{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where party = \"Democrat\", state = \"CA\" and year = 2009 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-lee-mourns-the-passing-of-bill-cavala", "Congresswoman Lee Mourns the Passing of Bill Cavala", "2009-12-30", "2009", "2009-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.30.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Lee Mourns the Passing of Bill Cavala \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nDecember 30, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\n  \r\nOakland  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) issued the following statement upon learning of the passing of Bill Cavala:\r\n  \r\nToday, we mourn the loss of a political pioneer and Democratic strategist who was considered by many the driving force in California politics for the past 40 years, Congresswoman Lee said. Bill Cavala was a dear friend and a universally respected political strategist who was the mastermind behind hundreds of successful state legislative and several congressional campaigns.\r\n  \r\nBill was known as the Doctor by those close to him because he possessed the unique ability to discuss and explain politics in simple yet reflective terms. Bill used that gift to educate and mentor many who were called into public service.\r\n  \r\nBill will be deeply missed by all. I offer my sincerest condolences to Bill's family and to the many friends and associates whose lives he has touched over the years.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/woolsey-and-lee-say-key-aspects-of-house-bill-must-be-included-in-health-care-legislation", "Woolsey and Lee Say Key Aspects of House Bill Must Be Included In Health Care Legislation", "2009-12-23", "2009", "2009-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.23.09\n\t\t\t Woolsey and Lee Say Key Aspects of House Bill Must Be Included In Health Care Legislation \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nDecember 23, 2009\r\nContact:\r\nNicole Williams/ (202) 226-0323 (Lee)\r\nCarl Rauscher/ 202-225-5161 (Woolsey),\r\nWASHINGTON, DC  Progressive leaders Reps. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) released the following statement today about Thursday's vote in the Senate on health care reform legislation:\r\nNow that the Senate is poised to pass its version of a health care reform bill, it is time to turn to reconciling it with the House legislation.\r\nFor Congress to achieve true health care reform we must have a meaningful conference process that integrates both bills into the best possible piece of legislation for the American people.\r\nSeveral key provisions of the House bill must be included in any final bill:\r\nA public optionIf the bill requires people to buy health insurance, there must be a public option to bring down costs by providing lower-cost competition to private insurers and choice to consumers.\r\nAffordability protectionsThe legislation must protect lower and middle-income individuals by ensuring that subsidies make coverage affordable and that Medicaid patients have access to primary care physicians.\r\nTighter market regulationNew regulations must keep premiums reasonable and end abusive practices. Insurance companies should no longer be exempt from anti-trust laws and any premium increases must be reviewed before they take effect.\r\nEmployer mandatesIf individuals are required to buy insurance, employers should be required to provide it.\r\nTax surchargesHealth care reform should be financed by tax surcharges on the wealthy not excise taxes on health insurance plans offered to many workers and union members.\r\nWhile we still have much work to do, we applaud Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sens. Ben Cardin and Roland Burris for their hard work to ensure that the much need health disparities provision remained in the legislation. Also, we applaud Sen. Bernie Sanders for helping to secure $10 billion more in the revised bill for community health centers.\r\nWe look forward to working with the House and Senate leadership to ensure that the final legislation provides affordable and comprehensive health care to people who need it.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/reps-lee-mcgovern-jones-and-colleagues-ask-speaker-for-up-or-down-vote-on-military-escalation-in-afghanistan", "Reps. Lee, McGovern, Jones and Colleagues ask Speaker for Up-Or-Down Vote on Military Escalation in Afghanistan", "2009-12-18", "2009", "2009-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.18.09\n\t\t\t Reps. Lee, McGovern, Jones and Colleagues ask Speaker for Up-Or-Down Vote on Military Escalation in Afghanistan \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nDecember 18, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA), James McGovern (D-MA), and Walter Jones (R-NC) joined a bipartisan group of Members in delivering a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requesting that Members of the House are provided the opportunity for a separate debate and up-or-down vote on the President's proposal to escalate the United States military presence in Afghanistan.\r\nPresident Obama spent three months reviewing and deliberating United States strategy in Afghanistan. At the very least, Congress owes our men and women in uniform an honest debate regarding the benefits, costs, affordability, and strategic importance of a military escalation, said Lee. Our responsibility to ensure the U.S. is most effectively and sustainably combating terrorism around the globe will not be fulfilled by sidestepping this critical debate.\r\nPresident Obama's decision is a big deal, and Congress has a role to play, said Rep. McGovern. We haven't had a full, meaningful debate about this critical issue in 8 years. Now is the time for Congress to act.\r\nThose of us who have signed this letter have differing views on how to move forward in Afghanistan, said Rep. Jones. I, for example, do not believe that doubling down' on the strategy of propping up the Karzai regime in Afghanistan is the correct strategy, but rather we should work with and through the tribal structures that have existed in the country for centuries. We can all, however, agree that this is an issue that deserves a debate. The American people deserve a debate on something that could so deeply affect their loved ones and their country.   \r\n  \r\nThe letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed the urgency of holding such a vote prior to the deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan, or otherwise as soon as possible. It further reiterated the importance of Congress' role and responsibility in overseeing and providing for our nation's commitments while at war.\r\nThe text of the letter and list of co-signers follows:\r\nDecember 18, 2009\r\nThe Honorable Nancy Pelosi  \r\nSpeaker of the House  \r\nU.S. House of Representatives  \r\nRoom H-232, U.S. Capitol  \r\nWashington, DC 20515\r\nDear Madam Speaker:\r\nWe write to urge you to ensure the House will hold a separate debate and floor vote on the President's proposal to escalate the United States military presence in Afghanistan.\r\nPresident Obama has estimated that the deployment of 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan will increase the military costs of the war by $30 billion a year. Members may agree or disagree with the President's decision in pursuing a military escalation in Afghanistan, but we all appreciate your response to the President's announcement that The American people and the Congress will now have an opportunity to fully examine this strategy.\r\nAt a time when the American economy continues to face enormous challenges and individuals across the country are struggling to get by, these costs are especially worthy of Congressional deliberation.\r\nCongress's consideration of the President's revised policy in Afghanistan will be critical to reasserting the undisputed role and responsibility of the Legislative Branch in overseeing and providing for our nation's commitments while at war. To that end, when the resources required for the proposed troop increase are brought to the floor for consideration, we believe it is vital that the House is provided an opportunity for a robust floor debate and up-or-down vote on the issue of a military escalation. Ideally, this should occur prior to the deployment of any additional troops to Afghanistan, or otherwise as soon as possible.\r\nThank you for your leadership on this issue. We look forward to working with you to ensure Congress holds an honest and full debate regarding the benefits, costs, affordability, and strategic importance of a military escalation in Afghanistan.\r\nSincerely,\r\nList of Co-signers:\r\nCongresswoman Barbara Lee  \r\nCongressman James P. McGovern  \r\nCongressman Walter B. Jones  \r\nCongresswoman Lynn C. Woolsey  \r\nCongressman Eric J. J. Massa  \r\nCongressman Fortney Pete Stark  \r\nCongressman Ral M. Grijalva  \r\nCongressman Bob Filner  \r\nCongressman Keith Ellison  \r\nCongresswoman Tammy Baldwin  \r\nCongressman Jerrold Nadler  \r\nCongressman Jos E. Serrano  \r\nCongressman Michael M. Honda  \r\nCongressman James P. Moran  \r\nCongressman Michael E. Capuano  \r\nCongresswoman Janice D. Schakowsky  \r\nCongressman Barney Frank  \r\nCongressman Peter A. DeFazio\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-supports-consolidated-appropriations-bill", "Barbara Lee Supports Consolidated Appropriations Bill", "2009-12-11", "2009", "2009-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.11.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Supports Consolidated Appropriations Bill \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nDecember 11, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n  \r\nSecures Over $18 Million for District Projects\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee voted in favor of H.R. 3288, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of fiscal year 2010. The legislation passed the house by a 221  202 vote with one member voting present.\r\nI am pleased to announce that I was able to secure over $18 million to help fund projects for California 9th District.\r\nSome of the projects in the 9th Congressional District of California that will receive funding through the Omnibus Appropriations Act include:\r\n  \r\nCommerce-Justice-Science\r\n \r\n    $575,000, Eden Housing, Hayward, CA, Digital Connectors At-Risk Youth Program Expansion\r\n    $250,000 Oakland Housing and Career Center, Covenant House California\r\n    $250,000 Clean Slate Clinic for Community Reentry & Reintegration, East Bay Community Law Center, Berkeley\r\n    $125,000 Oakland Center for Public Safety at Merritt College, Peralta Community College District\r\n    $100,000 Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Center for Building Our Community Green\r\n \r\n  \r\nEnergy & Water\r\n \r\n    $1,000,000 Corps of Engineers/Construction, Oakland Harbor (50 foot project), CA\r\n    $10,000,000 Corps of Engineers/O&M, Oakland Harbor, CA\r\n \r\n  \r\nFinancial Services\r\n \r\n    $250,000 East Bay Green Jobs Project, City of Berkeley\r\n    $50,000 Hispanic Business Education and Training Program, Hispanic Business Education and Training, Inc.\r\n    $50,000 Economic Vitality of Minority Businesses in Oakland, Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce Foundation\r\n    $50,000 Economic Vitality of Asian Minority Business Program, Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce\r\n \r\n  \r\nLabor-HHS-Education\r\n \r\n    $250,000 - City of Emeryville for the Center of Community Life for Family Counseling Programs and Early Childhood Development  City School Parenting Center\r\n    $250,000 - Girl's Inc. for Promoting Literacy and Family Literacy for Underserved Communities\r\n    $300,000 - Alameda County Library Foundation for the Campaign to Open a New Castro Valley Library\r\n    $300,000 - Alameda County Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS - for the High Risk Behavior Change Campaign Initiative in Alameda County, CA\r\n    $275,000 - Cypress Mandela Training Center for Pre-apprentice Construction Training\r\n    $275,000 - Asian Health Services (AHS) for New Access Point for Comprehensive Primary Care Project\r\n    $250,000 - Youth Radio for the Youth Radio Media & Technology Center\r\n \r\n  \r\nTransportation-HUD\r\n \r\n    $250,000 Rehabilitation of the Fruitvale Community Cultural Center, The Unity Council, Oakland\r\n    $250,000 Ed Roberts Campus bus and bus facilities, The Ed Roberts Council, Berkeley\r\n    $600,000 for Sidewalk construction in Ashland, Cherryland, and Castro Valley communities in Alameda County, CA, Alameda County Public Works Agency\r\n    $1,000,000 for Berkeley-Oakland-San Leandro Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Improvements Project in Alameda County, CA, AC Transit\r\n    $1,000,000 for Berkeley/Albany to San Francisco Ferry Service, San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transit Authority.\r\n \r\nAdditionally, she released the following statement on the bill.\r\nAs a member of the Appropriations Committee, I am pleased with what we have been able to accomplish in this appropriations cycle given these tough economic times.\r\nThis bill includes nearly $7.8 billion to support Global Health programs, and continues our pledge to fight global pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Although we provided $5.7 billion for HIV/AIDS programs, including $750 million of which will support multilateral programs through the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria  I believe that we can and must provide more to meet the targets we laid out in the Global AIDS reauthorization bill last year.\r\nThe legislation also includes of provisions I offered which would prohibit the establishment of permanent bases in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Though I believe we've got much more work to do to end our conflict in both these countries and bring our troops home in a responsible manner.\r\nI am particularly pleased by the establishment of a new Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Initiative within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This new program replaces the discredited and ineffective abstinence-only programs that failed to provide our young people with the education and tools to prevent unintended pregnancies and stop the spread of sexually transmitted infections.\r\nI am also pleased by the removal of the federal funding ban on comprehensive needle exchange programs. I support the compromise developed by Chairman Obey and I look forward to seeing these proven and effective programs expand, both in my district and throughout the country.\r\nLastly, increases in funding for green jobs, employment opportunities for returning veterans, our youth and older Americans will help but our nation back to a path of economic recovery. In order for the American worker to be successful we must ensure they have the necessary tools and resources to be prepared for the new global economy.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-announces-111th-congress-water-resources-development-project-requests-for-californias-ninth-congressional-district", "Barbara Lee Announces 111th Congress Water Resources Development Project Requests for California's Ninth Congressional District", "2009-12-03", "2009", "2009-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.03.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Announces 111th Congress Water Resources Development Project Requests for California's Ninth Congressional District \n\t\t\tWashington, D.C.  On behalf of the Ninth Congressional District of California Congresswoman Barbara received and submitted the follow requests for projects as part of the process for developing the 2009 Water Resources Development Act:\r\nAlameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District\r\nSan Lorenzo Creek Flood Damage Reduction  to make improvements along the creek and the Don Castro Dam.\r\nImprovements include: raising the Don Castro Dam 5 feet, modifying the outfall structure, de-silting at Don Castro Reservoir at the upstream end, and constructing floodwalls along the downstream of San Lorenzo Creek.\r\nThe improvements will provide increased flood protection to contain 100-year design flow within San Lorenzo Creek, reduce potential for future flooding, enable the District to apply to FEMA with a Letter of Map Revision to remove the 100-year floodplain designation, and eliminate the mandatory requirement to purchase flood insurance.\r\nThere are approximately 2,500 parcels that are located in the FEMA high hazard flood zone.\r\nCity of Berkeley\r\nBerkeley Marina Dock Replacement Project  to replace 270 berths and keep them in a safe, operable, accessible, and rentable condition.\r\nThe Berkeley Marina is the largest municipal marina in Northern California and supports a variety of recreational and commercial activities. Due to the age and condition of the D/E and O docks replacement is required to keep them in a safe, operable, accessible, and rentable condition. The project would replace 270 of the Berkeley Marina's 1,000 berths.\r\nThe D/E and O dock are some of the oldest docks in the Berkeley Marina dating back to the 1960's. They are rapidly deteriorating and require significant ongoing maintenance, with costs escalating to where the City's Marina Fund spends approximately $200,000 annually to replace dock sections which can no longer be repaired or maintained in a safe or serviceable condition. Replacement of the dock would allow the Marina to continue to offer recreational activities and enhanced access to the San Francisco Bay.\r\nAdditionally, these docks were designed and constructed before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and thus fail to meet current ADA standards. The new construction would allow not only disabled access to the docks but would include accessible berths for disabled boaters. Programs at the Berkeley Marina provide and encourage boating water related experiences for a variety of disabled persons.\r\nMaintenance Dredging of the Berkeley Marina's Channel, Entrance and Fairways  to achieve a depth of -10 feet and remove 90,000 cubic yards of dredge volume\r\nThe Berkeley Marina is the largest municipal marina in Northern California with 1,000 berths supporting a variety of recreational and commercial activities, including 100 legal aboards. Year-around marina access is not available, especially at low tides, unless dredging to maintain a depth of -10 feet below mean low water occurs. Dredge volume for this project would be approximately 90,000 cubic yards.\r\nMaintenance dredging of the entrance channel and fairways will allow year-around access to the Berkeley Marina for both commercial and recreational vessels. The marina is home port to the Hornblower fleet of cruise and events boats ranging in size from 40 to 120 feet in length. There is also an active fleet of commercial charter fishing boats that operate out of the Marina.\r\nDue to its proximity to the central bay and consistent winds, more than 70 percent of the boats berthed in the marina are sailboats, and approximately 40 percent of the Marina berths are for larger vessels. The depth required for these vessels is significantly greater due to their deeper draft.\r\nCity of Emeryville\r\nRestoration of Emeryville Marina Harbor Wetlands  to create a natural habitat for the wildlife that inhabits the marina mudflats and shoreline.\r\nThe shoreline at the Marina is approximately 1100 feet with mudflat extending approximately 60 feet from the shoreline at low tide. The entire mudflat appears blighted, especially during low tide, with concrete landfill debris strewn about. The project would remove the concrete landfill debris in addition to any non-native invasive plants from the mud-flat wetlands and shoreline before installing new native vegetation within the coast and tidal zone. Emeryville seeks to work with a wetlands restoration specialist to prepare concept plans and facilitate the issuance of Regulatory Permits from the USACE, Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Department of Fish and Game, and BCDC.\r\nThe shoreline's current condition is unattractive to visitors in addition to harming the environment. The benefits of the project will be cleaning up an environmental hazard, returning the shoreline to its natural use, and serving as a destination and attraction to residents and visitors of the East Bay. An additional benefit is the shoreline, once repaired, will be a classroom for the students of Emery Unified School District, Berkeley School District, and Oakland Unified School District to learn about the natural habitat of the San Francisco Bay and Marina while supporting additional earth science lessons.\r\nCity of Oakland\r\nOakland Inner-Harbor Tidal Canal Easement  to clarify permitting jurisdiction and allow for construction of a continuous San Francisco Bay Trail.\r\nThe City of Oakland is constructing a pedestrian/bicycle trail along its shoreline as part of the 500-mile San Francisco Bay Trail. At three locations, the trail needs to be built on boardwalks into the Federal-owned Tidal Canal, in order to pass under bridges that span the Canal from Oakland to Alameda. These are critical gaps in the continuity of the trail. The City of Oakland would like Congress to require the Secretary of the Army to grant permanent easements for the trail, authorize construction of the trail by the City, and clarify permitting jurisdiction. The City of Oakland intends to build the trail with its own funds, so no request for Federal funds is being made.\r\nThe City of Oakland's proposal would require the Secretary of the Army to (1) grant a permanent public access easement to the City of Oakland through those portions of the Inner Harbor Tidal Canal property located within the boundaries of the City of Oakland; (2) authorize the construction of pedestrian and bicycle trails along those portions of the waterfront located within the Inner Harbor Tidal Canal property; and, (3) clarifies that the Secretary of the Army has sole jurisdiction under section 10 of the Rivers and Harbor Act of 1899 to grant permits for the construction of boardwalks under and around the Oakland-Alameda bridges protruding up to thirty (30) feet beyond the current bridge fenders and pilings at the Fruitvale Bridges and in-line with the current bridge fenders at the High Street and Park Street Bridges.\r\nOakland Inner-Harbor Tidal Canal  feasibility study to undertake improvements within the Federal-owned Oakland Inner-Harbor Tidal Canal\r\nThe City of Oakland requests authorization to conduct a feasibility study as a first step in providing necessary improvements to the Oakland Inner-Harbor Tidal Canal. Proposed improvements would include: bank stabilization, removal of navigation hazards/encroachments, environmental remediation of soil and sediments as needed, construction of boardwalks/bridge fenders to provide safe public access under bridges as part of the 500-mile San Francisco Bay Trail, and dredging.\r\nEast Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD)\r\nEBMUD Regional Seismic Protection Upgrade Program  to increase seis", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-releases-statement-on-president-obamas-strategy-in-afghanistan", "Barbara Lee Releases Statement on President Obama's Strategy in Afghanistan", "2009-12-01", "2009", "2009-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.01.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Releases Statement on President Obama's Strategy in Afghanistan \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nDecember 1, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) released this statement on President Barack Obama's announcement of his new strategy for Afghanistan.\r\nWhile I recognize the harsh realities of war and I applaud President Obama for his thorough review of United States Policy in Afghanistan - I must respectfully disagree with the President.\r\nHis decision to implement yet another unnecessary and counterproductive escalation of troops in Afghanistan is disappointing.\r\nWe can't continue to send more troops and expect different results. Our military is already stretched too thin. Afghanistan needs a political solution -- not a military one. Adding more troops won't change this important fact.\r\nWe've been fighting for eight years, and our strategy isn't working. In fact, things are only getting worse -- we are seeing rising violence, surging drug production, and an increasingly corrupt central government.\r\nIt is time to put an end to this conflict. But to do that we cannot continue to use a 20th century response to a 21st century problem. We must change our priorities to focus on a diplomatic solution.\r\nAs we move forward in this process it is imperative that we have a complete debate on this escalation on the House floor. Additionally, I am prepared to offer my legislation HR 3699 which would prohibit funding for an escalation of troops as an amendment.\r\n###\r\n \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-attends-white-house-world-aids-day-event", "Barbara Lee Attends White House World AIDS Day Event", "2009-11-30", "2009", "2009-11", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.30.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Attends White House World AIDS Day Event \n\t\t\t  \r\nApplauds Obama Administrations Plan for Global, National AIDS Strategy\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) attended the White House World AIDS Day event where the administration discussed its new Global and National AIDS strategies. Additionally, it was announced that with President Barack Obama's recent decision to formally repeal the United States travel and immigration restrictions on people living with HIV, Washington D.C. would be the host nation for the International AIDS Society's (IAS) XXIX International AIDS Conference in 2012. Congresswoman Lee was instrumental in the lifting of the travel ban and has been working with IAS to bring the International AIDS Conference back to the United States. She released this statement:\r\nThe decision of the IAS to host their 2012 International AIDS Conference in the United States gives us an extraordinary opportunity to highlight our commitment to addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic and to help contextualize the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic on a global stage.\r\nThe announcement of the Administration's newglobal AIDS strategy is also important to guiding the implementation of our global programs over the next five years. If we are truly going to get a handle on this pandemic, our new global strategy must also focus on addressing the needs of vulnerable communities - particularly men who have sex with men, sex workers and intravenous drug users.I plan to continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that we provide the necessary resources to carry out this strategy by meeting our commitment in the PEPFAR reauthorization last year to provide a minimum of $48 billion to combat HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.\r\n\"At home we must build on the recent reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act by passing real health care reform and expanding support for our prevention, care, and treatment programs - most immediately by increasing funding for the Minority AIDS Initiative. I will continue to work to ensure that our National AIDS Strategy provides clear and ambitious targets to reduce HIV infection rates, increase access to testing, care, and treatment, and address the spread of this disease among the communities who have been most impacted.\r\nAs we commemorate World AIDS Day tomorrow let us all recommit ourselves to stamping out HIV/AIDS from the face of the earth.\r\nCongresswoman Lee has been a leader in the fight against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. She co-authored legislation signed into law creating the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in 2000, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, and the PEPFAR Reauthorization Act in 2008. She authored original legislation to remove the travel and immigration ban in 2007 and played a key role in repealing the statutory ban as part of the PEPFAR Reauthorization in 2008.