure to honor Napa County Supervisors Dewey Anderson, Jack Ferguson, and those former Supervisors who are with us in spirit Henry Wigger, Julius Caiocca and Pete Clark for having the foresight to protect the land so that future generations could enjoy the majesty of the Napa Valley. We also salute those who are working today to preserve and protect agricultural land and open space in Napa County.