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Awards
- “Spirit of Enterprise” award from US Chamber of Commerce.
- “Friend of Agriculture” award from the California Farm Bureau.
- “Hero of the Taxpayers” award from Americans for Tax Reform.
- “Guardian of Small Business” award from the National Federation of Independent Business.
- “Senior Friendly Award” from The Seniors Coalition.
- Twice Awarded Armenian Man of the Year.
- The National Hmong Award.
A Record of Accomplishment
Congressman Radanovich has produced results for the 19th Congressional District. He has a reputation as a problem-solver, someone who builds relationships to get things done.
Listed below are a few of Congressman Radanovich’s major accomplishments that have benefitted citizens, businesses, farmers, and organizations throughout the 19th Congressional District:
San Joaquin River Settlement
The historic water settlement recently reached by litigating parties and third parties restores a salmon fishery below the San Joaquin River and provides water management goals so that farmers know how much water they will lose. Legislation is expected to be introduced by Congressman Radanovich in mid- November when Congress returns.
Federal Interagency Task Force
Congressman Radanovich in 2002 and 2004 took the lead in encouraging President Bush to extend the Executive Order establishing the Interagency Task Force on the Economic Development of the Central San Joaquin Valley (Federal Interagency Task Force). The Task Force addresses critical issues facing by Valley by working with local and state leadership to improve economic and other conditions in the Central Valley. Among other projects, the Task Force has worked with the Regional Jobs Initiative on economic development issues. The Task Force also provided the model for Gov. Schwarzenegger’s California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, which coordinates state resources to address challenges facing the Central Valley. Congressman Radanovich in September 2006 asked President Bush to again extend the Executive Order to allow the Task Force to align its efforts with the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley to provide a coordinated federal-state approach to Central Valley issues.
Proponent of Comprehensive Immigration Legislation
The Congressman has been at the forefront of the immigration debate in Congress as a supporter of a comprehensive approach to immigration. Specifically, in late August, he held a Comprehensive Immigration Forum in Fresno, CA with Department of Labor Deputy Secretary Steven Law. This event gave supporters of comprehensive immigration a chance to demonstrate public support for the effort. This event was especially important in light of the many House hearings over the summer promoting border security, but not a comprehensive approach. Congressman Radanovich is an advocate for border security and is working to address this critical issue.
In addition, the Congressman continues to encourage and pursue support of the AgJobs provision in the Senate bill, S. 2611, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006. This language benefits both ag employers and employees by creating a new guest worker program for agriculture and a path to legal status for these undocumented workers.
Highway 99
In a major achievement for the Valley, Highway 99 was designated as a Farm-To-Market High Priority Corridor with future interstate status in the TEA-LU bill (the major transportation authorization bill that is approved by Congress every six years). The Congressman worked hard on this project behind the scenes for many years and is encouraged that Caltrans is beginning improvements on Highway 99. The language in TEA-LU gives Caltrans the authority to make the necessary improvements to the highway within the next 12 years to bring it up to Interstate standards.
International Center for Water Technology Funding – CSU Fresno
Congressman Radanovich worked with officials from the International Center for Water Technology at California State University, Fresno to obtain a $310,606 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The grant funding is being used for a number of purposes, including hosting inbound trade missions and promoting program benefits at three to four U.S. trade shows per year, conducting export ready seminars for water technology manufacturers, securing customized market research for participating firms, and consulting with participating firms one-on-one to develop export plans.
Yosemite Schools Bill
Congressman Radanovich worked with Senator Diane Feinstein to pass into law S. 136, which included H.R. 353, a bill introduced by Rep. Radanovich to authorize funding for education services for schools in Yosemite National Park, in December 2005. This measure provides much needed funds for three small schools in Yosemite National Park, which serve students who live in the Park or who’s parents are employed by Yosemite National Park. During July, Congressman Radanovich worked closely with the Administration to secure $66,000 for Bass Lake Joint Union Elementary School District and Mariposa Unified School District, as authorized in his bill. The money is currently in the last step of the funding process in the Department of the Interior, and is expected to be released to the schools shortly.
Transportation Bill Funding (2005)
In addition to the Highway 99 designation, the Transportation Equity Act included $1.2 million to improve Friant Road in Fresno County by widening the road as well as the addition of bicycle lanes; $2.4 million to improve State Route 145 and State Route 99 interchange in Madera; $1.6 million to improve State Route 219 to four lanes in the cities of Riverbank, Oakdale and Modesto; and $2 million to upgrade the existing county highway J59 in Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Merced counties.
Regional Water Plan
Rep. Radanovich is working closely with his Valley colleagues and Senator Feinstein to help launch the Regional Water Plan. The Members secured $100,000 in FY06 for the Plan. The funding will go toward an inventory of the water needs in the Valley as it relates to water supply, water quality, environmental restoration and flood control. The Army Corps of Engineers is facilitating these efforts and the CA Water Institute at CA State University, Fresno is putting time and resources into implementing the Plan, as well.
New Federal Courthouse in Downtown Fresno - Eastern District of California
Rep. Radanovich was a primary sponsor of a request in the 2002 Commerce, State, and Justice Appropriations bill for $121 million in funding to construct a new federal courthouse in downtown Fresno. This funding was signed into public law by President Bush on November 28, 2001. Construction began on the 420,000-square-foot new courthouse on April 4, 2002 and the building is now complete. The building includes five U.S. District courtrooms, a special proceedings courtroom, four magistrate courtrooms, four bankruptcy courtrooms and 18 office chambers -- housing seven district judges, four magistrate judges and seven bankruptcy judges.