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/2009/11/09/barbara-lee-honors-troops-veterans-on-veterans-day", "Barbara Lee Honors Troops, Veterans on Veteran's Day", "2009-11-09", "2009", "2009-11", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.09.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Honors Troops, Veterans on Veteran's Day \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nNovember 9, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) extended her support for our veterans, service members and their families on recognition of Veteran's Day.\r\n\"As the daughter of a veteran, I believe we have a moral responsibility to keep our promise to the people who have served our nation. American veterans, service members and their families deserve our full support and I will continue to fight for increased and improved services for the people who have fought for us, said Congresswoman Lee.\r\nEarlier this year, Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined a majority of her colleagues in supporting the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This legislation identifies and funds some of the most pressing infrastructure needs of the military and VA including renovating and making more energy-efficient Department of Defense facilities and improving the hospitals for our troops. Funding these infrastructure projects will create tens of thousands of new jobs, along with taking another step in keeping our promises to our troops and veterans. Other key provisions include giving businesses tax credits for hiring unemployed veterans, providing disabled veterans a payment of $250, and $555 million for assistance to military homeowners, including wounded warriors and surviving spouses, who have been impacted by the housing crisis.\r\nAdditionally, Congresswoman Barbara Lee hosted a veteran's information forum highlighting veterans' benefits and the new Post-9/11 GI Bill in Berkeley, California last month.\r\nIn light of the recent tragedy at Fort Hood and to honor all of our military troops, veterans and their families around the world who continue to proudly serve our country, let us further dedicate ourselves to providing them with the necessary support and resources that they deserve, said Congresswoman Lee.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-releases-statement-on-passage-of-health-care-for-america-act", "Barbara Lee Releases Statement On Passage of Health Care for America Act", "2009-11-07", "2009", "2009-11", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.07.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Releases Statement On Passage of Health Care for America Act \n\t\t\t\r\nFor Immediate Release\r\nNovember 7, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams or J. Jioni Palmer\r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington D.C.  Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) released the following statement today after the House of Representatives approved H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act:\r\nToday's historic vote is one step forward in our quest to provide health care to all Americans.\r\nWhile there is still much work to do, I applaud President Obama, Democratic Leadership and the Chairmen of the Tri-Committees for their efforts to bring us to this point. \r\nI also want to thank in the Tri-Caucus, Progressives Caucus and particularly the 42 members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Together we have led the fight for a strong public option, which is included in the health care bill that the House approved today.\r\nWhen others were pronouncing health reform dyingand the public option dead and buriedwe kept on fighting! And we will keep fighting until a final health care bill is on the president's desk that includes not only a strong public option, but provisions to achieve health equity, eliminate health disparities and to limit the rate of increase for those with private plans. \r\nWe have and will continue to champion issues such as the need for support for patients with end stage renal disease, for children's mental health, and dental care, workforce pipeline issues, and expansion of community health centers. \r\nThese provisions and others attack the many causes of health disparities, and we fought to get them in. Under the leadership of Congresswoman Donna M. Christensen, we have also championed expansion of the Office of Minority Health because we need a comprehensive way to address minority health across agencies. \r\nFinally, because we know that 85 percent of Americans are in private insurance, under the leadership of Rep. Donna Edwards, we fought to have included cost containment provisions to keep premiums reasonable. We know that the American people want and deserve affordable health care. We also know that this bill is cost effective for our country, and for American families watching their budgets.\r\nThis was a historic vote, but we must keep up the fight until we have a final bill on the president's desk. Health care should not just be a privilege for a few; it should and must be a basic human right in the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world.\r\n\r\n \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-releases-statement-following-meeting-with-president-obama-on-health-care", "Barbara Lee Releases Statement Following Meeting with President Obama on Health Care", "2009-10-30", "2009", "2009-10", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "10.30.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Releases Statement Following Meeting with President Obama on Health Care \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nOctober 30, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Congresswoman Barbara Lee released this statement following a meeting yesterday with President Obama on health care.\r\nThis is a truly historic time in our country. Today, we are closer to comprehensive health care reform than we have ever been in the past 70 years.\r\nI applaud our leadership for their efforts to unveil the current bill. While I have worked with my colleagues consistently to include a public option in this bill there is still work to do. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to ensure that the final package has the strongest public option and health equity provisions possible.\r\nA public option is essential to ensuring coverage of as many uninsured Americans as possible, as well as cost containment provisions to limit increased premiums for the 85 percent of Americans who currently have health insurance.\r\nIn our meeting with President Obama I emphasized the importance of having the public option remain in the final bill to come out of conference. Additionally, it is important to keep every existing health equity provision intact. The Office of Minority Health should receive the same prioritization that the Office of Women's Health is set to receive, especially given the data on racial and ethnic health disparities.\r\nMore than 70 percent of Americans support health care reform with a public option, therefore we have a moral obligation to provide them with the choice and accountability that a public plan would provide.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-lee-applauds-obama-administration-decision-to-lift-hiv-travel-ban", "Congresswoman Lee Applauds Obama Administration Decision to Lift HIV Travel Ban", "2009-10-30", "2009", "2009-10", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "10.30.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Lee Applauds Obama Administration Decision to Lift HIV Travel Ban \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nOctober 30, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n  \r\nUrges International AIDS Society to convene conference in the U.S.\r\nWashington, DC  Today Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) released the following statement applauding President Barack Obama's decision to formally repeal the United States travel and immigration restrictions on people living with HIV, which was published today in the Federal Register. Congresswoman Lee sent a letter today to the International AIDS Society (IAS) encouraging them to quickly reach a decision regarding the United States as the host nation of the XXIX International AIDS Conference in 2012.\r\nToday's action finally clears away the last vestiges of an unjust and discriminatory policy that has prevented the IAS from holding an International AIDS Conference in the United States for the past 19 years.\r\nI believe that ending this policy is long overdue, and will lend greater credibility to U.S. foreign assistance efforts to fight the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Particularly, it will aid in combating the stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV, and further erode discriminatory travel and immigration policies in other countries.\r\nWith the lifting of this ban, it is my hope that the International AIDS Society will strongly consider hosting their 2012 International AIDS Conference in the United States. If chosen to host this critical event, the United States would be given an extraordinary opportunity to highlight our commitment to addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic and to help contextualize the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic on a global stage.   \r\n  \r\nI applaud the Administration for taking this critical step to end this outdated travel ban.\r\n  \r\nCongresswoman Lee has been a leader in the fight against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. She co-authored legislation signed into law creating the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in 2000, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, and the PEPFAR Reauthorization Act in 2008. She authored original legislation to remove the travel and immigration ban in 2007 and played a key role in repealing the statutory ban as part of the PEPFAR Reauthorization in 2008.\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-issues-statement-on-bay-bridge-closure", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Bay Bridge Closure", "2009-10-28", "2009", "2009-10", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "10.28.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Bay Bridge Closure \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nOctober 28, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n510-763-0370\r\nWashington, DC - Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) released the following statement regarding the indefinite closure of the Bay Bridge. Authorities closed the bridge Tuesday evening after two high-strength steel rods and a crossbeam broke away from a steel saddle. Said Congresswoman Lee:\r\nFirst, I want to say I am relieved that no one was injured in the incident that forced authorities to shutdown the Bay Bridge, Congresswoman Lee said. My office has been in constant contact with Caltrans, and I have been closely monitoring the circumstances surrounding the closure of the Bay Bridge and the work that is being done to repair the bridge.\r\nI have received assurances from Caltrans officials that crews are working as quickly as possible to make the necessary repairs and to be certain that the work is done properly. The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) provided funding for the initial repairs that were done during the Labor Day weekend closure of the bridge. The FHA has been contacted again by Caltrans to secure emergency funding for the repairs. These emergency federal funds will assure a speedy response to repair the bridge.\r\nThe Bay Bridge is a vital transportation link between San Francisco and the East Bay, and it is imperative that we all work together to ensure the bridge repairs are done as quickly and safely as possible.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-receives-congressional-legislator-of-the-year-award", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee Receives Congressional Legislator of the Year Award", "2009-10-23", "2009", "2009-10", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "10.23.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara Lee Receives Congressional Legislator of the Year Award \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nOctober 23, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nOAKLAND  The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Alameda County (HCCAC) named Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) its Congressional Legislator of the Year for 2009. The award was presented during the chamber's 30th Anniversary Gala at the Oakland Airport Hilton on Friday, October 23, 2009.\r\nThe HCCAC honored Congresswoman Lee for her pioneering leadership in this country on issues affecting America's consumers. She was honored for her role in expanding opportunities for local businesses and for her assistance in securing federal procurements and grant opportunities. Congresswoman Lee exemplifies the highest ideals for all Americans, especially the poor in this country, the HCCAC said.\r\nCongresswoman Lee said she was grateful to receive this award on the occasion of HCCAC's 30th Anniversary.\r\nI am truly humbled to be recognized as the Hispanic Chamber's Congressional Legislator of the Year, Congresswoman Lee said. For the past three decades, the Hispanic Chamber has worked to nurture and foster business growth in the Hispanic community and throughout the 9th Congressional District.\r\nI am honored to be recognized by an organization that is so committed to the constituents in my district. I have had the great privilege of working in partnership with the Hispanic Chamber over the years, and I have worked tirelessly to provide the support necessary to ensure that it has the resources needed to support its members. I look forward to continuing this collaboration in the future.\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-to-host-a-day-of-forgiveness-and-new-beginnings-forum", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee to Host a Day of Forgiveness and New Beginnings Forum", "2009-10-23", "2009", "2009-10", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "10.23.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara Lee to Host a Day of Forgiveness and New Beginnings Forum  \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nOctober 23, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370  \r\n(202) 215-4573\r\nOAKLAND  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) in cooperation with Senator Loni Hancock, Assemblymember Sandr Swanson, Supervisor Keith Carson and Oakland Mayor Ronald Dellums will host a Day of Forgiveness and New Beginnings Forum on Saturday, October 24, 2009, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cal State East Bay Oakland Professional Development and Conference Center, located at 1000 Broadway, Suite 109 Oakland, CA.\r\nInformation and resources available during the event include: appointments with the California Department of Motor Vehicle for renewal of ID cards and driver's licenses; appointments with Social Security for replacement Social Security cards and processing of new claims; information about child support cases; voters rights information and voter registration forms; Live Scan reports, and Clean Slate services offered by the East Bay Community Law Center.\r\nWho: Congresswoman Barbara Lee   \r\nWhat: A Day of Forgiveness Forum and New Beginnings Forum  \r\nWhen: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, October 24, 2009  \r\nWhere: Cal State East Bay Oakland Professional Development and Conference Center  \r\n 1000 Broadway, Suite 109  \r\n Oakland, California\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-supports-extension-of-ryan-white-act", "Barbara Lee Supports Extension of Ryan White Act", "2009-10-21", "2009", "2009-10", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "10.21.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Supports Extension of Ryan White Act \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nOctober 21, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n  \r\nLegislation will provide affordable, quality care for people living with AIDS\r\nWashington, DC Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) voted in support of S. 1793, The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act This legislation makes vital investments in care and treatment services to ensure that Americans living with HIV and AIDS can maintain the highest quality of life while supporting prevention and outreach programs to help to protect those who are at risk of getting infected. The measure passed the House by a vote of 408-9. She released this statement.\r\n  \r\nHIV/AIDS is devastating the United States. Tragically, young gay men, and minorities are facing the brunt of this epidemic. We must do a better job of protecting those who are most at risk, while taking care of those who are already infected. The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act is a positive step in that direction.\r\nSpecifically, this bill will strengthen the Minority AIDS Initiative by moving it back to a formula based grant system, requiring a GAO study, and a subsequent department wide plan by HHS to ensure that the program will function as it was intended.\r\nNow that we have passed this legislation, we must provide the funding to carry out these worthy programs. While the bill allows for a yearly increase of 5 percent each year, we can and should provide more.I'm pleased that the President is developing a National AIDS Strategy to guide our response to this epidemic. I believe that we need adomestic PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) program that matches our global efforts to combat this epidemic.\r\nAdditionally, we must support and advance public health interventions that we knowhave been proven to work - needle exchange, comprehensive sex education, and as well dealing with thevery real epidemic of HIV/AIDS in our prison systems.\r\nI recognize that this bill is indeed a compromise, but I want to be clear that I personally believe there are still many things that we can and must do to properly fight this disease in the United States and to truly stamp out HIV/AIDS from the face of the earth.\"\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-encouraged-by-new-us-policy-toward-sudan", "Barbara Lee Encouraged By New U.S. Policy toward Sudan", "2009-10-19", "2009", "2009-10", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "10.19.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Encouraged By New U.S. Policy toward Sudan \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nOctober 19, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n  \r\nBarbara Lee Encouraged By New U.S. Policy toward Sudan\r\nWashington, DC Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released this statement in response to the Obama Administration's announcement that the U.S. will seek to end gross human rights abuses in Darfur, ensure implementation of a peace deal that ended war between northern and southern Sudan, and ensure Sudan does not provide a safe haven for terrorists.\r\n\"I am encouraged by the announcement of President Obama's new policy toward Sudan and that existing sanctions against Khartoum will remain in place. The implementation of this policy is a necessary step towardsensuring stability and peace in the region and for the people of Sudan.\r\nThe people of Darfur are counting on us for help. I stand ready to work with the Obama Administration to end the genocide in Darfur and ensure that Khartoum lives up to its obligations to southern Sudan as outlined in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005.\r\nLee has led efforts in Congress to end the genocide in Darfur, including authoring legislation signed into law to allow states to divest from companies doing business with the government of Sudan, and two separate resolutions calling for action on the part of the League of Arab States and the government of China to use their leverage with Sudan to end the genocide which both passed in the House. In December 2008, she joined Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and a number of her House colleagues in sending a letter to then President-elect Barack Obama on recommendations regarding the genocide the genocide in Darfur.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/ninth-congressional-district-to-receive-over-615-million-in-national-institute-of-health-funding", "Ninth Congressional District to Receive Over $61.5 Million in National Institute of Health Funding", "2009-10-03", "2009", "2009-10", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "10.03.09\n\t\t\t Ninth Congressional District to Receive Over $61.5 Million in National Institute of Health Funding \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nOctober 2, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370 Washington D.C.  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) hailed an announcement by the Obama Administration that the National Institute of Health (NIH) will direct $61.5 million in grants to fund 107 medical research-related projects in the Ninth Congressional District.\r\nThe NIH funds biomedical research and research training programs at more than 3,000 institutions in the 50 states and territories. This disbursement is being made available through $5 billion in grants that Obama Administration issued under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund cutting-edge medical research projects throughout the country.\r\nThe $61.5 million in grants will fund projects at the following institutions:\r\n$16.4 million to fund 55 projects at the University of California at Berkeley  \r\n$267,616 to fund one project at Aerosol Dynamic, Inc  \r\n$226,130 to fund one project at the Bay Area Tumor Institute  \r\n$10 million to fund 13 projects at Children's Hospital and Research Center in Oakland  \r\n$425,304 to fund three projects at Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center  \r\n$99,999 to fund one project at Iris AO, Inc  \r\n$26.4 million to fund 21 projects at Kaiser Foundation Research Institute  \r\n$582,661 to fund one project at U.S. Agricultural Research Service  \r\n$6.4 million to fund 11 projects at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory\r\nI couldn't be more pleased by the Obama Administration's decision to provide funding for these projects, Congresswoman Lee said. These institutions are committed to engaging in ground-breaking research projects, and this funding will allow them to continue their important work.\r\nTo learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, visit www.recovery.gov.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-holds-roundtable-with-labor-secretary-hilda-solis-and-local-civic-leaders-and-community-leaders", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee Holds Roundtable with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Local Civic Leaders and Community Leaders", "2009-10-02", "2009", "2009-10", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "10.02.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara Lee Holds Roundtable with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Local Civic Leaders and Community Leaders \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nOctober 3, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nOAKLAND  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) convened a roundtable meeting on Saturday, October 3, 2009 with U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and a small group of local civic, community, education, labor and business leaders to discuss green job creation, the emerging green economy, workforce, education and healthcare reform in the Ninth Congressional District.\r\nThe hour-long roundtable was held at the Oakland Airport Hilton Hotel, located at 1 Hegenberger Road, Oakland, California and was attended by a cross-section of civic and community leaders.\r\nDuring the roundtable, Congresswoman Lee and Secretary Solis were briefed on how funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is helping to bolster the local economy, the impact it is having in underserved communities and the effect the funding is having on green job development and the educational system.\r\nCongresswoman Lee believes the Ninth Congressional District serves as a model for green job development and the implementation of ARRA funding in our nation's shared mission to jump-start the economy. Congresswoman Lee helped to steer over $400 million in ARRA funding into her district and wanted to illustrate to Secretary Solis the work that is being done as a result of the funding.\r\nI have long considered my district to be on the cutting-edge in the development of green jobs, which I believe will lead to a pathway out of poverty for many living in underserved communities, said Congresswoman Lee. I thought it was important that Secretary Solis got a first-hand look at the fine work being done here in my district.\r\nThrough the Recovery Act, we have provided more than $500 million in grants to support projectssuch as those in California's ninth Congressional Districtwhich open opportunities to workers and help them become an integral part of the nation's 21st century clean energy economy, said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. I was very pleased to join Congresswoman Lee and local leaders, to discuss how these funds are being leveraged and how green jobs can provide economic security for middle-class families and underserved communities.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-lee-introduces-legislation-prohibiting-funding-for-military-escalation-in-afghanistan", "Congresswoman Lee Introduces Legislation Prohibiting Funding for Military Escalation in Afghanistan", "2009-10-01", "2009", "2009-10", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "10.01.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Lee Introduces Legislation Prohibiting Funding for Military Escalation in Afghanistan \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nOctober 1, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Williams   \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWASHINGTON D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09), with the support of 21 other Members of Congress, introduced H.R. 3699, which will prohibit funding for any increase in the number of members of the United States Armed Forces in Afghanistan. History tells us that there will not be a military-first solution to the situation in Afghanistan, said Congresswoman Lee. Open-ended military intervention in Afghanistan is not in our national security interest and will only continue to give resonance to insurgent recruiters painting pictures of foreign occupation to a new generation. I applaud the Administration's decision to conduct a much-needed strategic review of our military presence in Afghanistan As we consider the possibility of further entrenching United States Armed Forces by sending significantly more brave men and women in uniform into harm's way, this legislation sends a clear message in opposition to this course of action.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-announces-activities-for-the-39th-annual-congressional-black-caucus-annual-legislative-weekend", "Barbara Lee Announces Activities for the 39th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Weekend", "2009-09-23", "2009", "2009-09", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "09.23.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Announces Activities for the 39th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Weekend \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\n\tSeptember 23, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n\t(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  This weekend Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) will be participating in a variety of event during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 39th Annual Legislative Conference which will take place September 23-26, 2009. Congresswoman Lee currently serves as the Chairwoman of the 42 member Caucus. The conference theme for this year is Reinvest Rebuild Renew.