S. HRG. 111–319 CONFIRMATION OF REPRESENTATIVE HILDA L. SOLIS HEARING OF THE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON CONFIRMATION OF REPRESENTATIVE HILDA L. SOLIS, OF CALIFORNIA, TO BE SECRETARY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR JANUARY 9, 2009 Printed for the use of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/senate U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 46–666 PDF WASHINGTON : 2010 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 14:05 Oct 14, 2010 Jkt 035165 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\DOCS\46666.TXT DENISE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS EDWARD M. KENNEDY, Massachusetts, Chairman CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming TOM HARKIN, Iowa JUDD GREGG, New Hampshire BARBARA A. MIKULSKI, Maryland LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico RICHARD BURR, North Carolina PATTY MURRAY, Washington JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia JACK REED, Rhode Island JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona BERNARD SANDERS (I), Vermont ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah SHERROD BROWN, Ohio LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska ROBERT P. CASEY, JR., Pennsylvania TOM COBURN, M.D., Oklahoma KAY R. HAGAN, North Carolina PAT ROBERTS, Kansas JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon J. MICHAEL MYERS, Staff Director and Chief Counsel FRANK MACCHIAROLA, Republican Staff Director and Chief Counsel (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 14:05 Oct 14, 2010 Jkt 035165 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 S:\DOCS\46666.TXT DENISE CONTENTS STATEMENTS FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2009 Page Kennedy, Hon. Edward M., Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, opening statement ........................................................... 1 Feinstein, Hon. Dianne, a U.S. Senator from the State of California ................. 1 Boxer, Hon. Barbara, a U.S. Senator from the State of California ..................... 2 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 4 Enzi, Hon. Michael B., a U.S. Senator from the State of Wyoming, opening statement .............................................................................................................. 6 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 8 Harkin, Hon. Tom, a U.S. Senator from the State of Iowa, prepared state- ment ...................................................................................................................... 10 Isakson, Hon. Johnny, a U.S. Senator from the State of Georgia ....................... 12 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 13 Solis, Hon. Hilda L., a U.S. Representative from the State of California ........... 14 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 16 Dodd, Hon. Christopher J., a U.S. Senator from the State of Connecticut, prepared statement .............................................................................................. 22 ADDITIONAL MATERIAL Statements, articles, publications, letters, etc.: Senator Murray, ............................................................................................... 45 Response by Hilda L. Solis to questions of: Senator Kennedy ....................................................................................... 46 Senator Harkin .......................................................................................... 47 Senator Mikulski ....................................................................................... 50 Senator Murray ......................................................................................... 50 Senator Brown ........................................................................................... 53 Letters of support ............................................................................................. 54 (III) VerDate Nov 24 2008 14:05 Oct 14, 2010 Jkt 035165 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 S:\DOCS\46666.TXT DENISE VerDate Nov 24 2008 14:05 Oct 14, 2010 Jkt 035165 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 S:\DOCS\46666.TXT DENISE CONFIRMATION OF REPRESENTATIVE HILDA L. SOLIS FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2009 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS, Washington, DC. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:33 a.m. in room SD– 430, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Edward Kennedy, chair- man of the committee, presiding. Present: Senators Kennedy, Dodd, Harkin, Mikulski, Reed, Sand- ers, Enzi, Alexander, Isakson, Hatch, and Roberts. Also present: Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer. OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR KENNEDY The CHAIRMAN. Good morning. It is a good morning. We have a wonderful group of our colleagues and friends here today, an ex- traordinary number really, to join with us. It’s a real indication of the fact of how much we admire our nominee and how important this committee is on these important matters. We understand, I think, all of us, given the challenges that we face, the importance and significance of the committee and how important to have a Secretary that is as strong a nominee as we can possibly have. We want to welcome Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer, and we’re also joined by Representative Sheila Jackson Lee. But, we’d like to ask Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer if they’d be willing to make a comment, in introduction, for our nominee this morning. Senator Feinstein. STATEMENT OF SENATOR FEINSTEIN Senator FEINSTEIN. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Sen- ator Enzi, and members of the committee. For me, this is a wonderful moment, because to see women progress and go on and be very good at what they do is very spe- cial. Hilda Solis is one of those women. I’m really very pleased and very proud to recommend her confirmation as Secretary of Labor. She is one person who has actually dedicated her life to public service and to improving the lives of people in her community. Hilda was the first member of her family to attend college. She graduated from California State Polytechnic University and later earned a master’s in public administration from the University of Southern California, known as USC, with that great football team. [Laughter.] (1) VerDate Nov 24 2008 14:05 Oct 14, 2010 Jkt 035165 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 S:\DOCS\46666.TXT DENISE 2 Representative Solis began her career in public service in Presi- dent Carter’s administration as the editor of publications in the Of- fice of Hispanic Affairs. After returning to California, she served as a trustee of the Rio Hondo Community College Board. In 1992— it was a big year—she was elected to the California State Assem- bly, and, unusually, 2 years later, became the first Hispanic woman in California history to be elected to the California State Senate. She was the chairwoman of the very powerful Industrial Rela- tions Committee, and she was instrumental in the successful battle to increase the State minimum wage. She has authored a record 17 State laws aimed at combating domestic violence, including a bill to allow workers to take leave from their jobs to obtain re- straining orders against their abusers. She won the John F. Ken- nedy Profile in Courage Award for authoring groundbreaking envi- ronmental justice legislation that seeks to reduce the number of polluting projects in minority and low-income areas. So, she now knows the Hill, is very much respected in the House, and, I believe, will be, as well, by the Senate. This is a woman of common sense and, I believe, very sound judgment. She understands the balances. And I think she very well understands the balance, as Secretary of Labor, between manage- ment and labor issues. She obviously is going to fight for worker rights, but, after all, this is the position of Secretary of Labor. I really think it’s a wonderful thing that President-elect Obama nominated her for this position, and I’m just very proud to be here to support that nomination, along with my friend and colleague Senator Boxer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Diane Feinstein. It’s a wonderful welcome and introduction, and we know what a strong supporter you are of Hilda Solis, and I thank you for taking the time and joining with us. We see our friend and colleague, your co-conspirator—— [Laughter.] The CHAIRMAN [continuing]. Senator Barbara Boxer, and we are always glad to see her. We thank her very much, as we do Senator Feinstein, for taking the time and joining with us here today. It makes a great difference to all of us. Thank you very much. We’d be glad to hear from you. STATEMENT OF SENATOR BOXER Senator BOXER. Chairman Kennedy and Ranking Member Enzi and all my dear friends and colleagues on both sides of the aisle, this is a wonderful day for Senator Feinstein, and for me, for the reasons that you just heard from Senator Feinstein; and I will not reiterate those things, but I probably will wind up saying them a slightly different way. Mr. Chairman, I know I speak for millions of Americans when I say it is beyond wonderful to see you presiding today in all of your glory. I just love it. We look forward to seeing this committee do its work. It’s such an important time for every committee of the Senate. Well, this is