Mike Honda facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike Honda
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California
In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Tom Campbell
Succeeded by	Ro Khanna
Constituency	15th district (2001–2013) 17th district (2013–2017)
Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee
In office 2005–2013
Leader	Howard Dean Tim Kaine Donna Brazile (acting) Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Preceded by	Gloria Molina
Succeeded by	Tulsi Gabbard
Deputy Chair of the Democratic National Committee
In office 2003–2005 Serving with Susan Turnbull
Leader	Terry McAuliffe
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Keith Ellison (2017)
Member of the California Assembly from the 23rd district
In office December 2, 1996 - November 30, 2000
Preceded by	Dominic Cortese
Succeeded by	Manny Diaz
Personal details
Born	Makoto Honda (1941-06-27) June 27, 1941 (age 84) Walnut Grove, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Jeanne (d. 2004)
Children	2
Education	San Jose State University (BA, MA)

Michael Makoto Honda (born June 27, 1941) is an American politician. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He served in the United States Congress from 2001 to 2017.

Before becoming a politician, Mike Honda worked in education in California. He first got involved in politics in 1971. The mayor of San Jose, Norman Mineta, asked him to join the city's Planning Commission. Honda later served on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors starting in 1990. He was also in the California State Assembly from 1996 to 2001.

From 2003 to 2013, Honda held important roles in the Democratic National Committee (DNC). He was first a deputy chair and then a vice chair. In 2015, he faced an investigation about using government resources for his re-election campaign. He lost his re-election bid in 2016 to fellow Democrat Ro Khanna.

Early Life and School Days

Honda (leftmost) with his family

Mike Honda was born Makoto Honda in 1941 in Walnut Grove, California. He is a third-generation Japanese American, meaning his grandparents came from Japan. His parents were born in California.

When he was just one year old, his family was sent to Camp Amache. This was a Japanese American internment camp in Colorado during World War II. In 1953, his family returned to California. They became strawberry farmers in San Jose.

Honda as a teacher at Sunnyvale High School

Honda went to San Jose High Academy and then to San Jose State University. He paused his studies from 1965 to 1967 to join the United States Peace Corps. He served in El Salvador, where he learned to speak Spanish. He returned to San Jose State and earned a bachelor's degree in 1968. He later got a master's degree in education in 1974.

For 30 years, Mike Honda worked as an educator. He was a science teacher, a principal at two schools, and a school board member. He also did research on education at Stanford University.

Mike Honda's Political Journey

Starting in Local and State Government

In 1971, the mayor of San Jose, Norman Mineta, chose Honda to be on the city's Planning Commission. This was his first step into politics. In 1981, Honda was elected to the San Jose Unified School Board. He then joined the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 1990. From 1996 to 2001, he served in the California State Assembly.

Serving in Congress and National Roles

In 2000, Mike Honda was elected to the United States House of Representatives. He represented California's 15th district. He was re-elected many times, serving until 2017.

In 2003, he was appointed as a deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). In 2005, he became a vice chair of the DNC. He was re-elected to this role in 2009 and served until 2013.

After the 2010 US census, the voting districts changed. From 2013, Honda represented California's 17th congressional district. This district includes Silicon Valley and has many Asian American residents. It covers cities like Cupertino, Fremont, San Jose, and Sunnyvale. Honda won re-election in 2014 by a small margin. However, he lost to Ro Khanna in 2016.

Working in Congress: Committees and Groups

Honda (center) at the August 2006 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of a zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell bus program

From 2001 to 2007, Honda was part of the United States House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. He also served on the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In 2007, he joined the powerful United States House Committee on Appropriations. This committee decides how government money is spent.

Honda was also a member of several important groups in Congress:

• United States House Committee on Appropriations (a key committee for government spending)
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (he was a leader for this group)
• Congressional Anti-Bullying Caucus (he started and led this group)
• LGBT Equality Caucus (he helped start this group)
• Congressional Hepatitis Caucus (he was a co-chair)
• Congressional Progressive Caucus (he was a vice chair)
• Congressional-Executive Commission on China (he was a commissioner)

Getting Money for Important Projects

Mike Honda helped get over $1.3 billion in government money for various projects since 2001.

One major project he supported was extending the BART train system into Silicon Valley. He helped secure $11 million directly for this project. He also helped the BART project qualify for a program that provided another $900 million. Of that, he helped get $400 million between 2012 and 2014.

Laws Mike Honda Supported

Fair Pay for Workers

Honda has always supported workers' rights. He pushed for laws to create a fair wage. In 2013 and 2014, he supported bills to raise the federal minimum wage. He also backed a local effort in San Jose to raise the city's minimum wage to $10 per hour.

National Security and Peace

As a leader in the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Honda often questioned war strategies. He believed the U.S. should carefully withdraw troops from Afghanistan. He wanted aid to focus on helping Afghanistan build its government and economy. He also criticized the use of drones and supported laws for more transparency about drone strikes.

Improving Education

In 2008, Honda worked with then-Senator Barack Obama on a bill to improve STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Parts of this bill later became law. It aimed to better coordinate STEM efforts across government and create resources for teaching innovation.

Honda also led the creation of The Equity and Excellence Commission. This group studied how to make education fair for all students. They suggested ideas like changing how schools are funded and supporting good teachers.

