House Republicans are set to move on to the third piece of their anti-regulation agenda, H.R. 10, the so-called “Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act.” The REINS Act seeks to undermine the nation’s environmental, health and safety laws by requiring Congressional approval for any major rule within 70 days of introduction.

 
Yes, it would require Congress, which has shown itself particularly unable to get its job done this year, to act on any major rule. 

 
Rules ranging from those implementing the Clean Air Act, to new workplace safety and health protections, to limits on Wall Street, and to new food safety regulations would need to be approved, with no changes, by both houses of Congress within 70 days in order to take effect. If a rule is not approved within that time, it would be tabled for the next Congress.

Today we honor our nation’s veterans and pay tribute to their service and sacrifice.  One in ten Americans over the age of 18 are veterans, including nearly 28,000 brave men and women from my Congressional District.  While there are many issues that demand extensive debate in Congress, the ability of America’s veterans to find employment when they return to civilian life must never be a point of contention.  

 
No one who fought for America overseas should have to fight for a job when they come home.  

 
I am encouraged by the Senate’s recent action on the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits—both included in President Obama’s jobs plan—which will offer tax credits to businesses that hire America’s veterans.   I urge the Republican leadership in the House to quickly bring this crucial legislation to the Floor so we can vote to rush it to the President’s desk.  With veteran unemployment levels at historic highs, we cannot rest until every veteran has a job upon their return.  

 
We must make veterans’ health care a legislative priority as well.  We must build on the progress the Democratically-led Congress made to strengthen veteran’s health care by providing the largest single increase in funding in the history of the VA.  We must continue to ensure timely and reliable funding to ensure the over 5 million veterans who receive VA medical services are able to benefit from the enhanced health services for women, expanded mental health services, and improved health care access in rural areas that Democrats put in place.  

 
No one who fought for America overseas should have to fight for the care they need when they come home.  

 
It was my honor to join Japanese American World War II veterans and their families last week in Washington, DC, where they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian award for distinguished achievements.  My late father, Giichi “Byron” Honda, was one of the recipients of the medal, having served in the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) while my mother, and I were incarcerated behind barbed wire in a Colorado internment camp.  The devotion to country and Constitution that the veterans of the 422nd Regimental Combat Team, the 100th Battalion, and the MIS displayed nearly seventy years ago is an indelible reminder that we must never let “war hysteria, racial prejudice and a failure of political leadership” derail the ongoing mission of America – to live as one nation, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
To our veterans, both living and fallen, today and every day we say thank you, thank you, thank you.

The American Dream remains an aspiration for millions of American families throughout the United States, just as it was for me in my youth. Achieving the American Dream starts with a solid education.. The American public school system should be the equalizer of economic opportunity throughout the US, one that can elevate and enhance a child’s creativity and thought, allowing he or she to be a competitive player on the world scene, just as it was 40 years ago when I watched Apollo 11 land on the moon.

This week, I introduced a bi-partisan and bi-cameral version of my Viral Hepatitis prevention bill with Rep. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. The following OpEd ran in several papers to coincide with the introduction of this legislation:

There’s a silent killer loose in America. It is viral hepatitis, and it contributes to the death of 15,000 Americans every year. Most people don’t even know they have it until years later when it’s too late for any treatment to work.

That is why we’re fighting back with new legislation being introducing today: the Viral Hepatitis Testing Act of 2011, the start of what we expect to be a historic national effort to fight – and ultimately eradicate – Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) in America.The current approach is not working. Typically, despite the pervasive nature Hepatitis B and C, health providers do not screen Americans at high-risk for hepatitis. Moreover, most people don’t recognize symptoms until later stages when they have developed cancer or liver disease.

It is not surprising, then, that viral hepatitis is more common than HIV/AIDs but remains unrecognized as a serious threat to public health. In addition, viral hepatitis disproportionately impacts racial and ethnic populations. For example, HCV is twice as prevalent among African Americans as among Caucasians. Asian Americans comprise more than half of the known hepatitis B population in the United States and consequently maintain the highest rate of liver cancer among all ethnic groups.

