[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 963 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 963

   Congratulating and thanking Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. 
   Mineta for his 40 years of dedicated service to the people of the 
                             United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2006

 Mrs. Tauscher (for herself, Mr. Honda, Mr. Oberstar, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. 
Dreier, Ms. Matsui, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, Mr. 
Lantos, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Farr, Mr. Becerra, Mr. Sherman, Ms. Watson, Mr. 
   Costa, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, Mr. Berman, Mr. George 
Miller of California, Mr. Lewis of California, Ms. Woolsey, Ms. Eshoo, 
Mr. Gary G. Miller of California, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Calvert, Ms. Lee, Ms. 
Harman, Mr. Davis of Tennessee, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Ms. 
 Norton, Mr. Holden, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Bishop 
  of New York, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Boozman, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Coble, Mr. 
  Matheson, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Shuster, Mr. Boustany, Ms. Solis, Ms. 
 Millender-McDonald, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Porter, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Higgins, 
Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Carnahan, Mr. Cardoza, Mr. Campbell of 
   California, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Kennedy of Minnesota, Ms. Roybal-
Allard, Mr. Bilbray, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Issa, Mr. Herger, Mr. Daniel 
     E. Lungren of California, Mr. Royce, Mr. Baca, Mrs. Davis of 
 California, Mr. Gallegly, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Stark, 
Mr. Thomas, Mr. Filner, Ms. Waters, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California, 
 and Mr. Petri) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                to the Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Congratulating and thanking Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. 
   Mineta for his 40 years of dedicated service to the people of the 
                             United States.

Whereas on July 7, 2006, Secretary Mineta completed his service as Secretary of 
        Transportation as the longest serving Secretary of Transportation in the 
        Department of Transportation's 40-year history;
Whereas Secretary Mineta's life has been the story of a man who never shied away 
        from a challenge and who broke numerous barriers along the way;
Whereas throughout his career, Secretary Mineta has championed the goal of equal 
        rights and equal opportunity for all Americans;
Whereas Secretary Mineta's legacy of public service began when he enlisted in 
        the United States Army in 1953 and served honorably until 1956 in 
        defense of our Nation;
Whereas Secretary Mineta served on the city council of the city of San Jose from 
        1967 to 1971 and later served as the mayor of the city of San Jose, 
        making him the first Asian American mayor of a major American city;
Whereas Secretary Mineta was elected a Member of Congress in 1974 and served in 
        that capacity until 1995, during which time he served as chairman of the 
        Committee on Public Works and Transportation of the House of 
        Representatives and chairman of the Committee's Aviation, Public 
        Buildings, and Surface Transportation Subcommittees;
Whereas during his time in Congress, Secretary Mineta championed the Civil 
        Liberties Act of 1988, which offered an official apology to the 120,000 
        Americans of Japanese ancestry who, as he did, suffered internment and 
        evacuation by the United States Government during World War II;
Whereas during Secretary Mineta's career on the Committee on Public Works and 
        Transportation, he championed increases in investment for transportation 
        infrastructure and was a key author of the landmark Intermodal Surface 
        Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991;
Whereas the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 encouraged 
        States, metropolitan planning agencies, and public transit agencies to 
        consider multimodal solutions to surface transportation problems and led 
        to major increases in public transit ridership and bicycle and 
        pedestrian use;
Whereas during Secretary Mineta's service as chairman of the Surface 
        Transportation Subcommittee he moved the transportation provisions of 
        the Americans with Disabilities Act through the Committee, opening 
        opportunities for people with disabilities to more fully participate in 
        their communities;
Whereas during his service in the Congress, Secretary Mineta spearheaded the 
        creation of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in 1994 to 
        promote and advocate for Asian Pacific American issues and served as its 
        first Chairman;
Whereas Secretary Mineta founded the Asian Pacific American Institute for 
        Congressional Studies in 1995 to effectively enhance and increase the 
        participation of the Asian Pacific American community in the democratic 
        process at the national, State, and local levels;
Whereas after his retirement from Congress, Secretary Mineta served as Secretary 
        of Commerce in 2000 and 2001 becoming the first Asian Pacific American 
        to serve in the Cabinet;
Whereas Secretary Mineta became the first Asian Pacific American Cabinet member 
        to serve in successive administrations for two different political 
        parties when he was appointed Secretary of Transportation by President 
        George W. Bush in 2001;
Whereas on September 11, 2001, as Secretary of Transportation, Secretary Mineta 
        acted in the defense of our Nation by ordering the Federal Aviation 
        Administration to restrict our Nation's airspace, prevent further 
        aircraft takeoffs, and land all aircraft, resulting in 4,836 aircraft 
        landings in 2 hours and 12 minutes;
Whereas after enactment of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act in 
        November 2001, Secretary Mineta oversaw implementation of a major 
        overhaul of aviation security, including establishing the Transportation 
        Security Administration, hiring and training a workforce of 45,000 
        passenger and baggage screeners, and the installation of thousands of 
        explosive detection systems and explosive trace detection machines to 
        screen all checked baggage;
Whereas in implementing the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, Secretary 
        Mineta ensured that the Department of Transportation met all of the 
        statutory deadlines to improve aviation security, including many 
        security mandates that required action within one year of enactment;
Whereas in honor of his public service and commitment to the city of San Jose, 
        the San Jose Airport was officially rededicated as the Norman Y. Mineta 
        San Jose International Airport in 2001;
Whereas Secretary Mineta played an important role in the passage of the Safe, 
        Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for 
        Users (SAFETEA-LU) which seeks to strengthen the legacy of the 
        Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991; and
Whereas Secretary Mineta's record of public service and his dedication to our 
        Nation should be held in the highest esteem: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives congratulates and 
thanks Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta for his long career 
of public service and commitment to the Nation.
                                 <all>