more like experts when we quote his research three-time representing the office of congresswoman zoe lofgren. i was told to talk a little bit about our personal connection to immigration. i think that's easy for me. i'm the only person in my family born in the united states. my family is from mexico did my grandfather was recruited to work here in the united states during world war ii. my father emigrated here. i sister and my mother emigrated in 1967. we have very different experiences for all three of those members of my family. in my entire professional life, i was looking back. i've always been around immigration law. i am proud that it has been so. someone asked me if i ever regretted been so focused on that. i said i did not do it on purpose. somebody just told me once to do what you love and everything will work out. i'm pleased to say that it has. we were told to give our perspective a little bit. it's hard not to speak personally about comprehensive immigration reform and what it means. i had the privilege to work on some of the most meaningful cases to me. i know it's the one place

the invaluable contributions of representatives john conyers, howard berman, bob goodlatte and zoe lofgrenover in the house. they have all been very, very effective people with regard to these very important issues. they have been stalwarts in underscoring the vital need to reform our patent system. i look forward to seeing the results of their process and working with them to complete this important task. they have been stall warts in underscoring the vital need to reform our patent system. most of us are very familiar with the history of pa threpbgts, but it -- patent legislation but it bears repeating we have not had meaningful reform to our system in well over half a century. not any meaningful reform whatsoever, even though many things have changed during these intervening years. a lot of the laws have changed, a lot of the technology has changed, a lot of innovation has occurred. i'm not going to spend my time today on a history lesson. instead i urge everyone to consider not the past but look forward to the future. and that future begins with examining our present. the nation's curr