[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 18228-18229] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING HELEN MacLEOD THOMSON ______ HON. MIKE THOMPSON of california in the house of representatives Monday, November 29, 2010 Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Helen MacLeod Thomson for her 36 years of public service that began in 1974 when she was elected as a member of the Davis Joint Unified School District Board of Education and where she served 3 terms. She was elected to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors in 1986 and re-elected in 1990 and 1994. In 1996 she won the 8th district seat in the California State Assembly where she served three terms. As a legislator Thomson chaired both the Health Committee and the Select Committee on Mental Health and served on numerous standing and select committees. She was on the leadership teams of four Speakers, including as Majority Floor Whip and Assistant Speaker Pro Tem. She led legislative efforts to reform the state-local government fiscal relationship and to end discrimination against those who suffer from serious mental illness. Assemblywoman Thomson authored 81 bills signed into law by both Democratic and Republican governors. Most notably was AB 88, the mental health parity bill, which ended the historic discrimination in insurance benefits for those who suffer from mental illness and AB 1421, ``Laura's Law,'' which established a court ordered program of Assisted Outpatient Treatment for those persons who are severely mentally ill. Thomson's legislation spanned a spectrum of subjects including local government finance, civil grand jury reform, highway safety, county social services delivery, water conservation, and the rights of the disabled. In 2002, when her assembly term ended, Thomson again was elected to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and was re-elected without opposition in June 2006. She will retire at the end of her term in December 2010. Supervisor Thomson has served on a variety of local and statewide boards. Of continuing importance to her is the Children's Health Initiative, which works to insure children 0-18, who are not covered by other health insurance programs, the Yolo Indigent Health Medical Services Program and the county's alcohol, drug and mental health programs. A registered nurse, she is a member of the National Advisory Committee for the newly established Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. A champion of Yolo County agriculture, Supervisor Thomson is a founder of the Yolo [[Page 18229]] Land Trust and this year was awarded its 2010 Thomson-Rominger award for her decades of work in land conservation. A major goal of her county service was the adoption of the new County General Plan in December 2009. This 2030 General Plan continues Yolo County's historic preservation of agricultural lands, natural resources and open space, while creating opportunities for strategic economic development. It emphasizes policies that address issues of ``smart growth'' and climate change. Madam Speaker, it is appropriate at this time to acknowledge and thank Helen M. Thomson for her 36 years of exemplary leadership and her lasting contributions that have done so much to directly improve the lives of those she has so ably represented. ____________________