\r\nCongresswoman Barbara Lee's activities during this year's conference will be as follows:\r\nWednesday, September 23\r\nALC Opening Press Conference  \r\n\t9:00am-9:30am, Congressional Auditorium, CVC\r\nOpening Session: Welcome to Capitol Hill  \r\n\t9:45am-10:15am, Congressional Auditorium, CVC\r\nPanel One: A New Reality - Re-Defining Poverty  \r\n\t10:15am-11:30am, Congressional Auditorium, CVC\r\nPanel Two: Disrupting the Poverty Pipeline - Examining Federal Solutions  \r\n\t11:30am-12:45pm, Congressional Auditorium, CVC\r\nPanel Three: Protect & Empower - Fulfilling the CBC's Opportunities for All - Pathways Out of Poverty Agenda  \r\n\t12:45pm-2:00pm, Congressional Auditorium, CVC\r\nExploring Minority Business Opportunities within the Federal Government  \r\n\t2:00-4:00pm, S-208, CVC\r\nWorking on Capitol Hill - Panel & Resume Drop Off  \r\n\t3:00pm-5:00pm, 1100 LHOB (Ways & Means)  \r\n\t  \r\n\tThursday, September 24, 2009\r\nBlack Elected Officials Roundtable  \r\n\tThursday, September 25, 2009, 12:30pm-2:30pm  \r\n\tRoom 146B, Washington Convention Center  \r\n\t  \r\n\tA National Model for African American Males  \r\n\tThursday, September 24, 2009, 1:00 p.m. 2:50 p.m.  \r\n\tRoom 143-B, Washington Convention Center\r\nEntrepreneurship Series Session I. Initial Start-Up Considerations: Strategies for Establishing & Running A Successful Business Venture (Part 1 of 3 Part Series. Thursday, Friday, Saturday)  \r\n\tThursday, September 24, 2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm  \r\n\tRoom 207-A, Washington Convention Center\r\nCBC-ALC HIV/AIDS Braintrust  \r\n\tReal Talk: Meeting the Challenge of HIV/AIDS in the Black Community  \r\n\tThursday, September 24, 2009, 2:00  5:50pm  \r\n\tRoom 143A,Washington Convention Center  \r\n\t  \r\n\tGreen Roundtable  \r\n\tThursday, September 24, 2009, 4:30pm-6:00pm  \r\n\tRoom 207A, Washington Convention Center\r\nFriday, September 25, 2009  \r\n\tEntrepreneurship Series Session II. Financing Forum: Preparing for and Obtaining Small Business Financing  \r\n\tFriday, September 25, 2009, 10:00am-12:00pm  \r\n\tRoom 207-A, Washington Convention Center\r\nSaturday, September 26, 2009  \r\n\tBeyond the World Cup: Investment and Cultural Opportunities Between Africa and the U.S.  \r\n\tSaturday, September 26, 2009, 10:30 a.m.  12:00 p.m.  \r\n\tRoom 140-A, Washington Convention Center\r\nEntrepreneurship Series Session III. Putting the Eco in Economy: Green Entrepreneurship and Business Opportunities  \r\n\tSaturday, September 26, 2009, 11:00am-1pm  \r\n\tRoom 207-A, Washington Convention Center\r\nFaith Leaders Roundtable  \r\n\tSaturday, September 26, 2009, 11:00am-1:00pm  \r\n\tRoom 206, Washington Convention Center  \r\n\t\r\n  \r\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-lee-to-chair-united-nations-forum-on-minority-issues", "Congresswoman Lee to Chair United Nations Forum on Minority Issues", "2009-09-22", "2009", "2009-09", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "09.22.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Lee to Chair United Nations Forum on Minority Issues \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nSeptember 22, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  On September 17, 2009 Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) was named Chairperson of the second session of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues. The international Forum, to be held November 12 -13th, will focus in its second session on Minorities and Effective Political Participation.\r\nI am extremely honored to be appointed to this prestigious position and to participate in a formal capacity at the UN Forum on Minority Issues, said Congresswoman Lee. I look forward to working in this capacity to promote dialogue and cooperation on issues pertaining to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities around the globe.\r\nThis Forum represents a unique opportunity engage in discussion on opportunities to increase and strengthen the participation of minorities in the decision-making processes of their governments--a subject of deep personal interest throughout my life and career.\r\nAs Chairperson of the 2009 UN Forum on Minority Issues, Congresswoman Lee will lead a global discussion of ways to gain greater involvement of minorities in countries around the world in political activities. The Forum will bring together over 400 participants, including government delegations, UN officials, political parties and minorities from every region of the globe. The Forum will produce a set of action-oriented recommendations that will be made publicly available and widely circulated.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-to-attend-opening-of-local-census-office", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee to Attend Opening of Local Census Office", "2009-09-17", "2009", "2009-09", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "09.17.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara Lee to Attend Opening of Local Census Office \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nSeptember 17, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nOakland  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) will participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Oakland Local Census Office on Friday, September 18, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. The ceremony will take place at the new census office, located at 1814 Franklin Street, 2nd floor, in Oakland CA.\r\n  \r\nWhoCongresswoman Barbara Lee\r\nWhat Oakland Local Census Office   \r\n Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony\r\nWhen 1:30 p.m., Friday, September 18, 2009\r\nWhereOakland Local Census Office  \r\n 1814 Franklin Street, 2nd Floor  \r\n Oakland, CA\r\n  \r\n ###  \r\n \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-to-celebrate-completion-of-50-foot-dredging-project", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee to Celebrate Completion of 50-foot Dredging Project", "2009-09-17", "2009", "2009-09", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "09.17.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara Lee to Celebrate Completion of 50-foot Dredging Project \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nSeptember 17, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nOakland  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) will attend a ceremony celebrating the completion of the 50-foot Oakland Harbor Deepening Project on Friday, September 18, 2009 at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, located off Middle Harbor Road and 7th Street, at the Oakland Seaport in Oakland, CA. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m.\r\nIn the past decade, Congresswoman Lee has played a vital role in helping to direct an estimated $270 million in federal funding to support the dredging project and operations and maintenance at the Port of Oakland. The completion of the project creates an opportunity for the Port of Oakland to maximize business opportunities and enhance the creation of jobs, while strengthening the Port's position as an economic gateway for the West Coast.\r\nWho: Congresswoman Barbara Lee  \r\n  \r\nWhat: To attend ceremony celebrating completion of the completion of the Oakland Harbor Deepening project\r\nWhen: 2 p.m. Friday, September 18, 2009\r\nWhere: Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, located off Middle Harbor Road and 7th Street, at the Oakland Seaport, Oakland, CA\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-applauds-new-fuel-economy-guidelines", "Barbara Lee Applauds New Fuel Economy Guidelines", "2009-09-15", "2009", "2009-09", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "09.15.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Applauds New Fuel Economy Guidelines \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nSeptember 15, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington DC - Today, Congresswoman Lee applauded the release of proposed light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas emissions standards and corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT).The new National Program, to take affect in model year 2012, will set a combined fleet average emissions level of 35.5 mpg by 2016.\r\nThe Obama Administration has taken another bold step toward reducing our nation's dependence on foreign oil and combating global warming, said Congresswoman Lee.\r\nAfter years of obstruction at the behest of the Bush Administration, I am pleased to see the State of California's longstanding efforts to promote the use of more efficient vehicles on their roads through the enactment of tough fuel economy guidelines will be realized on a national basis.\r\nI further urge the EPA and DOT to finalize the strongest possible rule in the coming months in order to ensure carmakers fully comply with the ambitious fuel-economy standards proposed by the Administration in order to reduce the harmful impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment and set our nation on a clear path to energy independence.\r\nWe must ensure that the federal government's efforts to spur the creation of a new generation of cleaner, more efficient vehicles does not also allow for the creation of innovative new loopholes that work against those goals.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-statement-on-resolution-of-disapproval", "Barbara Lee Statement on Resolution of Disapproval", "2009-09-15", "2009", "2009-09", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "09.15.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Statement on Resolution of Disapproval \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nSeptember 15, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) released the following statement regarding a resolution disapproving of the conduct by Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-2) during the joint session of Congress on September 9, 2009.\r\nAs members of the House of Representatives, it is our responsibility to set an example of civility in our deliberations. We have a diversity of views and we do not always agree. But it is incumbent upon us to respect people and their office, even when we disagree with their views.\r\nRep. Wilson's outburst demonstrated a lack of civility and decorum. It set a poor example for those who have entrusted us with this office. It is worth pointing out that this type of behavior has been increasing in recent months throughout the country. We've seen it on display all summer in town halls and in the disrespectful tone reflected by some radio and television commentators. As members of Congress, we must set an example. We must set the standard for respectful dialogue and disagreement.\r\nToday's resolution is an opportunity for us to come together and reject incivility. Let's turn the page.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/the-national-institute-of-health-to-fund-research-projects-at-uc-berkeley", "The National Institute of Health to Fund Research Projects at UC Berkeley", "2009-09-15", "2009", "2009-09", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "09.15.09\n\t\t\t The National Institute of Health to Fund Research Projects at UC Berkeley \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nSeptember 15, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n510-763-0370\r\nThe university also slated to receive federal funding for health care training\r\nWashington D.C.  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) is pleased to announce that the University of California at Berkeley has been selected to receive $1.2 million in funding from the National Institute of Health to fund five biomedical research and research training projects.\r\nThe funding for these projects is being made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. NIH has funded biomedical research and training program at more than 3,000 institutions throughout the United States. It is with great pleasure that I announce the funding for these important projects, Congresswoman Lee said. These institutions have made immeasurable contributions in the field of biomedical research. This funding will help U.C. Berkeley and Lawrence Lab to continue to seek advances in their important work.\r\nThrough this funding, U.C. Berkeley will receive:\r\n$186,330 to research sleep-loss, human memory and brain plasticity across the lifespan\r\n$100,375 to study the shutoff of cellular gene expression by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus\r\n$148,175 to investigate sensory-motor control of the binocular near response\r\n$371,805 to research biomarkers of formaldehyde exposure and toxicity\r\n$445,911 to determine emotional and age-reaction regulation and understanding\r\nBerkeley Livermore Lab will also receive $421,454 to determine in vivo analysis of a non-coding susceptibility region for coronary artery disease as part of this funding disbursement.\r\nAdditionally, the University of California at Berkeley has been chosen to receive $122,566 in federal funding to support the training of health care professionals. Of that amount, $46,274 will be used to fund scholarships programs for disadvantaged students, while $76,262 will be used to support public health traineeships.\r\nFinally, the City of Berkeley will be awarded $1 million through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) awards made by the Department of Energy (DOE). Under DOE's (EECBG) program, this funding will help communities and states improve their energy efficiency, reduce their energy use and fossil fuel emissions, and create green jobs locally. All totaled, the State of California will receive $49.6 million in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funding.\r\nTo learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-commemorates-15th-anniversary-of-passage-of-violence-against-women-act", "Barbara Lee Commemorates 15th Anniversary of Passage of Violence Against Women Act", "2009-09-11", "2009", "2009-09", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "09.11.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Commemorates 15th Anniversary of Passage of Violence Against Women Act \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nSeptember 11, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement commemorating the 15th Anniversary of the passage of the Violence Against Women Act.\r\nSunday, marks the 15th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women's Act being signed into law. This bill drafted in 1994 by then Senator Joseph Biden provided $1.6 billion to enhance investigation and prosecution of the violent crime perpetrated against women, increased pre-trial detention of the accused, imposed automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allowed civil redress in cases prosecutors chose to leave unprosecuted. Since then the bill has been reauthorized in both 2000 and 2005.\r\nSince the bill's passage, there has been nearly a 25 percent increase in domestic violence reporting rates by women and a 37 percent increase in reporting rates by men. The number of individuals killed by an intimate partner has decreased by 24 percent for women and 48 percent for men.\r\nThe passage of this legislation was a landmark achievement for women across this country and around the world  giving them the protection under the law that they needed and deserved. Yet there is still much work that needs to be done on this issue.\r\nAround the world one in three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Here in the United States, nearly one third of American women report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. And as we all know a substantial number of cases of violence and abuse never get reported.\r\nAs one who understands domestic violence from a deeply personal basis, I remain committed to working to ensure that all women both here and abroad are protected from the egregious act of domestic violence. As a member of the California Assembly, I wrote the Violence Against Women's Act for the State of California and have also co-sponsored numerous bills in Congress.\r\nIt is my hope that as we commemorate this milestone of the passage of the VAWA, that all people recommit themselves to fighting the scourge of violence against women.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-commemorates-eighth-anniversary-of-9/11-terrorist-attacks", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee Commemorates Eighth Anniversary of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks", "2009-09-11", "2009", "2009-09", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "09.11.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara Lee Commemorates Eighth Anniversary of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nSept. 11, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nWashington, D.C.  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) issued the following statement on the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001:\r\nToday, we as a nation commemorate the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. This anniversary is yet again a sobering moment for our country and a reminder that we must always remember those who perished in this appalling act of violence.\r\nAs we observe the eighth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, it is imperative that we remember the men, women and children whose lives were lost on this tragic and sad day. We extend our deepest sympathies to their families, friends and loved ones, and we again honor the heroism and courage exhibited by the first responders  law enforcement personnel, volunteers and others  who risked their lives, and in many cases sacrificed their own lives, to help others.\r\nWe owe a debt of gratitude to these first responders, and we must ensure that we repay their service and sacrifice by ensuring that those who were exposed to the toxic aftermath of these attacks receive the requisite health care to address their needs.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-statement-on-president-obamas-address-to-congress", "Barbara Lee Statement on President Obama's Address to Congress", "2009-09-09", "2009", "2009-09", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "09.09.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Statement on President Obama's Address to Congress \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nSeptember 9, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) released this statement following President Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress.\r\nIt was important for Congress and the American people to hear directly from President Obama - his plan for reforming America's broken healthcare system. We've heard him, but there is still much work to do.\r\nI thought the President was frank, clear and made his case for the vital need for real reform. He also did a great job in dispelling the lies and myths being spread by those special interests and opponents of any change to the status quo.\r\nHe sent a clear message that reform can only be achieved through choice and competition. That means a robust public option - and I'm glad the president supports it and that he recognized that it is supported by the majority of Americans who want that choice and competition.\r\nWe cannot back away from the type of choice and competition that will lower costs and provide options people need and deserve. I along with my colleagues will keep fighting for a strong robust public option because we agree with the president that real reform is needed.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/uc-berkeley-to-receive-nih-funds-through-recovery-act", "UC Berkeley to Receive NIH Funds through Recovery Act", "2009-08-31", "2009", "2009-08", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "08.31.09\n\t\t\t UC Berkeley to Receive NIH Funds through Recovery Act  \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nAugust 31, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) hailed an announcement by the Obama Administration that the University of California at Berkeley would be receiving over $1.2 million in grants through National Institute of Health (NIH) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants. The NIH funds biomedical research and research training at more than 3,000 institutions in the fifty states and territories.\r\nThe over $1.2 million in funding will go towards a variety of projects including:\r\n \r\n    University of California, Berkeley (Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) - $325,975: to study Non B DNA Structure with Chemical Carcinogens\r\n    University of California, Berkeley - $185,353: to study the effects of the systemic environment on muscle aging\r\n    University of California, Berkeley - $175,767: for genetic analysis of somitogenesis in zebrafish\r\n    University of California, Berkeley (Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) - $433,276: to study Beamline Automation for structure determination\r\n    University of California, Berkeley - $ 94,190: for biochemical analyses of Type II DNA Topoisomerases\r\n    University of California, Berkeley - $283,750: to study response to and signals of caloric restriction and intermittent feeding regimens\r\n \r\nThese funds will help the University of California at Berkeley continue their groundbreaking research and help them and other research institutions across this country remain globally competitive in the sciences, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-lee-applauds-decision-to-review-interrogation-tactics-of-overseas-detainees", "Congresswoman Lee Applauds Decision to Review Interrogation Tactics of Overseas Detainees", "2009-08-24", "2009", "2009-08", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "08.24.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Lee Applauds Decision to Review Interrogation Tactics of Overseas Detainees \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nAugust 24, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\n\r\nWashington D.C.  Congresswoman Lee (CA-09) released the following statement in response to reports that Department of Justice Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered the review of past interrogation practices of overseas detainees conducted under the auspices of the Bush Administration in order to identify any violation of federal law:\r\n\r\n\r\nFaith in government and democracy requires openness, transparency, and most importantly, accountability said Congresswoman Lee. I am pleased by Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to examine the legality of unwarrantable interrogation tactics that have stained the reputation of the United States abroad and undermined efforts to strengthen our national security.\r\n\r\n\r\nRecent allegations of unchecked abuse of power under the Bush Administration give cause for a full review of United States law enforcement, national security and intelligence activities in order to prevent future abuses of power.\r\n\r\nThat is why I have introduced H.Res. 383, legislation that would establish a Select House Committee on National Security and Civil Liberties tasked with reviewing past and present United States policies and the extent to which unlawful, improper or unauthorized acts may have been committed by U.S. officials.\r\n\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-lee-joins-colleagues-in-calling-for-the-removal-of-travel-ban-for-those-living-with-hiv/aids", "Congresswoman Lee Joins Colleagues in Calling for the Removal of Travel Ban for Those Living With HIV/AIDS", "2009-08-19", "2009", "2009-08", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "08.19.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Lee Joins Colleagues in Calling for the Removal of Travel Ban for Those Living With HIV/AIDS \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nAugust 19, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n\r\n  \r\nWashington, DC  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) joined 34 members of Congress in writing in support of the proposal by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to remove the current regulatory ban on travel and immigration for people living with HIV who wish to enter the United States.\r\n\r\n\r\nIn the letter, Lee and the other co-signees praised the HHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for presenting a well-reason and thoughtful analysis of the rule change and urged both agencies to move as swiftly as possible to finalize and implement the rule.\r\n\r\n\r\nThe following are excerpts of the letter that was delivered to Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Monday, August, 17th and signed by Lee and the 34 other Members of Congress:\r\n\r\n\r\nEnding the U.S. travel and immigration restrictions on people living with HIV is long overdue. Today, the United States is one of twelve countries in the world that maintain an outright ban on entry for people living with HIV.\r\n\r\n\r\nRemoving the ban will lend greater credibility to U.S. foreign assistance efforts to fight the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly in helping to combat stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV in other countries.\r\n\r\nAgain, we commend the Department for issuing this proposed rule change to remove the regulatory ban and finally put an end to this unjust and discriminatory policy. We urge you to move forward swiftly to finalize and implement the proposed rule.\r\n  \r\nCongresswoman Lee has been a leader in the fight against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. She co-authored legislation signed into law creating the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in 2000, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, and the PEPFAR Reauthorization Act in 2008. She authored original legislation to remove the travel and immigration ban in 2007 and played a key role in repealing the statutory ban as part of the PEPFAR Reauthorization in 2008.\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/onecalifornia-bank-to-receive-funds-to-support-community-development-in-oakland", "OneCalifornia Bank to Receive Funds to Support Community Development in Oakland", "2009-08-19", "2009", "2009-08", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "08.19.09\n\t\t\t OneCalifornia Bank to Receive Funds to Support Community Development in Oakland \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nAugust 19, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) hailed an announcement by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund that OneCalifornia Bank has been selected to receive an award of $700,000 through the FY 2009 round of the Bank Enterprise Award Program for providing small business and commercial real state loans in Oakland, California.\r\nThe BEA Program was enacted to provide an incentive to FDIC-insured banks and thrifts to increase either their level of support to certified community development financial institutions (CDFIs), increase their provision of loans, investments and financial services in distressed communities, or both. CDFIs are specialized community-based financial institutions that are able to respond to gaps that exist in their local markets.\r\nIn these tough economic times it is important that our financial institutions make an effort to reinvest in our communities, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. This award will help bolster development and greater investment throughout the city of Oakland and the entire 9th Congressional District of California.  \r\n  \r\nThe mission of the U.S. Department of the Treasury'sCDFI Fund is to expand the capacity of financial institutions to provide capital, credit and financial services to underserved populations and communities in the United States. Its vision is an America in which all people have adequate access to affordable capital, credit and financial services. For more information on the CDFI Fund, please visit www.cdfifund.gov.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-releases-statement-on-the-passing-of-eunice-kennedy-shriver", "Barbara Lee Releases Statement on the Passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver", "2009-08-11", "2009", "2009-08", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "08.11.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Releases Statement on the Passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nAugust 11, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) released this statement following the passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver.