Legislation: Authored and Enacted - 1992-2000
103rd Congress | 104th Congress | 105th Congress | 106th Congress
Assault Weapons Ban - Fought the gun lobby and won passage of a landmark ban on the manufacture and sale of 19 types of military-style assault weapons, including UZIs and AK-47s. (Sponsor - Senate Amendment 1152 to the Crime Bill, S.1607, P.L. 103-322, 9-13-94)
California Desert Protection Act - Protected more than 7 million acres of pristine California desert -- the largest such designation in the history of the continental United States -- and established the Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks and the East Mojave Natural Preserve. (Sponsor - S.21 - P.L. 103-433, 10-31-94)
Gun Free Schools Act - Set a "zero-tolerance" policy to keep America's schools gun-free by requiring all public schools to expel students who carry a gun to school. (Cosponsor with Senator Byron Dorgan - S.854, included in S.1513 Elementary and Secondary Education Reauthorization Act, 10-22-1994)
Hate Crimes Sentencing Act - Established new penalties for hate crimes based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability or sexual orientation. (Sponsor - S.1522, added as an amendment to the Crime Bill, S.1607, P.L. 103-322, 9-13-94)
Death Penalty/Carjacking - Permitted prosecutors to seek the death penalty for carjackers who cause death in the course of their crime. (Sponsor - Senate Amendment to the Crime Bill, S.1607, P.L. 103-322, 9-13-1994)
The Small Business Defense Conversion Guarantee Act - Provided $50 million in loan guarantee assistance, permitting small businesses to leverage $2 billion in private loans and create jobs in areas hard hit by defense downsizing. (Sponsor – S.1830, altered and offered as amendment to Defense Authorization Act, S.2182, P.L. 103-337, 10-5-94)
Northridge Earthquake - Provided $11 billion in federal disaster relief funds to help tens of thousands of victims of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. (Advocated inclusion in Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill – HR 3759, PL 103-211)
Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act - Established new controls over the manufacture of methamphetamine and increased the criminal penalties for possession and distribution of this highly addictive narcotic that has reached epidemic proportions in California. (Original cosponsor - S.1700, signed into law 10-3-1996.)
Ryan White CARE Act Reauthorization/Omnibus Appropriations Bill -Increased Ryan White AIDS funding from $757 million in 1996 to $998 in 1997 and made funds available to more California cities. (Cosponsor - S.641, P.L. 104-146, 5-20-96)
Medicaid - 115 Waiver for Los Angeles County - With LA County’s public health system on the verge of collapse, helped convince Department of Health and Human Services to provide $550 million in Medicaid funds. (Urged HHS to work with Los Angeles County)
Amber Hagerman Child Protection Act - Cracked down on those who commit sex offenses against children by establishing two strikes and you’re out provision and by expanding federal jurisdiction to cover cases where the offender crosses state lines with intent to commit the offense. (Sponsor - S.1985, amended into Child Pornography Prevention Act and incorporated into Omnibus Appropriations Act, signed into law 9-30-96)
Burma Sanctions - Established U.S. sanctions policy toward Burma, requiring the President to ban new investment by U.S. firms in Burma if it is determined that the Government of Burma has physically harmed, rearrested or exiled human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi or committed large-scale repression or violence against the Democratic opposition. (Original cosponsor with Senator William Cohen - Senate amendment 5019 to H.R.3540, folded into H.R.3610, P.L. 104-208, 9-30-96)
President's Executive Order to Stop Import of Assault Weapons - Helped block over 1.8 million of these guns from being sold on our streets by helping to convince President Clinton to sign an executive order to stop 59 types of cosmetically adjusted assault weapons from coming into the nation. (Requested President to issue executive order regarding assault weapons as defined in USC 18 925(d)3.)
