Welcome to Catch Up With Young Kim, my weekly e-newsletter to get you the latest on my work for you in Congress.

We are the land of the free because of the brave. As we remember Memorial Day on Monday, we honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our nation’s freedoms we hold dear, rally with our Gold Star Families, and share their stories so we never forget.

Please have a fun and safe long weekend, and I hope you take time to pay tribute to our fallen heroes. We are grateful always.

My team and I are here to serve you. If you ever need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office. I also encourage you to receive real-time updates on my work for you in Congress by following me on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.

Nominating our best and brightest to attend our U.S. service academies is a privilege. I'm so thrilled that at least 22 CA-40 students have been offered appointment to the Class of 2028.

I thank each of you for stepping up to serve, and I know you'll make us proud.

As Indo-Pacific Subcommittee Chair, I'm fighting to support our freedom-loving partners, protect human rights, and hold authoritarian regimes accountable. 
  
At this week's House Foreign Affairs hearing, I asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken about sanctioning Hong Kong officials, North Korean human rights, and giving Taiwan a seat at the table.

I’m so grateful for the work of San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, and their deputies to keep our Chino Hills and Corona communities safe. Appreciated discussing how I can help ensure they have the tools they need to protect the public!

The U.S. can't lead in today's digital economy when we aren't even keeping up.  
  
The FIT 21 Act creates a regulatory framework that sets guidelines for digital assets in the 21st century economy and promotes innovation while providing robust consumer protections.

The new For Everyone Woman Mobile Clinic will provide medical care and counseling for women facing unplanned pregnancies.  
 
Team Young celebrated the grand opening with Horizon Pregnancy Clinic, Mariner's Church, Save the Storks, and the Orange County Rescue Mission.

May is National Wildfire Awareness Month, but our communities feel the impact of wildfires every year.
 
The bipartisan Fire Weather Development Act I worked on passed the House to improve communications for first responders and expand early detection.

Thank you to Chapman University's Veteran Resource Center Director Steve Leader and student veterans, for the tour! I look forward to working together to support our student veterans and their families. 

I enjoyed meeting with CA-40 insurance and financial advisors to talk about value of financial literacy. I’m committed to helping families and small business owners get the tools they need to make their American dream a reality. Great to see you!

Team Young celebrated the opening of the new headquarters of the Orange County Sanitation District, which provides wastewater collection, treatment, and recycling for 2.6 million people in central and northwest Orange County.  
 
Thank you for helping keep CA-40 safe and clean for the last 70 years! 

I met with Orange County Water District's President Cathy Green and new General Manager John Kennedy to hear how community project funding resources I’ve secured are supporting their important PFAS chemical clean-up efforts.

Since 2016, the newly renamed Laguna Treatment Center in Aliso Viejo has served more than 12,000 patients throughout Southern California in addiction recovery. Team Young helped celebrate their rebrand and renaming with their team and the Aliso Viejo Chamber of Commerce.

Great to see CA-40 HVAC workers and small business owners to discuss their work to keep our communities cool this summer and how we can expand our energy supply and lower costs. 
  
Thanks for stopping by! 

Congress passed bipartisan aid to support Israel, and President Biden signed this into law.

At this week's House Foreign Affairs markup, I called out the Biden administration for pausing weapons transfer while saying its commitments to Israel haven't changed. Playing political games with our allies only emboldens our adversaries.

For the first time in Orange County's history, the California Secretary of State is hosting apostille services on Wednesday, May 29th from 9 am to 4:30 pm at the County Administration South Building at 601 North Ross Street, Santa Ana, CA.

Please come by if you need assistance with authentication for birth certificates, marriage certificates, educational records, and more!

Delivering for CA-40 is my top priority.

In Congress, I secured resources through the FY24 appropriations packages for vital projects in CA-40 that protect public health, support law enforcement, and keep our communities safe.

My office is seeing an increase in casework requests related to cybercrimes. As we see hackers use sophisticated tactics to take your personal information, please remain vigilant and be careful of suspicious links, calls, and messages. If something seems suspect, trust your instinct and do not click. 

My team and I are here to serve you.

In addition to our offices in Anaheim Hills and Mission Viejo, please don’t hesitate to stop by our mobile office hours: 

• Chino Hills Mobile Office Hours every Wednesday from 9AM-1PM at the City Clerk’s Office- 14000 City Center Drive, 2nd floor, Chino Hills
• Laguna Woods Mobile Office Hours the third Thursday of each month from 9AM-1PM at Laguna Woods City Hall- 24264 El Toro Road Laguna Woods, CA
• El Modena Mobile Office Hours first the Thursday of each month from 10AM-2PM at El Modena Branch Library-380 S Hewes Street Orange, CA.

To receive in-person assistance from my team on any casework you need help on. As always, you can call my office at (714) 984-2440 or (949) 268-6706 or visit my website at youngkim.house.gov.

Are you traveling planning travel for this year? Stop what you’re doing and check your passport!  

Processing times are now 6-8 weeks (routine) or 2-3 weeks (expedited, not incl. shipping). Start your renewal or application at travel.state.gov/passport.

Passport processing times are the fastest they’ve been since March 2020. Take advantage and apply or renew now so that you’re ready for international travel in the new year. 

Travel Tip -- Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after your departure. Look up your destination’s entry requirements at travel.state.gov/destination and check your passport expiration date before booking flights.

Travelers are encouraged to wait to book international travel until a valid passport is physically in hand, apply for a new or renewed passport 9 months prior to travel, and ensure that their passport doesn’t expire within 6 months of their international travel dates.

If your pending application was filed with routine service and you have upcoming travel, you may benefit from upgrading to expedited service. Please dial (877) 487-2778 to upgrade to expedited service and shipping.  

Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if we can assist you in any way at (714) 984-2440.  

The Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution as tensions around the world increase the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution. 

U.S. citizens should:

• Stay alert in locations frequented by tourists.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive information and alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency overseas.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter and visit travel.state.gov.

If you are traveling abroad or are abroad please check the destination warning levels travel.state.gov, and be sure to register for the STEP program even if you are abroad. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office at my website or at (714) 984-2440 if you have any questions or need assistance.

If you need help with a federal agency, please reach out to my office. We’re here to serve you always.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Young Kim