\r\nToday we mourn the loss of a woman whose life has shown us what compassion and respect for all people truly means. As the founder of the Special Olympics and a staunch advocate improving the welfare of the mentally disabled, Eunice changed the perception of people with mental retardation  showing that they to could lead healthy and productive lives with the proper assistance.\r\nEunice was a true American icon and she will be sorely missed. I wish to express sincere condolences to my colleagues, Senator Ted Kennedy and Congressman Patrick Kennedy and to California's first family, First Lady Maria Shriver and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. May both the Shriver and Kennedy families find comfort in their deep and abiding faith during this time of loss.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/uc-berkeley-lawrence-lab-and-kaiser-foundation-to-receive-nih-funding", "U.C. Berkeley, Lawrence Lab and Kaiser Foundation to Receive NIH Funding", "2009-08-10", "2009", "2009-08", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "08.10.09\n\t\t\t U.C. Berkeley, Lawrence Lab and Kaiser Foundation to Receive NIH Funding \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nAugust 10, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nOAKLAND  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) is pleased to announce that the National Institute of Health (NIH) will steer $2.2 million to the Ninth Congressional District to support eight biomedical research projects at four institutions.\r\nNIH has funded similar projects and training programs at more than 3,000 institutions throughout the United States. The funding for these projects is being made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.\r\nAwardees include:\r\n \r\n    IRIS AO, INC.: $99,999 for high performance MEMS Deformable Mirror for Adaptive Optics Retinal Imaging\r\n    University of California, Laurence Berkeley Laboratory: $611,104 to investigate age of onset and Huntington's Disease\r\n    University of California, Berkeley: $378,773 to study ethanol and retinoid metabolism/function\r\n    University of California, Berkeley: $202,264 for program of gene expression in olfactory neurogenesis\r\n    University of California, Berkeley: $266,184 to determine protein function prediction by statistical phylogenomics\r\n    University of California, Berkeley: $397,264 to study synaptic basis for map plasticity in cerebral cortex\r\n    Kaiser Foundation Research Institute: $243,959 for optimizing multidisciplinary HIV Care Team for maximal HAART Adherence\r\n    Kaiser Foundation Research Institute: $99,971 to investigating the generalizability of natural language processing of EMR data\r\n \r\nIt is with great pleasure that I announce the funding for these important projects, Congresswoman Lee said. These institutions have made immeasurable contributions in the field of biomedical research, and this funding will help U.C. Berkeley, Lawrence Lab and the Kaiser Foundation continue their pioneering work.\r\nTo learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, visit www.recovery.gov.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/emeryville-oakland-cypress-mandela-awarded-recovery-act-grants-for-contaminated-land-clean-up-and-local-job-creation", "Emeryville, Oakland, Cypress Mandela Awarded Recovery Act Grants for Contaminated Land Clean Up and Local Job Creation", "2009-08-06", "2009", "2009-08", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "08.06.09\n\t\t\t Emeryville, Oakland, Cypress Mandela Awarded Recovery Act Grants for Contaminated Land Clean Up and Local Job Creation \n\t\t\t\r\nFor Immediate Release\r\nAugust 6, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams\r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nOakland, CA  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) applauded an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcement selecting the City of Emeryville to receive $500,000 in Recovery Act funding to help protect human health and the environment. Additionally the cities of Emeryville and Oakland will receive $500,000 and $400,000 respectively in other brownfields funding. \r\nEmeryville will use the funds to assist with the city's Greenway project. The project involves the construction of a new research and development building; the extension of Emeryville Greenway improvements, and the expansion of an existing public plaza. The project will be receiving planning entitlements in late 2009 and cleanup plans are already prepared. The City of Oakland will use its funds to cleanup sites planned for redevelopment throughout the city.\r\nThe EPA has also designated $500,000 for the Cypress Mandela Training Center, Inc. through the Recovery Act to provide job training to assess and clean up brownfields. They plan to train 180 students and place 144 graduates in brownfields and green construction-related jobs in West Oakland\r\nThe cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields is a key component for community revitalization, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. These funds will allow us to turn problem properties into community assets, while providing a direct benefit to both environmental and our local economy. \r\n\r\nFor additional information on brownfields cleanup, revolving loan fund pilots and grants and other EPA Brownfields activities under the Recovery Act go to www.epa.gov/brownfields/eparecovery/index.htm. To learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.\r\n###\r\n\r\n \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/berkeley-lab-to-receive-recovery-act-funds-for-science-research", "Berkeley Lab to Receive Recovery Act Funds for Science Research", "2009-08-04", "2009", "2009-08", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "08.04.09\n\t\t\t Berkeley Lab to Receive Recovery Act Funds for Science Research \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nAugust 4, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) hailed an announcement by the Obama Administration that the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab will receive $37.8 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The funds are part of an announcement today by U.S Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu that more than $327 million in new funding from the ARRA will go toward scientific research, instrumentation, and laboratory infrastructure projects. Lawrence Berkeley Lab is one of ten DOE national laboratories in six states that will be receiving funds, along with researchers at institutions of higher learning across the nation.\r\nThe $37.8 million in funding for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will go towards a variety of projects including:\r\n \r\n    $13.1 million to upgrade equipment at the DOE Joint Genome Institute;\r\n    $4 million for new instrumentation at the DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute, one of three DOE Bioenergy Research Centers; and\r\n    $875,000 for mathematical analysis related to the development of Smart Grid technology.\r\n \r\nThe Lawrence Berkeley Lab continues to be a leader in the field of science and technology, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. These funds will help them and other research institutions across this country continue their important work so that we can remain globally competitive in these fields.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-applauds-2009-presidential-medal-of-freedom-honorees", "Barbara Lee Applauds 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom Honorees", "2009-07-31", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.31.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Applauds 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom Honorees \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 31, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee applauded President Obama's announcement of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom Honorees. This year's medal recipients include Nancy Goodman Brinker, Pedro Jos Greer, Jr., Stephen Hawking, Jack Kemp, Sen. Edward Kennedy, Billie Jean King, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Joe Medicine Crow  High Bird, Harvey Milk, Sandra Day O'Connor, Sidney Poitier, Chita Rivera, Mary Robinson, Janet Davison Rowley, Desmond Tutu and Muhammad Yunus.\r\nThis year's Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients have all made a tremendous impact on our world, said Congresswoman Lee. From entertainment to politics to humanitarianism, they represent the best in our society. I join President Obama in honoring them for their tireless work on behalf of all people.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-introduces-national-passport-month-resolution", "Barbara Lee Introduces National Passport Month Resolution", "2009-07-31", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.31.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Introduces National Passport Month Resolution \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 31, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced a resolution supporting the goals and ideal of national passport month and requests that the President issue a proclamation calling on the Federal Government, States, localities, schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, other entities, and the people of the United States to observe National Passport Month with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities.\r\nDuring 2008, over 16 million Americans applied for passports - a decrease of over 2.5 million applications from 2007 and the first significant decrease in almost 20 years. Given the new regulations resulting from the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, it is particularly critical to reach out to the 75 percent of Americans who still do not have a passport. National Passport Month will help build awareness of the importance of applying for a passport.\r\nAmericans travelling abroad gain a perspective that cannot be obtained here at home, a perspective which includes understanding, tolerance, and respect for other cultures, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. They also act as goodwill ambassadors from the United States, spreading our values around the world. This legislation will help encourage American citizens to experience firsthand the different cultures and witness the influence that America has on the world - particularly the tremendous amount of humanitarian aid given by the United States through both public and private sectors.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-opposes-defense-appropriations-bill", "Barbara Lee Opposes Defense Appropriations Bill", "2009-07-31", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.31.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Opposes Defense Appropriations Bill \n\t\t\t\r\nFor Immediate Release\r\nJuly 31, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams\r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  This week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) voted in opposition to H.R. 3326, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for FY 2010, which passed the House by a vote of 400-30. The Defense Appropriations Act provides $636 billion for national defense programs, overseas deployments and other activities. \r\nAs the daughter of a military veteran, I strongly support our troops as well as respect the necessity of adequately equipping them for the threats they face around the globe, said Congresswoman Lee.\r\nHowever, at a time when our nation is facing an unprecedented series of challenges, I believe we must do more to curb the runaway growth in defense spending.\r\nFurthermore, I cannot support the $128 billion included in this bill for overseas operations including Iraq and Afghanistan which may further entrench the United States in conflict and continue us down a path to war without end.\r\nCongresswoman Barbara Lee is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.\r\n###\r\n\r\n \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-votes-to-reign-in-executive-compensation", "Barbara Lee Votes to Reign in Executive Compensation", "2009-07-31", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.31.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Votes to Reign in Executive Compensation \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 31, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee voted in support of the Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act The bill passed the House by a vote of 237-185. She released this statement:\r\nExecutive compensation is out of control on Wall Street. Wall Street Banks have learned nothing from having triggered the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression, continuing to compensate themselves whether they make big profits or cause huge losses.\r\nThis is simply unacceptable. The Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act is a strong first step in making corporate executives accountable.\r\nThis bill will give shareholders a long overdue voice in how the companies they own are run. It will also give the Securities and Exchange Commission the ability to make reasonable regulations that will reduce the out of control risks that some Wall Street banks have been taking with the savings of millions of Americans. These are absolutely critical reforms that will help to keep compensation and incentives for executives in line with those of shareholders.\r\nWhile I support this bill, I also believe that it can do more. Though the bill increases disclosure of these exorbitant pay packages, it does not change the fundamental structure of why corporations continue to inflate the pay of top executives. Corporations today are allowed to deduct nearly the full cost of these huge pay packages and it only hits the American taxpayer, not their bottom line.\r\nThe Congress, long ago set a $1 million cap on the deductibility of cash income for the top executives of companies, but those companies have found countless ways to pay their executives that have no limit on their deductions. I have introduced H.R. 1594, the Income Equity Act that would limit the deductibility of all of the types of compensation. It is my hope that we would revisit this issue soon so we can once and for all reign in corporate waste and bring accountability to Wall Street.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/national-institute-of-health-to-fund-local-projects", "National Institute of Health to Fund Local Projects", "2009-07-29", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.29.09\n\t\t\t National Institute of Health to Fund Local Projects \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 29, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nWashington D.C.  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) is pleased to announce that the National Institute of Health (NIH) will direct $1.4 million to the Ninth Congressional District to fund a variety of biomedical research and research training projects.\r\nThe funding for these projects is being made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. NIH has funded biomedical research and training program at more than 3,000 institutions throughout the United States.\r\nAwardees include:\r\n \r\n    University of California, Berkeley: $368,178 to research the Genetic Susceptibility to Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma\r\n    Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center in Emeryville: $54,072 to research phosphorylation and the CNS actions of ethanol\r\n    Children's Hospital and Research Center of Oakland: $400,000 to fund study of apolipoprotein A-V: A Functional Proteomics\r\n    Children's Hospital and Research Center of Oakland: $300,000 to study Endogenous sphingosine-1-phosphate as a radio protector of intestinal tissues\r\n    Kaiser Foundation and Research Institute in Oakland: $189,272 to determine the psychosocial effects on patient adherence, allostatic load, and chronic disease\r\n    University of California, Berkeley: $165,836 to support the Chemistry-Biology Interface Program\r\n \r\nThese institutions have been the leaders in healthcare research not only in the state but throughout the nation, said Congresswoman Lee. This funding will allow these institutions to continue their groundbreaking work in the area of medical research.\r\n  \r\nTo learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-applauds-confirmation-of-rosa-rosie-rios-as-us-treasurer", "Barbara Lee Applauds Confirmation of Rosa \"Rosie\" Rios as U.S. Treasurer", "2009-07-28", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.28.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Applauds Confirmation of Rosa \"Rosie\" Rios as U.S. Treasurer \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 28, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released this statement following the confirmation Rosa Rosie Rios as the new U.S. Treasurer for the Department of Treasury:\r\nI extend heartfelt congratulations to my constituent Rosie Rios, who I enthusiastically supported, on being confirmed as our new U.S. Treasurer. She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this position and will be a wonderful addition to the Department of Treasury.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/oakland-emeryville-to-receive-nearly-20-million-in-cops-grants-through-recovery-act", "Oakland, Emeryville to receive nearly $20 million in COPS Grants through Recovery Act", "2009-07-28", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.28.09\n\t\t\t Oakland, Emeryville to receive nearly $20 million in COPS Grants through Recovery Act \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 28, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) announced that Oakland and Emeryville will be awarded a combined total of nearly $20 million in funding from the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program. This comes as part of an announcement today by the White House and Department of Justice of $1 billion in grants to fund the hiring and rehiring of 4,699 law enforcement officers across the country under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.\r\nThe City of Oakland will receive $19,747,117 to fund a total of 41 positions  more than any other city in the state of California, and the City of Emeryville will receive $913,576 to fund a total of two positions. The grants will provide 100 percent of the approved salary and benefits for entry level officer positions over a three year period. Police departments receiving the grants will then be required to retain the grant funded positions for a fourth year.\r\nCommunity policing is a critical component to public safety and violence prevention in our communities, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. While I am disappointed with the Department of Justice's decision to cap the amount of funding given to cities through this program, these funds will provide invaluable resources to Oakland and Emeryville and communities across this country to help local law enforcement agencies hire officers to help reduce crime rates.\r\nEarlier this month, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced legislation would amend the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Act to increase the number of police officers in cities with the highest violent crime rates, including Oakland, California. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.\r\nFor more information about the grants, or to learn which law enforcement agencies received funding, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-supports-labor-hhs-appropriations-bill", "Barbara Lee Supports Labor, HHS Appropriations Bill", "2009-07-24", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.24.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Supports Labor, HHS Appropriations Bill \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 24, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n  \r\nLegislation will Invest in Education, Housing and Health Care Improvement for Americans\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) voted to invest in improvements in education, housing and health care of the American people. The Labor, Health and Education Appropriations Act builds on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide short-term relief to struggling American families by shoring up our social safety net programs, and long-term solutions to help grow our economy and build up the workforce of the future.\r\n  \r\nOur nation is in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the great depression, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Families are losing their jobs, losing their homes, and losing their access to health care. People are hurting, and they need our help. That's why this bill is so important.\r\nFrom expanding support for education initiatives like early childhood education, to job training and employment services, to expanding access to health care and improving public health, this bill provides a critical range of social services to our constituents.  \r\n  \r\nCongresswoman Lee also highlighted a number of important priorities that were included in the bill at her request including:\r\n \r\n    $653 million to strengthen Historical Black Colleges and Universities, Predominately Black Institutions, Hispanic-serving Institutions, and Other Developing Institutions, a $110 million increase over the President's request for all minority serving institutions.\r\n    A $54 million increase for HIV/AIDS funding through the Ryan White CARE Act, and a $56 million increase for the CDC's HIV/AIDS Bureau.\r\n    $50 million for Green Jobs Training programs, building on the $500 million we provided in the Recovery Act, and;\r\n    Replacing discredited and ineffective abstinence only programs with the President's evidence-based teen pregnancy initiative to fund proven approaches to reduce unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.\r\n \r\nDuring the debate on the bill, Congresswoman Lee also voiced opposition to proposed amendments that would have eliminated funding for grants for HIV/AIDS programs, HIV prevention needle exchange programs and Planned Parenthood.\r\nThe 9th Congressional District of California stands to receive nearly $2.5 million in federal funding through this legislation, including:\r\nAlameda County Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS - $300,000 for the High Risk Behavior Change Campaign Initiative in Alameda County, CA: The Office of AIDS is continuing its High Risk Behavior Change Campaign to increase HIV testing among African-Americans in Alameda County. Funding will allow for expansion of the affordable, culturally competent, and youth friendly outreach and HIV testing program to include access to and support for prevention and care programs.\r\nAlameda County Library Foundation - $300,000 for Campaign to Open a New Castro Valley Library: Due to open in late 2009, the new Castro Valley Library will replace the current cramped facility that has served the community for 40+ years without a renovation, expansion, or update. Over this period, Castro Valley's population has grown by 54% and become considerably more diverse. The new library will offer more space for collections, joint use space for cooperative programming of the library and school district, community meeting space, and expanded access to state-of-the art technology for use by thousands of visitor each year.\r\nAsian Health Services (AHS) - $275,000 for New Access Point for Comprehensive Primary Care Project: Funding will be used to expand AHS nationally recognized culturally and linguistically competent health care services by developing a new eight-exam room comprehensive primary care clinic. The new clinic will be located where Asians comprise the largest percentage of residents. The location of the new clinic site is an office building in a commercial hub by Lake Merritt. The goals of AHS site expansion are: (1) increase capacity to serve patients by 25% and (2) improve care of patients with chronic diseases.\r\nCypress Mandela Training Center - $275,000 for Pre-apprentice Construction Training: This funding will be used to provide free solar and green construction pre-apprenticeship training for disadvantaged minorities, unemployed, men and women from inner-cities with limited to no training. Basic training augmented by our life skills component maximizes job placement. The hard-to-serve and re-entry youth will be targeted to ensure opportunities with green jobs. This will help reduce the recidivism rate, fight poverty, and crime simultaneously.\r\nCity of Emeryville - $250,000 Center of Community Life for Family Counseling Programs and Early Childhood Development  City School Parenting Center: The purpose of the Parenting Resource Center is to provide early childhood development services, family and child counseling, and healthy after-school activities to the students of Emeryville Unified School District (EUSD) and their families; as well as the predominantly low and very low-income children and families from surrounding communities served by Emery Unified. The project is a component of the manifestation of a seven-year partnership of the school district and City of Emeryville as well as additional diverse local public and private sector partners.\r\nGirl's Inc. - $250,000 from DOE for Promoting Literacy and Family Literacy for Underserved Communities: Beginning with preschoolers and their families, especially those who do not speak English, Girls Inc. provides developmental play and literacy programming for girls throughout the early grades. By increasing family bonding and early literacy skills, preschool programming provides interventions that are critical for increasing school success among young children.\r\nLeadership Excellence, Inc.  $250,000 for Oakland Cares Mentor Recruitment Circle for Mentoring Youth: This funding will be used to connect caring adults to existing community-based organizations, where they can serve as role models, dedicated to helping vulnerable young people, especially African American youth, transform and secure their lives. The Oakland Cares circle uses outreach and training to churches, civic groups and other places where caring adults gather, to expand the pool of qualified adults available to serve as mentors to our most vulnerable young people. Oakland Cares connects this volunteer base to established mentoring organizations with an outstanding record of success serving youth in peril.\r\nOakland Museum of California - $250,000 for a Museum Technology Initiative for Educational Outreach: The Oakland Museum of California provides one of the most extensive education programs of any museum in the Bay Area, serving an audience extending from Bakersfield to Eureka. It is, indeed, the California Museum for students and scholars interested in learning about the state's extraordinary artistic expression, cultural history, and biodiversity. However, many of the Museum's resources are not available to the public since only a small percentage of the collection can be shown in the galleries at any one time.\r\nYouth Radio - $250,000 for the Youth Radio Media & Technology Center: Youth Radio, a national leader in building workforce skills among at-risk youth through training in media production, digital technology and broadcast engineering, recently acquired", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-supports-transportation-hud-appropriations-bill", "Barbara Lee Supports Transportation, HUD Appropriations Bill", "2009-07-23", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.23.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Supports Transportation, HUD Appropriations Bill \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 23, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) voted to help spur our economic recovery and create jobs with targeted investments in a modern transportation system and housing assistance for all Americans. The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act builds on the work of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and our long-term economic plan to provide short-term help in the form of housing and jobs for those hurt most by the economic downturn and long-term solutions like improved infrastructure to put our economy on sound footing for the future.