[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12258]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 12, 2009

  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Asian Pacific 
American Heritage Month. Last week marked the 30th anniversary of the 
first ever Asian Pacific American Heritage Week, made possible by a 
joint resolution signed by President Jimmy Carter.
  I am proud to represent one of the most diverse congressional 
districts in the country. One in four of my constituents is of Asian 
Pacific heritage--many of whom are of Chinese, Filipino, Korean, 
Japanese, and Vietnamese descent.
  The 29th Congressional District boasts of an impressive list of Asian 
Pacific American civic leaders who are strongly committed to this 
community. John Chiang, serving California as Controller, is the 
highest-ranking Asian Pacific American elected state official. Also, as 
one of California's twelve constitutional officers, Judy Chu serves as 
Vice Chair of the California State Board of Equalization. Other state 
officials include State Senator Carol Liu and Assembly Member Mike Eng. 
On the local level, we have Alhambra Council Members Stephen Sham and 
Gary Yamauchi; Alhambra Unified School Board Members Chester Chau and 
Robert ``Bob'' Gin; Garvey School Board Members Janet Chin, Henry Lo, 
and John Yuen; Monterey Park Mayor Mitchell Ing and Council Members 
David Lau, Betty Tom Chu, and Anthony Wong; San Gabriel Council Member 
Albert Huang; South Pasadena Council Member Mike Ten; South Pasadena 
Unified School Board Member Joseph Loo; Temple City Mayor Judy Wong and 
Council Member Vincent Yu; and Temple City Unified School Board Member 
Janet Rhee.
  During the 110th Congress, I had the distinct honor of introducing 
legislation to pay tribute to the former Mayor of San Gabriel, Chi Mui, 
by posthumously naming the San Gabriel Post Office in his honor. Chi 
was the first Chinese American mayor in San Gabriel, a city where close 
to half of the population is Asian American. The bill was signed into 
law on August 12, 2008 and the post office was dedicated on October 25, 
2008, one day before Chi's fifty-sixth birthday, making this the third 
post office in the nation to be named after a Chinese American. In 
addition, to commemorate Women's History Month earlier this year, I had 
the privilege of naming Melinda Hsia and Yin Yin Huang Women of the 
Year in the 29th Congressional District. They are truly exceptional 
women who have improved the quality of life for our community.
  The contributions of Asian Americans to our country is not limited to 
the above-mentioned individuals. Our Nation has benefited from the 
contributions of Asian Americans for decades. The Japanese American 
100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, commonly 
known as the ``Go For Broke'' regiments, courageously served our nation 
during World War II and earned several awards for their distinctive 
service in combat. Earlier this year, I introduced legislation to pay 
tribute to the ``Go For Broke'' regiment by awarding them the 
Congressional Gold Medal, Congress's highest civilian honor.
  This past April marked the 30th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations 
Act. It has been three decades since the United States and Taiwan 
codified their commercial and cultural relations and a great number of 
my constituents have benefited greatly from this action. I also 
recently had the pleasure of participating in the Committee of 100 19th 
Annual Conference--a forum to address issues regarding U.S.-China 
relations and issues of importance to the Chinese American community.
  Americans of Asian descent are one of the fastest growing minority 
groups in the nation. I am positive that in the years to come, we will 
be adding many more names to the growing list of civic leaders and many 
more distinctions to their list of accomplishments. I am truly honored 
to represent the many extraordinary men and women in my district and 
commend their selfless dedication and service to the community.

                          ____________________