There is no federal funding for core public health services for viral hepatitis. Nor is there any federal funding to educate the public about the risks of chronic hepatitis B and C or get people proper treatment once they’re infected.

Consequently, Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Howard Koh and a team of experts sprang into action last May, developing a comprehensive plan to unmask this silent killer. The legislation we are introducing today builds on that plan.

Our bill will fill the gaping hole in our public health system when it comes to viral hepatitis. It will help to avoid needless tragedies by setting up prevention and testing programs and educating Americans on the pervasive nature of hepatitis B and hepatitis C will help avoid needless tragedies.

The Viral Hepatitis Testing Act of 2011 will establish four measurable goals that will help us keep track of progress in our war on this silent killer.

First, it requires testing programs around the nation to increase the number of individuals who are aware of their infection. Around 75 percent of people carrying viral hepatitis today don’t even know they are infected, so improved testing can flip that disturbing statistic on its head in just five years, with an estimated 75 percent of infected people aware of their status by 2016. This will allow people and their doctors to treat this disease before it develops into something worse. This program will also focus these efforts on minority communities that are at higher risk of infection.

Second, our legislation will require the development and distribution of public information about viral hepatitis detection and control of infections. Education is an important step in making hepatitis a detectable and manageable disease.

Third, it will call for better coordination of medical treatment and counseling so that infected people have access to the best services.

Lastly, the bill will improve the education, training, and skills of health professionals in the detection and control of viral hepatitis infections, giving providers the skills they need to tackle this public health threat.

Passing the Viral Hepatitis Testing Act of 2011 will save lives and improve health care. It will also save family’s and taxpayer’s money. The costs of education, research, and treatment pale in comparison to the health costs that will be incurred if we do nothing.

Without effective prevention and vaccination methods, chronic hepatitis B and C are expected to drain our country of billions of dollars in the coming years. The aging baby-boomer population is estimated to account for two out of every three cases of chronic hepatitis C. In the next decade, the costs of hepatitis C to commercial insurance and Medicare will more than double. Within 20 years, Medicare costs will increase fivefold and medical costs for patients with hepatitis C infection will skyrocket from $30 billion to more than $85 billion.

Without action, thousands more Americans will die each year from this disease, a tragedy that is preventable. We know what we need to do and we have the tools to get it done. We can lower costs, improve care, save lives and retire this silent killer once and for all.

As the Peace Corps celebrates its 50th anniversary this month, it is time to take stock and commit to making it bigger, better and bolder. 

As one of four members of the House who volunteered, I answered President John F. Kennedy's call for Peace Corps recruits in the 1960s and served in El Salvador. To say that the Peace Corps changed my life and my perspective, and influences now my modus operandi as a member of Congress, would be a sweeping understatement. 

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that over one million young adults have gained health insurance over the last year as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). New statistics from a variety of organizations have shown this to be one of the many impactful accomplishments of the Affordable Care Act.

I extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Steve Jobs.  Today, the world lost a great innovator.  He was a visionary whose work and passion played a large part in making Silicon Valley what it is today.  I am proud to represent Cupertino, the city he made home to Apple and where he led the company as it developed transformative products that put technology in the hands of the people around the globe. 

Sadly, he has left us too soon, but I believe that his spirit will live on with his loved ones, with Apple, and with the millions of people around the world whose lives he has touched through his work.  Steve will be greatly missed by the rest of the Silicon Valley family.

When the Budget Control Act was passed this summer, the country heaved a sigh of relief that the Republican generated default crisis had been averted. Now, I get approached daily by constituents who want to know how the Budget Control Act will affect their lives and the government services they count on; and what this Super Committee is, how it will work and what I think it should do. 

Your health needs change from year to year. And, your health plan may change the benefits and costs each year too. That’s why it’s important to evaluate your Medicare choices every year. Open Enrollment is the one time of the year when ALL people with Medicare can see what new benefits Medicare has to offer and make changes to their coverage