\r\nOur nation is facing the worst economic crisis since the great depression, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Millions of people have lost their homes and millions more are on the brink of foreclosure. The housing investments we make in this bill will help to keep families in their homes, support affordable housing, and provide assistance to those who are most vulnerable in our society.\r\nAdditionally, the transportation funding we provide in this bill will help build on and sustain the investments we've made with the Recovery Act to improve public transportation, modernize and repair our highway infrastructure, and facilitate the movement of people and goods throughout our nation.\r\nThe 9th Congressional District of California stands to receive over $3 million in federal funding through this legislation, including:\r\n \r\n    Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) - $1,000,000 for the Berkeley-Oakland-San Leandro Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Improvements Project in Alameda County, CA (Submitted Jointly with Rep. Stark): Authorized in SAFETEA-LU, this funding for AC Transit's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Corridor along Telegraph Avenue/International Boulevard/East 14th Street in Alameda County will contribute to transit oriented development, reduce congestion and pollution, and provide a viable alternative to driving along a busy traffic corridor.\r\n    Alameda County Public Works Agency - $600,000 for Sidewalk Construction in Ashland, Cherryland and Castro Valley Communities in Alameda County, CA: The Alameda County Public Works Agency is constructing new sidewalks in several unincorporated areas of Alameda County around the vicinity of several local schools.\r\n    Ed Roberts Campus - $250,000 for Construction of the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley, CA: The Ed Roberts Campus is the vision of seven disability organizations in California, which have joined forces to create a multi-tenant facility that will serve as an intermodal transit center as well as a transportation information and travel-training center for seniors and people with disabilities. It will provide services in a fully accessible, technologically-advanced environment located at the Bay Area Rapid Transit's (BART) Ashby stop. The Campus will serve approximately 2000 people per week, most of who will arrive by public transportation.\r\n    San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transit Authority (WETA) - $1,000,000 for Berkeley Ferry Service in Berkeley, CA (Submitted Jointly with Speaker Pelosi): The Water Emergency Transit Authority is a regional agency authorized by the State of California to develop and operate a comprehensive San Francisco Bay Area public water transit system. The WETA is in the process of finalizing ferry service from Berkeley to downtown San Francisco. Federal funding would be used to help pay for construction of a ferry boat to serve this route.\r\n    The Unity Council - $250,000 for Fruitvale Community Cultural Center Rehabilitation Project in Oakland, CA: This funding will assist the Unity Council in rehabilitating the Fruitvale Masonic Temple to create a new Community Cultural Center to stage year round cultural activities and provide space for after-school youth programs to serve all ages, seven days a week.\r\n \r\nCongresswoman Barbara Lee is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-supports-energy-and-water-appropriations-bill", "Barbara Lee Supports Energy and Water Appropriations Bill", "2009-07-17", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.17.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Supports Energy and Water Appropriations Bill \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 17, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  This week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) voted in support of the Energy and Water Appropriations Act which seeks to build upon the investments in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to move toward American energy independence and rebuild our infrastructure.\r\n  \r\nOur economic recovery depends on making smart, targeted investments like those in this energy and water infrastructure bill, said Congresswoman Lee. This bill will spur innovation and in turn boost job creation and provide real solutions to our energy and water quality needs with investments in new technologies, scientific research and conservation efforts.\"\r\n\r\nThe Energy and Water Appropriations Act invests in new technologies that will create the next generation of vehicles with improved fuel efficiency, better and cleaner engines and better batteries. It also helps modernize our electric grid by investing in smart grid technology that will ensure efficient and reliable delivery of electricity to American homes and businesses.\r\n\r\nThe bill increases funds for weatherization grants to help struggling families improve their homes' energy efficiency and save hundreds of dollars annually in electricity and heating costs. It also invests in the water infrastructure needs of our communities to improve water quality and spur economic development after years of neglect. Additionally, the legislation makes significant cuts in funding for new nuclear weapons and instead shifts the focus to securing existing nuclear stockpiles.\r\n\r\nThe 9th Congressional District of California stands to receive $11 million in federal funding through this legislation, including:\r\n\r\n \r\n    Port of Oakland  $1,000,000 for Oakland Harbor, CA: This funding will be used for continuation and completion of the Port of Oakland -50 foot channel deepening project. The project will deepen the federal channels of the Oakland Harbor and Port-maintained berths to a depth of -50 feet below mean lower low water (MLLW) in order to accommodate the latest generation of deep-draft container vessels.\r\n    \r\n    Port of Oakland - $10,000,000 for operations and maintenance dredging of the federal channels at the Oakland Harbor, CA: Annual dredging of the federal channel at the Port of Oakland is required to maintain the Port's authorized depth. The requested funds will cover the costs of maintaining the channels, together with other maintenance projects in the Oakland Harbor, including Coast Guard Island, Nelson Marine and Fruitvale Bridge.\r\n \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-votes-to-protect-consumers-help-small-business", "Barbara Lee Votes to Protect Consumers, Help Small Business", "2009-07-17", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.17.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Votes to Protect Consumers, Help Small Business \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 17, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n\r\nWashington, D.C.  This week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) voted to protect consumers and investors by helping to restore the stability of America's financial markets by supporting the Financial Services Appropriations Act. This bill is another step forward in cracking down on runaway financial excesses and rebuilding regulatory protections for homeowners, investors and consumers needed to stabilize and restore confidence in the American economy.\r\nThis bill begins the work of rebuilding the regulatory and oversight framework of the federal government, restoring home rule to the District of Columbia and safeguarding consumers by reinvigorating the Consumer Products Safety Commission, said Congresswoman Lee.\r\nBy investing in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Consumer Products Safety Commission, the IRS and other vital agencies, we can bring back a fair and honest market place that is safe for consumers and investors alike.\r\nThe Financial Services Appropriations Act strengthens the role of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the rules that govern financial markets, detect and prosecute fraudulent schemes and protect consumers. It also gives the Inspectors General of some of our key financial regulatory agencies more of the tools they need to carry out investigations of bank failures and market manipulation.\r\nIn response to massive recalls on household products such as children's toys, the legislation boosts funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission so they can thoroughly inspect more of the products families bring into their homes.\r\nTo stabilize the economy and create jobs, the bill includes more capital and credit for small businesses and disadvantaged communities through the Small Business Administration and Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.\r\nThe 9th Congressional District of California stands to receive $400,000 in federal funding through this legislation, including:\r\n \r\n    East Bay Green Jobs (Berkeley, CA) - $250, 000: The East Bay Green Jobs Project will implement and manage education programs to teach skills applicable to jobs in the energy efficiency, alternative energy, clean technology, and emerging green industry sectors which are dominated by small startup businesses.\r\n    Hispanic Business Education and Training Program (Oakland, CA) - $50,000: Hispanic Business Education & Training, Inc. (HBET) in Oakland, CA will assist and develop programs and services for Latino and other underserved populations to learn more about new and emerging careers in the private and public sectors.\r\n    Economic Vitality of Asian Minority Business Programs (Oakland, CA) - $50,000: This funding for the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce will be used to help Limited English Proficient entrepreneurs by offering four to five varieties of business development seminars, free of charge, to current and future small business owners in their own language.\r\n    Economic Vitality of Minority Businesses in Oakland (Oakland, CA) - $50,000: This funding for the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce Foundation will support ongoing programs to provide technical assistance to small businesses to help them qualify and compete for private and public contracts.\r\n \r\nCongresswoman Barbara Lee is a member of the Appropriations Committee and serves on the Financial Services Subcommittee.\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-comments-on-introduction-of-health-reform-bill", "Barbara Lee Comments on Introduction of Health Reform Bill", "2009-07-14", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.14.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Comments on Introduction of Health Reform Bill \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 14, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) released this statement on following the introduction of America's Affordable Health Choice Act of 2009.\r\nThe introduction of the bill is a positive step towards comprehensive health reform. I am extremely encouraged by the inclusion of a robust public health option, the expansion of prevention and wellness services and programming to better identify and address health disparities.\r\nHealthcare reform has never been more urgently needed than right now. I applaud President Obama, and our House and Senate leadership for their diligent work on this issue and I look forward to working together with them to pass this much needed legislation.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/four-organizations-tapped-for-national-endowment-of-the-arts-funding", "Four Organizations Tapped for National Endowment of the Arts Funding", "2009-07-13", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.13.09\n\t\t\t Four Organizations Tapped for National Endowment of the Arts Funding \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 13, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nWashington D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) announced that the National Endowment of Arts will provide $175,000 in federal funding to support four art-related endeavors in the Ninth Congressional District.\r\nThe funding for these grants is being made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is designed to help support projects that involve the creation and presentation of artistically excellent work  both new and established.\r\nAwardees include:\r\nCrucible of Oakland: $50,000 to support the preservation of jobs that are threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn.\r\nKala InstituteofBerkeley: $25,000 to support the preservation of jobs that are threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn.\r\nNational Federation of Community Broadcasters of Oakland: $50,000 to support the preservation of jobs that are threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn.\r\nBerkeley Repertory Theatre: $50,000 to support the preservation of jobs that are threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn.\r\nThe arts are an important expression of American culture, said Congresswoman Lee. I am pleased that we were able to allocate these funds so that our rich artistic legacy will be preserved for our posterity and celebrated for years to come.\r\nTo learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/uc-berkeley-and-emeryville-based-research-center-awarded-nih-funding", "U.C. Berkeley and Emeryville-based Research Center Awarded NIH Funding", "2009-07-13", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.13.09\n\t\t\t U.C. Berkeley and Emeryville-based Research Center Awarded NIH Funding \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 13, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nWashington D.C.  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) is pleased to announce that the University of California at Berkeley will receive 11 federal grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH) for FY09. The Emeryville-based Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center will also receiving funding under this grant program.\r\nThe NIH funds biomedical research and research training at more than 3,000 institutions throughout the United States. The funding was made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.\r\nThe University of California at Berkeley will receive NIH funding for the following projects:\r\n$710,579  For red cell band 4.1 developmental changes in RNS splicing a research  \r\n$47210  Listeria-induced cytosolic response and host immunity research  \r\n$98,890  Cell biology of Toll-like receptor 9: a mechanism to prevent autoimmunity research  \r\n$1,177,061  Childhood Leukemia and Home Environmental Exposures  \r\n$69,998  Substrate Activity Screening: A New Approach to Inhibitor Discovery research  \r\n$361,725  In vivo regulation of M. tuberculosis cell wall lipids  \r\n$34,482  Characterization of a Transport System within the Chlamydial Inclusion  \r\n$42,075  Taste representations in the Drosophila brain  \r\n$377,639  Antigen process in the secretory pathway  \r\n$368,178  Genetic susceptibility to non-Hodgkin Lymphoma   \r\n$224,240  Novel tissue-engineered treatments for Myopia Control\r\nThe Ernest and Gallo Research Center in Emeryville will receive the following funding:\r\n$327,200  Trafficking and signaling of opioid receptor subtypes and hereodime\r\nThe Ninth Congressional District of California has been a leader in healthcare research, said Congresswoman Lee. These funds will help these institutions continue their groundbreaking work towards desperately needed treatments and cures.\r\nTo learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/2009/07/09/barbara-lee-hails-passage-of-caribbean-american-heritage-month-resolution", "Barbara Lee Hails Passage of Caribbean American Heritage Month Resolution", "2009-07-09", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.09.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Hails Passage of Caribbean American Heritage Month Resolution \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 9, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, the House of Representatives passed a resolution introduced by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) that would recognize the significance of National Caribbean-American Heritage Month. Congresswoman Lee hailed the passage of the bill.\r\nCaribbean-American Heritage Month provides us an opportunity to strengthen our long-term partnership with nations of the Caribbean Community through greater dialogue and engagement. From disaster preparedness, trade and energy, education, and the campaign against HIV/AIDS, we share a number of mutual policy interests with our Caribbean neighbors.\r\nAdditionally, it reminds us of the large and diverse constituencies of Caribbean-Americans in our nation, and provides us with an opportunity to send a message of good will to the Caribbean community both here and abroad.\r\nI am very proud to see us celebrate this important commemorative month for the fourth straight year and I encourage all Americans to celebrate and learn more about the rich history and culture of Caribbean-Americans in the United States.\r\nCongresswoman Lee has led the effort to establish June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month. In June 2005, the House of Representatives unanimously adopted H. Con. Res. 71, authored by Congresswoman Lee, recognizing the significance of Caribbean people and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States. On February 14, 2006, the resolution similarly passed the Senate, culminating a two-year, bipartisan and bicameral effort. Since the resolution's passage, the White House has issued an annual proclamation recognizing June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month. President Obama issued this year's proclamation on June 2.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/cypress-mandela-training-center-uc-california-at-berkeley-to-receive-federal-funding-to-support-training-programs", "Cypress Mandela Training Center, U.C. California at Berkeley to Receive Federal Funding to Support Training Programs", "2009-07-09", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.09.09\n\t\t\t Cypress Mandela Training Center, U.C. California at Berkeley to Receive Federal Funding to Support Training Programs \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 9, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\n  \r\nWashington D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) announced that the Cypress Mandela Training Center in Oakland and the University of California at Berkeley will receive federal funding to support and enhance programs that are being offered at each institution.\r\n  \r\nThe Cypress Mandela Training Center will receive $55,000 from the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) through the On-the-Job Training and Supportive Services Program to support the job-training programs offered at the West Oakland-based center. The funding is designed to support construction-related job-training programs for economically-disadvantaged individuals, apprentices and trainees.\r\n  \r\nU.C. Berkeley will receive $18,374 in funding from the United States Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institute of Health. The funding will be used to hire a high school student, college student or teacher so they can gain valuable research-based experience during the summer over the next two years.  \r\nJobs and job-training are critical to jumpstarting our economy, said Congresswoman Lee. These funds will help people gain the skill-sets they need to compete for the jobs of the future.\r\n  \r\nThe funding is being made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/sen-boxer-and-rep-lee-work-to-put-more-police-officers-on-the-street", "Sen. Boxer and Rep. Lee Work to Put More Police Officers on the Street", "2009-07-09", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.09.09\n\t\t\t Sen. Boxer and Rep. Lee Work to Put More Police Officers on the Street  \n\t\t\tFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  \r\nJuly 9, 2009\r\nContact: Zachary Coile or David Frey (Boxer)  \r\n(202) 224-8120\r\nNicole Williams (Lee)  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n  \r\nIntroduce Bill to Direct COPS Funding to Oakland, Four Other Cities with High Violent Crime Rates\r\nWashington, DC  U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today introduced legislation to increase the number of police officers in cities with the highest violent crime rates, including Oakland, California. U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.\r\nSenator Boxer said, It is common sense  more police officers on our streets mean less crime. As cities with high violent crime rates deal with budget cuts, we must ensure that local law enforcement officials can fight crime and keep our communities safe. \r\nThis is about public safety and violence prevention - and what we know is that community policing works, said Congresswoman Lee. Since its inception the COPS program has provided invaluable resources to my district and cities and counties across this country. It's time we provide the necessary help for our local law enforcement agencies to hire officers to help reduce crime rates.\r\nThe legislation would amend the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Act to direct funding to the five cities with the highest violent crime rates according the 2007 Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting statistics. Those cities are: Oakland, CA; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Detroit, MI; and Memphis, TN. Specifically these cities would become eligible for hiring grants that could increase police forces by five to 10 percent by adding officers to patrol areas affected by violent crime. The bill also authorizes the Attorney General to provide increased hiring grantsto an additional 15 cities based on other crime indicators such as gang activity, drug trafficking, unemployment and poverty.\r\nEarlier this month, the Oakland City Council approved $13.4 million in cuts to the Oakland Police Department's personnel budget, which would greatly impact a community that is still recovering from the tragic deaths of four Oakland police officers who died in the line of duty in March 2009.\r\nThe legislation is supported by Oakland Mayor Ronald V. Dellums, Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard A. Jordan, the Oakland Police Officers Association and the Peace Officers Research Association of California.\r\nU.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin (both D-MI) are original cosponsors of this legislation.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/berkeley-community-college-to-receive-doe-funds-for-development-of-basic-skills-classes", "Berkeley Community College to Receive DOE Funds for Development of Basic Skills Classes", "2009-07-07", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.07.09\n\t\t\t Berkeley Community College to Receive DOE Funds for Development of Basic Skills Classes \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 7, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\n  \r\nOAKLAND  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) announced that the Peralta Community College District has been selected to receive $2 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). The funding is being made available through DOE's Strengthening Institution Grant Program and will be used to develop basic skills classes in math and writing and to implement an assessment-tracking system at Berkeley City College.\r\n  \r\nBerkeley City College will receive $400,000 in grant funding annually for the next five years to develop model cross-disciplinary curricula to improve and track student success in basic skills and to ease their transition to four-year universities and job-training classes.\r\n  \r\nI am pleased that the Peralta Community College District and Berkeley City College will receive this important funding; it comes at a time when community colleges face significant budget cuts because of California's financial crisis, Congresswoman Lee said. The grant will allow Berkeley City College to develop basic skills classes and testing-assessment tracking to provide a safety net for students who need additional assistance when they enroll into the junior college.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-lee-to-tour-fruitvale-transit-village-with-transportation-secretary-ray-lahood", "Congresswoman Lee to Tour Fruitvale Transit Village with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood", "2009-07-01", "2009", "2009-07", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "07.01.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Lee to Tour Fruitvale Transit Village with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJuly 1, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nOakland  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will tour the Fruitvale Transit Village located at 3401 East 12th Street in Oakland on Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 11 a.m. The tour will highlight the work that has been done in the Ninth Congressional District to build transit-oriented developments consisting of housing, restaurants and shops along the BART transportation corridor.\r\nThe Fruitvale Transit Village  which combines housing, retail and community and nonprofit office space  received $14 million in funding from the Department of Transportation (DOT) and has been hailed as a national model for building livable communities along a major transit hub. The project was created by the Unity Council in the early 1990s and is entering its second phase.\r\nWho: Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood  \r\nWhat: Tour of the Fruitvale Transit Village   \r\nWhen: Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 11a.m.  \r\nWhere: 3401 East 12th Street in Oakland\r\n* Congresswoman Lee and Secretary LaHood will be made available only for photo opportunities due to time constraints.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-comments-on-withdrawal-of-combat-troops-from-iraqi-cities", "Barbara Lee Comments on Withdrawal of Combat Troops from Iraqi Cities", "2009-06-30", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.30.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Comments on Withdrawal of Combat Troops from Iraqi Cities \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 30, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n\r\nWashington, DC  Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement today regarding the Administration's decision to withdraw its remaining combat troops from Iraqi cities and turned over security to Iraqi police and soldiers.\r\nHaving opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning, I am pleased that the United States is finally taking the necessary steps toward responsibly withdrawing our troops from Iraq.\r\nWhile I believe the pace of the withdrawal should be quicker, this decision is very much in line with the wishes of the Iraqi people to assume responsibility for the security of their own country.\r\nI applaud the bravery our service men and women have demonstrated over the past six years, and look forward to their swift return home.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-hails-administration-proposed-rule-to-repeal-travel-ban", "Barbara Lee Hails Administration Proposed Rule to Repeal Travel Ban", "2009-06-30", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.30.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Hails Administration Proposed Rule to Repeal Travel Ban \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 30, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee issued this statement following the announcement of the Obama Administration's decision to issue a proposed rule removing HIV from the list of diseases that can keep people who are not U.S. citizens from entering the United States.\r\nFor more than 15 years, HIV was the only disease singled out for exclusion from the United States by an act of Congress. The HIV ban has undermined U.S. efforts to fight the HIV pandemic and has taken a toll on families and businesses both here and abroad.\r\nThe Obama Administration's proposed rule to repeal the travel ban is a positive step toward finally ending this unjust and discriminatory policy. I am proud to have played a crucial role in leading the effort to end this outdated travel ban.