[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 20]
[House]
[Pages 29815-29818]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING AND HONORING MAYOR JOE SERNA, JR., AND EXPRESSING 
CONDOLENCES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO HIS FAMILY AND PEOPLE OF 
                               SACRAMENTO

  Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 363) recognizing and honoring Sacramento, 
California, Mayor Joe Serna, Jr., and expressing the condolences of the 
House of Representatives to his family and the people of Sacramento on 
his death.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 363

       Whereas Joe Serna, Jr., was born in Stockton, California, 
     on September 3, 1939;
       Whereas Joe Serna, Jr., was the loving husband of Isabelle 
     Hernandez-Serna and devoted father of Phillip and Lisa;
       Whereas Joe Serna, Jr., was the son of Gerania and Jose 
     Serna and the brother of Maria Elena Serna, Reuben Serna, and 
     Jesse Serna;
       Whereas Joe Serna, Jr., grew up the son of an immigrant 
     farm worker, and was widely recognized as ambitious with an 
     irrepressible drive to succeed;
       Whereas Joe Serna, Jr., experienced a pivotal point in his 
     life when he became a successful football player on the Lodi 
     Flames as a sophomore qualifying to play on the varsity 
     squad;
       Whereas Joe Serna, Jr., graduated from Lodi High School and 
     went to work, where he later lost his job because he endorsed 
     a strike at the trailer manufacturing facility where he was 
     employed, and decided to further his education, beginning at 
     junior college in Stockton, California, then transferring to 
     Sacramento City College and finally to California State 
     University, Sacramento, where he graduated in 1966;
       Whereas Joe Serna, Jr., joined the Peace Corps in 
     Guatemala, where he became involved in the election of a 
     Mayan Indian as mayor of a small town, providing him with a 
     first-hand education regarding the importance of electoral 
     politics;
       Whereas Joe Serna Jr., spent more than a decade working 
     with migrant farm workers under the guidance of his role 
     model, Cesar Chavez, and organized food workers and 
     coordinated election campaigns;
       Whereas Joe Serna, Jr., began teaching classes on 
     government and ethics at California State University, 
     Sacramento, and became the primary caregiver for his children 
     when his first marriage ended;
       Whereas Joe Serna, Jr., was elected to the Sacramento City 
     Council on November 3, 1981, where he served until he was 
     elected mayor on November 3, 1992;
       Whereas Joe Serna, Jr., was known as an elected official 
     with profound vision for the future and the energy to 
     implement that vision, who could build coalitions, ignite 
     community involvement, and succeed in achieving his goals;
       Whereas Joe Serna, Jr., leaves a legacy in Sacramento of 
     downtown revitalization and growth, more parks and places for 
     Sacramentans to gather and enjoy their families and 
     neighbors, a better public school system, more jobs, more 
     community police, and a higher quality of life; and
       Whereas Joe Serna, Jr., faced many challenges in his life, 
     and eventually succumbed to his greatest challenge, the fight 
     against cancer: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,

     SECTION 1. HONORING MAYOR JOE SERNA, JR.

       The House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes and honors Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna, Jr.--
       (A) as a profoundly successful leader whose drive and 
     energy inspired thousands,
       (B) for his many lifetime contributions to Sacramento, the 
     State of California, and the Nation, and
       (C) for selflessly devoting his life to the advancement of 
     others through activism, public service, education, and 
     dedication; and
       (2) extends the deepest condolences to Mayor Joe Serna's 
     wife, Isabelle, his son, Phillip, and his daughter, Lisa, as 
     well the citizens of Sacramento, California, for the loss of 
     their dedicated mayor.

     SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL OF ENROLLED COPY TO THE FAMILY OF MAYOR 
                   JOE SERNA, JR.

       The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit an 
     enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of Joe Serna, 
     Jr.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Ose) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose).


                             General Leave

  Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on H. Res. 363.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 363. This resolution honors 
the recently departed Mayor Joe Serna, a good friend of many of us in 
this chamber.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna, Jr., was the oldest of four 
children in a farm-worker family. All four children worked with their 
parents picking crops and all four went on to careers in public 
service.

