S100 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 6, 2009 

Finally, Daniel Scherotter, the executive chef and owner of Palio D’Asti, 

has petitioned for legal status for Mr. 

Martinez based on Mr. Martinez’s 

unique skills as a chef. Although Mr. 

Martinez’s work petition was approved 

by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

Services, there is a backlog on these 

visas, and Mr. Martinez is on a waiting 

list for a green card through this channel, as well. 

Mr. and Mrs. Martinez have no other 

administrative options available to 

them at this point and if deported, 

they will face a 5 to 10 year ban from 

returning to the United States. In addition, this bill remains the only means 

for Adilene to gain legal status. 

The Martinez family has become an 

important and valued part of their 

community. They are active members 

of their church, their children’s school, 

and Comite de Padres Unido, a grassroots immigrant organization in California. 

They volunteer extensively—advocating for safe new parks in the community for the children, volunteering 

at their children’s school, and working 

on a voter registration campaign, even 

though they are unable to vote themselves. 

In fact, I have received 46 letters of 

support from teachers, church members, and members of their community 

who attest to their honesty, responsibility, and long-standing commitment 

to their community. Their supporters 

include San Francisco Mayor Gavin 

Newsom; former Mayor Willie Brown; 

President of the San Francisco Board 

of Supervisors, Aaron Peskin; and the 

Director of Immigration Policy at the 

Immigrant Legal Resource Center, 

Mark Silverman. 

This family has truly embraced the 

American dream. I believe their continued presence in our country would 

do so much to enhance the values we 

hold dear. Enactment of the legislation 

I have reintroduced today will enable 

the Martinez family to continue to 

make significant contributions to their 

community as well as the United 

States. 

I ask my colleagues to support this 

private bill. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill 

be printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the text of 

the bill was ordered to be printed in 

the RECORD, as follows: 

S. 128 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in 

Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 

other provision of law, for the purposes of 

the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), Jose Alberto Martinez 

Moreno, Micaela Lopez Martinez, and 

Adilene Martinez shall each be deemed to 

have been lawfully admitted to, and remained in, the United States, and shall be eligible for adjustment of status to that of an 

alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence under section 245 of the Immigration 

and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1255) upon filing an application for such adjustment of 

status. 

(b) APPLICATION AND PAYMENT OF FEES.— 

Subsection (a) shall apply only if the application for adjustment of status is filed with 

appropriate fees not later than 2 years after 

the date of the enactment of this Act. 

(c) REDUCTION OF IMMIGRANT VISA NUMBERS.—Upon the granting of permanent resident status to Jose Alberto Martinez 

Moreno, Micaela Lopez Martinez, and 

Adilene Martinez, the Secretary of State 

shall instruct the proper officer to reduce by 

3, during the current or subsequent fiscal 

year, the total number of immigrant visas 

that are made available to natives of the 

country of the birth of Jose Alberto Martinez Moreno, Micaela Lopez Martinez, and 

Adilene Martinez under section 202(e) or 

203(a) of the Immigration and Nationality 

Act (8 U.S.C. 1152(e) and 1153(a)), as applicable. 

By Mrs. FEINSTEIN: 

S. 129. A bill for the relief of Ruben 

Mkoian, Asmik Karapetian, and Arthur 

Mkoyan; to the Committee on the Judiciary. 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, 

today I am reintroducing a private relief bill on behalf of Ruben Mkoian, his 

wife, Asmik Karapetian and their son, 

Arthur Mkoyan. The Mkoian family 

are Armenian nationals who have been 

living and working in Fresno, California, for over a decade. 

The story of the Mkoian family is 

compelling and I believe they merit 

Congress’s special consideration for 

such an extraordinary form of relief as 

a private bill. 

Let me first start with how the 

Mkoian family arrived in the United 

States. While in Armenia, Mr. Mkoian 

worked as a police sergeant in a division dealing with vehicle licensing. As 

a result of his position, he was offered 

a bribe to register 20 stolen vehicles. 

