[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 167 (Thursday, December 16, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2158-E2159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING NORMAN YOSHIO MINETA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 15, 2010

  Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1377, 
a resolution honoring the accomplishments and legacy of a great 
American patriot, Norman Yoshio Mineta.
  Mr. Mineta's life began like that of so many other Americans. He was 
born in 1931 in San Jose, California, the son of immigrant parents. 
However, unlike the typical American story, he and the Mineta family 
were forced to leave their home and live in the Heart Mountain 
internment camp near Cody, Wyoming, during World War II. Norm Mineta 
overcame this experience and went on to graduate from the University of 
California at Berkeley and serve his country as an intelligence officer 
in the United States Army.
  Most of us know Norm Mineta as Secretary Mineta. In 2000, Secretary 
Mineta became the first Asian American to serve in a Presidential 
Cabinet when he was appointed Secretary of Commerce by President 
William J. Clinton. He continued to break new barriers when he became 
the first Asian American to serve as Secretary of Transportation in 
President George W. Bush's cabinet. He went on to become America's 
longest serving Secretary of Transportation.
  For many of us, Norm will always be ``Secretary Mineta'' because of 
the respect and leadership which has become synonymous with his name. 
He is a true political trailblazer and leader of the Asian American and 
Pacific Islander community. In 1967, he was the first Asian American to 
serve on the San Jose city council and he became the first Asian 
American mayor of a major United States city when he was elected to 
lead San Jose in 1971.
  From 1975 to 1995, Secretary Mineta continued to serve the San Jose 
community as its Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. 
During his twenty years in the House, he championed legislation that 
established Asian Pacific American Heritage Week, the Commission on 
Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, and the Civil Liberties 
Act of 1988, the seminal reparations bill where the United States 
Government officially apologized for sending families of Japanese 
descent to internment camps during World War II. He helped author the 
Americans with Disabilities Act, which became law in 1990. He also co-
authored the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, 
which gave state and local governments control over highway and mass 
transit decisions. Under his leadership, then-Congressman Mineta 
founded and chaired the bicameral and bipartisan Congressional Asian 
Pacific American Caucus, which continues to promote and advocate Asian 
American and Pacific Islander concerns and issues.

[[Page E2159]]

  To this day, Secretary Mineta remains a prominent leader within the 
Asian American and Pacific Islander community through his work with 
numerous civic organizations. He is a recognized expert on 
transportation and homeland security issues. He received the highest 
civilian award in the United States when he was awarded the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006.
  Of course, we could spend a good portion of our lifetime reciting 
Norm Mineta's achievements. I, however, would like to close my remarks 
by simply heralding what I believe to be the true mark of this great 
American statesman: through thick and thin, Norm Mineta has carried his 
country on his shoulders. With Secretary Mineta, no one is left behind 
and America can never have a bad day. For that, Norm Mineta has earned 
our eternal affection and commands our grateful respect.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 1377, a 
tribute to a distinguished former member of this body, Norman Yoshio 
Mineta.

                          ____________________