                              {time}  1700

  Joe Serna went from picking grapes and tomatoes as a youngster to 
becoming the first Latino mayor of a major California city. A follower 
of the late farm labor leader Cesar Chavez, Serna served on the 
Sacramento-area support committee for the United Farm Workers and was a 
former member of the Sacramento Central Labor Council. In his youth, he 
served in the Peace Corps

[[Page 29816]]

in Guatemala as a community development volunteer specializing in 
cooperatives and credit unions. He became a professor of government at 
Cal State in Sacramento where he earned the distinguished faculty award 
in 1991.
  Dubbed the ``activist mayor,'' Joe Serna is credited with 
revitalizing Sacramento's downtown and reforming the Sacramento city 
unified school district. Under Serna's leadership, the Sacramento City 
Council agreed to public-private partnerships to entice developers to 
build in downtown Sacramento. Serna commissioned a blue-ribbon group to 
analyze the underperforming school district, then recruited a reform 
slate of school board candidates.
  That slate won and has contributed to the improvements in 
Sacramento's school district. In 1996, Serna is quoted as saying, my 
biggest ambition is to be the best mayor I can be so that the next 
ethnic person who comes along, the next African-American kid or 
Mexican-American kid who wants to be a mayor can become the mayor, and 
it won't be a big deal. Joe Serna has left a legacy that certainly 
makes that true. My condolences and sympathies go out to the Joe Serna 
family and friends and the hundreds of lives he touched as the mayor of 
Sacramento.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to allow my good friend, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Matsui), to control the remainder of the 
time on our side.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Maryland?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I think it would be appropriate if I were to 
reserve the balance of my time and allow the senior member, the 
gentleman from Sacramento, to speak.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I 
would first like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) for 
actually yielding time to me before he makes his remarks, and certainly 
I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), the chair of 
the committee, certainly the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), 
the ranking member and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) for 
putting this matter on the floor at this particular time.
  Before I begin my remarks, I would like to mention that the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Ose), the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Doolittle), and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard) 
have cosponsored this legislation. We certainly appreciate the 
bipartisan effort on putting this on the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in great sadness to pay tribute to a very 
distinguished leader, to one of the most outstanding public servants 
that I have known and to a true friend. On Sunday, November 7, the 
mayor of Sacramento, Joe Serna, lost his courageous battle with kidney 
cancer. As the Sacramento community mourns his loss, I ask all my 
colleagues to join with me in saluting his career and his efforts as 
one of the most extraordinary persons that I have ever known.
  Joe was only 60 years old when he passed on that November day. Joe 
was the son of immigrant farm workers from whom he learned the values 
and work ethics that exemplified his career. His sister said during the 
rosary service last week that when his mother brought Joe home, she put 
him in a crate because they could not afford a crib. From that kind of 
beginning, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in social science in 
government from Sacramento State College in 1966, and he received a 
higher degree at the University of California at Davis in political 
science.
  Always wanting to serve others, he entered, as the gentleman from 
Maryland said, the Peace Corps and worked in Guatemala as a community 
development coordinator and volunteer specializing in cooperatives and 
credit unions. Upon his return, he continued his service to others by 
becoming a teacher. He joined the faculty at Cal State University 
Sacramento; and in 1969, became a full professor in government. The 
energy he brought to life was transferred to his students in the 
classroom; and in 1991, he received the distinguished faculty award at 
Cal State University.
  Continuing his calling in public service, he was elected to the 
Sacramento City Council in 1981, reelected in 1985, and again in 1989. 
In 1992, he was elected mayor of Sacramento and was reelected by huge 
margins in 1996. He leaves a proud legacy of leadership and 
accomplishments. Most significantly, he worked throughout his career to 
revitalize Sacramento's downtown. He initiated the Sacramento Downtown 
Partnership Association, the Art in Public Places program, and the 
Thursday Night Market, all of which have made the downtown area a 
thriving gathering place for all Sacramentoans.
  As a result, in 1995 the mayor received the Economic Development 
Leadership Award from the National Council for Urban Economic 
Development. But his legacy was most proud in the area of public 
education. As the gentleman from Maryland had said earlier, in response 
to the erosion of our community's education system, Mayor Serna 
established the Mayor's Commission on Education and the City's Future, 
a coalition of business and civic leaders.
  The Mayor's Commission successfully led the recall of members of the 
board of trustees of the Sacramento City Unified School District and 
elected a new board. I am pleased to say that the achievement results 
since that time of our high school, middle school, and grammar school 
children have increased, which indicates that his efforts were not in 
vain but will help future generations of children in Sacramento.
  His education drive was one of many challenges that are identified 
under his leadership. For example, when the National Basketball 
Association Sacramento Kings threatened to leave Sacramento, he began 
negotiating with the Kings organization, members of the city council 
and community leaders to forge a role in keeping that basketball 
franchise in our community, not so much for the purpose of having a 
major sports franchise but because he knew that having a major sports 
franchise would create an enthusiasm in the community and bring all 
segments of our community together.
  When our military base closed, the Sacramento Army Depot and had 
3,000 employees, Joe rather than curse the darkness, he lit a candle. 
He immediately sought businesses down in Los Angeles and actually 
brought up a high-tech industry and business that created 6,000 jobs 
for many people who were then on public assistance programs and now are 
gainfully employed.
  Over the past three decades, he served on numerous commissions, too 
many for me to mention today. But just as an example of his diverse 
leadership, he was co-trustee of the Crocker Art Museum. He was a 
member of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Commission. He was 
on the Board of the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency, the 
Metropolitan Cable Television Commission, and the Air Quality Board of 
Sacramento County.
  But beyond his accomplishments, he was known simply as an elected 
official with a profound vision for the future and an energy to 
implement that vision. He knew how to build coalitions, ignite 
community involvement, and succeeded almost always in achieving his 
goals. Because of this vision, he leaves a proud legacy in Sacramento's 
downtown redevelopment area of growth, a stronger public school system, 
more jobs, more community police and certainly a higher quality of 
life.
  His parting has left a major void for all of us in Sacramento County, 
people of all walks of life. Four thousand people attended his service 
last week, people in business suits, and people that were dressed as 
ordinary citizens. I wish to extend on behalf of this institution our 
deepest sincerity and heartfelt wishes to Mayor Serna's wife Isabelle, 
his son Phillip and daughter Lisa and his mother Gerania. I, along with 
the City of Sacramento and the people of California, mourn with them.

