In the News

U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15), a Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement on the bombings in Boston yesterday:

When jostling for committee assignments, most lawmakers are gunning for one of the "A" committees, like Appropriations, Ways and Means or Energy and Commerce.

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee? Not so much.

But 2014 candidates take note -- getting on the science panel might be a little more competitive next time around. Current committee members seem serious about addressing some of the biggest issues facing the nation and the world, from tomorrow's economy and climate change, to city-flattening asteroids.

It's hard for newcomers to Congress, especially if they're in the minority, to get much attention in Washington. But freshman Rep. Eric Swalwell, the East Bay Democrat who unseated veteran Pete Stark last November, may have found a way.

Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class James Grissom, of Hayward, was honored on the U.S. House floor Tuesday by Congressman Eric Swalwell.

Grissom, a 1999 graduate of Mount Eden High School in Hayward, died March 21 of wounds suffered from small-arms fire in Afghanistan.

The Green Beret received several medals, including the Bronze Star and the NATO Medal, Swalwell said.

A group of House Democrats say it's time the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) stop defending its decision to allow knives on airplanes — and instead just drop the controversial proposal. "On March 21, 2013, we along with 133 members of Congress, wrote to you requesting that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) maintain knives and sporting equipment on the Prohibited Items List (PIL) until a process of formal consultation is conducted with all stakeholders through the Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC)," Reps.

Rep. Eric Swalwell stops his bicycle at a red light at Main and B streets in Hayward, pulls it onto a sidewalk across from a vacant bank building, and waves for the attention of his fellow cyclists. "This here," he says above the din of the traffic, "is the heart of the HUB zone."

Rep. Eric Swalwell, a newly elected Democrat from the 15th District and a member of the Homeland Security Committee, has been one of the more vocal critics of TSA's new policy on items being brought on board airplanes. Effective April 25, passengers can bring hockey sticks, golf clubs and billiard cues among carry-on baggage. What has Swalwell most concerned is knives will also be allowed on board, and in the post-9/11 era, Swalwell tells us on video that TSA should know better than to allow knives on planes.