[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 60 (Monday, April 16, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E743-E745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRATULATING KATY RHOADES, ELIZABETH GHELETA AND PATRICIA BROWN ON
BEING AWARDED A JEFFERSON AWARD FOR PUBLIC SERVICE
______
HON. TOM LANTOS
of california
in the house of representatives
Monday, April 16, 2007
Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to three
remarkable women in my Congressional District in California. These
women are distinguished recipients of the prestigious Jefferson Award
for Public Service in 2006. I would like to express my own personal
gratitude to these women and share their stories with my colleagues.
Katy Rhoades is an extraordinary volunteer who has devoted herself to
improving the quality of life of people with disabilities. She became
an advocate for the disabled when her son, Kit, was first diagnosed
with spina bifida. Katy left a career in the insurance industry to care
full-time for her son. While she worked tirelessly with Kit, she also
managed to find the time and energy to work with others with
disabilities in San Mateo County. I am happy to announce that her son,
now 21, has become a successful, independent young man and is currently
enrolled at Canada College in Redwood City. Katy has continually given
of herself, tirelessly advocating for people with disabilities.
Her work on behalf of disabled people includes serving on the San
Mateo County Commission on Disabilities, the Health Plan of San Mateo,
the Meals on Wheels Coalition, New Beginning Coalition and the Second
Harvest Food Bank. Katy has also worked with the California Children
Services and the Far-West Wheelchair Sports Association. Katy developed
the ``Transition to Independence Fair'' to help children with
disabilities as they grow into adulthood. This unique fair now takes
place every other year and is growing in importance. Katy Rhoades is an
incredible ally and friend to people with disabilities. She has made
her community in the Bay Area a better place for everyone.
Madam Speaker, Elizabeth Gheleta is another recent winner of the
Jefferson Award. She has helped rebuild the lives of thousands of San
Mateo County jail inmates and former inmates, and has also provided
support and assistance to their children and families.
A long, distinguished career with the San Mateo County Service League
has made Elizabeth Gheleta an invaluable and integral part of the
agency's history. When Proposition 13 closed down the Service League in
1978, Elizabeth took on a leadership role that salvaged it. She built
the Service League into a well-established, non-profit community
organization with 25 staff members and over 500 dedicated volunteers.
This tireless and visionary woman expanded local in-jail resources to
include educational programs, religious services, substance abuse
counseling, and life skills to aid in the transition back into society.
Elizabeth's success with the Service League has resulted in similar
programs that have given hundreds of former inmates and their families
a second chance in life.
Elizabeth Gheleta has spent 38 years with the Service League, and her
recent retirement will leave a large void in the agency, but we can all
take comfort in the knowledge that she leaves behind a strong and
essential pillar of our community. She refused to give up on prison
inmates and has given countless men and women the skills and support
they need in order to return to productive lives in our society.
Madam Speaker, the third, and certainly not last, extraordinary woman
I want to tell you about is Patricia Brown, who has retired from the
Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center after 20 years of service. She has
been the Executive Director of PCRC since 1992, guiding the non-profit
organization in its mission to provide conflict management and
resolution services in San Mateo County. This remarkable organization
has grown under Patricia's leadership and today trains people to
communicate and solve problems together, through constructive means.
Through her vision and commitment, conflict resolution today not only
involves adults, but children in school as well.
Patricia is also an active community volunteer, involving herself in
the creation and development of a number of partnerships, including
development of the Multi-Option Alternative Dispute Resolution Program.
She has served on the California Judicial Council's Collaborative
Justice Courts Advisory Committee and was involved in an innovative
alliance of San Mateo County non-profits known as Thrive. A founding
member of the California Dispute Resolution Council and its non-profit
partner, the California Dispute Resolution Institute, Patricia can
point to countless success stories relating to successful conflict
resolution.
Madam Speaker, let me recognize with great pride Katy Rhoades,
Elizabeth Gheleta and Patricia Brown, three women who have devoted
their lives to making our community a stronger, safer and more vibrant
place to live. These women are gems in San Mateo County and an
inspiration to all of us. I am honored to be able to highlight their
accomplishments.
[[Page E744]]
SENATE COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Title IV of Senate Resolution 4, agreed to by the Senate on February
4, 1977, calls for establishment of a system for a computerized
schedule of all meetings and hearings of Senate committees,
subcommittees, joint committees, and committees of conference. This
title requires all such committees to notify the Office of the Senate
Daily Digest--designated by the Rules Committee--of the time, place,
and purpose of the meetings, when scheduled, and any cancellations or
changes in the meetings as they occur.
As an additional procedure along with the computerization of this
information, the Office of the Senate Daily Digest will prepare this
information for printing in the Extensions of Remarks section of the
Congressional Record on Monday and Wednesday of each week.
