[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17140-17141]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       DEPARTING MEMBERS OF THE CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC DELEGATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 13, 2012

  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a distinguished 
group of Democratic California Members whose terms will expire at the 
close of the 112th Congress: Howard Berman, Joe Baca, Bob Filner, Laura 
Richardson, Pete Stark, and Lynn Woolsey.
  Howard Berman and I met in 1960 and were active members of the Young 
Bruin Democrats at UCLA. He has been one of my closest friends and 
confidants and it has been an honor to serve in the House of 
Representatives with him for the last thirty years. Howard is one of 
the smartest, hardest working, and most effective members of Congress. 
As the chairman and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs 
Committee, he has used his unique skills to enhance America's security, 
strengthen our alliances, and advance the cause of peace between Israel 
and its neighbors. As the second most senior member of the Judiciary 
Committee, Howard is an expert on the complicated intricacies of 
copyright law and he has championed strong copyright protections to 
ensure the vitality of our nation's film, television, and music 
industry.
  Joe Baca is the realization of the American Dream. The youngest of 
fifteen children, Joe worked as a laborer, served in the Army, and 
later earned a college degree. He was the first Latino elected to the 
Board of Trustees for the San Bernardino Valley College District and 
was later elected to the California State Assembly and the California 
State Senate. He came to Congress in 1999 and has served on the 
Agriculture Committee and the Financial Services Committee.
  Bob Filner, who was just elected as Mayor of San Diego, also has a 
long history of public service. He was first elected to the San Diego 
Unified District Board of Education and served on the San Diego City 
Council and Deputy Mayor of San Diego. He was elected to Congress in 
1992 and served on the Committee on Veterans Affairs, which he also 
chaired from 2007-2011, and was most recently the Committee's ranking 
member.
  Laura Richardson has also devoted her career to public service. She 
started on the Long Beach City Council and was elected to the 
California State Assembly in 2006. She won a special election to 
Congress in 2007 and has worked hard during the last three years on the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on 
Homeland Security.
  Pete Stark's experience and knowledgeable voice on health care is 
leaving a void on the Ways and Means Committee that will be hard to 
fill. A champion of quality health care for four decades, Pete has been 
a strong partner in protecting the Medicare program and getting the 
Affordable Care Act enacted into law. Pete has never wavered in his 
commitment to the interests of seniors, the unemployed, children, and 
the disabled and our nation is stronger because of his service.
  Lynn Woolsey has devoted her congressional career to the improving 
the lives of families and children in our nation and ending our wars 
abroad. As a member of the Education and Workforce Committee, Lynn has 
been a strong advocate for paid family leave, adequate child care, pre-
school education, and a universal school breakfast program.
  California and the nation owe a debt of gratitude to Reps. Berman, 
Baca, Filner, Richardson, Stark, and Woolsey for devoting their careers 
to public service and working to improve the lives of others.

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