He refused the bribe and reported the 

incident to the police chief. He later 

learned that his co-worker had registered the vehicles at the request of 

the chief. 

After he reported the offense, Mr. 

Mkoian’s supervisor informed him that 

the department was to undergo an inspection. Mr. Mkoian was instructed to 

take a vacation during this time period. Mr. Mkoian believed that the inspection was a result of the complaint 

that he had filed with the higher authorities. 

During the inspection, however, Mr. 

Mkoian worked at a store that he 

owned rather than taking a vacation. 

During that time, individuals kept entering his store and attempted to damage it and break merchandise. When he 

threatened to call the police, he received threatening phone calls telling 

him to ‘‘shut up’’ or else he would ‘‘regret it.’’ Mr. Mkoian believed that 

these threats were related to the illegal vehicle registrations occurring in 

his department because he had nothing 

else to be silent about. 

Later that same month, three men 

grabbed his wife and attempted to kidnap his child, Arthur, on the street. 

Mrs. Mkoian was told that her husband 

should ‘‘shut up.’’ No one suffered any 

injuries from the incident. In October 

1991, a bottle of gasoline was thrown 

into the Mkoian’s residence and their 

house was burned down. The final incident occurred on April 1, 1992, when 

four or five men assaulted Mr. Mkoian 

in his store. He was beaten and hospitalized for 22 days. 

Following that experience, Mr. 

Mkoian left Armenia for Russia, and 

then came to the United States on a 

visitor’s visa in search of a better life. 

Two years later he brought his wife 

Asmik and his then 3-year-old son Arthur to the United States, also on visitor’s visas. The family applied for political asylum, but the 9th Circuit 

Court of Appeals denied their request 

in January 2008. Thus, the family has 

no further legal recourse by which to 

remain in the country other than this 

bill. 

Since arriving in the United States, 

the family has thrived. Arthur is now 

18 years old and the family has expanded to include Arsen, who is a U.S. 

citizen. 

Both Arthur and Arsen are very special children. In high school, Arthur 

maintained a 4.0 grade point average 

and was a valedictorian for the class of 

2008. I first introduced this bill on his 

graduation day. Today, Arthur is a 

freshman at the University of California, Davis. 

Arsen is following in his older brother’s footsteps. At age 12, he stands out 

among his peers and is on the honor 

roll at Tenaya Middle School in Fresno. 

In addition to raising two outstanding children, Mr. and Mrs. 

Mkoian have maintained steady jobs 

and have devoted time and energy into 

the community and their church. Mr. 

Mkoian is working at HB Medical 

Transportation, as a driver in Fresno. 

His wife, Asmik, has two jobs as a 

medical receptionist with Dr. Kumar in 

Fresno and as a sales clerk at 

Gottschalks Department Store. In addition, she has taken classes at Fresno 

Community College and has completed 

their Medical Assistant Program. 

The family are active members of the 

St. Paul Armenian Church, and Mr. 

Mkoian is a member of the PTA of the 

St. Paul Armenian Saturday School. 

There has been an outpouring of support for this family from their church, 

the schools their children attend, and 

the community at large. 

To date, we have received over 200 

letters of support for the family in addition to numerous telephone calls. I 

also note that I have letters from both 

Congressman GEORGE RADANOVICH and 

JIM COSTA, requesting that I offer this 

bill for the Mkoian family. 

I truly believe that this case warrants our compassion and our extraordinary consideration. 

I ask my colleagues to support this 

private bill. Mr. President, I ask by 

unanimous consent that the text of the 

bill be printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the text of 

the bill was ordered to be printed in 

the RECORD, as follows: 


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January 6, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S101 

S. 129 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in 

Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS FOR 

RUBEN MKOIAN, ASMIK 

KARAPETIAN, AND ARTHUR 

MKOYAN. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

1151), Ruben Mkoian, Asmik Karapetian, and 

Arthur Mkoyan shall each be eligible for the 

issuance of an immigrant visa or for adjustment of status to that of an alien lawfully 

admitted for permanent residence upon filing an application for issuance of an immigrant visa under section 204 of such Act (8 

U.S.C. 1154) or for adjustment of status to 

lawful permanent resident. 