Meetings scheduled for Tuesday, April 17, 2007 may be found in the
Daily Digest of today's Record.
MEETINGS SCHEDULED
APRIL 18
Time to be announced
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Business meeting to consider the nomination of Gregory B.
Cade, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the United
States Fire
Administration, Department of Homeland Security.
S-216, Capitol
9:30 a.m.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
To hold hearings to examine economic challenges and
opportunities facing American agricultural producers
today, focusing on livestock, poultry and competition
issues.
SD-106
Armed Services
Airland Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine whether the Army is properly
sized, organized, and equipped to respond to the most
likely missions over the next two decades while
retaining adequate capability to respond to all
contingencies along the spectrum of combat in review of
the Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2008
and the Future Years Defense Program.
SR-222
10 a.m.
Finance
To hold hearings to examine the Administration's plan for
reducing the tax gap, focusing on goals, benchmarks,
and timetables.
SD-215
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Business meeting to markup S. 1082, to amend the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to reauthorize and amend
the prescription drug user fee provisions, and the
nominations of Douglas G. Myers, of California, Jeffrey
Patchen, of Indiana, Lotsee Patterson, of Oklahoma, all
to be Members of the National Museum and Library
Services Board, Stephen W. Porter, of the District of
Columbia, to be a Member of the National Council on the
Arts, and Cynthia Allen Wainscott, of Georgia, to be a
Member of the National Council on Disability.
SH-216
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine if ``Free Trade'' is working.
SR-253
Rules and Administration
To hold hearings to examine repealing the limitation on
party expenditures on behalf of candidates in general
elections.
SR-301
Small Business and Entrepreneurship
To hold hearings to examine Public Law 107-204 (Sarbanes
Oxley Act) and small business addressing proposed
regulatory changes and their impact on capital markets.
SR-428A
Appropriations
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 2008 for maternal and child health, and
family planning and reproductive health.
SD-124
Veterans' Affairs
Business meeting to markup the nomination of Thomas E.
Harvey, of New York, to be an Assistant Secretary of
Veterans
Affairs (Congressional Affairs).
Room to be announced
2:15 p.m.
Library
Organizational business meeting to consider an original
resolution authorizing expenditures for committee
operations and committee's rules of procedure for the
110th Congress.
S-115, Capitol
2:30 p.m.
Appropriations
Energy and Water Development Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 2008 for the Department of Energy.
SD-138
Environment and Public Works
To hold hearings to examine the nomination of Lieutenant
General Robert L. Van Antwerp, Jr. to be Chief of
Engineers and Commanding General of the United States
Army Corps of Engineers.
SD-406
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee
To hold oversight hearings to examine the President's
budget request for fiscal year 2008 for the United
States Coast Guard.
SR-253
Printing
Organizational business meeting to consider an original
resolution authorizing expenditures for committee
operations and committee's rules of procedure for the
110th Congress.
S-115, Capitol
3 p.m.
Armed Services
Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee
Personnel Subcommittee
To hold joint hearings to examine the readiness impact of
quality of life and family support programs to assist
families of Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve
military personnel in review of the Defense
Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2008 and the
Future Years Defense Program.
SR-232A
9:30 p.m.
Foreign Relations
To hold hearings to examine the nominations of R. Niels
Marquardt, of California, to be Ambassador to the
Republic of Madagascar, and to serve concurrently and
without additional compensation as Ambassador to the
Union of Comoros, Janet E. Garvey, of Massachusetts, to
be Ambassador to the Republic of Cameroon, and Phillip
Carter, III, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the
Republic of Guinea.
SD-419
APRIL 19
9 a.m.
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
To hold hearings to examine the impact of global warming
on private and federal insurance.
SD-342
9:30 a.m.
Armed Services
To hold hearings to receive testimony on the Department
of Defense's management of costs under the Logistics
Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) contract in Iraq.
SD-106
Judiciary
To hold oversight hearings to examine the Department of
Justice.
SH-216
10 a.m.
Appropriations
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 2008 for the Department of Justice.
SD-192
Finance
To hold hearings to examine grains, cane, and automobiles
relating to tax incentives for alternative fuels and
vehicles.