[[Page 29817]]

  Mr. Speaker, the City of Sacramento has suffered tremendously from 
the loss of one of our most distinguished and visionary leaders as well 
as one of our best citizens. We will all miss him very much.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I 
rise today to echo the remarks of my friend from Sacramento. It is 
interesting to note that as you go through life, you meet certain 
individuals whose personalities or their achievements or their vibrancy 
stay with you.
  Of all the things that Mayor Serna accomplished during his many years 
of service, perhaps the most lasting will be his legacy as a teacher. 
He was a professor of political science at Sacramento State University. 
I cannot tell you how many young people I have run into who, with a 
Cheshire smile on their face, remember their long debates in class with 
Mayor Serna about this or that issue and how much they took away from 
that time.
  As a young man, I came back from school and Mayor Serna, then a city 
councilman, had been recently elected to the city council. While we 
were not of the particularly same political persuasion on many things, 
he came one day to the city council meeting, he saw me sitting in the 
back of the hall. During a break he came back, put his hand on my 
shoulder and said, just like a normal person, which he was, are you 
doing all right? I said, yes, I am, and thank you for asking. At that, 
he went on about his way.
  That was Joe Serna. The ability just to reach out, put his hand on 
your shoulder, regardless of where you came from. He did not care. He 
just wanted to know whether he could help. Again, of all the lessons 
that I take from my acquaintance and friendship with Joe Serna, it is 
that we are all teachers. Some are further along the curve than others. 
For some, maybe the curve has ended as it has with Joe. But for the 
rest of my days, I will remember Joe Serna as a teacher.
  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 363, a 
resolution honoring the late Joe Serna, Jr., Mayor of Sacramento, 
California, and to express my deep sympathies to his wife, Isabel, and 
his children, Philip and Lisa.
  Mayor Serna was the embodiment of the American dream. He rose from 
his roots as a farmworker in the 1960's to become the first Latino 
mayor of California's capitol city. He often told how his parents, poor 
Mexican immigrants who worked the fields, brought him home from the 
hospital in a cardboard box.
  Joe Serna eventually left those fields to pursue a life of public 
service but no matter how high he rose in public office, he never 
forgot his roots. A loyal member of the United Farm Workers Union, Joe 
organized one of the state's first food caravans to feed striking grape 
pickers. Union President Arturo Rodriquez described Joe best when he 
said: ``He continued in every way he could to fight for the low-income 
(people), for the farmworkers, for the people that, for whatever 
reasons, were not being provided the respect and dignity they 
deserved.''
  For over 20 years, Mayor Serna helped lead the great City of 
Sacramento. He served as a member of the City Council from 1975 to 1992 
and was elected Mayor in 1992. It was a Mayor that his many 
accomplishments proved him a true leader.
  He may best be remembered for his leadership of a movement to reform 
the city's public schools. Dissatisfied with the leadership of the 
school board, he led a movement to recall many of its members and to 
establish a program of reform that focused on upgrading the schools 
with a $191 million school bond.
  His creative leadership did not stop there. Determined to 
reinvigorate downtown Sacramento, he established the City's 
Neighborhood Services Department, which consolidates city services to 
support and enhance programs for healthy, thriving neighborhoods. He 
also appointed the city's first Council of Economic Advisors to help 
frame the city's economic agenda and founded the Mayor's Summer Reading 
Camp, a literacy program for underprivileged students.
  Joe Serna was, first and foremost, a god and decent man who wanted 
nothing more than to represent the people of Sacramento to the best of 
his abilities. His close friend and political advisor, Richie Ross, 
