On the recordDecember 2, 2015
This bipartisan amendment is simple. It seeks to strike the term ``Oriental'' from Federal law in the last two remaining instances it is used to refer to a person within the Federal law. I thank my colleague and my friend, Chairman Royce, for cosponsoring this amendment with me. Mr. Chair, in the same way, I would not want either of my children to be referred to as ``Oriental'' by their teacher at school, I hope we can all agree that the term ``Oriental'' no longer deserves a place in Federal law. Toward that end, this amendment strikes the offensive term from 42 U.S.C. 7141 and 42 U.S.C. 6705, two sections of Federal law written in the 1970s that fall under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Congress once found it appropriate to pass laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Geary Act, but we also found it appropriate to repeal them. Times change. What is acceptable changes, and this Congress more often than not yields to that change. Mr. Chair, I call on my colleagues to join me in striking the legal use of outdated terms that many in the community would find offensive. I thank the Committee on Rules for making this amendment in order. I thank the chairman for allowing me time to speak on what is an important issue to my district, and I thank, again, Mr. Royce for his support and his cosponsorship of this amendment. I urge support for the amendment. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