(b) ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS.—If Ruben 

Mkoian, Asmik Karapetian, or Arthur 

Mkoyan enters the United States before the 

filing deadline specified in subsection (c), 

Ruben Mkoian, Asmik Karapetian, or Arthur 

Mkoyan, as appropriate, shall be considered 

to have entered and remained lawfully in the 

United States and shall be eligible for adjustment of status under section 245 of the 

Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

1255) as of the date of the enactment of this 

Act. 

(c) APPLICATION AND PAYMENT OF FEES.— 

Subsections (a) and (b) shall apply only if the 

application for the issuance of an immigrant 

visa or the application for adjustment of status is filed with appropriate fees not later 

than 2 years after the date of the enactment 

of this Act. 

(d) REDUCTION OF IMMIGRANT VISA NUMBERS.—Upon granting an immigrant visa or 

permanent resident status to Ruben Mkoian, 

Asmik Karapetian, and Arthur Mkoyan, the 

Secretary of State shall instruct the proper 

officer to reduce by 3, during the current or 

subsequent fiscal year, the total number of 

immigrant visas that are made available to 

natives of the country of birth of Ruben 

Mkoian, Asmik Karapetian, and Arthur 

Mkoyan under section 203(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(a)) or, 

if applicable, the total number of immigrant 

visas that are made available to natives of 

the country of birth of Ruben Mkoian, 

Asmik Karapetian, and Arthur Mkoyan 

under section 202(e) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 

1152(e)). 

By Mrs. FEINSTEIN: 

S. 130. A bill for the relief of Jorge 

Rojas Gutierrez, Oliva Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Jorge Rojas Gonzalez; to the 

Committee on the Judiciary. 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, 

today I am reintroducing a private relief bill on behalf of Jorge Rojas 

Gutierrez, his wife, Oliva Gonzalez 

Gonzalez, and their son, Jorge Rojas 

Gonzalez. The Rojas family members 

are Mexican nationals living in the San 

Jose area of California. 

The story of the Rojas family is compelling, and I believe they merit Congress’ special consideration for such an 

extraordinary form of relief as a private bill. 

Mr. Rojas and his wife Ms. Gonzalez 

originally came to the United States in 

1990 when their son Jorge Rojas, Jr. 

was just 2 years old. In 1995, they left 

the country to attend a funeral, and 

then re-entered on visitors’ visas. 

The family has since expanded to include a son, Alexis Rojas, now age 16, 

and a daughter Tania Rojas, now age 

14. 

Since arriving in the United States, 

this family has dedicated themselves 

to community involvement, a strong 

work ethic and volunteerism. They 

have been paying taxes since their arrival in 1990. The family has been described by their friends and colleagues 

as a ‘‘model American family.’’ I would 

like to tell you some more about each 

member of the Rojas family. 

Mr. Rojas is a hard-working individual who has been employed by Valley Crest Landscape Maintenance in 

San Jose, California, for the past 14 

years. Currently, Mr. Rojas works on 

commercial landscaping projects. He is 

well-respected by his supervisor and his 

peers. 

In addition to supporting his family, 

Jorge has volunteered his time and talents to provide modern green landscaping and a recreational jungle gym 

to Sherman Oaks Community Charter 

School, where his two youngest children attend school. 

Ms. Gonzalez, in addition to raising 

her three children, has been very active 

in the local community. She has 

worked to help other immigrants assimilate to American life by working 

as a translator and a tutor for immigrant children at Sherman Oaks Community Charter School and the 

Y.M.C.A. Kids after-school program. 

She has also coached soccer teams, 

and has recently directed a Thanksgiving food drive. Ms. Gonzalez also devotes many hours of her time to the organization People Acting in Community Together, PACT, where she works 

to prevent crime, gangs and drug dealing in San Jose neighborhoods and 

schools. 