said of him: ``He was never thought of in Sacramento as anything other 
than Mayor Joe, everybody's mayor.''
  Today, the House of Representatives joins the Serna family and the 
people of Sacramento in sharing their grief over the loss of Mayor Joe 
Serna, a distinguished American who will be remembered forever.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, November 7 the Mayor of 
Sacramento, and my good friend Joe Serna, lost his courageous battle 
with kidney cancer.
  Joe grew up the son of an immigrant farm worker, where he was taught 
the honorable values and hard work ethic that exemplified his career. 
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social science/government from 
Sacramento State College in 1966 and attended graduate school at UC, 
Davis, majoring in political science.
  Always wanting to serve others, in 1966 Mayor Serna entered the Peace 
Corps, working in Guatemala as a Community Development volunteer 
specializing in cooperatives and credit unions. Upon his return to the 
States, he continued his service by pursuing one of the most noble of 
all professiions--he became a teacher. He joined the faculty at CSU, 
Sacramento, in 1969 becoming a professor of Government. Of course the 
energy he brought to life was readily transferred to his students in 
the classroom, and in 1991 he received the Distinguished Faculty Award.
  Continuing his lifelong calling to public service, Joe Serna was 
first elected to the Sacramento City Council in 1981 and reelected in 
1985 and 1989. He was then elected mayor of Sacramento in 1992 and 
again in 1996.
  As Mayor, Joe Serna left a proud legacy of leadership and 
accomplishments. He worked throughout his career to revitalize 
Sacramento's downtown which included initiating the Sacramento Downtown 
Partnership Association, the ``Art in Public Places'' program, and the 
Thursday Night Market. In 1995, Mayor Serna was selected by the 
National Council of Urban Economic Development to receive their annual 
Economic Development Leadership Award.
  He also established the Mayor's Commission on Our Children's Health 
and the Mayor's Commission on Education and the City's Future, which 
led to a new Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Trustees. 
As part of his active role in improving the Sacramento City School 
District, he founded the Mayor's Summer Reading Camp, a literacy 
program for below average scoring second and third grade students.
  Over the past three decades Mayor Serna was a member of numerous 
organizations including the Regional Transit Board of Directors and the 
Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Commission. He was the Co-trustee 
of the Crocker Art Museum Association and an Advisory Board Member of 
Senior Gleaners, Inc. He was a former Chair of the Sacramento City/
County Sports Commission, member of the Board of the Sacramento 
Employment and Training Agency, member of the Sacramento Metropolitan 
Cable Television Commission and Sacramento Air Quality Management 
Board. From 1970 to 1975, Joe Serna was the Director of the United 
Farmworkers of America's Support Committee in Sacramento County. Mayor 
Serna also served as a two-time presidential appointed member of the 
Board of Directors of ``Freddie Mac.''
  Mayor Serna was known as an elected official with profound vision for 
the future and the energy to implement that vision. He knew how to 
build coalitions, ignite community involvement, and succeed in 
achieving his goals. Because of this vision, he leaves a proud legacy 
in Sacramento of downtown revitalization and growth, a stronger public 
school system, more jobs, more community police, and a higher quality 
of life.
  What made Mayor Serna such a remarkable leader was his ability and 
willingness to listen to the community and make himself available to 
all voices that wanted to be heard. In an era when following the 
politically expedient route is commonplace, Mayor Serna was never 
afraid to fight for what he believed in if he knew it was the right 
thing to do. He never compromised his values and always brought a sense 
of honor and dignity to the Sacramento community.
  On behalf of my family and my constituents, I offer my condolences to 
Joe's wife Isabel, his son Philip and his daughter Lisa.

