57 Facts About Mike Honda

Michael Makoto Honda was born on June 27,1941 and is an American politician and former educator.

In February 2005, Mike Honda was elected a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee under the chairmanship of Howard Dean.

In 2009, Mike Honda was reelected for a second term as DNC vice chair, under the chairmanship of former Virginia governor Tim Kaine; he served in this role until 2013.

Mike Honda became the subject of an ethics investigation by the United States House Committee on Ethics in 2015 for the alleged use of taxpayer resources to bolster his 2014 re-election campaign.

Mike Honda was defeated for re-election in 2016 by fellow Democrat Ro Khanna.

Mike Honda's grandparents were from Kumamoto prefecture and immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s, and both of his parents were born in California.

Mike Honda entered San Jose State University, but interrupted his studies from 1965 to 1967 to serve in the United States Peace Corps in El Salvador, where he learned to speak Spanish.

Mike Honda returned to San Jose State, where in 1968 he received a bachelor's degree in biological sciences and Spanish.

Mike Honda earned a master's degree in education from San Jose State in 1974.

In 1981, Mike Honda was elected to the San Jose Unified School Board.

Mike Honda was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 1990, and to the California State Assembly in 1996, where he served until 2001.

In February 2005, Mike Honda was elected a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee under the chairmanship of Howard Dean.

In 2009, Mike Honda was reelected for a second term as DNC vice chair, under the chairmanship of former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine; he served in this role until 2013.

Mike Honda remained the incumbent in the resultant elections of 2002,2004,2006,2008,2010, and 2012.

Mike Honda lost the election for California's 17th congressional district election in 2016 to Ro Khanna.

From 2001 to 2007 Mike Honda served on the United States House Committee on Science, Space and Technology and was the ranking member of its Energy Subcommittee from 2005 to 2007.

Mike Honda served on the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure from 2001 to 2007.

From 2001 to 2003, and again from 2011 to 2013, Mike Honda was appointed to serve on the House Budget Committee.

Mike Honda was a member of the following committees, commissions, and caucuses:.

Mike Honda has been a long-time supporter of organized labor, and has supported numerous bills for creating a living wage.

Mike Honda was a supporter of the San Jose's successful ballot initiative that raised the city's minimum wage to $10 per hour.

Mike Honda advocated an orderly withdrawal of US military forces from Afghanistan and a significant realignment of US aid to focus on strengthening government institutions, capacity building, economic development, and humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.

Mike Honda criticized the Obama administration for failing to seek Congressional approval for US military operations in Libya.

In 2008, Mike Honda worked with then-Senator Barack Obama to introduce the Enhancing STEM Education Act.

Portions of this bill, as well as Mike Honda's INVENT Act, were eventually included in the America COMPETES Act reauthorization, which President Obama signed into law on January 4,2011.

Mike Honda led the Congressional authorization for The Equity and Excellence Commission, a commission that began in 2011 and reported its findings to the Secretary of Education in late 2012.

Mike Honda secured millions of dollars in federal funding for the cleanup and demolition of the former Almaden Air Force Station atop Mt.

Mike Honda has advocated for programs such as the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Mike Honda has been a defender of the civil rights of American Muslims.

Mike Honda told those in attendance not to change their identity or name.

In 2007, Mike Honda voted for the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, which was the legislative response to the Jack Abramoff scandal and introduced comprehensive new transparency requirements for lobbyists and for Members of Congress.

Mike Honda has advocated for the expansion of health coverage for all through the Affordable Care Act and is a big proponent of the public option.

Mike Honda has led efforts to address tuberculosis by seeking changes to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention's formula for direct funding for tuberculosis treatment and education to include highly impacted counties.

Mike Honda was successful in getting report language in the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill to have the CDC review its funding distribution policies.

Mike Honda has been a leader in Congress for viral hepatitis and founded and co-chairs the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus.

Mike Honda has been an advocate for women's health including supporting provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act such as the elimination of gender-based discrimination in insurance prices, recognizing that being a woman is not a preexisting condition that should force women to pay higher premiums.

Mike Honda has supported Medicare and Medicaid programs throughout his career, fighting for the health rights of seniors and low-income families.

Mike Honda introduced the People's Budget, the Congressional Progressive Caucus 2012 budget alternative, which would keep Medicare and Medicaid solvent while closing the national debt within 10 years.

On January 23,2014, Mike Honda hosted a training at the San Jose International Airport for airport and airline employees on how to detect signs of human trafficking.

Mike Honda opposed the use of taxpayer funds to protect the Defense of Marriage Act in the United States Supreme Court.

In 2013, Mike Honda worked with Mayor of Campbell Evan Low to raise awareness for the ban against blood donations from gay and bisexual men.

In 2015, Mike Honda revealed in a speech at the event Courageous Conversation, a one-day symposium that addresses how administrators can work to make their schools safer for their students, that his granddaughter Malisa is transgender.

Mike Honda was a vocal supporter of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation proposed by President Obama to help revitalize American manufacturing.

Mike Honda used his position as a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee to prioritize funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program which works with small and medium-sized manufacturers to help them create and retain jobs, increase profits, and save time and money.

Mike Honda was critical of the National Security Agency's surveillance of electronic communications as a violation of privacy.

Mike Honda continued his interest in nanotechnology by convening the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nanotechnology with then-controller Steve Westly in 2005.

Mike Honda was recognized by the Foresight Institute, which awarded him its Foresight Institute Government Prize in 2006.

Mike Honda has been a vocal advocate for expanding the Social Security program.

Mike Honda has been a leading voice to overhaul and improve the current VA system.

Mike Honda is working to ensure that the government makes use of the knowledge and experience of health information technology experts, such as those in Silicon Valley, to ensure this new platform will eliminate the current backlog of claims.

Mike Honda helped obtain $2.8 million in grants to aid homeless and at-risk veterans and their families in Silicon Valley.

In 2013, Mike Honda voted for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which included updated protections for Native American women, immigrant women, and provided specialized support and resources for LGBT, religious and ethnic communities.

Mike Honda introduced the Domestic Violence Judicial Support Act of 2013, which would strengthen the judicial programs that comprise the basis of VAWA.

In July 2014, Mike Honda introduced a bill to ban level 3 body armor for anyone not in law enforcement.

Mike Honda's wife, Jeanne, was a kindergarten teacher at Baldwin Elementary School in San Jose.

Mike Honda has two children: Mark, an aerospace engineer, living in Torrance, and Michelle, a marketing and communications manager, in San Jose.

In February 2015, Mike Honda's announcement that he is a "proud jichan", or grandfather, of his transgender granddaughter Malisa, gained regional, national, and international coverage.