Fight Against Illegal Marijuana Growing on Public Lands
Congressman Radanovich has been a leader in the fight against illegal marijuana cultivation on public lands. In November 2005, Congressman Radanovich participated in a House Subcommittee on National Parks oversight hearing on the National Park Service’s efforts to combat the growth of illegal drug farms in national parks. Congressman Radanovich also joined Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Congress members Jerry Lewis and Mary Bono (both R-CA) in asking the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service urging the federal agencies to address the issue.
Operation Brotherhood of the Badge—Body Armor for Iraqi police
The Congressman assisted in the securing of shipping to Baghdad, Iraq for the third shipment of surplus police equipment by local law enforcement volunteers. The equipment is used to help outfit Iraqi police with equipment and body armor.
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Rep. Radanovich worked with IOM to expand voter participation with his congressional colleagues. They were successful in bringing a polling location to Northern California in January 2006 for the benefit of Assyrian’s of Iraqi ethnicity who were eligible to vote. It was an honor for the Congressman to help his constituents vote in the historic elections in Iraq in 2005 and 2006.
Timber Sales Review
This review was conducted by the U.S. Forest Service saved 22 timber mill jobs in Tuolumne County and increased the yield of harvestable timber in the Stanislaus National Forest in an effort to clean up fuel-loaded forests, protect air quality and the environment from forest fire.
Proposition 61: The Children's Hospital Project
The Congressman, along with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) joined together to lead congressional support for Proposition 61 on the 2004 general election ballot. Prop 61 authorized the state to sell $750 million in General Obligation bonds for capital improvements such as construction, expansion, remodels, renovations, and equipping children's hospitals. The bonds are being used for grants awarded to acute care hospitals that provided medical treatment for illnesses such as leukemia and sickle cell anemia, in addition to providing comprehensive services to a high volume of children eligible for government programs. Twenty percent of the bond funds were available to the University of California children's hospitals and the remaining 80 percent went to nonprofit children's hospitals meeting the specified criteria.
Highway 41 & Avenue 9 Interchange
Congressman Radanovich secured $8 million in funding for the extension and interchange at Highway 41 and Avenue 9 to provide for safe access to and from Children’s Hospital Central California in Madera. The funding was earmarked in the Inter-modal Surface Transportation Enhancement Act of 1998.
Support of Disproportionate Share Hospitals
Congressman Radanovich has been a consistent supporter of Disproportionate Share Hospitals over the years, continually fighting to ensure they receive the necessary funding to serve the low-income and uninsured patients. These hospitals, like Community Medical Center which has approximately 40% of its patients qualifying as Medi-CAL or uninsured, are the back-bone of the Valley’s health care system.
The Congressman wrote a letter to Secretary of Health Michael Leavitt, and placed a call directly to the White House to request that these changes not be made Administratively, but be subjected to the same legislative process that would allow all parties with a stake in the issue to be heard and concerns to be addressed. The proposed rule on these changes has not come out yet, but this is still a concern.
Support for Neo-natal Intensive Care Units (NICU) at Children’s Hospital
The Congressman has worked diligently with the Children’s Hospital in Fresno and the Californian Association to try and get funding from CMS to expand the NICU care provided in the Valley.
CART Funding
Congressman Radanovich has worked to secure funding for the Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART), a Clovis Unified School District program. CART combines academics with technical, design, process, entrepreneurial, and critical thinking skills for high school junior and senior students.
In FY 2000, CART received one million dollars for comprehensive secondary education reform. In FY 2005, CART received $100,000 for a Career Focused Instruction Lab Project. There is $100,000 for CART in the FY07 House appropriations bill, which was approved in committee. However, we do not know what the final amount will be given that the bill has yet to pass the House and Senate.
UC Merced
The Congressman was a champion of the effort to locate the University of California campus in Merced. Endless lawsuits and environmental extremism almost prevented the construction of the school. However, Congressman Radanovich worked closely with the University of California staff and federal and state officials to ensure appropriate steps were taken on the mitigation of environmental habitat, so that the school could be built. The Congressman always believed this campus would provide exceptional educational and economic opportunities for the people of the Valley and is proud of the school’s achievements.
Recognition of the Armenian Genocide—H.Res. 316
The Congressman continues to be an ardent advocate of U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide. On June 14, 2005, Congressman Radanovich introduced H.Res. 316, a resolution that would call upon the President to ensure that the United States understands and recognizes issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide that are documented about the Armenian Genocide. The resolution was approved out of the International Relations Committee successfully by a vote of 40-7. The legislation currently has 158 cosponsors and is awaiting floor action.
Congressman Radanovich Working to Help the Hmong – Lao Community
In May of 2006, the Congressman arranged and hosted a meeting between representatives of the Hmong communities throughout the United States and officials from the State Department. This meeting was to discuss human rights violations being perpetuated against Hmong refugees in Laos. The Congressman is also working with the Hmong community in the US to arrange a dialogue with the US Ambassadors to Laos and Vietnam to further address this issue.
107th Congress--H.R. 2690 - The Bruce Vento Hmong Veterans Naturalization Extension Act
(This bill was included in the 2002 Commerce, Justice and State Appropriations Bill --H.R. 2500-- and became public law). This legislation extended the Hmong Veterans Naturalization Act 18 months which allows Hmong, who served in the secret army during the Vietnam war, to take the US citizenship test in their native language.
[Read Biography]
Paid for by Radanovich for Congress, PO Box 579729, Modesto, CA 95357-9729
Phone (209) 238-9200 Fax (209) 238-9500
Not paid for at taxpayers' expense - Betty Presley, Treasurer
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