            [From the San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 8, 1999]

       Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna Jr., who rose from his roots as 
     a farmworker to become Sacramento's first Latino mayor in 
     modern history, died yesterday of kidney cancer and 
     complications from diabetes.
       Serna, 60 had briefly slipped into a diabetic coma 
     Wednesday and asked to return home from the hospital Friday. 
     He died at 3:47 a.m. surrounded by his family, said Chuck 
     Dalldorf, a spokesman for the mayor.
       Serna was a city councilman for 18 years and became mayor 
     in 1992. He may best be

[[Page 29818]]

     remembered for helping reinvigorate downtown Sacramento and 
     reforming his city's public schools by campaigning on behalf 
     of new school leadership and a $191 million school bond.
       ``Joe led a movement to recall a large number of school 
     board members, elect a reform slate, adopt a reform program 
     and upgrade standards,'' said Phil Isenberg, a former 
     Sacramento mayor and state assemblyman.
       Serna was a loyal friend of the late Cesar Chavez, and the 
     United Farm Workers Union since the 1960s, when he organized 
     one of the state's first food caravans to feed striking grape 
     pickers.
       ``He continued in every way he could to fight for the low-
     income (people), for the farmworkers, for the people that, 
     for whatever reasons, were not being provided the respect and 
     dignity they deserved,'' said United Farm Workers Union 
     President Arturo S. Rodriguez.
       Serna also transcended ethnic politics, according to close 
     friend and political adviser Richie Ross.
       ``He was never thought of in Sacramento as anything other 
     than Mayor Joe, everybody's mayor,'' said Ross.


                            BORN IN STOCKTON

       Serna was born in Stockton and used to tell how his 
     parents, poor Mexican immigrants who worked the fields, 
     brought him home from the hospital in a cardboard box. He 
     grew up in Lodi, picking grapes and tomatoes as a youngster 
     to help support his family.
       He earned his bachelor's degree from Sacramento State 
     University, and attended graduate school at the University of 
     California at Davis. He served in the Peace Corps in 
     Guatemala as a community development volunteer specializing 
     in cooperatives and credit unions.
       Serna dubbed himself an ``activist'' who hoped to ``be the 
     best mayor I can be so that the next ethnic person who . . . 
     wants to be mayor can become the mayor, and it won't be a big 
     deal.''


                             STRONG LEGACY

       ``Joe was a true giant in the Latino community, and a 
     visionary leader for all of Sacramento,'' said Lt. Gov. Cruz 
     Bustamante in a statement. ``He leaves a great legacy of 
     public service, whether he was standing in the fields 
     fighting for farmworker rights or visiting the White House 
     advocating for the city he so dearly loved.''
       Serna served on the Sacramento-area support committee for 
     the United Farm Workers, and was a former member of the 
     Sacramento Central Labor Council.
       He also served on an array of municipal bodies, including 
     the Sacramento Regional Transit board of directors, the 
     Employment and Training Agency, the Metropolitan Cable 
     Television Commission, and the Air Quality Management Board.
       Serna and his wife Isabel have two grown children, Philip 
     and Lisa. The family lived in Sacramento's Curtis Park 
     neighborhood.
       The mayor announced to the public in June he would not seek 
     a third term because of his deteriorating health.
       Since Serna died with more than a year left in his term--a 
     year and a day to be exact--a special election will be held 
     to determine a successor.
       Serna's supporters expect a large turnout Wednesday, 
     particularly from among farmworkers, for a funeral march from 
     Cesar Chavez Plaza across from Sacramento City Hall to the 
     Cathedral for the Blessed Sacrament. Serna's family requested 
     that all donations be directed to the UFW union.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, as chair of the Congressional 
Hispanic Caucus and as a fellow Californian, I rise in strong support 
of House Resolution 363, honoring the life of Joe Serna, Jr. I commend 
my colleague, Representative Bob Matsui, for sponsoring this important 
resolution.
  I want to express my deepest sympathies to Joe Serna's family and the 
residents of the City of Sacramento for his passing.
  Mayor Serna's death is mourned not only by his family, friends, and 
the residents of Sacramento, which he so proudly represented, but also 
by countless individuals for whom he served as a role model by setting 
an example of what can be achieved through hard work, dedication, and 
determination to better not only one's own life, but the lives of 
others.
  Joe Serna grew up in Northern California, the son of Mexican 
immigrant farm workers. Serna worked his way through junior college to 
become a college teacher, as well as a passionate activist who spent 
more than a decade working with migrant farm workers under the guidance 
of his role model, Cesar Chavez.
  In 1981, Serna, was elected to the Sacramento City Council where he 
served until 1992, when he was elected as the first Latino Mayor of 
Sacramento.
  During his tenure as Mayor, Serna developed a reputation as a leader 
who stood up for the things he believed in, such as quality job 
opportunities, strong families, good schools, and empowering the 
communities and people he represented. The City of Sacramento and its 
residents have truly benefited and will continue to benefit from Joe 
Serna's vision and leadership.
  Joe Serna was a great leader and a great man and he will be truly 
missed.
  Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Barr of Georgia). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 
363.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________