III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 660 

Expressing the condolences of the Senate on the death of the Honorable 

Norman Y. Mineta. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 26, 2022 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mr. PADILLA) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the condolences of the Senate on the death of 

the Honorable Norman Y. Mineta. 

Whereas Norman Yoshio Mineta (referred to in this preamble 

as ‘‘Norman Y. Mineta’’) was born in San Jose, California on November 12, 1931; 

Whereas, as a young child during World War II, Norman Y. 

Mineta and his family were unjustly sent to Heart Mountain Relocation Camp in Park County, Wyoming by the 

United States Government due to their Japanese ancestry; 

Whereas Norman Y. Mineta returned to San Jose with his 

family after World War II, graduated from San Jose 

High School, and went on to earn a degree in business 

administration from the University of California, Berkeley; 


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•SRES 660 ATS 

Whereas Norman Y. Mineta honorably served as a United 

States Army intelligence officer in Japan and Korea before returning home and joining the insurance business 

run by his father; 

Whereas, in 1967, Norman Y. Mineta became the first person 

of color to serve on the San Jose City Council and, in 

1971, was elected as the 59th Mayor of San Jose, becoming the first Asian American to serve as mayor of a 

major city in the United States; 

Whereas Norman Y. Mineta was elected to the United States 

House of Representatives in 1974, where he served as 

president of the freshman class and went on to spend 

more than 20 years, during which time he never forgot 

a name; 

Whereas Norman Y. Mineta was a champion of civil rights 

and cosponsored the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 (50 

U.S.C. 4211 et seq.), which— 

(1) was signed into law by President Ronald W. 

Reagan; and 

(2) expressed a formal apology to the thousands of 

individuals of Japanese ancestry in the United States 

who were forced into internment camps during World 

War II and offered $20,000 payments to each individual; 

Whereas Norman Y. Mineta distinguished himself as an expert on transportation issues and an advocate for mass 

transit, serving as Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; 

Whereas Norman Y. Mineta entered the private sector after 

leaving Congress, but continued to serve the United 


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•SRES 660 ATS 

States as Chairman of the National Civil Aviation Review 

Commission; 

Whereas Norman Y. Mineta was nominated by President William J. Clinton in 2000 to be the United States Secretary 

of Commerce; 

Whereas Norman Y. Mineta was nominated by President 

George W. Bush in 2001 to serve as the United States 

Secretary of Transportation; 

Whereas, while serving as Secretary of Transportation on 

September 11, 2001, Norman Y. Mineta secured the airspace of the United States by ordering all civilian air 

traffic to land immediately and implemented new security 

protocols to ensure the safety of air travelers; 

Whereas Norman Y. Mineta was the loving husband of 

Danealia Brantner Mineta, and father of David Mineta, 

Stuart Mineta, Robert Brantner, and Mark Brantner; 

and 

Whereas Norman Y. Mineta was known for his warm personality, commitment to public service, accessibility and accountability, and passion for his work: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) has heard with profound sorrow and deep 

3 regret the announcement of the death of the Honor4 able Norman Yoshio Mineta, former member of the 

5 United States House of Representatives, former Sec6 retary of Commerce, and former Secretary of Trans7 portation; 


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•SRES 660 ATS 

1 (2) respectfully requests the Secretary of the 

2 Senate communicate this resolution to the House of 

3 Representatives and transmit an enrolled copy of 

4 this resolution to the family of Norman Yoshio Mi5 neta; and 

6 (3) when the Senate adjourns today, stands ad7 journed as a further mark of respect to the memory 

8 of the Honorable Norman Yoshio Mineta. 

Æ 


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