David Yang, Chair of the Committee on Legislation, 80-20 Initiatives, reported on October 2 success of three pieces of legislation endorsed by 80-20 Initiatives.
On July 30th, the House passed the Resolution introduced by Rep. Mike Honda of San
Jose calling upon the Japanese government to formally acknowledge and apologize for the use
of 'comfort women' during WWII. In the end the Resolution was cosponsored by 167
members of the House - nearly 40% of its membership. The overwhelming support received
by this Resolution is a testament to the decency and conscience of the American people, and
former Prime Minister Abe of Japan was forced to backtrack from earlier comments denying
state responsibility in the use of 'comfort women'.
A second piece of good news came on Sept. 7th, when the U.S. Senate along with the
House passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. This landmark financial aid bill
incorporates Rep. David Wu's legislation to expand educational opportunities for low-income
Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) students. The bill has been presented to the President on
Sept. 19th and is expected to be signed into law.
Finally, the Filipino Veterans Equity Act, sponsored by Rep. Bob Filner of California, was moved out of the House Veterans Affairs Committee on July 17th and is expected to come up for a House vote in the near future.