May 14, 2004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E845 the President’s Award, a recipient of the Chief RECOGNIZING ASIAN AMERICAN her mother taught 10th grade and her grand- Engineer’s Award, and a two-time recipient of HERITAGE MONTH father Professor Charles Guice served as prin- the Fire Fighter of the Year Award. cipal for 50 years. Her latter years were spent Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join HON. HILDA L. SOLIS at St. Joseph Catholic School where she grad- me today to recognize Robert Stephens’s OF CALIFORNIA uated 8th Grade. Upon completing elementary dedication to volunteer work and the East IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES school, she attended Holy Rosary High School Norriton Fire Engine Company and the con- in Lafayette, Louisiana and graduated with tributions he has made to the East Norriton Thursday, May 13, 2004 honors. community and the Commonwealth of Penn- Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to Joan attended college at Tuskegee Univer- sylvania. honor and recognize the month of May as sity with a major in Nursing Education. How- f Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and to ever, when her mother moved the family to Brooklyn, New York, she enrolled at Medgar REGARDING H.R. 4280, THE pay tribute to the 120,000 individuals of Asian Evers College and completed her education in H.E.A.L.T.H ACT descent I represent in California’s 32nd Con- gressional District. I am fortunate to represent Business Management. She later attended an ethnically diverse district that has experi- New York University and received a certificate HON. MARK UDALL enced first hand the economic and cultural as an Administrative Assistant. OF COLORADO contributions of the Asian Pacific American Joan worked with the United Negro College IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES community. Fund as an Employee Associate where she Thursday, May 13, 2004 Although less than 4 percent of the U.S. began to develop a format that would bring to- Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I’m population is Asian, I am proud that 19 per- gether all graduates of other black colleges to holding my nose and voting against H.R. cent of the congressional district I represent is participate in a job market. This has now 4280, which would limit medical malpractice of Asian descent. Some cities in my congres- evolved as a site on the Internet for job place- awards. I am not pleased that we are voting sional district have a well-established Asian ments. on this bill again, since an identical bill is lan- Pacific American community. Monterey Park, Joan later met and married hometown guishing over in the Senate and I doubt that for example, is home to a vibrant Asian Amer- friend, David Peterson, Jr. From their union, by passing it today we will jolt the Senate into ican community and has a City Council that is two children, Danielle and David Peterson III, moving on the bill. I think the vote today has majority Asian. Other cities in the congres- were born. The children attended St. Paul more to do with politics than with policy. sional district I represent, like West Covina, Community Christian School where Joan be- I think we’re beating a dead horse. Both have experienced an increase in their Asian came very involved in her children’s education sides have dug in and aren’t willing to com- population in more recent times. From 1980 to and participated in all fundraising activities. promise. In the meantime, we aren’t doing the present, West Covina’s Asian Pacific When the children transferred to P.S. 308, anything to reform our medical liability system American population has grown from 4 per- Joan continued to be active and was the Fi- and we aren’t doing anything to make health cent to 23 percent. nancial Secretary for the P.T.A. until her care more affordable and accessible for Amer- Asian Pacific Americans bring diversity to daughter Danielle graduated. Joan joined the icans. Our system is inherently adversarial our community and also contribute to our Concerned Women of Brooklyn in which she and we’ve continued this fingerpointing game economy and to our advancement as a nation. is still an active member. In 1997, Joan’s hus- and done nothing to improve patient safety Asian Pacific Americans have made vast con- band became ill and passed away. Subse- and health care access, which is what we’re tributions in the fields of medicine, technology, quently, Joan bought a house and moved to really talking about here. and agriculture that benefit all Americans. Fur- Bedford-Stuyvesant, where she immediately I think we need a system that is non-puni- thermore, throughout times of heightened na- joined the Block Association where she now tive and encourages openness and improve- tional security, Asian Pacific Americans have serves as Financial Secretary. ment so that doctors can report medical errors fought to protect democracy in every war Joan presently works for the Health and without fear of being sued. This will help us since the Civil War. For example, despite the Hospital Corporation as a Senior Systems An- understand medical errors and improve proce- disturbing racism toward Japanese Americans alyst. In her sixteen years of service, she has dures and patient safety. Fewer medical errors during World War II, Japanese Americans vol- worked in several areas, Office of Affiliations, will result in fewer medical malpractice suits, unteered to serve in the armed forces as part Construction Management, Kings County Re- which in turn will help keep malpractice insur- of the 442nd Infantry Regimental Combat construction Project, Elmhurst Modernization ance rates and health care premiums down. Team. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team Project, Accounting Department and presently That’s why I voted for H.R. 663, the Patient remains the most decorated unit in U.S. mili- she is in the Receiving Department at Queens Safety and Quality Improvement Act, which tary history. Not only did these Japanese serv- Hospital. would create a voluntary medical error report- icemen show their loyalty to the United States, As a recipient of several awards as an Out- ing system under which patient safety organi- but they also earned more than 18,000 indi- standing Leader in her community and school, zations would receive, on a confidential basis, vidual decorations in less than 2 years. These Joan is interested in developing a program and analyze information on reported errors. noble service members deserve our recogni- that would address young males, ages 10–18 They would then be expected to develop and tion. years. Joan is a member of St. Paul Commu- disseminate evidence-based information to In closing, I would like to commend organi- nity Baptist Church, where Rev. Johnny Ray help providers implement changes in practice zations in California’s 32nd Congressional Dis- Youngblood is the senior pastor. Mr. Speaker, Joan Peterson has actively patterns that help to prevent future medical er- trict that exemplify and promote Asian diversity participated in improving her community rors. In addition to this legislation, I think we during Asian American Heritage Month. through various volunteer positions. As such, should explore ideas like alternate dispute res- f olution, no-fault systems, and medical courts. she is more than worthy of receiving our rec- I also want to make it clear that I am not op- A TRIBUTE TO JOAN PETERSON ognition today and I urge my colleagues to posed to capping damages because I think it join me in honoring this truly remarkable per- helps keep health care costs down and keeps HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS son. doctors accessible, like in my home State of OF NEW YORK f Colorado where we have caps. However, I IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TRIBUTE TO THE 21ST SPACE think H.R. 4280 sets low and arbitrary limits WING GUARDIAN CHALLENGE 2004 on damages, which will hurt those at the bot- Thursday, May 13, 2004 tom of the income scale the most. Also, I don’t Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of think we should be shielding large and power- Joan Peterson in recognition of her substantial HON. MARILYN N. MUSGRAVE OF COLORADO ful HMOs and drug companies from liability. contributions to her community. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Mr. Speaker, ultimately this issue is about Upon gazing on their beautiful baby girl, health care access and patient safety. If we parents Emily Cole and John Stafford named Thursday, May 13, 2004 aren’t going to compromise, I hope we’d start her Joan, celebrating the namesake of both Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today thinking outside the box on how to end the grandmothers. to honor the 21st Space Wing at Peterson Air logjam on tort reform. I offer these ideas as a Joan spent her early years of elementary Force Base in Colorado. way to get there, because we aren’t going to education at Clio Public School where her The 21st Space Wing, under the Command get there from where we are today. grandmother, Joan Guice taught first grade, of Brigadier General Richard Webber, also VerDate May 04 2004 01:55 May 15, 2004 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\K13MY8.011 E14PT1 E846 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks May 14, 2004 under Air Force Space Commander General IN RECOGNITION OF INDIANA lished a scholarship fund for Colorado Amer- Lance W. Lord, recently participated as cham- STATE TROOPER SCOTT PATRICK ican Indians to attend a college or university pions in the 37th annual Guardian Challenge DURING NATIONAL POLICE ME- within the state.