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Floor Statements

May 20, 2013
Floor Statements
A type of mussel that poses a threat to lakes and water supply systems would officially be added to the national list of invasive species under legislation sponsored by Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena.

Thompson on Thursday announced his introduction of the bipartisan bill to add the quagga mussel to the listing.

Since their invasion in the 1980s in the Great Lakes, quagga mussels and their close relative zebra mussels have been responsible for more than $5 billion in prevention and control costs â€" more than any other aquatic species, according to Thompson's bill.

February 28, 2013
Floor Statements

Other states would be urged to emulate California's system for seizing firearms from people who are no longer legally allowed to own them, under a bill unveiled Wednesday by two Bay Area House members.

But California's program is predicated on registration of certain firearms -- something most states don't do and are loath to consider.


February 22, 2013
Floor Statements
Far too many of America's vital public issues are allowed to become ridiculously polarized and devolve into a debate dominated by loud voices from the fringes who distort issues, pose false choices and vilify anyone with opposing views.

We know from vast experience that such discussions are antithetical to reasoned public policy.

It could be fairly argued that, over the years, the nation's debate over gun policies qualifies as a poster child for this dynamic.

February 7, 2013
Floor Statements
Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), who led the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, on Thursday announced a set of policy principles which the task force recommends as the basis of new legislation to curb gun violence.

"We can't relive what happened in Newtown. We Can't relive what happened in Aurora," Thompson said. "It's time to act."

Thompson said the recommendations come after weeks of meetings with a variety of interest groups including mental health experts, educators, representatives from the entertainment industry, Democrats, Republicans and pro-gun Americans.

February 7, 2013
Floor Statements
LANSDOWNE, Va. -- House Democrats unveiled a comprehensive set of recommendations to reduce gun violence on Thursday, but conceded that a piecemeal approach might be the only feasible way to see measures pass through both chambers of a divided Congress.

August 29, 2012
Floor Statements
Sixty-six years ago, Alejandro R. Ruiz was honored for a near-suicidal charge to save his fellow soldiers during World War II. Now, his name will live on locally, at a post office near his final home and burial place.

The post office at the Veterans Home of California officially received its new name during a ceremony Wednesday morning â€" the Private First Class Alejandro R. Ruiz Post Office Building.

June 23, 2012
Floor Statements
The June 19 letter titled “Conservation area spells disaster for Lake Berryessa” is misleading and false.

The letter suggests that motorboat access and recreation would be negatively impacted if my bill becomes law. This could not be further from the truth. Nothing in the legislation would impact motorboat use. Any suggestion otherwise is untrue.

May 24, 2012
Floor Statements

Congress has passed a bill by Rep. Mike Thompson, which aims to improve treatment for veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Thompson's office announced.

The measure heads now to the Senate.

Thompson, D-Napa, co-chairs the bipartisan Military Veterans Caucus. He secured the passage of his bipartisan amendment with Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions, he said in a statement. The treatment expansion initiative was adopted as a House amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, he said.

Issues:Veterans

May 21, 2012
Floor Statements

Congressman Mike Thompson announced the passage by the House of Representatives Friday of a budget amendment that would fund innovative treatments for veterans and active duty soldiers suffering traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The amendment creates a new five-year $10 million pilot program that allows military patients to receive treatment from health care facilities outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs that are utilizing an array of leading-edge, successful therapies.

Issues:Veterans

May 17, 2012
Floor Statements

Calling the most recent Bay Delta Conservation Plan delay the “last, best opportunity to stand up to … unreasonable demands,” Reps. Mike Thompson (CA-1), Jerry McNerney (CA-11), George Miller (CA-7), Doris Matsui (CA-5) and John Garamendi (CA-10) called for specific steps to be taken for the plan to move forward in a fair and transparent manner.

The five members from the California congressional delegation have been vocal in calling for changes to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and have demanded that any plan has significant input from the Bay-Delta region.

Issues:Energy & Environment