\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/berkeley-based-company-to-receive-federal-loan-guarantees-for-plant-expansion", "Berkeley-based Company to Receive Federal Loan Guarantees for Plant Expansion", "2009-06-30", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.30.09\n\t\t\t Berkeley-based Company to Receive Federal Loan Guarantees for Plant Expansion \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 30, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\n  \r\nWashington D.C.  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) is pleased to announce that the Department of Energy (DOE) is providing $16 million in conditional loan guarantees to the Berkeley-based Nordic Windpower USA.\r\n  \r\nThe funding will help to underwrite the expansion of Nordic Windpower's assembly plant in Pocatello, Idaho and the production of Nordic Windpower's one megawatt wind turbine.\r\n  \r\nI was pleased and excited to learn that Nordic Windpower is receiving funding for the expansion of its assembly plant, Congresswoman Lee said. At a time when we face global warming and other environmental issues that threaten the planet, we must continue to commit ourselves to funding the research and development of alternative and renewable forms energy.\r\n  \r\nThe funding that is being provided by the DOE is yet another example that members of Congress and the Administration are doing what we can to support the development of cleaner and greener forms of energy.\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/ninth-district-of-california-to-receives-funding-for-health-centers", "Ninth District of California to Receives Funding for Health Centers", "2009-06-29", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.29.09\n\t\t\t Ninth District of California to Receives Funding for Health Centers \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 29, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nOakland, CA  Today, First Lady Michelle Obama visited Unity's Upper Cardozo Health Center in Washington, DC to announce the release of $851 million in grants to address immediate and pressing health center facility and equipment needs and increase access to health care for millions of Americans. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) applauded this announcement, noting that nearly $6 million of those dollars will go to health centers in the Ninth Congressional district of California.\r\nThe grants were made possible through the Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program (CIP), part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. They will support the construction, repair and renovation of over 1,500 health center sites nationwide. More than 650 centers will use the funds to purchase new equipment or health information technology (HIT) systems, and nearly 400 health centers will adopt and expand the use of electronic health records. Health Centers in the ninth Congressional District that will receive funding through the recovery package include:\r\n \r\n    Lifelong Medical Care - $975,480\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n    Alameda County Health Care Services Agency - $483,415\r\n    Asian Health Services - $953,745\r\n    Children's Hospital & Research Center of Oakland - $341,595\r\n    La Clinica De La Raza - $2,129,395\r\n    West Oakland Health Center - $1,010,515\r\n \r\nThese funds are critical to helping our health centers continue to give quality care to the people of the 9th Congressional District, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. I applaud the Obama Administration for continuing to work to provide funding to much needed programs in our communities.\r\nTo learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-supports-clean-energy-and-security-act", "Barbara Lee Supports Clean Energy and Security Act", "2009-06-26", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.26.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Supports Clean Energy and Security Act \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 26, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) issued this statement following the passage of the Clean Energy and Security Act.\r\nThe consequences of global climate change, disastrous trends of environmental degradation, and our nation's perilous dependence on fossil fuels are being felt in communities here in the United States and around the world, especially the most vulnerable.\r\nWhile I believe that America can, and should do more to address the climate crisis than what is provided for in this bill, the American Clean Energy and Security Act is the critical first step toward achieving our goal of realizing a greener future.\r\nThis legislation takes concrete steps toward curbing greenhouse gas emissions and will help the United States to engage with the international community to address global climate change.\r\nAdditionally, it will create millions of high-paying, career-term green jobs that represent a much needed pathway out of poverty for millions of individuals across this country. I commend my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus and Tri-Caucus who helped to champion the cause for funding of the Green Jobs Act through this legislation.\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-applauds-confirmation-of-ellen-tauscher-as-us-arms-control-advisor", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee Applauds Confirmation of Ellen Tauscher as U.S. Arms Control Advisor", "2009-06-26", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.26.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara Lee Applauds Confirmation of Ellen Tauscher as U.S. Arms Control Advisor \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 26, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released this statement following the confirmation of Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher of California as under secretary for Arms Control and International Security.\r\nPresident Obama has made an excellent choice for his administration in the selection of Congresswoman Tauscher as the nation's top arms control officer.\r\nI have had the pleasure of working with Congresswoman Tauscher for many years on a number of issues on behalf of the people of California and this country. I am confident that she will do an excellent job advising President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton on issues of arms control and nonproliferation, and helping us create a secure future for our country.\r\nI congratulate my friend on this well-deserved position and look forward to working with her in the future.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-napwa-black-aids-institute-commemorate-15th-annual-national-hiv-testing-day", "Barbara Lee, NAPWA, Black AIDS Institute Commemorate 15th Annual National HIV Testing Day", "2009-06-25", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.25.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee, NAPWA, Black AIDS Institute Commemorate 15th Annual National HIV Testing Day  \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 25, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n  \r\nRelease National Report on the State of HIV testing in Black America\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) joined her colleagues Reps. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Donna M. Christensen (D-VI), Obama Administration's director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, Jeff Crowley and the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) in holding press conference to underscore the importance of HIV testing and encourage all people to get tested and know their status.\r\nNow is the time to take action, raise awareness and educate people on how to protect themselves against HIV and AIDS, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. We have to do a better job of dispelling the stigma that surrounds HIV/AIDS and the anxiety involving the test itself and encourage people to get tested. At the same time we have to equip our young people with the tools to protect themselves from getting infected to begin with.\r\nNAPWA in conjunction with the Black AIDS Institute released a new national report on the state of HIV testing in Black America in an effort to draw attention to the AIDS epidemic in Black America. The report Passing the Test: The Challenges and Opportunities of HIV Testing in Black America (http://www.yousendit.com/download/cmcxM25ONEhPSHpIRGc9PQ) charges that there are well over 100,000 Black Americans are living with HIV but are unaware of their infection. The report calls on every Black person in America to find out their HIV status. CDC researchers estimate that up to 70% of new infections in Black America are transmitted by people who are unaware of their HIV infection. People with undiagnosed HIV infection are three-and-a-half times more likely to expose others to the virus than people whose infection has been diagnosed.\r\nFollowing the conclusion of the press conference, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and other Members will proceeded to the Prevention Works HIV Testing Van to be tested. For additional information on HIV testing please call Prevention Works at (202) 588-5580.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/oakland-airport-and-ac-transit-to-receive-federal-funding-for-crucial-projects", "Oakland Airport and AC Transit to Receive Federal Funding for Crucial Projects", "2009-06-25", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.25.09\n\t\t\t Oakland Airport and AC Transit to Receive Federal Funding for Crucial Projects \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 25, 2009\r\nContact  \r\nRicci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) announced the release of over $30.4 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation for two transportation-related projects in the Ninth Congressional District. The funding was made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The awardees include:\r\nAlameda-Contra Costa Transit District  $25.7 million: For preventative maintenance and operating funds for ADA Paratransit Services.\r\nPort of Oakland  $4.7 million: To rehabilitate the east apron  or airport ramp  at the Oakland International Airport.\r\nI am pleased that the Ninth Congressional District of California will receive funding for these important projects, Congresswoman Lee said. It is critical that we continue to provide enhanced paratransit services for handicapped residents who depend on AC Transit. This funding will allow the Port of Oakland to continue to make the necessary upgrades at Oakland International Airport that improves services for the millions of passengers who use the airport annually.\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-honors-congressional-art-competition-winner", "Barbara Lee Honors Congressional Art Competition Winner", "2009-06-24", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.24.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Honors Congressional Art Competition Winner \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 24, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee honored Evan Yee, this year's winner of the 9th Congressional District Congressional Art Competition, An Artistic Discovery during a reception on Capitol Hill.\r\nEvan's mixed media piece, The Consequence of a Called Bluff won top honors at the awards ceremony that was held at the Chiodo Art Development Studio in Oakland, California. Evan graduated from Piedmont High School this year and will be attending Pratt Institute in New York City this fall.\r\n\"I wish to congratulate Evan Yee on being named this year's Grand Prize winner of the Congressional Arts Competition from my district,\" said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. \"I am so very proud of all of our students and their tremendous creativity and talent.\"   \r\n  \r\nThe Congressional Arts Competition is open to all area high school students grades 9 through 12. The annual Arts Competition provides an excellent forum for demonstrating the important role that the arts play in American society, and gives students an opportunity to display their artistic skills. Students must submit their own artwork through their high school. Winners of the competition have their artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-napwa-to-hold-national-hiv-testing-press-conference", "Barbara Lee, NAPWA to Hold National HIV Testing Press Conference", "2009-06-24", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.24.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee, NAPWA to Hold National HIV Testing Press Conference \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 23, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  On Thursday, June 25, 2009, at 11:00AM on the House Triangle Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) along with the National Association of People with AIDS and Reps. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Donna M. Christensen (D-VI) will host a press conference to underscore the importance of HIV testing and encourage all people to get tested and know their status.\r\nFollowing the conclusion of the press conference, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and other Members will proceed to the Prevention Works HIV Testing Van, which will be located at the corner of New Jersey Avenue and C Street, SE to be tested. Testing will be available to all until approximately 3:00pm. The HIV/AIDS test that will be administered is the OraQuick (mouth swab test). Individuals will receive their test results within twenty minutes of taking the test. Pre-counseling and post-counseling will be provided and safe sex kits will be distributed as well. All testing and results will be confidential. For additional information on HIV testing please call Prevention Works at (202) 588-5580.\r\nWHO:Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA)  \r\n Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA)  \r\n Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)  \r\n Congresswoman Donna M. Christensen (D-VI)  \r\n Mr. Jeffrey Crowley, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy  \r\n Dr. Kevin Fenton, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  \r\n Mr. Frank Oldham, Jr., National Association of People With AIDS  \r\n Mr. Phill Wilson, Black AIDS Institute  \r\n Mr. John Tedstrom, Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria  \r\n Dr. Phillip Terry, Prevention Works\r\nWHAT: National HIV Testing Day Press Conference/ HIV Testing\r\nWHEN:Thursday, January 25, 2009  \r\n11:00 AM  3:00 PM EDT\r\nWHERE: The House Triangle  \r\n (Located in the grassy triangle on the House side of the Capitol's East Front)  \r\n U.S. Capitol  \r\n  \r\n Rain Location  \r\n HC-7  \r\n U.S. Capitol\r\n &\r\nHIV Testing Van  \r\n New Jersey Ave & C Street SE  \r\n  (Adjacent to Lot 1, behind the Cannon House Office Building)\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-recognizes-37th-anniversary-of-title-ix", "Barbara Lee Recognizes 37th Anniversary of Title IX", "2009-06-23", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.23.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Recognizes 37th Anniversary of Title IX \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 23, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\n  \r\nCalls for more funding, resources to support programs\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement in recognition of the 37th Anniversary of Title IX, the federal law banning sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal funds.\r\nTitle IX is more than just creating opportunities for women in sports, the law was designed to be a strong and comprehensive measure that would combat all forms of sex discrimination in education. Since 1972, Title IX has been successful in opening the doors for women, but there are barriers that still remain.\r\nWhile some would try to weaken Title IX, is it clear that there are still a myriad of issues that women and girls still face in our educational system. Nearly 83 percent of girls in our schools have experienced sexual harassment, only 39 percent of all full-time professors at colleges and universities are women and women's teams receive only 33 percent of recruiting dollars and 36 percent of athletic operating dollars.\r\nIn order to break down these barriers we must continue to provide the necessary funding and resources to enforce Title IX. The Office on Civil Rights at the Department of Education must become more proactive in conducting compliance reviews at our educational institutions. Additionally, they must provide technical assistance and guidance to those institutions to ensure that are able to vigorously investigate and enforcing Title IX complaints.\r\nI want the next generation of young women to be able to have even greater opportunities than I had when I was growing up - not just in sports, but in the science, technology, law, medicine and all professions. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that Title IX remains in place so that we can open doors for women and girls that were once closed to them.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-supports-commerce-justice-science-appropriations-bill", "Barbara Lee Supports Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill", "2009-06-22", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.22.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Supports Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 22, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Last week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) voted in support of the FY2010 Commerce, Justice and Science-related Appropriations bill which will appropriate $64.6 billion.\r\nI am pleased to support this legislation that will provide much needed funding to our communities, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee.\r\nSpecifically, I am pleased that the legislation includes $31 million for the creation, growth and expansion of minority-owned businesses and $802 million to support local law enforcement agencies through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program which over 556 local and state law enforcement agencies in my state of California have directly benefited from.\r\nAdditionally, this legislation ensures there are revisions to the provisions which limit the availability of gun tracing data making the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) the central point of contact for all Federal, State and local agencies authorized to receive such data.\r\nThe 9th Congressional District of California stands to receive close to $2 million in federal funding, including:\r\n \r\n    Automatic Vehicle Locating Systems (City of Oakland) - $250,000\r\n    Clean Slate Clinic for Community Re-entry and Reintegration (East Bay Community Law Center) - $250,000\r\n    Digital Connectors At-Risk Youth Program Expansion (Eden Housing) (Stark, Tauscher, McNerney)- $575,000\r\n    Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Center (Men of Valor Academy) - $100,000\r\n    Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Center for Asian Pacific Islander Youth (National Council on Crime and Delinquency) - $100,000\r\n    Oakland Center for Public Safety at Merritt College (Peralta Community College District) - $125,000\r\n    Oakland Housing and Career Center (Covenant House California) - $250,000\r\n    Youth Non-Violent Leadership Program (Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Center) - $250,000\r\n \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-applauds-confirmation-of-dr-eric-goosby-as-global-aids-coordinator", "Barbara Lee Applauds Confirmation of Dr. Eric Goosby as Global AIDS Coordinator", "2009-06-20", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.20.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Applauds Confirmation of Dr. Eric Goosby as Global AIDS Coordinator \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 20, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  This week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released this statement applauding the Senate confirmation of Dr. Eric Goosby as the new U.S. global AIDS coordinator.\r\n  \r\nI applaud the confirmation of my constituent Dr. Eric Goosby as the new global AIDS coordinator. I have had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Goosby for many years, and he is morally committed to addressing HIV /AIDS around the world and has the skills and expertise to take on this important position.\r\n  \r\nI have no doubt that Dr. Goosby will do a fantastic job in effectively implementing President Obama's global strategy on HIV/AIDS.\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-to-host-dialogue-on-health-care-reform", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee to Host Dialogue on Health Care Reform", "2009-06-19", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.19.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara Lee to Host Dialogue on Health Care Reform \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 20, 2009\r\nContact: Ricci Graham  \r\n510-763-0370\r\nHealth care experts and providers will be presented with unique opportunity to provide feedback on reforming the nation's health care system\r\nOakland  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) will host a roundtable discussion that will focus on present efforts in Congress to reform the nation's health care system and the steps that need to be taken to reduce healthcare disparities among minorities throughout the United States. The Dialogue on Health Care Reform will be held on Monday, June 22, 2009 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church, 408 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA. The discussion presents regional leaders in the health care community from throughout the Ninth Congressional District with a unique opportunity to discuss health disparities and health care reform directly with Congresswoman Lee as she and her colleagues in Congress work to reform the nation's health care system.\r\nHealth care reform has long been one of Congresswoman Lee's legislative priorities, and the Congresswoman wants to make certain that the voices of local healthcare leaders, providers and stakeholders from throughout the Ninth Congressional District are heard in Washington D.C. as Congress discusses landmark healthcare legislation.\r\nAs Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Congresswoman Lee earlier this month joined her colleagues of the Congressional TriCaucus  which includes the CBC, the Asian Pacific American and the Hispanic caucuses  in introducing the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2009. The bill is designed to reduce racial and ethnic disparities, while improving our national healthcare system for all Americans.  \r\n  \r\nWho: Congresswoman Barbara Lee   \r\nWhat: To Host a Dialogue on Healthcare Reform  \r\nWhen: Monday, June 22, 2009  \r\n 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.\r\nWhere: Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church  \r\n 408 West MacArthur Blvd  \r\n Oakland, CA\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/2009/06/16/barbara-lee-votes-no-on-war-supplemental", "Barbara Lee Votes \"No\" on War Supplemental", "2009-06-16", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.16.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Votes \"No\" on War Supplemental \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 16, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nCalls for better balance between humanitarian and military spending\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) voted against the Supplemental Appropriations Act to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She released this statement:\r\nI cannot support any funding for Iraq that was not dedicated solely for the redeployment of our troops and military contractors. I am also unable to support the open ended military escalation in Afghanistan. We need a better balance between humanitarian and military spending in Afghanistan and we need an exit strategy. The supplemental appropriations bill does not reflect a fundamental shift in direction. Therefore, I cannot support it.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/uc-berkeley-to-receive-nih-funding-through-recovery-package", "UC Berkeley to Receive NIH Funding through Recovery Package", "2009-06-16", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.16.09\n\t\t\t UC Berkeley to Receive NIH Funding through Recovery Package \n\t\t\t\r\n\r\nFor Immediate Release\r\nJune 16, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams\r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) announced the release of $477,836 in funding to the University of California at Berkeley through the National Institute of Health. The money was made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.\r\nThe money will go towards the following research projects:\r\n \r\n    Development of direction selectivity in the retina - $350,836: To help determine the factors that instruct the development of visual responses in the mammalian retina, in particular, the study of circuits that underlie the ability of the retina to detect the direction of motion of an object in the visual scene. \r\n    Student/Teacher Summer research experiences - $127,000: UC Berkeley will hire a student and/or teacher to create research experiences over the next two summers for over 3,700 high school and college students and science teachers at NIH-funded laboratories across the country.\r\n \r\nUC Berkeley has been a leader health research, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. These funds will help them continue their groundbreaking work and expose our young people to opportunities in math and science.\r\nTo learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-pushes-for-washington-dc-to-host-next-ias-conference", "Barbara Lee Pushes for Washington DC to Host Next IAS Conference", "2009-06-12", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.12.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Pushes for Washington DC to Host Next IAS Conference \n\t\t\t\r\n Washington, D.C.  Following The International AIDS Society's (IAS) announcement of its interest in convening the International AIDS Conference in 2012 (AIDS 2012) in Washington, D.C., Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) released this statement in support of having the world's largest health conference in the United States.\r\n\"I'm pleased that the IAS has decided to move ahead and explorethe possibility ofbringing the International AIDS Conference back to the United States, pending the removal of the 22-year old ban on the entry of foreigners living with HIV into the United States,\" said Congresswoman Lee. \"As the original author of legislation to remove the travel and immigrationban, I have long argued that we must remove the ban so that the conference can come back to the United States.\"\r\nThe statutory ban was finally removed upon passage of landmark global AIDS legislation last July in Congress. Following its passage, Congresswoman Lee attended the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City last August and forcefully made the case to the IAS that they bring the conference back to the United States now that that statutory ban had been lifted.\r\n\"I applaud this first step by the IAS and I look forward toworking with the Administration to ensurethe full regulatory reversal of the travel and immigration ban in the coming months.\"\r\nThe IAS is the world's leading independent association of HIV professionals, with over 13,000 members in 188 countries working at all levels of the global response to HIV/AIDS. IAS members represent scientists, clinicians, public health, policy experts and community practitioners on the frontlines of the epidemic. The IAS is the lead organizer of the International AIDS Conference and the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention.\r\n###\r\n\r\nFor Immediate Release\r\nJune 12, 2009\r\n\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams\r\n(202) 225-2661 \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-supports-bill-to-regulate-tobacco-industry", "Barbara Lee Supports Bill to Regulate Tobacco Industry", "2009-06-12", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.12.