Perhaps one of the most compelling 

reasons for permitting the family to remain in the United States is the impact their deportation would have on 

their three children. Two of the children, Alexis and Tania, are U.S. citizens. Jorge Rojas, Jr. has lived in the 

United States since he was a toddler. 

For these children, this country is the 

only country they really know. 

Jorge Rojas, Jr., who entered the 

United States as an infant with his 

parents, is now 20 and is currently 

working at Jamba Juice. He graduated 

from Del Mar High School in 2007 and 

is currently taking classes at San Jose 

City College. 

Alexis and Tania are students at 

Sherman Oaks Community Charter 

School. They are described by their 

teachers as ‘‘fantastic, wonderful, and 

gifted’’ students. In fact, the principal 

at Sherman Oaks has described all 

three of the children as ‘‘honest, hardworking academic honor students’’ and 

have commended all of them for their 

on-campus leadership. 

It seems so clear to me that this family has embraced the American dream, 

and their continued presence in our 

country would do so much to enhance 

the values we hold dear. I have received 

30 letters from the community in support of this family. Enactment of the 

legislation I have reintroduced today 

will enable the Rojas family to continue to make significant contributions to their community as well as the 

United States. 

Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to 

support this private bill. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill 

be printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the text of 

the bill was ordered to be printed in 

the RECORD, as follows: 

S. 130 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in 

Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS FOR 

JORGE ROJAS GUTIERREZ, OLIVA 

GONZALEZ GONZALEZ, AND JORGE 

ROJAS GONZALEZ. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

1151), Jorge Rojas Gutierrez, Oliva Gonzalez 

Gonzalez, and Jorge Rojas Gonzalez shall 

each be eligible for the issuance of an immigrant visa or for adjustment of status to that 

of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent 

residence upon filing an application for 

issuance of an immigrant visa under section 

204 of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1154) or for adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident. 

(b) ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS.—If Jorge Rojas 

Gutierrez, Oliva Gonzalez Gonzalez, or Jorge 

Rojas Gonzalez enters the United States before the filing deadline specified in subsection (c), Jorge Rojas Gutierrez, Oliva 

Gonzalez Gonzalez, or Jorge Rojas Gonzalez, 

as appropriate, shall be considered to have 

entered and remained lawfully in the United 

States and shall be eligible for adjustment of 

status under section 245 of the Immigration 

and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1255) as of the 

date of the enactment of this Act. 

(c) DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION AND PAYMENT OF FEES.—Subsections (a) and (b) shall 

apply only if the application for the issuance 

of an immigrant visa or the application for 

adjustment of status is filed with appropriate fees not later than 2 years after the 

date of the enactment of this Act. 

(d) REDUCTION OF IMMIGRANT VISA NUMBERS.—Upon granting an immigrant visa or 

permanent residence to Jorge Rojas Gutierrez, Oliva Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Jorge 

Rojas Gonzalez, the Secretary of State shall 

instruct the proper officer to reduce by 3, 

during the current or subsequent fiscal year, 

the total number of immigrant visas that are 

made available to natives of the country of 

birth of Jorge Rojas Gutierrez, Oliva Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Jorge Rojas Gonzalez 

under section 203(a) of the Immigration and 

Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(a)) or, if applicable, the total number of immigrant visas 

that are made available to natives of the 

country of birth of Jorge Rojas Gutierrez, 

Oliva Gonzalez Gonzalez, and Jorge Rojas 

Gonzalez under section 202(e) of such Act (8 

U.S.C. 1152(e)). 

By Mrs. FEINSTEIN: 

S. 131. A bill to amend the Truth in 

Lending Act to provide for enhanced 

disclosure under an open end credit 

plan; to the Committee on Banking, 

Housing, and Urban Affairs. 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, 

today I am introducing the Credit Card 

Minimum Payment Notification Act. 

This bill would help American consumers by requiring banks to notify 

credit card holders of the true cost if 


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