Date: 2010-12-15
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of House Resolution 1377. honoring the accomplishments of Norm Mineta. I am glad the gentleman from California made it clear that. while we honor him. Mr. Mineta is not yielding back his time. he is very much with us. Mr. Speaker. Secretary Mineta has had a distinguished and praiseworthy career in public service. and I am pleased to join my colleagues in honoring him. Born in San Jose. California. in 1931 to Japanese immigrant parents. it was during World War II. due to Executive Order 9066. that he and his family were deemed enemy aliens and were forced to leave their home and live in the Santa Anita racetrack paddocks for 3 months before they were then sent to their permanent location at the Heart Mountain internment camp near Cody. Wyoming. And as was suggested by the gentleman from California . despite this humiliation. Secretary Mineta persevered. In 1953. he graduated from the University of California Berkeley School of Business Administration and joined the United States Army. serving as an intelligence officer in Japan and Korea. In 1967. he became the first person of minority descent to serve on the San Jose City Council. In 1971. he was elected mayor of San Jose. thereby becoming the first Asian American mayor of a major U.S. city. In 1975. he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. representing the 15th District of California. He served in this House until 1995. In Congress. he chaired the Committee on Public Works and Transportation. and was a key author of the landmark Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. He also. as was said. helped establish the AsianPacific American Heritage Week and AsianPacific American Heritage Month. which rightly recognizes the role and participation of Japanese immigrants and Chinese laborers in our country. It was through his leadership. along with others. including Senator INOUYE on the Senate side. that the Commission of Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians was established in 1978. and 10 years later the Civil Liberties Act was passed. offering appropriate apology for the actions taken against Japanese Americans during World War II. Mr. Speaker. I was proud to serve as vice chairman of that commission. It was at the urging of Mr. Mineta and Bob Matsui that I agreed to serve on that commission. I remember with great pride that while the issue was somber and tragic. the pursuit of truth and justice was something we all shared. guided by the leadership of Norm Mineta. In 2000. Secretary Mineta became the first Asian American to hold a post in a Presidential cabinet. as he served as Secretary of Commerce under President Clinton. and then. of course. in 2001 became the first Asian American to serve as our Secretary of Transportation. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006. that of course the highest civilian award given in the United States. and granted the Grand Cordon. the Order of the Rising Sun. the highest honor bestowed upon an individual of Japanese descent by the Japanese government. Norm Mineta has lived a great life of service. of sacrifice. and dedication to this country. This resolution appropriately honors his accomplishments. his legacy. and it also inspires and encourages us to reflect upon and remember the lessons of his distinguished life. I might say it was a pleasure to serve in the House of Representatives during the 1980s with Norm Mineta. You may have differences of opinion with him. but he never allowed it to rise to a level of being disagreeable. He was someone that you could always speak with. And even though you may have different positions on issues on this floor. I dont think I ever heard a cross word come from Norm Mineta with respect to other Members in this House. I certainly thank Congressman HONDA and Congresswoman CHU. both from the great State of California. for offering this resolution. and I am proud to be a cosponsor and urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.