The Breast Cancer Research Stamp - Raised more than $20 million for breast cancer research through the creation of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp, the first such postal stamp dedicated to raising funds to fight a disease. (Sponsor - S.726, folded into H.R.1585, P.L. 105-41, 8-13-97)
Breast Reconstruction Surgery - Required health insurance plans to pay for breast reconstruction surgery following mastectomies. (Cosponsor, S.249, portions of which were amended into the Omnibus Appropriations Bill, H.R.4328, P.L. 105-277, 10-21-98)
The Headwaters Forest Agreement - Secured $250 million in federal funds to match state funding and purchase the 7,500 acre Headwaters Forest, a national treasure and the largest privately held stand of uncut old-growth redwoods. The agreement also helped preserve 12 additional groves of ancient redwood trees and provided strong protections for the endangered marbled murrelet and coho salmon. (Advocated inclusion of funding in FY1998 Interior Appropriations Bill, H.R.2107, P.L. 105-83, H.R.2107); Supported AB1986, California legislation to provide matching funds; worked closely with all sides to make the agreement happen by the March 1, 1999 cut-off date)
Quincy Library Group - Established pilot timber management plan as proposed by the Quincy Library Group, a coalition of local environmentalists, timber industry representatives and local elected Northern California officials to help battle the danger of wildfires by establishing firebreaks in dense areas of the Lassen, Plumas and Tahoe National Forests and protect the California Spotted Owl and other endangered species. (Sponsor - S.1028, included in H.R.4328, P.L. 105-277, 10-21-98)
Preparing More Teachers - Expanded teacher training opportunities by providing Pell college grants to needy students enrolled in a fifth year of college, which is required in California to obtain a teaching credential. (Sponsor - Amendment to S.1882, folded into H.R.6, P.L.105-255, 10-7-98)
Restoring Benefits for Elderly Legal Immigrants - Spearheaded successful bipartisan effort to restores some of the important benefits that were unfairly eliminated by the 1996 Welfare Reform law, including Supplemental Security Income. (Sponsor - S.392, folded into H.R..2015, P.L.105-33, 8-5-97)
Hotline for Disease Research - Directed the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health to establish a toll-free number to help people with life-threatening diseases and the medical community learn about important new research and clinical trials. Now can be reached at www.clinicaltrials.gov (Sponsor - S.87, amended into S.830 FDA bill, P.L. 105-115, 11-21-97)
Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act - Enabled the United States to block and seize assets of narcotics traffickers who pose threats to the nation’s security, foreign policy and economy. (Cosponsor with Senator Paul Coverdell - S.1171, Senate amendment to the Intelligence Appropriations Act, P.L. 106-120, December 3, 1999)
Bombmaking - Made it a federal crime to teach or distribute information on how to make a bomb or other weapon of mass destruction if the distributor intends that the information be used to commit a federal violent crime or knows that the recipient intends to use the information to commit a federal violent crime. (Original cosponsor - S.606, P.L. 106-54, 8-17-99)
Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act - Amends the Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act to continue authorization for the Breast Cancer Research stamp, which has raised more than $20 million, for another two years. (Sponsor - S.2386, folded into HR4437. P.L. 106-253, 7-28-00)
California Desert - Secured $15 million in federal funding, with a commitment for another $15 million in fiscal year 2001 to complete the public-private purchase of over 437,000 acres of pristine California desert habitat and help preserve the endangered desert tortoise and other wildlife. (Advocated inclusion in H.R.3194, FY2000 Interior Appropriations Bill, P.L. 106-113, 11-29-99)
Otay Mountain Wilderness Act - Preserved 18,500 acres of the Otay Mountain region, located near the U.S.-Mexico border, in eastern San Diego County. This mountain area is home to twenty sensitive plant and animal species, including the endangered quino checkerspot butterfly, the only known stand of Tecate cypress, as well as the only known population of the Mexican flannel bush. (Sponsor - S.848, P.L. 106-145, 12-9-99)
Y2K - Limited the potential flood of frivolous lawsuits stemming from the Year 2000 computer problem, which was critical to California, where over 20 percent of the nation’s high tech jobs are located. (Original cosponsor – S.96 merged with S.461, folded into H.R..775, P.L.106-37, 7-20-99)
Citrus Freeze - Emergency Supplemental Appropriations/Agricultural Appropriations - Provided $20 million in assistance for seasonal and migrant workers who lost their jobs due to the devastating freeze in December 1998 and directed the USDA to provide at least $90 million for citrus growers who did not receive 1998 disaster assistance. (Advocated inclusion of funding, H.R.1906, P.L.106-78, 10-22-99)
Education - Title I Funding - Helped lead effort to provide $8.68 billion in Title I funds for low-income students nationwide, a hike of $265 million; with $1.18 billion going to California, an increase of $38 million from FY 1999. Bill also included Feinstein amendment to direct Department of Education not to apply the Title 1 “hold harmless” provision to other programs, which costs California tens of millions of dollars a year. (Senate Amendment to FY2000 Omnibus Appropriations Act, H.R.3194, P.L. 106-113, 11-29-99)