Protecting Our Environment

Honda helped secure millions of dollars to clean up the former Almaden Air Force Station. This site was cleaned of hazardous materials and is now open to the public. He also supported programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

In 2014, he introduced the Climate Change Education Act. This bill aimed to help people understand how greenhouse gases affect the environment. It also suggested ways communities can fight global warming.

Freedom of Faith

Honda speaks at a San Francisco protest of the U.S. immigration ban in February 2017.

In 2014, Honda introduced the Freedom of Faith Act. He has been a strong supporter of the civil rights of American Muslims. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, he told American Muslims not to change their identity. He reminded them of his own family's experience in internment camps.

He also spoke out against a politician who criticized a Muslim Congressman for using the Quran in his swearing-in ceremony. Honda said that no one should be called un-American because of their religion.

Making Government Fairer

In 2007, Honda voted for a law to make lobbying and Congress more transparent. He also supported a bill in 2012 that made it illegal for members of Congress to use secret information for stock trading. He voted to create an independent ethics office for Congress.

Better Health Care for Everyone

Honda supported the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to expand health coverage. He worked to make sure the ACA helped reduce health differences among different racial and ethnic groups.

He also focused on specific health issues. He led efforts to address tuberculosis and helped change funding for its treatment. He founded the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus and supported bills to improve testing and prevention for hepatitis B and C.

Honda also supported new health technology. He introduced a bill to create an Office of Wireless Health at the FDA. This would help develop new ways to use technology for health. He also fought to protect women's health rights, including fair insurance prices.

He has always supported Medicare and Medicaid, which help seniors and low-income families. He worked to keep these programs strong and reduce the national debt.

Protecting Human Rights

Honda has been a strong voice for human rights. He backed comprehensive immigration reform to help families stay together and provide a path to citizenship for immigrants.

Supporting LGBT Rights

Honda is known for supporting equality for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people. He has received high ratings from the Human Rights Campaign. In the 1990s, he supported benefits for same-sex partners. In 2008, he helped start the Congressional Equality Caucus.

In 2015, Mike Honda shared that his granddaughter, Malisa, is transgender. He spoke about the importance of making schools safe for all students and fighting against bullying. He said he would not stand by while people face bullying.

Boosting American Manufacturing

In 2013, Honda introduced bills to help American manufacturing. One bill would give tax credits for new technologies made in the U.S. Another would offer tax credits to companies building their first manufacturing facilities in the United States.

He also supported President Obama's plan for a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. He wanted a manufacturing hub in Silicon Valley to develop new semiconductor tools. Honda worked to get funding for programs that help small and medium-sized manufacturers.

Advancing Science and Technology

As a representative for Silicon Valley, Honda was very involved in technology policy. He supported network neutrality, which means all internet traffic should be treated equally.

He also criticized government surveillance of electronic communications. He supported the USA FREEDOM Act to limit data collection by the NSA and increase transparency. He pushed for more transparency in intelligence spending.

In 2002, he introduced one of the first bills about nanotechnology in Congress. In 2003, he helped pass the Nanotechnology Research and Development Act. This law provided federal money for nanotechnology research and improved coordination among agencies.

Honda continued his work in nanotechnology by forming a task force in 2005. This group aimed to make California a world leader in nanotechnology research. He later introduced more bills based on their recommendations. In 2006, he received an award for his work in this field.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Congressman Honda supported making the Research and Development (R&D) tax credit permanent and expanding it. He called it "the best incentive" to keep companies doing their R&D in the U.S.

Supporting Seniors and Retirement

Honda has been a strong supporter of the Social Security program. In 2013, he introduced a bill to increase benefits for current recipients. It would also change how benefits are calculated to increase payments and adjust for the cost of living for seniors.

He also wrote a bill to apply this cost of living adjustment to other federal retirement programs. He believed this would help all seniors and retired individuals.

Helping Veterans

Honda has worked to improve the VA system. He helped secure funds for a new electronic health record program for veterans. He also worked to use the expertise of Silicon Valley tech experts to improve the system and reduce backlogs in claims. Honda helped get $2.8 million in grants to help homeless and at-risk veterans and their families in Silicon Valley.

Women's Rights

Honda supported the Paycheck Fairness Act and voted for the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009. This law helps ensure equal pay for women.

In 2013, Honda voted to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). This law provides protections for women, including Native American and immigrant women. It also offers support for LGBT and other communities. Honda introduced a bill to strengthen judicial programs related to VAWA. He also worked to support women's roles in peace and security efforts worldwide.

Civilian Body Armor Rules

In 2014, Honda introduced a bill to ban certain types of body armor for anyone who is not in law enforcement or the military. He questioned why such armor, designed for soldiers, was available to the general public.

Ethics Review

In 2015, Mike Honda faced an ethics review. It was suggested that he and his staff might have used government resources to help his 2014 re-election campaign. The House Ethics Committee looked into the matter. As of August 2016, the committee had not decided if House rules were broken.

Personal Life

Mike Honda's wife, Jeanne, was a kindergarten teacher. She passed away in 2004. They had two children: Mark, who is an aerospace engineer, and Michelle, who works in marketing. Michelle has one daughter and two sons.

In February 2015, Honda shared that he is a "proud jiichan" (grandfather) of his transgender granddaughter, Malisa. This announcement received wide attention.

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