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Supports Bill to Regulate Tobacco Industry \n\t\t\t\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) voted to protect our kids and families from the harmful effects of tobacco and tobacco products. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act will grant the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the advertising, marketing and manufacturing of tobacco products  giving the FDA the tools it needs to better protect the public health.\r\n\"It is long past time that we take a national approach to address the dangers of smoking. I am pleased that the State of California has been a leader on this issue having been one of the first states to move forward in banning indoor smoking in public places, including bars and restaurants. As a result our state has the second lowest prevalence level of smoking among both adults and youth, at 14.8 percent and 13.2 percent respectively. \r\n\"This legislation is a step in the right direction. By monitoring and regulating the sale and advertising of tobacco products, we can better protect our children and families. Additionally, we must make sure that we follow through on the regulatory authority provided in this bill to help encourage smokers to quit, and to provide help to those who choose to do so.\"\r\nThe legislation allows the FDA to develop restrictions on the advertising and promotion of tobacco products. The bill also requires tobacco companies to disclose the ingredients in each product and gives the FDA the power to demand changes to those ingredients. The bill requires more specific health warnings and reinstates the 1996 rule restricting the marketing of tobacco products to youth. \r\n###\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFor Immediate Release\r\nJune 12, 2009\r\n\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams\r\n(202) 225-2661 \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/berkeley-oakland-alameda-county-to-receive-recovery-zone-bonds", "Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda County to Receive Recovery Zone Bonds", "2009-06-12", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.12.09\n\t\t\t Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda County to Receive Recovery Zone Bonds  \n\t\t\t\r\n\r\nFor Immediate Release \r\nJune 12, 2009  Contact: Nicole Y. Williams   \r\n(202) 225-2661  Washington, D.C.  Today, the U.S. Treasury Department announced $25 billion in bond authority available under the Recovery Zone Bonds program. Of that $25 billion, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) is pleased to announce that the Cities of Berkeley and Oakland and Alameda County will receive over $38 million in recovery zone bonds. \r\n \r\n    City of Berkeley - $1,558,000 (Recovery Zone Development Bond), $2,337,000 (Recovery Zone Facility Bond) \r\n    City of Oakland - $5,054,000 (Recovery Zone Development Bond), $7,581,000 (Recovery Zone Facility Bond) \r\n    Alameda County (Residual)  $8,644,000 (Recovery Zone Development Bond), $12,966,000 (Recovery Zone Facility Bond)\r\n \r\nWith the state of California facing tremendous economic challenges and recent cutbacks in local services, the infusion of these recovery zone funds will provide the financing needed to revitalize our communities, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. The Obama Administration has once again demonstrated their commitment to provide much needed economic support for our state and local governments.  Recovery Zone Bonds are targeted to areas particularly affected by job loss and will help local governments obtain financing for much needed economic development projects, such as public infrastructure development, at lower borrowing costs.  The Recovery Act included two new types of Recovery Zone Bonds  Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds and Recovery Zone Facility Bonds. Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds are another type of taxable Build America Bond that allow state and local governments to obtain lower borrowing costs through a new direct federal payment subsidy, for 45 percent of the interest, to finance a broad range of qualified economic development projects, such as job training and educational programs. Recovery Zone Facility Bonds are a type of traditional tax-exempt private activity bond that may be used by private businesses in designated recovery zones to finance a broad range of depreciable capital projects.  To learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.\r\n  \r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-encourages-constituents-to-prepare-for-dtv-transition", "Barbara Lee Encourages Constituents to Prepare for DTV Transition", "2009-06-11", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.11.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Encourages Constituents to Prepare for DTV Transition \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release\r\nJune 11, 2009\r\n\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams\r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) released the following statement regarding the Digital Television (DTV) transition that will take place tomorrow, June 12, 2009.\r\n\"In less than 24 hours the Digital TV transition will go into affect,\" said Congresswoman Lee. \"If you have an analog TV set that is not connected to a paid service or do not have a built-in digital tuner you will no longer receive a signal and your television will go dark'. For those that still have questions about the DTV transition and the steps you need to take to ensure that you continue to receive television service, I encourage you visit www.dtv.gov or call 1-800-CALLFCC for help.\"\r\nThe FCC is available to help consumers who need assistance in making the transition to digital broadcast television. The FCC Call Center currently is operating 24 hours a day at full capacity. In addition, the FCC's webpage, www.dtv.gov, provides a \"one-stop shop\" for consumers to locate local vendors and DTV help centers.\r\n###\r\n\r\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-saddened-by-shooting-us-holocaust-memorial-museum", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee Saddened by Shooting U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum", "2009-06-10", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "(510) 763-0370\r\nWashington D.C.  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) issued the following statement today in response to the fatal shooting that took place at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum:\r\n\"I join in condemning the tragic shooting that took place at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum,\" Congresswoman Lee said. \"I extend my most heart-felt condolences to the family of the museum security guard who was slain in this senseless act of violence. My thoughts and prayers go out to the members of his family.\"\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-introduces-resolution-supporting-national-caribbean-american-hiv/aids-awareness-day", "Barbara Lee Introduces Resolution Supporting National Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day", "2009-06-08", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.08.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Introduces Resolution Supporting National Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release\r\nJune 8, 2009\r\n\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams\r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today in conjunction with June being National Caribbean Heritage Month, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced legislation supporting the goals and ideals of National Caribbean American HIV/Awareness Day which is recognized every year on June 8th.\r\nThe resolution seeks to encourage State and local governments and media organizations to publicize the importance of the day in their communities and encourage Caribbean American, Caribbean-born and all people in the United State to, educate themselves on the disease, know their status and undergo testing for HIV. Additionally, the resolution supports the development of a National AIDS strategy with clear goals and objectives to reduce new HIV infections, particularly among communities of color.\r\n\"Communities of color continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS,\" said Congresswoman Lee. \"The statistics for those living and emigrating from the Caribbean are staggering.\r\n\"The Joint United National Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimated that 230,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean at the end of 2007. Approximately 14,000 those diagnosed died of AIDS during that same year making it one of the leading causes of death in the Caribbean among adults 15 to 49 years old and making the region the second-most affected by HIV in the world.\r\n\"This legislation will bring much needed awareness and advocacy to both the Caribbean and Caribbean American communities about the devastating affects of this deadly disease and what people must do to protect themselves.\"\r\n###\r\n\r\n \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-celebrates-caribbean-american-heritage-month", "Barbara Lee Celebrates Caribbean American Heritage Month", "2009-06-05", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.05.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Celebrates Caribbean American Heritage Month  \n\t\t\t\r\nFor Immediate Release\r\nJune 5, 2009\r\n\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams\r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  This month, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) joins the nation in celebrating Caribbean-American Heritage Month.\r\nCongresswoman Lee has led the effort to establish June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month. In June 2005, the House of Representatives unanimously adopted H. Con. Res. 71, authored by Congresswoman Lee, recognizing the significance of Caribbean people and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States. On February 14, 2006, the resolution similarly passed the Senate, culminating a two-year, bipartisan and bicameral effort. Since the resolution's passage, the White House has issued an annual proclamation recognizing June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month.\r\nLast month, Congresswoman Lee introduced a resolution that would recognize the significance of National Caribbean-American Heritage Month. The legislation is scheduled to be considered within the next few weeks. Additionally, the White House issued a proclamation to commemorate the month.\r\n\"Americans of Caribbean ancestry have made countless contributions to this country's history and culture,\" said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. \"From the political activism of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, to the prolific acting of Sidney Poitier, to the sweet sounds of Celia Cruz, people of Caribbean descent have enriched the heritage of the United States through the arts, education, business, sports, military and government. Throughout the month of June, I encourage all Americans to celebrate and learn more about the rich history of Caribbean-Americans in the United States.\"\r\n###\r\n\r\n \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-applauds-decision-to-readmit-cuba-to-oas", "Barbara Lee Applauds Decision to Readmit Cuba to OAS", "2009-06-03", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.03.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Applauds Decision to Readmit Cuba to OAS \n\t\t\t\r\nFor Immediate Release\r\nJune 3, 2009\r\n\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams\r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) applauded the Organization of American States (OAS) on their decision to revoke a 1962 measure suspending Cuba, reversing a landmark of the Cold War in the hemisphere. While the action was taken without conditions, the agreement requires Cuba to comply with OAS conventions on human rights and other issues.\r\n\"I am very pleased to see that the Organization of American States has taken another positive step toward bringing the Cold War to a final end in the Americas,\" said Congresswoman Lee.\r\n\"I applaud this vote by the OAS to rescind the wrongheaded 1962 decision to shut out Cuba and I hope that this reversal is an important step towards the United State soon lifting the travel ban for all Americans, establishing normal diplomatic relations with our nearest Caribbean neighbor and in the end lifting the unilateral trade embargo on Cuba.\r\n\"Having Cuba as a member of the OAS is another step toward addressing the full range of issues remaining between the US and Cuba.\"\r\nCongresswoman Barbara Lee has long supported an end to the travel ban and has introduced legislation (H.R. 332) that would remove travel restrictions for students traveling to Cuba. \r\n###\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/national-black-leadership-commission-on-aids-honors-barbara-lee-with-choose-life-award", "National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS Honors Barbara Lee with Choose Life Award", "2009-06-03", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.03.09\n\t\t\t National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS Honors Barbara Lee with Choose Life Award \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release\r\nJune 3, 2009\r\n\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams\r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Tonight, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) will be honored by the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA) during their 2009 Choose Life Awards Dinner and National Call to Action.\r\n\"I am truly honored to receive this award,\" said Congresswoman Lee. \"The NBLCA has been vocal in advocating for increased funding for HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and care services for African Americans and all Americans affected by HIV/AIDS. In particular their work in convening the National Conclave on HIV/AIDS Policy for Black Clergy, and the development of the National Black Clergy HIV/AIDS Elimination Act have been instrumental in bringing all parts of our community together to fight this deadly disease.\"\r\nOther honorees will include A. Cornelius Baker Senior Policy Advisor, National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition; John A. Catsimatidis Chairman and CEO, Gristede's Food Inc.; HSBC Bank, USA Cheryl Morrison, Diversity Manager; Ingrid Saunders Jones Senior Vice President, The Coca-Cola Company and Andr Leon Talley Editor-at-Large, Vogue.\r\nThe National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA), founded in November 1987, is the oldest and largest not-for-profit organization of its kind in the United States. The NBLCA's mission is to educate, organize, and empower Black leadership, including clergy, elected officials, medical practitioners, business professionals, social policy experts, and the media to meet the challenge of fighting HIV/AIDS in their local communities. The NBLCA conducts policy, research and advocacy on HIV and AIDS to ensure effective participation of our leadership in all policy and resource allocation decisions at the national, state and local levels of communities of African descent nationwide.\r\n###\r\n\r\nCongresswoman Lee has been a leader in the fight against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. She co-authored legislation signed into law creating the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in 2000, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, the PEPFAR Reauthorization Act in 2008, and legislation addressing the needs of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS in 2005. She is the only member of Congress serving on both the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education which have jurisdiction over all US global and domestic AIDS programs.\r\n \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-to-receive-future-progressive-champion-award", "Barbara Lee to Receive Future Progressive Champion Award", "2009-06-02", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.02.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee to Receive Future Progressive Champion Award \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 2, 2009\r\nContact  \r\nRicci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370 Washington, D.C.  Tonight, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) will receive the Future Progressive Champion Award from the Campaign For America's Future during their annual America's Future Now Awards Dinner. I am extremely honored and humbled to receive the Future Progressive champion Award, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. I look forward to working together with the Campaign for America's Future to build coalitions and move our shared progressive agenda forward both inside and outside of the halls of Congress. Other award recipients will include John J. Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO who will receive the America's Future Lifetime Leadership Award, and Deepak Bhargava and the Center for Community Change who will be receiving the Paul Wellston Citizen Leadership Award. The Campaign for America's Future is the strategy center for the progressive movement. Their goal is to forge the enduring progressive majority needed to realize the America of shared prosperity and equal opportunity that our country was meant to be.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-mourns-the-passing-of-peggy-stinnett", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee Mourns the Passing of Peggy Stinnett", "2009-06-02", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.02.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara Lee Mourns the Passing of Peggy Stinnett \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 2, 2009\r\nContact  \r\nRicci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370 Washington D.C.  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) today issued the following statement upon learning of the passing of prominent Oakland columnist Peggy Stinnett:\r\nI am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend Peggy Stinnett, Congresswoman Lee said. Peggy and I worked closely together over the years, and I always appreciated the dignified manner in which she approached her craft and her ability to capture the issues that were of great importance to the community that she covered. Peggy was a voice for the residents of the East Bay, a probing columnist who, over the years, developed a loyal following of readers that cross racial boundaries. Peggy worked hard to earn the trust of those she wrote about, and she spent a lifetime doing what every journalist longs to achieve  and that is to make a lasting impact on the community she was devoted to covering. Peggy will be deeply missed by all. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and her many colleagues in the journalism community.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/uc-berkeley-childrens-hospital-and-research-center-of-oakland-to-receive-funding-through-recovery-package", "UC Berkeley, Children's Hospital and Research Center of Oakland to Receive Funding through Recovery Package", "2009-06-02", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.02.09\n\t\t\t UC Berkeley, Children's Hospital and Research Center of Oakland to Receive Funding through Recovery Package \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nJune 2, 2009\r\nContact  \r\nRicci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370 Washington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) announced the release of over $3 million in funding to National Institute of Health grantees in the Ninth congressional District of California. The money was made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Awardees include:\r\n \r\n    University of California at Berkeley - $182,814: To create a mouse model to enable researchers to compare TLR9 gene function in mice and humans, which may inform new treatments for infectious and immunologic diseases.\r\n    University of California at Berkeley - $2,567,353: To investigate the interaction between five intracellular pathogens and immune cells called macrophages in hopes of aiding discovery of new therapies to combat these infectious agents.\r\n    University of California at Berkeley - $50,054: To elucidate the means by which cancer-causing gammaherpesviruses actively replicate while subverting the immune response; may identify weaknesses that could be exploited by treatments and vaccines.\r\n    Children's Hospital and Research Center of Oakland - $400,000: To find treatments for Cardiovascular diseases through research the structure of apolipoprotein A-I on defined states of HDL.\r\n \r\nIn order to develop new treatments and vaccines for illnesses we must invest in healthcare research, said Congresswoman Lee. I am pleased that the Ninth Congressional District of California will receive these funds to continue their groundbreaking work towards desperately needed treatments and cures.\r\nTo learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-shocked-by-the-shooting-of-dr-george-tiller", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee Shocked by the Shooting of Dr. George Tiller", "2009-06-01", "2009", "2009-06", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "06.01.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara Lee Shocked by the Shooting of Dr. George Tiller \n\t\t\t\r\nFor Immediate Release\r\nJune 1, 2009\r\n\r\nContact: Ricci Graham\r\n(510) 763-037\r\nWashington D.C.  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09) issued the following statement today regarding the murder of Dr. George Tiller, who was gunned down while serving as an usher in a Wichita, Kansas, church on Sunday.\r\n\"I am appalled by this unconscionable act of violence,\" Congresswoman Lee said. \"I offer my deepest and most sincere condolences to the family and many friends of Dr. Tiller. My thoughts and prayers are with them as they struggle with this tremendous loss.\"\r\n\r\n### \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-to-give-merritt-college-commencement-address", "Congresswoman Barbara to Give Merritt College Commencement Address", "2009-05-28", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.28.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara to Give Merritt College Commencement Address \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 29, 2009\r\nContact  \r\nRicci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nCongresswoman Lee's speech is themed Changing Lives\r\nOakland  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) will deliver the commencement speech for Merritt College's graduating class of 2009. Congresswoman Lee will address the graduates on Friday, May 29, 2009 at Paramount Theater, located at 2025 Broadway, Oakland. The commencement ceremony is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.\r\n  \r\nWho: Congresswoman Barbara Lee  \r\nWhat: Delivers Merritt College commencement address  \r\nWhen:Friday, May 29, 2009 at 5:30 p.m.  \r\nWhere:Paramount Theater  \r\n  2025 Broadway  \r\nOakland CA\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-releases-statement-on-california-supreme-court-decision-to-uphold-proposition-8", "Barbara Lee Releases Statement on California Supreme Court Decision to Uphold Proposition 8", "2009-05-26", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.26.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Releases Statement on California Supreme Court Decision to Uphold Proposition 8 \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 26, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) released this statement following the California Supreme Court's decision to uphold Proposition 8, a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage while also validating the marriages of the 18,000 couples who wed prior to the its passage:\r\nToday's decision by the California Supreme Court to uphold Proposition 8 is not the outcome that I had hoped for. However, I remain encouraged by the court's decision to affirm the marriages of the 18,000 couples who married prior to the Proposition 8 vote.\r\nCalifornians have and will continue to lead the struggle for equality on all fronts. I intend to continue to pursue protections for LGBT individuals and their families here in Congress.\r\nCongresswoman Lee is a founding member of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus co-chaired by Chairman Barney Frank and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin. She is proud to stand with 52 bi-partisan members to continue the work of ensuring that every American is treated equally under the law no matter their race, sex, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-urges-leadership-to-renegotiate-panama-free-trade-agreement", "Barbara Lee Urges Leadership to Renegotiate Panama Free Trade Agreement", "2009-05-20", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.20.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Urges Leadership to Renegotiate Panama Free Trade Agreement \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 21, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) joined 53 of her House colleagues in sending a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi arguing that the proposed Panama Free Trade Agreement be renegotiated. She released this statement:\r\nThe Panama Free Trade Agreement, as it currently stands, is simply a throwback to the Bush Administration's failed trade policy that has left our economy crippled and thousands of Americans jobless. If we are going to truly be the New Direction' Congress, then we must break away from the policies that have gotten our country into the economic downturn that we are working to pull ourselves out of.\r\nOur trade policy must seek to level the playing field so that our American businesses and the American worker are not struggling to compete against impossible odds in the international marketplace. We need fair trade not just free trade.\r\nWith the new Administration in place, we now have a historic opportunity to push forward a new trade model that will benefit both workers and businesses. As we work to craft new trade agreements, we must ensure that they meet basic standards protecting labor rights, environmental standards, food safety regulations, financial regulations, and taxation transparency.\r\nThe Panama Free Trade Agreement will likely weaken any effort by the United States implement stricter financial regulations to protect our economy. That is why we must renegotiate this agreement so that it is in it's in the best interest of the United States.\r\nWorking with the President and my colleagues in Congress, I am confident that we can put new trade policy in place to help create American jobs, protect workers' rights, and uphold environmental standards.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-votes-to-send-credit-card-bill-of-rights-to-president-obamas-desk", "Barbara Lee Votes to Send Credit Card Bill of Rights to President Obama's Desk", "2009-05-20", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.20.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Votes to Send Credit Card Bill of Rights to President Obama's Desk \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 20, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) voted to bring common sense reform and consumer protections to the credit card industry. The legislation, passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority of 361 64, will now go on to President Obama's desk to be signed into law. The Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights will end the unfair practices of the credit card industry and protect consumers from the abusive tactics that have driven so many Americans deeper and deeper into debt. She released this statement:\r\nIt's unacceptable that during these incredibly difficult and challenging economic times, our constituents are increasingly being squeezed with egregious fees and dubious business practices by the very banks that their tax dollars have been bailing out, said Congresswoman Lee. The bill will level the playing field between card issuers and cardholders by applying common sense regulations that would ban most retroactive interest rate hikes on existing balances, double-cycle billing and due-date gimmicks. While I believe the consumer protections in this bill should have gone into effect sooner, I am pleased that Congress has taken swift action to get this legislation to the President's desk.