Japanese Imperial Army Disclosure Act - Requires the full disclosure of classified records and documents in the possession of the U.S. government regarding the activity of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. (Sponsor, S.xxxx, incorporated into the FY 2001 Intelligence Authorization Act, 12-27-00)
Terrorism victims - Improves the ability of the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime to provide immediate and effective assistance to victims of terrorism abroad. (Lead cosponsor, amendment included in Conference Report for Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, P.L.106-386, 10-28-00)
Child Support Penalty Fairness Act - Remedies flaw in federal child support laws that could have cost CA $4 billion annually. (Sponsor, S.1033, incorporated into the FY2000 Omnibus Appropriation Act, H.R.3194, P.L.106-113, 11-29-99)
MTBE - Underground Tanks - Directed the Environmental Protection Agency to give a high priority to enforcing safety regulations to help stem leaks of contaminants such as MTBE from underground tanks.(Senate amendment to FY 2000 EPA Appropriations Bill, P.L. 106-74, 10-20-99)
Airplane Cabin Air Quality - Directs the National Academy of Sciences to conduct ayear-long, independent study of the air quality on commercial airline flights. (Sponsor - Senate Amendment 1911 to the FAA Reauthorization Bill S.82, HR1000. P.L. 106-181, 4-5-2000)
Medication to Combat AIDS in Africa -Helps to make low-cost medicine available to battle the raging AIDS/HIV epidemic in Africa -- where over 34 million have been infected and over 11 million killed -- by permitting compulsory licensing and parallel important of low-cost generic AIDS drugs for nations that have been ravaged by the disease. (Sponsor - Senate Amendment 2355 to H.R.434, approved on 10-28-99; subsequently deleted by Conference Committee, but instituted by Presidential Executive Order at Senator Feinstein’s urging on 05-03-00)
Social Securities Earnings - Allows Americans who want to keep working once they turn 65 to collect their full Social Security benefits no matter how much money they earn. (Cosponsor - S-2074, approved House version HR5, PL 106-182, 04-07-00).
Medicaid - 115 Waiver for Los Angeles County - Helped forge an agreement with the Los Angeles County, the State of California and the Health and Human Services Department to grant the County a Medicaid waiver that will help stabilize health care services for millions of County residents and avoid cuts in services and serious layoffs (Agreement reached 06-27-00).
Joseph Ileto Post Office - Names the U.S. Post Office in Chino Hills after Joseph Ileto, the Filipino-American postal worker shot and killed by a gunman on a hate-filled rampage in the San Fernando Valley in August 1999. (Sponsor - S.1964. P.L. 106-184, 04-14-00)
Charles Schulz - Posthumously honors Peanuts Creator Charles Schulz with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award. (Sponsor - S.2060. P.L. 106-225, 06-20-00, Great Rotunda Ceremony – 6-07-01)
Immigration Services and Infrastructure Improvement Act - provides the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) with the resources it needs to help eliminate the current backlog in naturalization, adjustments of status, and visa applications, and establishes new accountability measures. (Sponsor - 2586, incorporated into S.4025, H-1B Visa legislation, PL 106-313, 5-18-2000)
Science and Math Education - Provides funds for science and math education, including $46 million annually for three years for National Science Foundation K-12 math and science education and skills development programs, and $70 million annually for three years for post-secondary scholarships for low-income students in science, math or other high-tech areas. The funds comes from H-1B visa fees and will be matched by the high-technology industry. (Amendment to S.4025, HI-B Visa legislation, PL 106-313-, 5-18-2000)
Methamphetamine Enforcement - Combats the growing scourge of the highly addictive drug methamphetamine by hiring more Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and imposing harsher penalties on manufacturers of illegal drugs. (Supporter – S.486, Ashcroft, approved by Senate 11-19-99, and folded into the Children’s Health Act of 2000, PL 106-310, 11-17-2000)
Lake Tahoe Restoration Act - Preserves and restores this treasured natural resource by authorizing $300 million in federal funds over 10 years to match investments by the States of California and Nevada and local authorities and help reverse the environmental emergency tHat is threatening the future of the lake and forest (Sponsor - S.1925, PL 106-506, 10-27-00).
Golden Gate National Recreation Area - Adds nearly 1,300 acres of undeveloped land in Pacifica, Marin County and San Francisco to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, thereby protecting some of the most beautiful vistas, sweeping coastal views and unique ecosystems in the nation. (Sponsor - S.2051, PL 106-350, 10-05-00)
Rosie the Riveter - World War II Home Front National Historic Park Act - Commemorates the women workers who made major contributions to the Second World War effort by mobilizing to fill the gap created by men who left their jobs for active military duty. (Sponsor - S.2294, PL 106-352, 10-05-00)
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Act - Designates 272,000 acres of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains as a national monument. (S.2784, PL 106-351, 10-05-00)
National Police Athletic League Youth Enrichment Act - Authorizes Justice Department to grant $16 million annually for five years to police after-school programs to reduce crime and drug use (Lead cosponsor, S.1874, House companion bill H.R. 3235 approved by Senate, P.L. 106-367, 10-27-00).