SD-215
Judiciary
To hold hearings to examine S. 1079, to establish the
Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentennial
Commission, S. 495, to prevent and mitigate identity
theft, to ensure privacy, to provide notice of security
breaches, and to enhance criminal penalties, law
enforcement assistance, and other protections against
security breaches, fraudulent access, and misuse of
personally identifiable information, S. 221, to amend
title 9, United States Code, to provide for greater
fairness in the arbitration process relating to
livestock and poultry contracts, S. 495, to prevent and
mitigate identity theft, to ensure privacy, to provide
notice of security breaches, and to enhance criminal
penalties, law enforcement assistance, and other
protections against security breaches, fraudulent
access, and misuse of personally identifiable
information, S. 376, to amend title 18, United States
Code, to improve the provisions relating to the
carrying of concealed weapons by law enforcement
officers, S. 119, to prohibit profiteering and fraud
relating to military action, relief, and reconstruction
efforts, S. 735, to amend title 18, United States Code,
to improve the terrorist hoax statute, H.R. 740, to
amend title 18, United States Code, to prevent caller
ID spoofing, and the nominations of Robert Gideon
Howard, Jr., of Arkansas, to be United States Marshal
for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Frederick J.
Kapala, of Illinois, to be
[[Page E745]]
United States District Judge for the Northern District
of Illinois, and Benjamin Hale Settle, of Washington,
to be United States District Judge for the Western
District of Washington; and the possibility of the
issuance of certain subpoenas in connection with the
investigation into the replacement of United States
Attorneys.
SD-226
Appropriations
Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs, and Related
Agencies Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 2008 for miltary construction for the Army,
Navy, and Marine Corps.
SD-138
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Science, Technology, and Innovation Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine United States competitiveness
through basic research.
SR-253
Appropriations
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related
Agencies Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine rising highway fatalities.
SD-124
2 p.m.
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Federal Financial Management, Government Information,
Federal Services, and International Security
Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine the current state of the
Postal Service along with the efforts underway to
implement the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act
(Public Law 109-435).
SD-342
2:30 p.m.
Armed Services
Strategic Forces Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 2008 for the military space programs in
review of the Defense Authorization Request and the
Future Years Defense Program; with the possibility of a
closed session in SR-222 following the open session.
SR-232A
Intelligence
To receive a closed briefing on certain intelligence
matters.
S-407, Capitol
10 p.m.
Aging
To hold hearings to examine bioidentical hormones.
SD-562
APRIL 20
9:30 a.m.
Appropriations
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related
Agencies Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for
fiscal year 2008 for the National Institutes of Health,
focusing on the burden of chronic diseases.
SD-116
APRIL 23
3 p.m.
Energy and Natural Resources
To hold hearings to examine S. 1115, to promote the
efficient use of oil, natural gas, and electricity,
reduce oil consumption, and heighten energy efficiency
standards for consumer products and industrial
equipment.
SD-366
APRIL 24
9:30 a.m.
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Disaster Recovery Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine trailers, focusing on
creating more flexible, efficient, and cost-effective
Federal Disaster Housing Program.
SD-342
Armed Services
To hold hearings to receive testimony on United States
Pacific Command, United States Forces Korea, and United
States Special Operations Command in review of the
Defense Authorization Request for fiscal year 2008 and
the Futures Years Defense Program.
SH-216
10 a.m.
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
To hold hearings to examine communications, broadband and
competitiveness relating to how the United States
measures up.
SR-253
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
To hold hearings to examine No Child Left Behind
Reauthorization, focusing on modernizing middle and
high schools for the twenty-first century.
SD-628
Judiciary
Human Rights and the Law Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine the casualties of war
focusing on child soldiers and the law.
SD-226
2:30 p.m.
Judiciary
To hold hearings to examine the Insurrection Act rider
and the state control of the National Guard.
SD-226
APRIL 25
2 p.m.
Armed Services
Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine language technology and
training for the Department of Defense.
SR-325
Veterans' Affairs
To hold an oversight hearing to examine the Department of
Veterans Affairs, focusing on mental health issues.
SR-418
2:30 p.m.
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Business meeting to consider pending calendar business.
SR-253
APRIL 26
9:30 a.m.
Armed Services
To hold hearings to receive testimony on legal issues
regarding individuals detained by the Department of
Defense as unlawful enemy combatants.
SH-216
10 a.m.
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Employment and Workplace Safety Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine if the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) is working for working
people.
SD-628
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Science, Technology, and Innovation Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine clean coal technology.
SR-253
2:30 p.m.
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety
Subcommittee
To hold hearings to examine All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV)
safety.
SR-253
MAY 3
2:30 p.m.
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
To hold hearings to examine pending nominations.
SR-253
MAY 9
9:30 a.m.
Veterans' Affairs
To hold hearings to examine on benefits legislation.
SD-562
MAY 16
10 a.m.
Veterans' Affairs
To hold hearings to examine the nomination of Michael K.
Kussman, of Massachusetts, to be Under Secretary for
Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
SD-562
MAY 23
9:30 a.m.
Veterans' Affairs
To hold hearings to examine on health legislation.
SD-562