\r\nI am disappointed however that the final bill retains language to allow guns in national parks. This language is not only unnecessary but unrelated to the goals of this bill which is to provide critical credit protections to consumers. We cannot continue to allow the gun lobby to hold us hostage to their agenda.\r\nSpecifically, the bill bans most interest rate increases on existing balances and increases notice of interest rate hikes going forward on new purchases. It requires that bills be sent 21 days before the due date; prohibits charging fees just to pay a bill by phone, mail or web; bans over-the-limit fees unless a consumer opts-in in advance; bans due-date tricks; requires payments to be applied fairly to the highest interest rate balance first; and strengthens credit card protections for young people.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/children-hospital-and-research-center-to-receive-recovery-funding", "Children Hospital and Research Center to Receive Recovery Funding", "2009-05-20", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.20.09\n\t\t\t Children Hospital and Research Center to Receive Recovery Funding \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 20, 2009\r\nContact  \r\nRicci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nWashington D.C.  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) announced today that Children's Hospital and Research Center of Oakland will receive funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for a biomedical research project.\r\nChildren's Hospital and Research Center will receive $240,000 from HHS to fund a proposal to test a new genetically-influenced mechanism that can contribute to inter-individual variation in drug response. The results of this research could yield improvement in the ability to identify individuals most likely to achieve cardiovascular benefits from statin treatment, and new pharmacologic approaches for increasing statin effectiveness.\r\nThe work that is being done in this area is of extreme importance, said Congresswoman Lee. I am pleased that Children's Hospital will receive funding for this project. It is my hope that the test will yield the type of results that will enhance the treatment of cardiovascular-related conditions.\r\nThe money is being made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. To learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-to-host-american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act-panel-discussion", "Congresswoman Barbara Lee to Host  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Panel Discussion", "2009-05-20", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.20.09\n\t\t\t Congresswoman Barbara Lee to Host  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Panel Discussion \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 20, 2009\r\nContact  \r\nRicci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370\r\nEconomic Recovery event to assist non-profit and faith-based organizations\r\nOakland  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-09)  in cooperation with the East Bay Community Foundation  will host the third in a series of events designed to ensure that communities throughout the 9th Congressional District gain access to funding being made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)  or Stimulus Bill.\r\nA panel of 10 will discuss how non-profits and faith-based community organizations can access federal funding on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Laney College Theater, located at 900 Fallon Street, Oakland. A Stimulus guide will be available, and representatives from a number of federal agencies will be on hand to address the many concerns organizations have regarding how to apply and secure this important funding. Who:Congresswoman Barbara Lee in cooperation with the East BayCommunity Foundation  \r\nWhat: To host a panel discussion designed to help non-profits and faith-based organizations access AmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Act  or Stimulus Bill  funding  \r\nWhen: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.  \r\nWhere: The Laney College Theater  \r\n900 Fallon Street, Oakland, CA. To RSVP, contact the office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee at 510-763-0370 or e-mail leeARRA.event@mail.house.gov.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-leads-discussion-on-the-critical-issues-facing-haiti", "Barbara Lee Leads Discussion on the Critical Issues Facing Haiti", "2009-05-19", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.19.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Leads Discussion on the Critical Issues Facing Haiti \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 19, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) joined a number of her House colleagues and the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) in a discussion on critical issues facing Haiti. Guest speakers included Jose Miguel Insulza, Secretary General of the Organization of American States, and Jimmy Jean-Louis, actor on the NBC hit series Heroes who serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for Haiti's Children at the PADF.\r\nHaiti is at a crossroads. In 2007, it achieved its highest GDP growth rate since 1995  and since the return of the UN Mission to Haiti, has seen a substantial rise of international support and cooperation. But a devastating triple blow of rising food and energy prices, vicious hurricanes and tropical storms, and global economic instability has served to undermine Haiti's progress.\r\nThe recent attention drawn to Haiti from Secretary Clinton's recent visit and announcement of increased foreign aid is a major step in the right direction. However, bold action is needed to capitalize on this attention and build partnerships with groups like PADF.\r\nMy colleagues and I in Congress have called for an increase in U.S. foreign assistance from the current $300 million to $350 million, particularly in the realms of maternal and child health, clean water and sanitation, education, infrastructure, and basic security.\r\nWe must also ensure that the Haitian state and private sector possesses the capacity and resources to channel this aid effectively and efficiently. That is why I introduced H.R. 417, the Next Steps for Haiti Act of 2009. This legislation  with the support of USAID, and in partnership with the Government of Haiti and civil society would create a professional exchange program for Haitian and Haitian-American professionals in fields of education, healthcare, and engineering.\r\nAdditionally, we must immediately grant Temporary Protected Status to Haitian Nationals in the United States. If we are truly committed to helping our neighbor, we must ensure that we are not assisting Haiti with the one hand, while undermining its stability with the other.\r\nThese steps are crucial to ensuring the viability and sustainability of Haiti moving forward.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-supports-obama-administration-proposal-for-stricter-auto-emissions-and-efficiency-standards", "Barbara Lee Supports Obama Administration Proposal for Stricter Auto Emissions and Efficiency Standards", "2009-05-19", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.19.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Supports Obama Administration Proposal for Stricter Auto Emissions and Efficiency Standards \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 19, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) applauded the Obama Administration's proposal for new fuel economy standards and the first ever greenhouse gas pollution standards for cars. The program will begin in model year 2012. By 2016 the fleet average will be 35.5 miles per gallon, which is four years earlier than the existing CAFE law requires.\r\nThe State of California has been fighting diligently for a waiver from federal law so that we could set our own fuel economy guidelines, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. I am pleased to see the Obama Administration embracing these standards and looking to implement them on a national basis.\r\nThis bold move by the Obama Administration to end our dependence on foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions is a clear change in course from the Bush Administration's decision last year to block California's efforts to combat global warming and promote the use of cleaner, more efficient vehicles on their roads.\r\nThe danger global warming poses on the future of our environment is real. Today's announcement put our country on a clear path to a greener and more energy secure future.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-supports-state-department-authorization", "Barbara Lee Supports State Department Authorization", "2009-05-19", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.19.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Supports State Department Authorization \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 20, 2009 Contact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) released this statement following the House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on the authorization appropriations for the Department of State and the Peace Corps for fiscal years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410).  Congresswoman Lee was able to have a number of provisions included in the legislation including her bill, the Shirley A. Chisholm United States-Caribbean Educational Exchange Act which passed the House in the 110th Congress. The legislation seeks to promote better understanding of U.S. values and culture by offering scholarships to Caribbean students to pursue secondary, undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate studies in the United States. Additionally the legislation includes report language offered by Congresswoman Lee to address the enduring humanitarian crisis in Gaza and contracting and hiring provisions to ensure the State Department, in its composition and activities, accurately reflects the diversity of the United States. I am greatly encouraged that H.R. 2410 takes an important step toward reorienting our foreign policy priorities for the 21st Century by authorizing funding to meet President Obama's budget request, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. The legislation includes many valuable programs and provisions to extend the arm of diplomacy in the interest of development, progress, and peace.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/-barbara-lee-commemorates-national-small-business-week", "Barbara Lee Commemorates National Small Business Week", "2009-05-18", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.18.09\n\t\t\t  Barbara Lee Commemorates National Small Business Week \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 18, 2009 Contact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661 Washington, D.C.  May 17th -23rd is National Small Business Week. Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement commemorating the week-long event. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy. They create 60 to 80 percent of new jobs and employ over 50 percent of the nation's workforce. As we seek to weather the current economic storm, it is important that we continue to nurture the job-creating potential of small businesses by providing them with the necessary tools they need to grow. Access to capital has been a recurring challenge for small businesses. While credit markets remain historically tight, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) passed earlier this year is helping improve the flow of capitol to small businesses through a number of new and innovative programs. The ARRA makes it easier for small firms to get capital by increasing to 90 percent the government guarantee on SBA-backed loans and unfreezing the secondary market, which will help increase the flow of capital. Also, the newly created Small Business Stabilization Financing Program,' allows businesses to keep their doors open with a $35,000 loan, interest free. Since the passage of this legislation, the volume of new SBA-backed loans has risen more than 20 percent since mid-March, with more than $1.3 billion in new loans approved.  Additionally, I have been working to ensure that minority and women-owned businesses have equal access to these federal dollars. To a large degree, these small businesses hire minorities and women from within their communities. By helping minority and women-owned business, we are helping to provide much needed jobs, training, and economic support that serve to empower communities of color and bridge the gap for equal pay.  For our nation to survive the current economic downturn, we must nurture the entrepreneurial spirit that has been integral to the success of this country. Through the new provisions passed through the ARRA and existing programs at the Small Business Administration, we are giving small firms important tools they will need to lead our nation's economic recovery.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-announces-111th-congress-surface-transportation-project-requests-for-californias-ninth-congressional-district", "Barbara Lee Announces 111th Congress Surface Transportation Project Requests for California's Ninth Congressional District", "2009-05-18", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.18.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Announces 111th Congress Surface Transportation Project Requests for California's Ninth Congressional District \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 18, 2009 Contact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  On behalf of the Ninth Congressional District of California Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) submitted the following requests for funding in the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill.\r\nAlameda-Contra Costa Transit District\r\n \r\n    AC Transit service area Line NL for environmental review, preliminary engineering, and final design for corridor improvements from Oakland to San Francisco via Grand-MacArthur Bay Bridge in Alameda County, CA. Amount requested: $3 million.\r\n    Construct real-time transit upgrades to AC Transit's communications systems in Alameda County, CA. Amount requested: $5 million.\r\n    Construct facilities upgrades to make use of alternative energy sources, reduce unnecessary energy use and reduce harmful emissions and effluents to protect the environment at AC Transit facilities in Alameda County, CA. Amount requested: $5 million.\r\n \r\nAlameda County Congestion Management Agency\r\n \r\n    Project development including environmental and preliminary engineering for the I-80 / Gilman Interchange project in north Alameda County, CA. Amount requested: $5 million.\r\n    Conduct planning, environmental review, preliminary design, engineering and construction for the eastbound I-80 Integrated Corridor Management project in west Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, CA. Amount requested: $15 million.\r\n    Prepare preliminary design, conduct the environmental review and right of way acquisition for the I-880 Park Street Triangle area improvements in the City of Oakland, CA. Amount requested: $5 million.\r\n \r\nAlameda County Public Works Agency\r\n \r\n    Acquire Right of Way and Construction, Crow Canyon Road, Alameda County, CA. Amount requested: $10 million.\r\n    Construct Pedestrian Facilities in Unincorporated Areas of Alameda County, CA. Amount requested: $6 million.\r\n    Design, Conduct Environmental Review, Acquire Right-of-Way, and Construct East Lewelling Blvd Streetscape Improvements in Unincorporated Alameda County, CA. Amount requested: $10 million\r\n \r\nAlameda County Transit Improvement Authority\r\n \r\n    East Bay Greenway Project: Finalize environmental review, prepare final design, and acquire right-of-way in Alameda County, CA. Amount requested: $5.2 million.\r\n \r\nBay Area Rapid Transit\r\n \r\n    Purchase and Deploy Rail Cars  San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), CA. Amount requested: $300 million.\r\n \r\nCity of Berkeley\r\n \r\n    State Route 13 (Ashby Avenue) Construct and Install Corridor Signalization Improvements in Berkeley, CA. Amount requested: $2,275,000.\r\n    Construct San Francisco Bay Trail Extension Project  Berkeley Waterfront, in Berkeley, CA. Amount requested: $1,760,000.\r\n \r\nCity of Emeryville\r\n \r\n    Design and construction of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Interstate 80 between Powell Street and Route 13, Emeryville, CA. Amount requested: $12.5 million.\r\n    Construction of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Interstate 80 between Powell Street and Route 13, Emeryville, CA. Amount requested: $10 million.\r\n    Design of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Interstate 80 between Powell Street and Route 13, Emeryville, CA. Amount requested: $2 million.\r\n    Design and environmental remediation of the Ashby/Shellmound I-80 Interchange between Powell Street and Route 13, Emeryville, CA. Amount requested: $5 million.\r\n \r\nCity of Oakland\r\n \r\n    Rehabilitate roadways, install curb ramps, repair sidewalk damage and install bike lanes in the City of Oakland, CA. Amount requested: $5 million.\r\n    Construct roadway improvements including signalization and lighting in the vicinity of 42nd Avenue and High Street in Oakland, CA. Amount requested: $5 million.\r\n    Conduct environmental review, plan, design, engineer and construct pedestrian bridge retrofit, streetscape improvements, and plazas for the Coliseum Transit Village and West Oakland Transit Village in Oakland, CA. Amount requested: $5 million.\r\n    Design, Install and Deploy an Intelligent Transportation System in Oakland, CA. Amount requested: $5 million.\r\n    Design and Construct Roadway Improvements at the former Oakland Army Base in the City of Oakland, CA. Amount requested: $5.5 million.\r\n \r\nPort of Oakland\r\n \r\n    Design and Construct New Utility Infrastructure to Provide Alternative Power for Ocean-going Vessels at Berth (Cold-Ironing) at the Port of Oakland, CA. Amount requested: $5 million.\r\n    Funding to support the design and engineering for the construction of the 7th Street Grade Crossing and Roadway Improvement project at the Port of Oakland, CA. Amount requested: $5 million.\r\n    Design and engineer the construction of the Oakland Army Base Intermodal Rail Development (Outer Harbor Intermodal Terminal) at the Port of Oakland, CA. Amount requested: $5 million.\r\n \r\nWater Emergency Transportation Authority\r\n \r\n    Construction of a new ferry terminal and related facilities in Berkeley, CA. Amount requested: $15 million.\r\n \r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-honors-high-school-artists-at-annual-congressional-arts-competition", "Barbara Lee Honors High School Artists at Annual Congressional Arts Competition", "2009-05-18", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.18.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Honors High School Artists at Annual Congressional Arts Competition \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 16, 2009\r\nContact  \r\nRicci Graham  \r\n(510) 763-0370 Oakland, CA  Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) hosted the 29th annual An Artistic Discovery reception and awards ceremony on Saturday, May 16 2009 to honor budding high school artists from throughout the Ninth Congressional District of California. I consider it a privilege to participate in this important ceremony to highlight the wonderful young talent we have here in my Congressional District, Congresswoman Lee said. I extended special congratulations to the winners and commend every student who participated. I was very impressed by their potential, and I know they have made their family, friends and community very proud.\r\nThe first-place winner of An Artistic Discovery  a Congressional high school arts competition that recognizes emerging artists throughout the country  was Evan Yee of Piedmont High School. Yee will receive three roundtrip tickets compliments of Southwest Airline to fly to Washington D.C. for a formal reception honoring winners from around the county in June. Yee's work will also be displayed in the Halls of Congress for one year.\r\nThe distinction of second place went to Ben Bloom of Berkeley High School and Humanities Academy. Honorable mention went to Angela Won of Bishop O'Dowd High School and Loren Wong of Skyline High School.\r\nThis is the 11th year Congresswoman Lee has hosted this event. The Congresswoman presented each participant with special certificates of recognition during the ceremony. Artists and community leaders served as judges. Some 75 students representing public and private schools from throughout the Ninth Congressional District participated in this year's competition.\r\nThe awards ceremony was held at the Chiodo Art Development Studio owned by renowned artist Mario Chiodo, creator of the Remember Them Project. The project depicts 23 humanitarian leaders who made significant contributions toward global peace, freedom and human rights over the past 150 years.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-applauds-announcement-of-rosa", "Barbara Lee Applauds Announcement of Rosa", "2009-05-15", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.15.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Applauds Announcement of Rosa  \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 15, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, DC  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released this statement following the White house announcement of Rosa Rosie Gumataotao Rios as the new U.S. Treasurer for the Department of Treasury:\r\nI am so very pleased that my constituent Rosie Gumataotao Rios, who I enthusiastically supported, has been chosen to serve as our new U.S. Treasurer.\r\nRosie brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this position having served as the Director of the Redevelopment and Economic Development for the City of Oakland and Managing Director of Investments for MacFarlane Partners. While working for the City of Oakland she led the efforts to facilitate development and business opportunities within Oakland and revitalize the city's downtown and neighborhood corridors.\r\nShe will be a wonderful addition to the Department of Treasury.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-introduces-caribbean-american-heritage-month-resolution", "Barbara Lee Introduces Caribbean American Heritage Month Resolution", "2009-05-14", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.14.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Introduces Caribbean American Heritage Month Resolution \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 14, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced a resolution that would recognize June as National Caribbean-American Heritage Month.\r\nAmericans of Caribbean ancestry reside in every part of the country, said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Millions have emigrated from the Caribbean to the United States since before our nation's founding. Throughout our history, Caribbean-Americans have served our country and contributed to the heritage of the United States through the arts, science, education, business, sports, military and government. This resolution will allow Congress to continue recognizing the important contributions of Caribbean-Americans to our nation's history.\r\nIn June 2005, the House of Representatives unanimously adopted H. Con. Res. 71, authored by Congresswoman Lee, recognizing the significance of Caribbean people and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States. On February 14, 2006, the resolution similarly passed the Senate, culminating a two-year, bipartisan and bicameral effort. Since the resolution's passage, the White House has issued an annual proclamation recognizing June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/barbara-lee-opposes-war-supplemental", "Barbara Lee Opposes War Supplemental", "2009-05-14", "2009", "2009-05", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "05.14.09\n\t\t\t Barbara Lee Opposes War Supplemental \n\t\t\tFor Immediate Release  \r\nMay 14, 2009\r\nContact: Nicole Y. Williams  \r\n(202) 225-2661\r\nWashington, D.C.  Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) voted against the Supplemental Appropriations Act to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She released this statement:\r\nI opposed the 2001 resolution authorizing the use of force because I believed it gave President Bush and any future President an open ended blank check to wage war anywhere on the globe, starting in Afghanistan. Today, nearly eight years later, I oppose the supplemental appropriations bill for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq because it continues us down the wrong path and can lead to war without end.\r\nSpecifically, I opposed the bill because it favors military activities over diplomatic, development, and reconstruction efforts by a ratio of 9 to 1. Afghanistan will not be stabilized through military might. As noted by the Carnegie Endowment, the presence of foreign troops is the most important element driving the resurgence of the Taliban.'\r\nThe bill does not include an exit plan for Afghanistan. In committee I offered an amendment that would have ensure we have in place an exit plan in the event our objectives for that country prove to be unattainable, unrealistic, or too costly in blood and treasure.\r\nAdditionally, it does not require the fully funded redeployment of troops out of Iraq within 12 months, the LEE Amendment would have corrected this problem but was not made in order by the Rules Committee.\r\nIt does not prohibit drone' attacks. These unmanned aerial attacks don't help us because they cause high level of civilian casualties and alienate the population we are trying to help.\r\nFinally, the bill does not include the strong regional approach the situation demands, nor does it provide for a strong nuclear non proliferation strategy in Pakistan.\r\nPresident Obama is correct in saying that we should be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in' - that's good advice for Iraq and great advice for Afghanistan. The best way to help the Afghan people develop a stable and functioning state is to decrease our military presence and increase our use of diplomatic, development, and reconstruction activities.\r\nThe supplemental appropriations bill does not reflect a new direction. Therefore, I could not vote for it.\r\n# # # \n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 206, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"party\" = :p0 and \"state\" = :p1 and \"year\" = :p2 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Democrat", "p1": "CA", "p2": "2009"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=CA&year=2009", "results": [{"value": "Democrat", "label": "Democrat", "count": 206, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=CA&year=2009", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=CA&year=2009", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 206, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=CA&year=2009&chamber=House", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=CA&year=2009", "results": [{"value": "CA", "label": "CA", "count": 206, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&year=2009", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=CA&year=2009", "results": [{"value": "2009", "label": "2009", "count": 206, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=CA", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2009-05-14,https~3A~2F~2Flee~2Ehouse~2Egov~2Fnews~2Fpress-releases~2Fbarbara-lee-opposes-war-supplemental", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=CA&year=2009&_next=2009-05-14%2Chttps~3A~2F~2Flee~2Ehouse~2Egov~2Fnews~2Fpress-releases~2Fbarbara-lee-opposes-war-supplemental&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 1006.6727071534842, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}